ID #'s

[Guest Randy O]

Just curious if there is a way to get the manufacture yr off the speaker such as vin numbers used on boats and cars without using a book?

[tysontom]

>Just curious if there is a way to get the manufacture yr off

>the speaker such as vin numbers used on boats and cars without

>using a book?

AR, KLH, Advent and several other manufacturers simply stamped the day, month and year of mfg. on each driver (usually) and somethimes -- but not always -- inside the cabinet. Finding the date inside the cabinet is generally much more difficult, but the drivers almost always had that date. The ink from the rubber stamps fades in time or gets smeared or something of that nature, and can be hard to read.

These manufacturer kept log books or spreadsheets on the date of manufacture of each product, based on the sequential serial number for that model, so that the warranty expiration dates could be calculated. AR, for example, did not require a receipt or sales date in honoring claims unless the speaker was sold well after the dealer had received it in stock, etc. If the speaker was within the warranty period of five years after the time of manufacture, and it had not been "abused, accidental or otherwise," as AR used to say, then it would be repaired at no cost for labor and materials or shipping both way.

Other speaker companies, such as Altec Lansing, Jensen, and others, used a coding system similar to IBM and Hewlett-Packard, in which the serial number contains a date code at the beginning with a series of digits following containing the actual serial number itself.

--Tom Tyson

[Guest Randy O]

I was more curious if there was some type of ID on the outside of cabinet on the cards or such. As far as the drivers I have an 8" driver with an ID# 538 7303. How do you id this? the 538 possibly a model then the 7303 March 1973?

[Guest Barrydor]

>I was more curious if there was some type of ID on the

>outside of cabinet on the cards or such. As far as the drivers

>I have an 8" driver with an ID# 538 7303. How do you id this?

>the 538 possibly a model then the 7303 March 1973?

In the date code you describe, the 03 is most likely the week

So the part was probably made in the third week of 1973

Barry

[tysontom]

>I was more curious if there was some type of ID on the

>outside of cabinet on the cards or such. As far as the drivers

>I have an 8" driver with an ID# 538 7303. How do you id this?

>the 538 possibly a model then the 7303 March 1973?

Is there an actual part number on the driver? Do you know the speaker model that belongs with this driver? Anything in 1973 -- if made by AR -- would likely have the actual date stamped on the magnet back plate, or possibly on the side of the magnet itself in some cases. I don't believe that AR used a date code back then since they still were date-stamping the drivers with the actual date. Date codes are usually much more difficult to discipher, anyway. For example, some companies (HP comes to mind) used a cryptic code for a number like "7303." It would be something like "the 7th year after 1965, 30th of March."

--Tom Tyson

[Guest Randy O]

This particular driver is from an AR7. The only numbers on it are the stamped numbers on the magnet 538 7303, and some number stamped on the cone itself which you can't read. I guess I was on the right track with reading the last four digits, but still curious what the first three 538 mean and why there is the gap between them and the last four? Possibly a serial type number? Maybe the 538th driver sent out of this model or the model number itself?

[Guest Droog]

The more old AR's one has bought and sold, the better you get at at pinning the date down. An example would be my early 2ax's - cabinet serial number 10, 600 would date to late 1964 -early '65 since they were introduced in '64 and the last of the early type (cloth surround woofer & early name badge) was made in 1969 with a serial number of 125,000. A # of 75,000 most likely would have a 1967 production date. This is based on about 25,000 2ax's being made each year between 1964-69. Production rates can vary based on sales but I've found this a good way to date speakers.

My KLH model six's #'s 684 and #711 are surely among those made in the first couple weeks of production in 1958.

Of couse if the drivers have been changed, all you've dated is the cabinet.