DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 I found a pair of AR 3’ one has serial number c 22109 2nd tag torn and missing serial number they were painted white and a sanded paint off i found no veneer on sides or top but only on bottoms i see they are plywood were these sold like this ? shoukd I move forward with stain or leave as is ? they have heavy duty plywood grills that fit into jams and are hard to remove dont wanna ruin them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 They are pine plywood cabinets and very collectable. If the grills are plywood they are not original. If you could post a picture of the serial number sheet and the drivers with the grills removed that would help with identification. Someone here can give you advice on carefully removing the grills without damaging them. This is a very nice find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 Yea...don't stain them! Value is in unstained, unpainted pine. You didn't use paint remover first before sanding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 25 minutes ago, lakecat said: Yea...don't stain them! Value is in unstained, unpainted pine. You didn't use paint remover first before sanding? No just lightly sanded slowly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arken Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 Wow the drivers appear to be in darn nice shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 Yes and everything works sound amazing no scratching pots I was going to match to the other set of a AR3 a’s but I guess I’ll keep As is thank you very much anyone know where I can buy a set of original grills with badges ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 You'll probably have to buy grille material and badges separately, but you're well on your way toward having yourself a pair of gold standard "blondies". There are at least two known sources for grille material - - one in U.S., one in Canada - - and other members will chime in with that information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 Wowie, zowie....congratulations on an excellent find! vintage_ar offers grilles, cloth & logos for the AR-3, but with the AR-3a-style cloth: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-AR-3-SPEAKER-GRILLES-CLOTH-LOGOS/161992719904?hash=item25b784be20:g:rYMAAMXQskFRGlNo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 7 hours ago, DC Speaker Man said: No just lightly sanded slowly Must have went through many sheets of paper!...:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 2 hours ago, ar_pro said: Wowie, zowie....congratulations on an excellent find! vintage_ar offers grilles, cloth & logos for the AR-3, but with the AR-3a-style cloth: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-AR-3-SPEAKER-GRILLES-CLOTH-LOGOS/161992719904?hash=item25b784be20:g:rYMAAMXQskFRGlNo Great thanks for the link i know they have after market but would love to get originals and to think they were sold at a goodwill for less than 10 bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 51 minutes ago, lakecat said: Must have went through many sheets of paper!...:) Yes 3 packs of different weights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 6 hours ago, ra.ra said: You'll probably have to buy grille material and badges separately, but you're well on your way toward having yourself a pair of gold standard "blondies". There are at least two known sources for grille material - - one in U.S., one in Canada - - and other members will chime in with that information. Gold standard blondes ? how can I make mine look that nice ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 My comment was meant to suggest that with cabinets that show no major damage and drivers that all appear to be in very good condition, you've found yourself a rare and very desirable pair of loudspeakers. Your initial attempts at paint removal look very successful, but it will take a much more tedious and refined effort to get them to look anywhere near the pair that I posted. Take it easy with the sandpaper, and maybe try some chemicals and bronze wool for further paint removal. I think it is the 7022 fabric here that is often used on the AR-3. http://www.wendellfabrics.com/mellotonefabricsamples.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 31 minutes ago, ra.ra said: My comment was meant to suggest that with cabinets that show no major damage and drivers that all appear to be in very good condition, you've found yourself a rare and very desirable pair of loudspeakers. Your initial attempts at paint removal look very successful, but it will take a much more tedious and refined effort to get them to look anywhere near the pair that I posted. Take it easy with the sandpaper, and maybe try some chemicals and bronze wool for further paint removal. I think it is the 7022 fabric here that is often used on the AR-3. http://www.wendellfabrics.com/mellotonefabricsamples.html Thanks did go easy I’m putting them on stands just as they are and gonna enjoy them i also have a pair of almost mint ar3a’s So I’m good the way they are thanks so much you guys rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 Quote This will give you an idea of what your ten dollars bought and can be worth. These are still painted... https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-AR3-SPEAKERS-ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-SPEAKERS-PINE-PAINTED-WHITE/263879278150?hash=item3d706e3e46:g:FcsAAOSwsoFbc2UH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 2 hours ago, lakecat said: This will give you an idea of what your ten dollars bought and can be worth. These are still painted... https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-AR3-SPEAKERS-ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-SPEAKERS-PINE-PAINTED-WHITE/263879278150?hash=item3d706e3e46:g:FcsAAOSwsoFbc2UH Nice I just put them up on stands and in there new home (spot) listen to some Beatles pretty amazing sound poor JBL’s got the boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 Ultimately, what to do about the cabinets will depend on whether or not you can get all the white paint out of the wood. If you can, then great, you can let the pine age naturally. If not, you'll be better off applying a very, very light pigmented stain in a "pine" or "golden" tint to blend the white paint traces in, then a matte or satin finish clear topcoat. That'll get you pretty close to the look of naturally aged clean pine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 1 hour ago, genek said: Ultimately, what to do about the cabinets will depend on whether or not you can get all the white paint out of the wood. If you can, then great, you can let the pine age naturally. If not, you'll be better off applying a very, very light pigmented stain in a "pine" or "golden" tint to blend the white paint traces in, then a matte or satin finish clear topcoat. That'll get you pretty close to the look of naturally aged clean pine. That sounds like a good plan thanks so much really appreciate all the help on this page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted August 18, 2018 Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 Very nice find, and all the drivers are producing sound! Almost unheard of with these because of corroded pots! the original grill frames are plastic, and by now very brittle. Most are broken or sagging. The slots at the top and bottom hold the grills in place. You gently bow the grills outward won the sides to slip them out. My recent set of 3's only, had one grill, so I made new ones using a 3a grill as a template. I used 1/4 inch MDF and cut them out. I got the Saran grill material from Q Components in Canada, a virtual perfect match to the originals. I'm quite happy with the end results. You can see how they came out in my "Stopped for toilet paper and found AR3's" thread. Congrats and enjoy them. Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 1 hour ago, GD70 said: Very nice find, and all the drivers are producing sound! Almost unheard of with these because of corroded pots! the original grill frames are plastic, and by now very brittle. Most are broken or sagging. The slots at the top and bottom hold the grills in place. You gently bow the grills outward won the sides to slip them out. My recent set of 3's only, had one grill, so I made new ones using a 3a grill as a template. I used 1/4 inch MDF and cut them out. I got the Saran grill material from Q Components in Canada, a virtual perfect match to the originals. I'm quite happy with the end results. You can see how they came out in my "Stopped for toilet paper and found AR3's" thread. Congrats and enjoy them. Glenn Right on ? i went to a vintage repair shop looking for help on grill couldn’t believe they had a pair on display with perfect cabinets , perfect AR3a grills with badges Went looking for grills but came home with a set of AR3a’s i appreciate all the support Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted August 18, 2018 Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 unbelievable A pair of 3s AND a pair of 3a's!! Now you have to restore both pair and give us your impressions in an A/B comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Speaker Man Posted August 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 37 minutes ago, JKent said: unbelievable A pair of 3s AND a pair of 3a's!! Now you have to restore both pair and give us your impressions in an A/B comparison. Will do playing the 3’s now with a Marantz 2270 they sound like no restore required. trust me I have sampled and owned many speakers. my JBL 120ti’s are louder and have way more Bass to rock out to but I love the sound of the AR3’s better like myself old but still going. lol but when 3a’s are restored we shall demo and do a video will post on YouTube and give my findings here for all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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