genek

Oops. Thanks for catching that.

A later model 3a would have the same back wired mids and tweeters as an LST2, and the woofer would be interchangeable with many later 12" ARs and not all that hard to replace. It might even have Compulytic caps that don't need replacing. If I was in the market for a pair and the cabs looked good I wouldn't exclude without checking them out.

Recapping won't make any difference if the driver is distorting. That's what that "crackling" sound is. The Norwood-installed service mid in the AR-3 is probably closer to an AR-3a mid than a 3 anyway, so I'd try using it.

When first introduced, the vinyl covered 2-way AR-8 was a whopping $16 less than a real walnut 3-way AR-2ax. And I doubt that anyone bought the idea of an "accurate rock speaker."

Accurate reproduction was the AR mantra under Villchur. Once the five-year transition ended in 1972 and Villchur's people started to exit, product development was controlled by Teledyne management and chasing their perceived "consumer preference" resulted in the introduction of "low end" stuff like the AR-8.

Looks great. But just in case your lacquer experience wasn't painful enough, check this out... https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.woodsmith.com/article/rubbing-out-a-high-gloss-finish/&ved=2ahUKEwil8reDg-7yAhXEHzQIHW-0Am4QFnoECEwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1oFVMDLIqmRtwB4_MMPA7h&cshid=1631057754750

Assuming that refinishing is needed, my current go-to for an oiled finish is Tung oil cut with a citrus solvent. For a coating finish, wipe-on varnishes or "danish oils" don't vary a lot by brand. But if the side faces of these are in the same condition as the front edges, they probably don't need anything more than some cleaner/polish.

"Teak oil" is an absurdly expensive product originally formulated to weatherproof teak boat decks. There's no need to use it for any indoor applications.

The biggest difference I noticed when I compared the 3a to the Five way back when they were new was that the 3a had wider dispersion and a slightly more "airy" quality to the sound. Any other difference between them could be compensated for by the level controls.

Scott's is mineral oil with a small amount of naptha added. The naptha acts as a cleaner and the oil as a polish. Replace the naptha with d-limonene (citrus oil) and you have "lemon oil" furniture polish. Both are effective cleaner/polishes, but they do not catalyze (harden) so they are not wood finishes. Boiled linseed oil catalyzes, so it is a wood finish. But I wouldn't use it as a polish.

I don't know what kind of home environment AR envisioned for their oiled finish cabinets, but I have 50+ year old ARs that have never been reoiled. A bit of furniture cleaner/polish/wax from time to time is all they've ever needed. Reapplying finish oil is what you do when your original finish has worn or oxidized to the point where bare wood has become exposed.

Probably walnut. The straight, ribbon-like grain appears to be the result of using narrow bands of veneer from very young trees.

FYI, Watco and other "Danish oil" finishes are oil/varnish blends, and it is the varnish that is acting as the binder to turn the sanding dust into a viable grain filler. If you use an oil (linseed, tung, etc.) finish that doesn't include varnish you may get a goo that never hardens. The traditional technique for making filler out of sawdust involves mixing the sawdust with wood glue, or applying multiple coats of shellac or varnish, sanding between coats and rubbing the wood/finish sawdust blend that results into the wood between coats. Note that these techniques will result in a finish that is a coating and not a true "oil finish" that can be touched up later by wiping on more oil the way AR originally recommended.

The 1986 AR replacement parts list shows 200010-1 for the AR-19, 11, 3a and LST.

The mids definitely look like the 20044-0 for the AR-58s.