GD70

The wires from the mids are aluminum. You will need aluminum solder. It is not easy to work with, and does not flow like normal silver solder. It kind of sputters as it gets hot. It must be very hot to flow. The terminal tabs are metal, no plastic, do not remove it. The tweeter foam blobs seem ok. I've seen very small and large. As long as the dome is sitting in place and not popping out, it should be fine. The tweeter that has OK on it has had some kind of work done. Those screws are not original like the first tweeter photo. If it sounds good I wouldn't worry about it.

Tomorrow is the day! It's looking like there will be a good turnout, maybe 8-10 outstanding systems being demoed, including a completely restored set of KLH Nines, and a ton of gear, vinyl for sale! Maybe I'll see some of you! Glenn

Some have used that thin black furniture liner used on the bottoms of couches, and chairs.

I agree with Tom. I copied and pasted my response from another thread, the same applies to your 3's. Regarding their performance, I can almost guarantee they are no where near new performance, and what they are capable of, even after a recap. The mids are the big problem, which is very common. The flexable sealer around the base of the domes is now close to 55-60 years old, and most likely rock hard. This keeps the dome from moving, greatly diminishing their sound output. They can possibly be restored by Roy C., but you'll need to remove them from the cabinets and ship them to the U.S. The tweeters usually fare better, but often the dome has started to pop out from the VC gap, again pretty common. They can also be repaired here by Chris, who replaces the little foam dots, and reseals the dome at the base. I don't intend to scare you, but just give you the facts about these old speakers. I have 2 pairs of the 3's, one 1965, and also from 1960. The 1965's have been restored and sound fabulous. The 1960's were restored, but the mids will need Roy to restore them. These are special, and if you are serious about restoring and keeping them, then I suggest restoring them properly, they are worth it! Good luck! Glenn Look through the thread "Stopped for toilet paper, found some AR3's" thread. These are mine, and have lots of pics of the restoration and should be helpful for you to see what's involved.

I agree with Tom. Regarding their performance, I can almost guarantee they are no where near new performance. Yours look completely original. The mids are the big problem, which is very common. The flexable sealer around the base of the domes is now close to 60 years old, and most likely rock hard. This keeps the dome from moving, greatly diminishing their sound output. They can possibly be restored by Roy C., but you'll need to remove them from the cabinets and ship them to the U.S. The tweeters usually fare better, but often the dome has started to pop out from the VC gap, again pretty common. They can also be repaired here by Chris, who replaces the little foam dots, and reseals the dome at the base. The third issue is corroded pots, which increase or decrease the mids and tweeters output. Often they have dead spots causing no sound to come from the drivers. They can be opened up, cleaned, and possibly reused if the disks are in good condition, and the pot wipers tips don't have holes, or are completely corroded away. I don't intend to scare you, but just give you the facts about these old speakers. I have 2 pairs of the 3's, one 1965, and also from 1960. The 1965's have been restored and sound fabulous. The 1960's were restored, but the mids will need Roy to restore them. These are special, and if you are serious about restoring and keeping them, then I suggest restoring them properly, they are worth it! Good luck! Glenn Look through the thread "Stopped for toilet paper, found some AR3's" thread. These are mine, and have lots of pics of the restoration which should be helpful for you to see what's involved.

You want these. Several have used these with great results. Next time I need to replace the pots on my 3's, I'm getting 4 of these. Glenn https://www.ebay.com/itm/AR-3-AR-3a-AR-2-AR-2ax-AR-4-AR-4x-AR-5-wirewound-potentiometer-pot/163074984077?hash=item25f806c88d:g:mF0AAOSw4eJbEGaU

Those are beautiful! Fantastic work on those! I really enjoy mine, though I've got a herd, they don't get as much listening time as they deserve. This weekend is the Peekskill Lodge AK meet, and after that, I think I'll put the 2's back in rotation for a while. Ive seen some nice custom stands for these. The base and top cut to match the cab shape, raised around 28-30 inches or so. Their size vs weight is quite surprising! Cheers, Glenn

Well, another year has passed, and the 3's are sounding fabulous! For those with low output mids, don't hesitate to have Roy rebuild them. They continue to impress, and at good volume! I had a neighbor over last Sunday and demoed a few systems. He was amazed by the 3's, and shocked they are circa 1965! He thought they were "modern" speakers because of how new they look. I told him they have had extensive restoration work, and not all will sound this good.

Any progress? Very interesting woofer in transition model.

Contact JKent here on CSP. His repro's are excellent.

Thanks! Much appreciated! Glenn

Hey gents! This got burried, and figured in bump it back up. The upcoming Lodge meet in Peekskill NY, on the 14th is looking good. There will be some fantastic systems being demoed, including a restored pair of KLH Nines! Hopefully some of you can make it and hope to see you then! Cheers, Glenn

Terrific, and somewhat rare speakers. You've received excellent advice. Keep going! I cut my dust caps as ra ra's pics illustrated. The open can lid approach insured perfect alignment when reglued later. Mine were in pretty rough shape when I found them on a CL listing. They required a complete re-veneer, gluing all six grill frames back together, and replacing the grill cloth, woofer refoam, and replacement of 6 blown tweeters. Roy C. recommended the HiVi tweeters with a minor crossover tweak and resistor addition. Your cabs are not bad at all. A light block sanding, and wipe on several applications of Watcos oil will make them look new! Cheers, Glenn

Roy rebuilds the mids, Chris the tweeters. The foam dots are replaced with a proprietary concoction they work with and will not divulge its makeup. Both gents have rebuilt drivers for me with excellent results, and reasonably priced. Glenn

Hi John. I've sent you a private message. Cheers, Glenn

Very nice Kent. I'm also interested in the HiVi vs AR tweeter comparison.

Agree with Aadams. After you read the restoratio guide, search for 3a threads. There are many with lots of pics and info for the replacement caps needed, instructions on cleaning the the pots, grill repair or replacements as well as cabinet restoration. First, spin the pots back and forth, a lot! You may eventually find a spot where the drivers come back to life. The grills have plastic frames that sit in recessed channels on top and bottom. They need to be VERY CAREFULLY pulled out from the sides center area they will slide out of the channels. The plastic will be very brittle by now and can easily crack and break. Once removed you'll be able to inspect the drivers. The tweeters domes on the 3's tend to pop out of the voice coil channels, fairly common. The mids output is usually low because the white flexable sealer around the base of the domes has petrified, greatly diminishing their output. Member Roy C. has had success rebuilding them bringing them back to near new performance. Post pics so we can see what you have for more informed advice. Cheers, Glenn

Nice progress Kent. The owner wil be very happy when he gets them back home and hooked up. Glenn

Hi Pete, We have plans for the day, so won't be able to make it. If there's another get together, I'm interested. Have fun, Glenn

Or, like me, you ran out of room! I cannot download any more pics. :>(

Hmmmm, if a set of restored 3's will suffice and I'm free that day, I may drive over. Let me know.

Fun projects gents! I expect lots of pics of the progress! Cheers, Glenn

3 days to audio nirvana!

Nice speakers, and I don't blame you! I only pull the grills whenim sitting and critically listening to the music, then they go back on. Glenn

I've been seeing the "Hipster" generation, my kids, showing an interest in vintage hi-fi, vinyl in particular, necessating the need for a TT. Most new gear doesn't have TT connections requiring a separate TT pre. Some years back, I gave my daughter a JVC RS-33 receiver, a Technics TT and some small Desigh Acoustics speakers for her NYC apt. She loves that system! A couple years later I gave her a set of restored KLH Seventeens. "I'm keeping these for ever!" My son has a total appreciation for vintage HiFi and recently moved to Vegas and has been thinking about setting up a nice surround system. He's been asking questions about various speakers, receivers etc...I doubt he'll ever want a TT but you never know. I also have a couple mid 20's coworkers that I often discuss vintage audio with. One bought a set of KLH Six's I restored, another bought a set of ADS L980's based on my recommendations, as well as a NOS JVC AX-Z1010TN, and he tells me almost daily how great it sounds, and how his friends are blown away by it. He also has a TT hooked up to it, so there's still hope.