How many AR3's in birch...

[lakecat]

Were made? Is it more rare than pine? Just picked up a really nice pair of 3's yesterday...thinking they were pine...till I got them home. Opinions? 

[lARrybody]

Nice blonde cabinets. Have you looked at the drivers yet.  Which midrange do they have?

[lakecat]

1 hour ago, lARrybody said:

Nice blonde cabinets. Have you looked at the drivers yet.  Which midrange do they have?

Got em all apart...to refinish. Does this look birch to you?

[lakecat]

Just now, lakecat said:

Got em all apart...to refinish. Does this look birch to you?

 

[JeffS]

Looks like birch. Congratulations on a great find!

[ar_pro]

Yes, they certainly do appear to be birch. 

They look original & very pretty - nice catch, Lakecat!

[lakecat]

I can confirm they are birch. Lacquer finish was easily removed from one bottom with lacquer thinner...showing the birch grain better. They are in fantastic shape and excited to get these bad boys back to like new condition. 

Anyone know what stain that is on them? Looks to be really light.

[lakecat]

Also...is birch more rare than pine? I just never see birch...so curious.

[lARrybody]

Those have to be birch. The only other blonde veneer offered was Korina, and that grain is totally different. Here are my Korina AR2a's. I think I may have some birch AR 6's that were stained walnut. Those are some rare birds. I would keep the lacquer finish restoring them. I am jealous. 

  

[lakecat]

8 hours ago, lARrybody said:

Those have to be birch. The only other blonde veneer offered was Korina, and that grain is totally different. Here are my Korina AR2a's. I think I may have some birch AR 6's that were stained walnut. Those are some rare birds. I would keep the lacquer finish restoring them. I am jealous. 

  

Nice AR2a's! Yea...they are birch and as much as I hate lacquer...I will do them right. This purchase was such a serendipity thing. The seller was such an awesome guy and even drove two hours to meet me halfway. My saving grace was he simply refused to ship them...and had higher offers from other countries. 

Your collection from what you have posted in past is huge...and full of rare speakers....so have been jealous here too!...:)

[JKent]

1 hour ago, lakecat said:

they are birch and as much as I hate lacquer...I will do them right.

I've never done anything as big as a 3 in lacquer but have had really excellent results with Minwax rattle cans lacquering my KLH Model Eight radios https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-15200-Brushing-Lacquer-12-25-Ounce/dp/B0002YOPOG/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=minwax+lacquer+gloss&qid=1627995593&sr=8-2

The Gloss has no flatting agents, which tend to dull the appearance. I apply 6 or more coats outdoors, about 15 - 30 minutes apart then wait a couple of days and buff them a little with white ScotchBrite to soften the appearance.

I'm certainly no expert at this but I've found the Minwax to be the best. Tried Rustoleum brand spray lacquer and it was terrible. I forget the term that applies but lacquer melts each previous coat as it goes on, leveling it and making a good bond.

Kent

[lakecat]

1 hour ago, JKent said:

I've never done anything as big as a 3 in lacquer but have had really excellent results with Minwax rattle cans lacquering my KLH Model Eight radios https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-15200-Brushing-Lacquer-12-25-Ounce/dp/B0002YOPOG/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=minwax+lacquer+gloss&qid=1627995593&sr=8-2

The Gloss has no flatting agents, which tend to dull the appearance. I apply 6 or more coats outdoors, about 15 - 30 minutes apart then wait a couple of days and buff them a little with white ScotchBrite to soften the appearance.

I'm certainly no expert at this but I've found the Minwax to be the best. Tried Rustoleum brand spray lacquer and it was terrible. I forget the term that applies but lacquer melts each previous coat as it goes on, leveling it and making a good bond.

Kent

I have used the MinWax on my first lessons in lacquer with a pair of cherry 3's I did a couple of years ago. With poly, I can elevate speaker on its back and spray the poly on all four sides. I tried that with the lacquer and had runs everywhere!..lol. 

I learned quickly to do only one side at a time laying flat so the lacquer can self level. Lacquer thinner is your friend also. The cherry 3's came out very nice but took me three times longer than poly...sigh.

So now I get to have more fun with lacquer!...lol. But these deserve it so do it I will.

[Lucky Pierre]

On 8/2/2021 at 6:44 PM, lakecat said:

I can confirm they are birch. Lacquer finish was easily removed from one bottom with lacquer thinner...showing the birch grain better. They are in fantastic shape and excited to get these bad boys back to like new condition. 

Anyone know what stain that is on them? Looks to be really light.

[Lucky Pierre]

@lakecat

 

Seems there was no stain.  Just sand and lacquer.

 

Peter

[lakecat]

On 8/7/2021 at 8:02 PM, Lucky Pierre said:

@lakecat

 

Seems there was no stain.  Just sand and lacquer.

 

Peter

Yea...was going to wet a spot to see if it needed a light stain but being blonde like it is....saves me a step!..:) Thanks for the info...

[tysontom]

On 8/2/2021 at 8:06 AM, lakecat said:

Were made? Is it more rare than pine? Just picked up a really nice pair of 3's yesterday...thinking they were pine...till I got them home. Opinions? 

Yes, these are 100% birch-veneer cabinets (note that unfinished pine and birch cabinets usually were made with plywood panels) with solid-birch molding.  There were not a huge number made, but they are not "rare" in the AR-3.  Very rare cabinets would be an AR-3 in Korina, but they are out there.  I had a pair of KLH Fours in Korina, and it was a beautiful cabinet.  It was great that Acoustic Research had such a large variety of cabinet choices, but having one of the cabinet makers next door to the plant helped quite a bit!  Tom

[tysontom]

On 8/2/2021 at 5:05 PM, JeffS said:

Looks like birch. Congratulations on a great find!

Birch it is.

[tysontom]

On 8/2/2021 at 10:43 PM, lARrybody said:

Those have to be birch. The only other blonde veneer offered was Korina, and that grain is totally different. Here are my Korina AR2a's. I think I may have some birch AR 6's that were stained walnut. Those are some rare birds. I would keep the lacquer finish restoring them. I am jealous. 

  

This is the least-common optional AR cabinet finish: korina.  I believe that AR made some custom-order rosewood-finished cabinets as well, but very few.  This wood was often used for guitars and other musical instruments, but it had a beautiful grain that was very popular in the early 1950s.  Much like mahogany, it (as well as other blond finishes) fell out of favor for cabinet finishes in the mid-to-late 1960s when walnut became so popular.  American black walnut is one of the finest woods of any type for furniture use, and the fact that it takes an oiled finish makes the wood ideal for speaker finishes!  The finish was durable and scratch-resistant and easily restored.  AR was a pioneer in the use of "oiled-walnut" finishes, but numerous other speaker companies also made it available by the late 60s.   By the way, I've graduated to "Rookie" status.  Tom 

[tysontom]

Just now, tysontom said:

This is the least-common optional AR cabinet finish: korina.  I believe that AR made some custom-order rosewood-finished cabinets as well, but very few.  This wood was often used for guitars and other musical instruments, but it had a beautiful grain that was very popular in the early 1950s.  Much like mahogany, it (as well as other blond finishes) fell out of favor for cabinet finishes in the mid-to-late 1960s when walnut became so popular.  American black walnut is one of the finest woods of any type for furniture use, and the fact that it takes an oiled finish makes the wood ideal for speaker finishes!  The finish was durable and scratch-resistant and easily restored.  AR was a pioneer in the use of "oiled-walnut" finishes, but numerous other speaker companies also made it available by the late 60s.   By the way, I've graduated to "Rookie" status.  Tom 

One other note: The AR-7 was originally available in vinyl and wood cabinets.  The wood cabinet, only made for a few years, was walnut-stained birch veneer.

[Lucky Pierre]

2 hours ago, tysontom said:

One other note: The AR-7 was originally available in vinyl and wood cabinets.  The wood cabinet, only made for a few years, was walnut-stained birch veneer.

My AR-7 are mahogany

[lakecat]

14 hours ago, tysontom said:

Yes, these are 100% birch-veneer cabinets (note that unfinished pine and birch cabinets usually were made with plywood panels) with solid-birch molding.  There were not a huge number made, but they are not "rare" in the AR-3.  Very rare cabinets would be an AR-3 in Korina, but they are out there.  I had a pair of KLH Fours in Korina, and it was a beautiful cabinet.  It was great that Acoustic Research had such a large variety of cabinet choices, but having one of the cabinet makers next door to the plant helped quite a bit!  Tom

For the last fifteen years, I have searched sites for AR speakers. I have looked at hundreds and hundreds of AR 3's and 3a's....and have never seen birch. I got these thinking they were pine as birch never entered my mind...lol. No one on this forum has ever highlighted a birch cabinet purchase (that I can remember) or posted here they have a birch AR on this post. 

That is why I asked about rarity as I have simply never seen one.

[JKent]

15 hours ago, tysontom said:

The AR-7 was originally available in vinyl and wood cabinets.  The wood cabinet, only made for a few years, was walnut-stained birch veneer.

Dang! I "had" a pair in wood veneer but sold them, not realizing how rare they were. I always wondered about the veneer. It obviously wasn't walnut but I didn't know what it was. Might have been fun to strip the stain off.....

[Giorgio AR]

 

On 8/9/2021 at 11:17 PM, tysontom said:

Birch it is.

I finally found in my archive the photos of an AR2a speaker covered in birch, it is not mine but it is practically mint, including original packaging and original labels declaring the veneer wood!
Compare with Lakecat's AR3s.

 

 

[lakecat]

Those 2a's are like brand new! Graining is same but these don't look as blonde....lighting? 

Finished removing lacquer from both cabs yesterday. Been busy with family issues so haven't had time to work on them. Plus...the rain has been non-stop...sigh.

[genek]

Blonde woods like birch, maple and pine in their unfinished or newly finished state will vary in shade from nearly white to a light tan tone. As the wood and its finish ages, light and oxidation will cause the appearance to darken and move toward yellow, and this is especially so for oil based coating finishes like shellac, varnish and lacquer (water based clear finishes are mostly non-yellowing).

Chemical strippers will remove yellowed finishes, but yellowing of the wood itself (called patina) will remain unless you sand it off. If veneer is very thin, yellowing may penetrate all the way through, in which case you'll need to bleach to whiten the wood again.

The question if you're refinishing is, do you want it to look as if it just rolled out of the factory, or as if it has been well cared for and has aged gracefully?