hyrdr Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 A good friend has a pair and is willing to let me buy them. He wants a fair price and I am willing to pay but the range we find is all over the map. Some sales are old & what not. I suggest they will need rebuild most likely so we are asking what would that cost be. Assuming it is just the normal due to age rebuild? Can anyone give us a number? What is the bottom line he should accept in todays market?? Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 It would help if you could provide photos including drivers. Do all drivers operate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyrdr Posted February 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 How right you are. The pictures available do not reveal these details. I understand the cabinets are solid with staining on one of them. The original cloth and cloth frames are still on them. They are buried in a basement and it will be my job to dig them out. I cannot test them ahead of time. If I had more info I would have certainly added it to the question. Can anyone give a estimate of driver restoral? It will be figured into the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 Is the seller the original owner? If so what year were they purchased? Are you certain the grills have never been removed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyrdr Posted February 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 On 2/26/2021 at 12:29 PM, Aadams said: Is the seller the original owner? If so what year were they purchased? Are you certain the grills have never been removed? These belonged to his brother I think along with other things he ended up with but had no interest in. I may be able to look em over good before buying but most likely they are original condition. All I was able to see is the tops and the big 3 on the grill. It was not well lit. Any idea what rebuild costs on the drivers are?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 On 2/25/2021 at 10:44 PM, hyrdr said: Assuming it is just the normal due to age rebuild? within For estimates to rebuild drivers send a Personal message to @RoyCand /or @Chris1this1. They can restore AR3 mid drivers and tweeters that meet threshold repair criteria. Not all mid and tweeter bodies can be restored to health. On 2/25/2021 at 10:44 PM, hyrdr said: What is the bottom line he should accept in todays market?? If all we can know before the purchase is the grills show no sign of removal and the cabinet integrity is not impaired I would offer no more than $300 and that is betting the woofers are cloth surround, way less if the cabs have joinery problems from moisture. I guess I am just too picky. Aadams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 On 2/26/2021 at 1:16 PM, hyrdr said: How right you are. The pictures available do not reveal these details. I understand the cabinets are solid with staining on one of them. The original cloth and cloth frames are still on them. They are buried in a basement and it will be my job to dig them out. I cannot test them ahead of time. If I had more info I would have certainly added it to the question. Can anyone give a estimate of driver restoral? It will be figured into the price. Your friend needs to be a better friend to you! You have to dig them out of some basement, they weren’t his, you can’t test them and you have to haggle?? Just watch me leave skid marks going the OTHER way! (Just sayin) Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 If they're in a basement and you can't even look at them without doing the work yourself, that translates to "free, you come get them." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 Think I paid $50 for mine “as is” from a CSP member. Turned out one tweeter and one mid were bad. Seemed like a fair price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 I'm guessing you didn't have to clean out the member's basement to get the speakers. That's at least $50 right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 I bought a pair of AR-3 with rough unfinished cabinets from a collector in Philly, back in the late '80s. Actually, he was more of an "accumulator", having a basement full of equipment, and he kept an inventory in his head. I think the price was $50, and I only held onto them for a short while, but they sounded excellent - even the pots worked well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 11 hours ago, genek said: If they're in a basement and you can't even look at them without doing the work yourself, that translates to "free, you come get them." Yeah, I agree with Gene and Bill. This guy is a good friend? He clearly has no respect for these speakers and you’re doing him a favor digging them out and hauling them away. Restoration could literally cost you hundreds of dollars and many hours of labor. Do you want to keep these yourself and use them? If so, that alone should give a friend some satisfaction. And if they do turn out to be “buried treasures” you might give him a gift to show your appreciation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 On 2/26/2021 at 1:16 PM, hyrdr said: How right you are. The pictures available do not reveal these details. I understand the cabinets are solid with staining on one of them. The original cloth and cloth frames are still on them. They are buried in a basement and it will be my job to dig them out. I cannot test them ahead of time. If I had more info I would have certainly added it to the question. Can anyone give a estimate of driver restoral? It will be figured into the price. You're getting lots of good advice here. Over the last 9 years, I've found 3 pairs of AR-3's. Of the 3, only one pair worked well (after fiddling with the pots). It is safe to assume that, at a minimum, you should have the 'mids' rebuilt. If the tweeter voice coils are coming out of the gap, you'll need to have the tweeters rebuilt also. The woofers should also be checked to see if the glue that holds the surround to the frame is OK. You'll also want to check the spider to make sure it is fully intact, and that the glue joints are all OK. The pots will need cleaning or replacement, and the capacitors should be changed. If one of the cabinets has been stained, which suggests that at least one cabinet is unfinished pine, then you'll have to remove the stain to get back to original, which may be difficult. And if the basement has been damp, some of the seams may have split. It sounds like the grills are OK, and the pins are there, which is good. So, given the scope of the project, personally I'd offer $50, tops, but I'd want to see all sides of them in good light. If you luck out and find a clean pair in lacquered finished cabinets, which are rare, offer maybe another $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyrdr Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 To all the answers I thank you. Putting these into perspective for what they are instead of what I would like them to be. He will have some of your words to gnaw on as I reevaluate my wanting these. I sort of expect a more "rescue them at any price" response which would have placed me in a different level of value. These will be for me if I like them and may keep them. Willing to work on the wood finish and able to dissemble, replace capacitors, clean the lpad's, it would be what I would expect. The unknowns of restoring the drivers, at what cost is the gamble. I can look into that. Thanks for the links.I do not want to get buried in them. I have had a lot of good times with this guy and the work to free them is not something I consider work. I wonder what else I might find. These were unexpected. I spotted them on a visit. He brought em up during conversation. It was later over the phone we discussed my buying them. I made good money selling his house years ago but I worked above and beyond on that too. I will give them a good inspection before I give up any dough. Thinking I can take a player there with me to see how they play. Just 4-5 watts of power but it will test for operation. Yall may have saved me hundreds. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 These are historic, investment speakers. Every part can be rebuilt or replaced. Sonically, when properly restored, are phenomenal sounding. I have two pairs, both found at thrifts, both I’ve completely restored. Mids and tweeters were sent to Roy. He also repaired one of my woofers, replacing the spider because of some distortion. The mids are critical in bringing these back to near new sound. The tweeters are more readily available, used in the 2as as well. If the tweeters in the set you’re looking at need replacing, should not be problematic. Stains on the cabs doesn’t mean they are unfinished pine. Once you get them out of the basement, please post as many pics as possible. I would seriously consider getting them, and restoring them properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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