How many AR3's in birch...

[Giorgio AR]

6 hours ago, lakecat said:

Those 2a's are like brand new!

It was a new pair unsold at the time and still sealed before being sold (at auction) in 2015, under the photos as evidence.

[lakecat]

6 hours ago, genek said:

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?

I love the blonde look so I removed all the lacquer on cabs with lacquer thinner and fine steel wool. Little bit of work but it came out nice. Letting them set up and will do a final wipe down with steel wool. Will probably do a sealer....then the lacquer.

Showing a pic of woofer after I removed grill. The grill had never been removed. The lower bolt section of woofer shows the duct seal filling one hole. There was no bolt there....because a hurricane nut was missing. The lazy worker just filled it....and it passed inspection?...lol. 

[JeffS]

6 hours ago, genek said:

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?

It would be easier to gauge how much yellowing occurs on the blonde cabinets if there were more good color photographs taken of the speakers back in the 50's and 60's.

I don't think I've ever seen a color AR advertisement from that time. There is an LP called 'Jazz for Hi-Fi Lovers' from that time period that has, on the front cover, a good color photograph of an AR-1 in a blonde cabinet (without the yellowing, of course). It could be helpful as a guide to what to expect after removal of the lacquer and sanding of the cabinet.

[tysontom]

On 8/9/2021 at 7:41 PM, Lucky Pierre said:

My AR-7 are mahogany

Those would likely be international versions made in Europe.  I don't believe that mahogany was used for the few wood versions that were made in Cambridge, Mass.  Can you send some pictures?  Thanks.

[tysontom]

On 8/12/2021 at 2:45 PM, Giorgio AR said:

It was a new pair unsold at the time and still sealed before being sold (at auction) in 2015, under the photos as evidence.

Here's something for Acoustic Research audiophiles: do you know why AR said that the flat piece (above) had to be placed in front of the grill on the AR-2/AR-2a/2ax?  This will be the real test for AR historians.  —Tom Tyson

[Aadams]

8 hours ago, tysontom said:

do you know why AR said that the flat piece (above) had to be placed in front of the grill on the AR-2/AR-2a/2ax? 

Wild guess.  Aside from the obvious extra driver protection from box punctures it might also be a baffle to check sudden changes in air pressure caused by rough handling.

 

[lakecat]

On another note, I was talking to Roy after he did an awesome job on the mids on these AR3's. I asked him after the many, many AR3's he has come across....do you remember about how many birch 3's he had seen. His answer....one pair!

[genek]

In the 50s and 60s, birch and teak were popular choices by people living in very modern homes (what today is called "mid century modern"). People living in more traditional homes would almost always opt for walnut, cherry or mahogany. And the pine boxes would mostly be bought by people planning on putting them inside console cabinets or painting them.

My guess is the korinas all went to musicians, specifically, guitar players.

[tysontom]

3 hours ago, Aadams said:

Wild guess.  Aside from the obvious extra driver protection from box punctures it might also be a baffle to check sudden changes in air pressure caused by rough handling.

 

Bingo!  I think we actually discussed this a few years ago.  AR (Roy Allison) found that many AR-2-series speakers were being returned to the factory for warranty service with the woofer cones displaced out of the pole piece, and at first the thought was that customers were wildly overpowering the speakers and damaging the woofers.  These were nevertheless fixed under warranty, but RA found that the boxes were nearly air-tight when sealed, and when a box was handled roughly or dropped, sometimes the pressure change could force the woofer in or out, particularly the very compliant 10-inch (actually 11-inch) Alnico woofer.  Allison decided to put a cardboard piece in front of the grill to suppress the sudden pressure change, and it worked.   The other AR speakers were not as adversely affected, but all received the cardboard panel in front of the grill.  —Tom

[Aadams]

33 minutes ago, tysontom said:

Bingo!  I think we actually discussed this a few years ago. 

I have seen the pressurized box topic mentioned somewhere in a general discussion about packing and shipping speakers but I don't think it was here.  Something I have seen but cannot find here and you may know:  Did Roy Allison upgrade E. Villchur's personal AR3a pair with his Allison tweeter? 

Thanks

Aadams

 

[Lucky Pierre]

On 8/19/2021 at 12:18 AM, tysontom said:

Those would likely be international versions made in Europe.  I don't believe that mahogany was used for the few wood versions that were made in Cambridge, Mass.  Can you send some pictures?  Thanks.

Hi Tom,

I stripped and oiled these a couple of years ago.  I picked them up for $20 with rotted woofer surrounds.

Peter

 

[lakecat]

Well...decided to go all new so removed and sanded to bare veneer. Three coats of lacquer but may do five to get a nice look. It is coming out a very nice blonde and I like it. Got the other one to do.....then the pots from Ken and caps go in. 

Anyone ever clean these grills?...with success? 

[tysontom]

On 8/19/2021 at 1:07 PM, Aadams said:

I have seen the pressurized box topic mentioned somewhere in a general discussion about packing and shipping speakers but I don't think it was here.  Something I have seen but cannot find here and you may know:  Did Roy Allison upgrade E. Villchur's personal AR3a pair with his Allison tweeter? 

Thanks

Aadams

 

Yes.

Villchur had a pair of oiled-walnut AR-3as that he used for many years in his den/living room in Woodstock, New York.  With them, he had an AR Turntable, AR Amplifier, Marantz 10B FM tuner and a Tandberg tape recorder.  The speakers were recessed part-way into the wall on both sides of the fireplace.

At some point in the mid-to-late 1970s, quite some time after Roy Allison left AR to start his new company, Allison Acoustics, Villchur contacted him to see if any parts were available to repair the AR-3as, as one had a problem.  In the conversation, from what I understand, Roy said that he no longer had access to AR parts, but that he would be glad to retrofit the AR-3a speakers with Allison: Three midrange and tweeter, plus the crossover parts to make the change—which subsequently occurred at Allison Acoustics.  The new crossover for the woofer would therefore be 375 Hz rather than 550 Hz, etc.  I suspect that RA went to get the speakers and returned with the new versions for Edgar Villchur.

I would surmise that Villchur’s son Mark or friends of his daughter Miriam now have those speakers, but I don’t know. 

—Tom    

[tysontom]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:05 PM, Lucky Pierre said:

Hi Tom,

I stripped and oiled these a couple of years ago.  I picked them up for $20 with rotted woofer surrounds.

Peter

 

That does resemble mahogany -- and it could be -- but I think it is walnut-stained birch.  In any event, the cabinets look great!  Tom  

[Lucky Pierre]

Very interesting, Tom.  And the mystery continues...

[JeffS]

21 hours ago, lakecat said:

Anyone ever clean these grills?...with success? 

 

 

Lakecat,

Back in 2018 I found a pair of AR-3's where the grills had been discolored due to cigarette smoke. I mixed a solution of Simple Green and water at around 1:3 and brushed it on. After letting them sit in the solution for around 10 minutes I rinsed it off and was very surprised (and very satisfied) with the result. The picture shows the small 'test' area I did before cleaning it all.

Can't wait to see how your project comes out.

 

 

[lakecat]

13 hours ago, JeffS said:

Lakecat,

Back in 2018 I found a pair of AR-3's where the grills had been discolored due to cigarette smoke. I mixed a solution of Simple Green and water at around 1:3 and brushed it on. After letting them sit in the solution for around 10 minutes I rinsed it off and was very surprised (and very satisfied) with the result. The picture shows the small 'test' area I did before cleaning it all.

Can't wait to see how your project comes out.

 

 

That looks great! I will try it...thanks..:)

[totsuka]

My AR3's have brown paint over what I think is plywood, not sure, but should I just sand or strip first and then sand?