Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Here’s the "saga" of a pair of $500 Klipschorns... It’s an interesting story, and I posted this here in 2 Channel because that’s what they are used for. Before I go forward, I’d like to thank everyone who I consulted with, gave me ideas, helped in some way, or in the case of inspiration in the "I can do this category". In that case, ever since I had the privilege to discover the Klipsch Forum, I continually go to greg928gts’ website and look at the work he has done with Klipschorns. Man, if I ever get that good, I’ll be happy!! For the electronics, Bob Crites is "Da Man". His advice, thoughts and of course his superb work on the "4500" crossovers is a key to making the mid-horns & tweeters work. Special thanks to Joe at joewoodworker.com for the advice over the last few years on veneers, glue, and his really great reference library. Thanks to Colter for the help with the 401 horns; Amy for letting me get the nice silver emblems; Fender, Nomad and the Florida gang for helping me test my Sam Adams collection while we all stood around in the workshop trying to figure out what to do with the parts, etc... Here’s what happened. Few years ago in October of 2005 I ran across a guy who lived in Illinois and had a pair of 1981 Klipschorns for sale on eBay for a "Buy It Now" price of $1200. Well, I had always wanted another pair of them, and seein’ as how we did not have any major damage at the house from Hurricane Wilma..., I put a bid on them for $500, but as per usual was outbid in about 3 seconds, and never thought about it after that. Meanwhile, we had decided to head to Little Rock for Thanksgiving. While we were there I received an email from this guy. He told me that no-one wanted them, and he would take $750 for them if I was interested. He was honest and told me that they were "cosmetically challenged". I figured what the heck, they cannot be too bad, I had the truck for a day, wife, kids and relatives off at the mall, etc.... Calculated the distance at about 400 miles one way, and decided that if I left at "0:dark hundred hours" (that would be about 5:00 AM civilian time...) I could get them and be back that night. I arrived in full style and was shown to the garage... They were under sheets, blankets, garden tools, a chainsaw, and a bunch of dirt bike parts... and they were awful. Really awful... I should have taken pictures, but.... In any event, a number of Forum members saw them in the workshop (Colter, Fenderbender, Nomad02rider, Thumperxerxes, etc.), and they can testify to the awful condition of the bins and the original top pieces. The guy was a bachelor, and his idea of keeping things neat and clean, etc., was sorta’ like Attila the Hun’s idea of cleaning up after sacking Rome.... The veneer on everything was chipped and peeling. The grills were full of holes; the top sections were filled with bird nests, mouse houses, dust balls, etc. There was pesticide residue, motor oil, etc. on the top sections, and the bottom edges of the bass bins were dry rotting and the first layer of veneer peeling off in several places, etc. The owner had just retired. He had them in his shop, listened to them every day with a small receiver on a classical music station, and after he bought them had never (ever) done anything to take care of them (except put plants on them, leave the windows open during a rain storm, etc.). After he retired, he took them home and left them on a concrete floor in his garage. Now the interesting thing was that they actually worked. He had the receiver out there and connected them with some old zip cord.... Well.... I very nicely told him that they were really awful, and thanked him for being honest, but for $750, I would be better off just saving that money and eventually getting a better pair later. The truth be told was that I knew, for sure, that I would never be allowed to even think about bringing them in the house. No way - No how..... My wife is very understanding about this whole stereo hobby thing, but even she has her limits as to what things come inside the home... and these did not even have a chance. So, cranked up the truck and headed back to the interstate. About 5 minutes out, he calls me and asks me what I would offer him for them. I thought about it for a minute.... calculated that the parts and the bass bins were easily worth about $500, and besides, I figured that the more experience I got rebuilding Heresy’s the better prepared I would be to "resurrect" them. So I told him $500 and he said ok. I turned around, drove back, paid him and loaded them up. I was real quiet about them on the way back to Florida from the Thanksgiving vacation. My wife pressed me about the giant garbage bagged things in the back of the truck, so I just told her that they were a long term project.... When we got home it was late (as in dark...) Which was a lucky thing.... Unloaded the truck, except for the Klipschorns... About an hour later, unloaded them into the garage and promptly covered them up with a sheet.... Once every week or so, I’d go outside and look at them and cry.... Well sorta’... Actually, this whole project is also what led to the Klipsch Heritage Code thread. First thing I did was disassemble everything except for the bass bins. I catalogued the pieces, sorted and put all screws, etc. into envelopes, etc. and started researching, reading, and planning. Meanwhile... in April 2006 while looking for parts, lacquer questions, etc., I was referred to the Forum by Klipsch Parts. Very interesting journey that’s been!!!.... Meanwhile... in 2007 we decided that we would close in the porch and make a "man cave" where I could hang out and not bother anyone... By late 2007, the "man cave" is built. They pretty much finished it after Thanksgiving, so during the Christmas holidays, I moved the Wall of Voodoo in, along with my wife’s mint rosewood K-horns... I explained to her that it was just temporary until I finished the "project". She was ok for about 3-4 months, and in June (as in about 3 months ago...) advised me that I’d better get going and stop any and all speaker repairs for other folks and get her K’horns back in the Wall of Boudoir".... and while I was at it, finish the HT project in the living room, etc., etc. To be honest, I was just not comfortable with my "skill set" for the Klipschorns until last year. By June, however, and having re-done about 20 pairs of Heresy’s, several pairs of Cornwalls, etc., over the last several years, I was fairly confident that I would be able to do them properly. Until I received the WAF "git-er-done" order, I had just concentrated on stripping the veneer off the bins, sanding, repairing the bins, locating intact side grills, grill cloth, crossovers, parts, cutting panels, bracing, top section panels, etc. The tops were worthless, so I already knew I would have to make completely new ones, including the braces. The delay (and lack of space) gave me time to really look at Klipschorns and consider what are those things I could do to improve them and make them easier for me to work on. There were several things that wanted to do in particular. Seeing as how these would be in the man cave, and it would not be a home decor disaster every time I wanted to work on something (CHAOS Theory = Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome), I came up with certain "requirements". Ability to remove, disassemble top section and replace veneer, change tweeters, horns, etc in a reasonable amount of time. Reason: Normal configuration takes forever to take apart, and you need a 5/16" wrench, teeny weeny fingers, certain braces were stapled, etc. Ability to effectively seal the bass bin to the top section, the floor, and the walls, and not require a "false corner", etc. Reason: Even with "pipe foam", there are leaks at the bottom of the tailboard, underneath between the bin and the floor, into the top section, etc. Ability to add two pieces of plywood for a false corner arrangement, without changing the external dimensions of the Klipschorn bass bins, and being able to do it in 10 minutes. Ability to immediately change tail boards to match different baseboard configurations. Reason: If a tailboard can be removed in a few minutes and replaced with a board that has been routed at the bottom to exactly match the baseboards, or an "obstacle", then the sealing is easy. Ability to immediately connect & disconnect input and bass bin driver wires. Reason: I hate terminal screws, and good quality bananas work very well.... Ability to immediately apply different "kickplate" variations on the bass bin without attaching the kick plates to the bin face. Reason: The lack of a kickplate on earlier versions inevitably leads to damage from vacuum cleaners, shoes, etc. Later versions have it, but... removal of the kickplate from later versions will result in damage to the bin face veneer. Ability to rapidly change veneers & associated trim/edging. With the ability to rapidly remove the top section, drop the bottom plate and unscrew the two vertical brace pieces, and a "three screw removal" of the kick plate, the bins and the top pieces can be ready to accept veneer in about an hour or two. Yesterday was the big day. Final assembly and testing. Final configuration is #40 sheen black laquer over mahogany veneer (no clear coat - shows nice grain patterns better), BEC’s CT-125's & A/4500 crossovers, new (from BEC) K-55's, new K-401 horns (courtesy of Colter), pair of mint K-33 square magnets, new grills, new motorboard cloth, and silver/black Klipsch "Pro" emblems to match the overall black/ silver decor in the man cave. Results? Very impressive. Was I able to meet the requirements I wanted? Yes, absolutely. Only thing I did not do was make the two false corner plywood "plates" because I don’t need them at the moment. How much did it all cost? Cost of the speakers: $500 Cost of going to get them: $140 Cost of materials: ~$250 Cost of new birch plywood for bracing, panels: $100 Cost of new K55's: $300 Cost of new CT-125's: $150 Cost of new A/4500 crossovers: $175 Cost of brain freezes, "mistakes" with wood, screws, learning to shoot lacquer, finding things that the last time I saw them was 3 months prior: Priceless.... Total cost: ~$1600.... and they are "like new" Moral of the story: When you look at an old pair of Klipsch speakers, don’t just think of what they were, think of what they could be!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Here’s a couple shots of the disassembled top section panels. The bass bins were just as bad. After stripping out all of the bracing and motor boards, everything was trashed, except one of each "object" so I could measure and cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Notice the stains, etc. What a disaster... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Here’s what I used on the bass bin to seal the wood and repair the dry rotting. Works very well, extremely hard, sands very well and takes lacquer very well. It’s a marine grade product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 The key to sealing the bass bin to the floor and walls requires (a) tailboard that is matched to the wall/baseboard, and ( a top section lower panel that is cut at the front end to be flush with the front edge of the bass bin (~1/4"). This panel is then attached to the bottom of the bass bin. At that point you can attach any type of kick plate to this piece, rather than the front of the bass bin. To attach a kick plate, you use a router and cut in about 1" along the front edge on the bottom of the plate about ½" deep. This gives you an inset to attach a kickplate from underneath the leading edge of the bin itself. This keeps the kickplate from having to be attached to the face of the bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 When you do a project like this, it’s best to replace all of the old wiring. I use the heavy duty 13 gauge Dayton Professional speaker wire from Partsexpress. It is very flexible, and easy to work with. I always lay out my wiring "harness" to make sure I’ve got the wires cut properly to length, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Instead of running the input wire up to the crossover (old Klipschorn style), I decided to do it in a modified later model Klipschorn style. Reason: less strain on the wire connectors, and easier to connect/ disconnect. Each panel has an "input", an output to the crossover, and a bass bin input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Wiring for the panel is simple; just a bridge. Actually, the panel can also be used for an AK3+ type crossover if desired. I’ve got a spare AK3 set redone by BEC and the thought has crossed my mind as a later "experiment". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 9. The bin with the bottom piece, the cover board and grills assembled. No modifications to a the stock grills are required because they simply "think" that bottom piece is the floor..... On the list of things to experiment with is a pair of side grills on thin masonite board. Reason? Because with a top section and a bottom section, I can add a brace piece to the two boards, and the grill could be retained with velcro for easy removal. That would eliminate those internal braces, screws & wing nuts, etc. Also cosmetics... The original grills have that massive cutout on the bottom inboard. The bottom piece can also be cut on the "wall" edges to match the exact thickness of your baseboard at that height at the baseboard’s thickest section. Same thing with removable tailboard. You would only cut out or "notch" the tailboard for the baseboard’s profile. Same principle applies to the grill. You would only "notch" the bottom inboard corner to compensate for the baseboard profile at that height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Here’s what it looks like from the front. You can see the stock grill cutout. You can also see the "kick plate". In this case it’s a simple 1" x 1" angle molding. I like the lower profile of that molding, but I can also change it in about 10 minutes... Unplug connects, lift off top, flip bin, undo several screws..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Here’s the key to sealing the top section to the bin and the wall.... 3/4" wide, dense closed cell foam tape. About $4 in 10 foot rolls from Ace... Requires 6 total rolls to do both speakers. Interestingly, the sealing tape exposed face clings to the top section’s bottom panel so well that I did not have to go through the drill of drilling (pun..?) holes for the wingnut retention system. I slide the bass bin into the corner, make sure it’s "squared away", and then put the top section on and carefully "adjust" it to seal and aligned at the front and sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 BEC’s A/4500 crossovers. Pre-install the wiring harness. Easier to work with. Only thing I needed to "screw on" was the tweeter leads, and connect the leads to the K55's. Easy Day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Now for the top section. All braces are now screwed on instead of stapled. Makes it very easy to disassemble if I want to change tweeters, re-veneer, shoot a fresh coat of lacquer, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Bottom board requires only two brace pieces for the vertical supports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Completed top section. Vertical supports slide in and are screwed to their respective panel brace pieces. The metal horn vertical support was added later. The bottom board is simply placed over, aligned and retained by 12 screws recessed into the panel, two in each motor board, two into the side panel brace, and four along the front of the motor board. Very sturdy, but very easy to disassemble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Groomlakearea51, WOW...very nice...Good luck and Good Show!...on yours Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Next is moving everything into the man cave for final assembly. What a pile of stuff!!! I timed the assembly and it takes about 2 hours to put everything together and slide them bad boys into their corners.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 The finished product.... Everything is sealed, including the holes where the harness wires pass. I use some cable installer "sleeving" which keeps them tight and also reduces any "leaks" into the top section. Notice very little excess wiring, neat and clean. Bob’s crossovers are on felt pads, but retained with velcro. Again, it makes it very easy to remove them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Now let’s crank them up!!! The "Wall of Voodoo" lives!! Currently they are on amp #1 on the far left row. They will be tested with the tube amp up top later this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 NICE WORK!!!!!! It reminds me of a pair of 1960's khorns I saw for $900. I wish I had taken a picture of them because they were the ugliest ever. They were covered in 1960s burlap. I was talking to funkyhambone and he said he went to see the same pair. Woo they were dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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