Aadams Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Anybody here familiar with how to recover AR98ls grills? Finding the cloth should be easy but detaching and reattaching the cloth looks like a challenge. Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 This guy re-covered his and there's a "contact" button so maybe he can help http://cdirect.com/wiki/ar_98ls_restore:start And does this help? http://www.humanspeakers.com/howto/grill-cloth.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 I restored a pair of AR-98Ls' a few years back. I got the new grill cloth from vintage-ar on eBay. It's a little darker and a little finer mesh, but It is a very good match to the original grill cloth. The replacement consisted of the following: Remove the AR badge. Mine had a pin on the back and was held in place by friction. CAREFULLY remove the red trim with a X-ACTO knife or small pocket knife. It is not glued in place, but is attached with small brad nails. You have to slowly pop it free at each brad nail. It is time consuming, but I was able to remove the trim on one speaker completely intact. The second trim ring broke at one corner, but you couldn't tell when reassembled. Pound in the brads after the trim and old cloth has been removed. Remove the existing grill cloth and clean away old glue. Attach new grill cloth with GOOP craft contact adhesive. I attached 2 sides first, then the top & bottom, and the corners last. I used small paper binder clips to hold the cloth in place until the glue dried. Take care when attaching the new grill cloth to make sure that the mesh is straight on all sides. This turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. The fabric that I got from vintage-ar stretches easily. Cut away excess cloth and glue red trim in place. Replace 1/2" acoustical foam inside grill, along the top and sides. I have attached a few pictures. Two show the cloth in the process of being replaced on one grill along with front and back views of a finished grill. The last picture is of the finished speaker (I completely sanded and refinished the veneer). I got these speakers for only $400. The cabinets and grills were very beat up (they had originally been used in a covered outdoor bar and had been sitting in a store room for years). Fortunately the dual domes were in very good shape and the midrange and woofer cones only needed new surrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted April 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 On 4/13/2019 at 9:22 AM, AR55 said: I have attached a few pictures. I couldn't ask for better. I was thinking I would have to cowboy it. Thanks I finished. Everything was straightforward except the corners. Unlike the original fabric which had two way stretch this fabric, which came from parts express, was pliable in only one direction. I got it worked out but a really close look would reveal flaws though it does easily pass the five foot test. That bulge you see near the AR emblem is polystyrene foam not a loose area. Thanks again. Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 I just remembered that the AR emblems for the 98Ls have 2 pins on the back. You can access the pins from the inside of the grill. I used a small nail set to tap them out. I believe that I had to glue them back in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 20 minutes ago, AR55 said: I just remembered that the AR emblems for the 98Ls have 2 pins on the back. You can access the pins from the inside of the grill. I used a small nail set to tap them out. I believe that I had to glue them back in place. Yes Uses this type of fastener. I won' begin for a few days yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted April 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2019 I have one AR98ls with a non-functioning shelf/floor switch. I thought it would be easy to replace but now that I have opened them for refurbishment I am not sure it will be worth the effort. It looks like the entire crossover board must first be removed and then the base of the switch must be desoldered from the circuit board in about six places. Are these special AR switches or are they available from Parts Express? I have read the 98 instruction manual again and there is nothing specific about the workings of this switch other when to place it in the shelf or floor position. I don’t know which position it is stuck in now, but I am inclined not to do anything if I can find an explanation of the performance difference in the two positions. I know it relates to bass, but I would like to know what is going on because I think I could work around it if I knew the affected frequencies. Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted April 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2019 Found it. Here is the link https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Audio/80s/Audio-1985-01.pdf and here it is in case that link gets broken www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Audio/80s/Audio-1985-01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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