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Low Serial Number AR 3's on eBay


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Guest Islands Innovation

AR Fans,

My appologies if this is an inappropriate post, but there appear to be a pair of historically significant AR 3's on eBay that I figured the group might be interested in.

I have no knowledge of, connection to, or interest in the seller or the speakers...just stumbled on them looking for some drivers.

The serial numbers are C 0005 and C 0020.

Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Acoustic-Research-AR-3...1QQcmdZViewItem

Item number: 330062208960

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>No need to appologize, this is what AR historians live for.

>Guess these would date to mid 1958. Tom T. might have further

>details on confirming they are indeed numbers 0005 &

>0020.

Those AR-3s definitely look authentic in every aspect. They would have been produced somewhere in the January-February 1959 time-frame, I believe, and they are historicall significant due to the very early serial numbers. The finish is Lacquered Walnut or Lacquered Mahogany, and these speakers sold for $216 each when new. Oiled Walnut versions, introduced somewhat later, sold for $225 each. The suggested retail price of the AR-3 had a low mark-up, much as the AR-2 had been priced, and the company barely made money on the speaker in the beginning. The AR-3 was a clear "stand out" in the high-fidelity speaker market with nothing remotely comparable to it when it was first introduced. There was much discussion about raising the retail price to $316 each -- a cost the company felt would be well accepted -- but Villchur wanted to keep to the same pricing standards as with other AR models. As production costs declined over time, and the learning curve kicked in, the company would begin to make normal profits on each unit. The price remained at the low $216/each (still a lot of money in 1959).

The AR-3 was first shown in prototype form in Chicago in the late summer of 1958, and working demonstration models were shown at the New York High Fidelity audio show in October of 1958; however, production problems with the speaker had not been completely ironed out at that time, and speakers were not shipped until around the first of the year, 1959. The AR-3 was clearly the #1 hit of the New York Show, and by November of that year AR had firm orders for 500 AR-3 speakers -- not bad for a new model.

--Tom Tyson

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Hi Tom;

Thank you very much for that great write-up.

It is refreshing to know that AR was working on a low profit margin, as in, with their first AR turntable as well.

Yes, that was a lot of money back then, for sure, considering I was making $1.02 CDN per hour in 1965 as a 1st year apprentice in Sept '65.

In 1970 the AR-3A's were selling here for $399.00 CDN retail.

It would be nice if another member posted from the US also had a low paying apprenticeship for a comparable hourly wage at the same time period so we can compare.

Not bad, not bad at all, from a company that ended up with 1/3 of the hifi speaker market in the USA.

Obviously, Edgar's strategy worked, and worked very well.

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This also seems to confirm when the new style labels were introduced (with the 'AR-3' logo). Even AR-2's from early 1958 had this style label. Looks as though only AR-1's and AR-1W's had the early style label up to about serial number 5,000 ?

This may seem like an obscure detail hardly worth mentioning, but as early AR establish themselves as important audio history, these details count. There is a vintage guitar site with history and details on Fender guitars and amplifiers from the 1950's. www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html The detail about constuction and production changes of these Stratocasters and Telecasters is amazing. These guitars were the first solid body electrics from birth of rock & roll era and their value is now very high, many going for over $15-20,000 !

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>This also seems to confirm when the new style labels were

>introduced (with the 'AR-3' logo). Even AR-2's from early 1958

>had this style label. Looks as though only AR-1's and AR-1W's

>had the early style label up to about serial number 5,000 ?

>

>This may seem like an obscure detail hardly worth mentioning,

>but as early AR establish themselves as important audio

>history, these details count.

Andy, what are you referring to with regards to the "new style labels" on AR speakers? Do you mean the size of the brass logo on the speaker itself?

--Tom Tyson

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Tom, I'm referring to the paper label on the back. Near the top of the label the logo which is about one inch in size can be seen. All early AR-2's and AR-3's including this pair, numbers 0005 & 0020 have the newer label. Sometime in late 1957 or early 58 the AR-1 and 1W adopted this newer label. On the early AR-1's and 1W's there is no logo, the model is ink stamped in small print only. I believe the change to the new label was made at about serial number 5,000 on the 1W (my 1W is no. 3903 and has the early label. I don't know how many Model 1's were made with the old label ??

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>One further detail.....those early, early AR-1's you have Tom

>would have a different street address at the bottom of the

>label. The move to Thorndike street in Cambridge happened in

>1955 I think ?

The move to 24 Thorndike Street (East Cambridge, Mass) from 23 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, came in 1956, about the time that AR's business had ramped up from $56k in sales in 1955 to $383k in 1956, and the number of employees went from 5 or 6 to fifty during this time as well. I think that the labels on the back of the Mt Auburn speakers had "Acoustic Research" written at the bottom, but I will have to check on this. I assume this is what you are referring to about the change in the inscription.

The first AR production took place at 23 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, but the Baruch-Lang Corner Loudspeaker was built by Kloss Industries (assembled by Henry Kloss and sold by mail order) at 10 Arrow Street in Cambridge. I am pretty certain that AR moved from Mount Auburn to 24 Thorndike Street with never any mention of Arrow Street.

--Tom Tyson

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>Tom, I'm referring to the paper label on the back. Near the

>top of the label the logo which is about one inch in size can

>be seen. All early AR-2's and AR-3's including this pair,

>numbers 0005 & 0020 have the newer label. Sometime in late

>1957 or early 58 the AR-1 and 1W adopted this newer label. On

>the early AR-1's and 1W's there is no logo, the model is ink

>stamped in small print only. I believe the change to the new

>label was made at about serial number 5,000 on the 1W (my 1W

>is no. 3903 and has the early label. I don't know how many

>Model 1's were made with the old label ??

This is probably approximately correct. I know that both of my very early AR-1s were made it Mt Auburn Street, and one had a hand-written inscription and the other has a typewritten "AR-1" and serial number. Another AR-1W that I have has a serial number in the 7000-range and it does have the newer AR "Trajan-style" script writing for "AR-1W." This speaker was built at 24 Thorndike Street, so it is possible that the change was made about the time of the move or slightly later. Changes occurred once AR got established at the four-story Thorndike factory building. The company went to a more efficient assembly-line process in the spring of 1958 from a handicraft-shop assembly process. Therefore, by the time the AR-3 and the AR-2a were beginning to roll of the line, the company had become more modernized in the assembly process. The four-story building was utilized such that manufacturing was primarily on the second and third floor, with subassemblies (crossovers, etc.) being assembled and then sent to the final assembly on the third floor. Testing was done on the fourth floor, along with machining operations. Office functions were done on the first floor.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1791.jpg

24 Thorndike Street AR Speaker Subassembly Operation

--Tom Tyson

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Tom, Yes, Thank you for clarifying it as "Tojan style" lettering on the label. The address details and photo are also very interesting. Did you ever consider publishing a Acoustic Research book or guide booklet. I think you have a rather expansive knowledge of AR and I know you've met the man himself, Mr. Villchur. I think a guide book would do very well. The 'Classic speaker pages' has been a tremendous asset to colectors, but finding information from two or the years ago can be tricky. Plus, there's nothing like having a book in hand.

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>Tom, Yes, Thank you for clarifying it as "Tojan

>style" lettering on the label. The address details and

>photo are also very interesting. Did you ever consider

>publishing a Acoustic Research book or guide booklet. I think

>you have a rather expansive knowledge of AR and I know you've

>met the man himself, Mr. Villchur. I think a guide book would

>do very well. The 'Classic speaker pages' has been a

>tremendous asset to colectors, but finding information from

>two or the years ago can be tricky. Plus, there's nothing like

>having a book in hand.

Andy,

The AR script (pre-ADD-style logotype) was designed by an artist (now deceased, I believe) by the name of Arthur Seymour Einwohner. It was based on a special type of Roman Gothic script Villchur liked that was found on the base of the statue of Roman King Trajan (not "Tojan").

Villchur didn't particularly like what the Romans did, but he respected their lettering. Arthur then took this script and modified it to form what we now know as the classic AR logo script. There was an early version of this and a more flowing, modern version that became the standard for AR. Arthur was also the artist that illustrated Villchur's books, and he also did much of the ad-copy artwork for the famous AR advertisements, all of which were written by Edgar Villchur up until he sold AR to Teledyne in 1967.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1795.jpg

Trajan Lettering at base of statue of King Trajan

--Tom Tyson

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Hi Tom

Here are the three version of AR / modified Trajan scripts from AR-1 to AR-3a which is quite different from the regular Linotype Trajan fonts available for desktop publishing. Thanks for telling us Arthur Seymour Einwohner was the artist who had created these beautiful and unique type face for AR. I prefer the later version used on the AR-3a, AR-LST and AR-MST logos.

Minh Luong

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1796.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1797.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1798.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1799.jpg

post-101112-1166420184.jpg

post-3-1166420184.jpg

post-3-1166420185.jpg

post-3-1166420186.jpg

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Minh,

Thanks for your additional comments on the Trajan typeface font. I had overlooked the fact that there were three typeface iterations before AR finally settled on the last version, which I suspect came into use sometime prior to the 1958 AR-3 and 1959 AR-2a. The end result was quite unique and stylish for the time, and few logos today are as recognizable (and copied) as the classic Trajan AR logo. Einwohner's artistic work was outstanding. He took a classic style and greatly improved upon it!

--Tom Tyson

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Few corporate elements are as potentially valuable as the logo. The Nike swoosh, the Apple multi-colored apple, Coca-Cola’s immediately-recognizable lettering, the RCA “Voice of his Master”—these are icons of commercial industry. They have become, in effect, visually synonymous with their respective companies themselves.

AR’s classy early logo was on its way to representing a standard of excellence in the loudspeaker business, at a time when the consumer loudspeaker business had far more impact on the discretionary/hobbyist buying dollar than it does today. Many people—myself included—feel that AR made a huge marketing error when they unceremoniously tossed aside that great logo for the bland, eminently unmemorable, unremarkable block lettering logo of the early ADD series. Then very shortly after, they degraded and confused their logo even further with that horrible, gimmicky logo that had the “R” growing directly out of the “A.” AR’s consistency of corporate identification was gone forever.

The mind-set in 1975 that lead to the dropping of the original logo was understandable—the old Classics had grown market-weary, dealer profitability—and hence dealer loyalty—was shot, AR was being overtaken in the marketplace by Advent, EPI, JBL and others. A new series—the ADD’s—with much better HF response (no more “dull” AR’s in the dealer showrooms), better distribution policies (and thus better dealer profitability) seemed to bespeak a new direction for the company. Thus, the new logo was supposed to symbolize the “new” AR.

But all it did was rob the “new” AR of its direct visual link to the consumer and the symbol of its glorious past. The ADD’s were great speakers, but from a marketing standpoint, they had none of the cache of the Classics—at least not to the general public and not to the dealers. A marketing strategy that capitalized on the best of BOTH the Classics and the ADD’s would have been better. Hindsight might be 20-20, but I thought the new logo was a huge mistake at the time it was introduced.

Imagine the feelings the AR-11 would engender in you if it had that great brass plate logo with red Trajan typeface lettering, like the 3a. It would be so classy, and you’d think of it as an entirely different speaker, wouldn’t you?

Steve F.

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Great analysis, Steve! Like you, I was extremely disappointed when the original, classic AR logo morphed into that blocky, ugly thing. I was (and am) a big fan of AR speakers, starting with the AR4x back in '68. I quickly moved up the ladder, acquiring the AR2ax (regret selling them) and then the AR5. In the past 10 years I've also acquired a pair of 3a's, 2a's, and 4's, along with another pair of 5's. All of them have the classic logo.

When the logo changed back in the 70's, I lost interest in the brand. Rightfully or wrongfully, I assumed that, if the logo changed for the worse, the people in charge had no clue what they were doing. Now, I know that AR continued to produce some great speakers, but I had no interest in acquiring them..........the element of "class" was gone. :P

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An excellent analysis, Steve. The attempt to represent "newness" at the expense of a respected, well-crafted, and distinctive logo was ill-conceived, and a textbook example of missing the point.

Although many "golden-era" manufacturers have familiar names, perhaps only Acoustic Research and McIntosh ever brandished logos that were so iconic and immediately connotative of a no-nonsense, uncompromising approach to quality and performance.

That *instant perception* of the continuity of excellence, enhanced & burnished by time, ceased with the revised ADD logo, and was never to be regained.

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>Few corporate elements are as potentially valuable as the

>logo. The Nike swoosh, the Apple multi-colored apple,

>Coca-Cola’s immediately-recognizable lettering, the RCA “Voice

>of his Master”—these are icons of commercial industry. They

>have become, in effect, visually synonymous with their

>respective companies themselves.

>

Great marketing synopsis, Steve!

Some companies (such as Coca-Cola and Hewlett-Packard) have managed to keep the original or close-to-the-original logos, with some up-dating along the way. Up to 1975 AR made subtle enhancements (as Minh illustrated in his message) to the original Trajan logotype until it evolved into the final version somewhere in the late-1950s. The basic feature of the script was kept pretty much constant, and it was immediately recognizable to anyone vaguely familiar with high fidelity. It was even directly copied on a magazine mast head in an entirely different field: clinical radiology. The small trade magazine was “American Radiology,” and the inscription “AR” in the classic (thought subtly modified) form was present on the top of every one of their magazine covers.

I worked for nearly thirty years at Hewlett-Packard, and that great company made several small changes to its famous corporate logo over the years. The original 1941 lower-case “hp” within a circle logotype was changed in 1946 to a simplified version of the same thing for greater legibility and ease of engraving. In 1967 (ten years before I started at HP) and contemporary with the company’s first computer, the HP logo was again updated with “Hewlett” and “Packard” on either side of the circle with “hp” in the center. This logotype evolved again in 1979 with a more modern look, but it still contains the highly recognizable “hp,” still in lower case but with a more modern form that still cannot be confused with anybody else’s logo. Basically, the two small letters are still together inside a circle just as they have been for sixty-five years, but the logo is totally modern. HP also guards that trademark just as they would a patent: in the late 1970s or early 1980s, Yamaha brought out a line of receivers and amplifiers known as the “HP” series, ostensibly meaning “High Performance.” I don’t know how many units were made and shipped to dealers, but I remember that Hewlett-Packard’s legal department swooped down on Yamaha and made them take that product off the market for use of HP’s trademark and logo, even though the product technologies were unrelated. HP vigorously defended it trademark. Yamaha had to buy back the dealer’s inventories.

Even though Acoustic Research changed the logo on the main speakers in 1975, the old Trajan logo continued on for many years with the remnants of the original speaker line and service parts, etc. The most recent AR logo appears to have been an attempt to revitalize the old logo, but it is a miserable rendition.

--Tom Tyson

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