NATURAL PINE AR3 - Not sure what to do with them

[JR IN DALLAS]

I acquired a pair of AR3's from an Estate Sale in Dallas.....

They were mounted between studs in a living room and sheetrock was placed around them.  There is a little paint and dust on them but cabinets other wise are pristine.  The homeowner added a bracket to back to mount to a wall.... See Pics... I brought them home, hooked em up and been listening to Jimmy Buffet all day. I have NO interest in keeping them....

They sound good, but I believe they are going to need some work.. clear sound coming out of both cabinets on bass. tweeter on one is clear, other not so much... Pots move freely, but does not appear to alter sound noticeably.   

Serial Numbers are 07733 and 28513.  

I believe they are 100% original.  The grills and AR 3 logos still intact.  I hesitate to open, touch, them at all... I have a tendency to be a bull in a china shop.

Not sure if I should lightly sand the surface paint off, or leave to next guy.  Don't necessarily want to use CRAIGSLIST. Not sure how to promote them as "used, but probably need work".  Also not sure what I should ask for them....

Any suggestions would be GREAT.

 

Thanks,

JR

 

[ar_pro]

I'd suggest not doing a single thing to them, and sell them on eBay.

Depending on how long they were in the wall, they may be in original condition - except for the minor cabinet alterations - and should command a very decent price at auction.

Their unpainted pine finish and intact grilles also make the speakers very desirable; anyone who is willing to pay top dollar for original-condition AR-3 speakers already knows what they're in for should they decide to restore them.

If you list on eBay, describe them just as you've done here, with an emphasis on their being exactly as they were when they were taken from the wall. I'd also stop "testing" them, as nothing good could happen, and you might inadvertently change their "as found" condition. 

Place a comfortable reserve - maybe $500 - take as many revealing pictures as possible (don't go nuts with pictures of the labels, the only thing that really matters about the labels is the serial numbers), and prepare to spend & charge an appreciable amount to properly pack & safely ship two heavy cartons, most likely to an Asian destination. Take photos during the packing process to show that proper care was taken, and then message them to the buyer through eBay.

Unmolested, original condition, removed-from-a-wall AR-3 speakers? That's a pretty solid find - congratulations! 

[Lucky Pierre]

I agree that you have a very valuable pair of speakers.  I also echo ar_pro that you should do nothing to them.

You can check ebay sold listings for sold prices.

[Sonnar]

If properly restored, AR 3 is still one of the best sounding speaker ever made, surely needs some accurate works , but their excellent bass and smooth mid-highs easily outperform many modern expensive speakers. 

Yours are like mine, unfinished pine, plywood, I painted it and treated with glossy lacquer. 

Best wishes

Adriano

 

[Markkb]

I'll just add that you should not try to remove the grills. Try to photograph the drivers through the grill cloth if you can. The frames are fragile after all these years, and often break when removing them. Look at pictures on the web you'll see broken frames

good luck

[Capitol C]

I bought my 3as in 1972 in unfinished pine because it saved me some money.  I think the savings was $50 each, but it might have been $50 for the pair, perhaps someone still has an old price list.  That doesn't seem like much, but I was working summers when I was off from college and earning $1.75 per hour, so it was a lot to me.  I originally stained them and finished them with a mix of oil and shellac ("French polish").  A few years ago I filled a few small scratches in the wood, very lightly sanded, and painted them black to go with more modern furniture.  I figure that I can change that in the future, either going back to the original pine, or even putting on walnut veneer myself.  No matter what the finish, they still sound fine!