Date of Manufacture of My AR2ax's

[Jess]

Noobie here. I have spent some time lurking around on this forum and have been reading a lot of interesting and useful posts regarding AR speakers. I bought my first pair of AR speakers about a year ago from a local CL listing. I got them cheap and after reading how wonderful these AR2ax's sound I thought I would try restoring them. I have successfully restored the pots (just a little bit of corrosion that cleaned up nicely) and am waiting for new caps from PE. Here is my question:

Is there a database that can give me information as to the year of manufacture for my particular AR's that I can go to. These are the serial numbers: 79504 and 79516. These speakers have the "fried yolk" tweeters ( a term I learned here) and cloth surrounds which are still very supple and in very good condition with fiberglass batting. So, based on these numbers what year were these made and are these low serial numbers based on the fact that they contain only 5 digits instead of 6 digits? I will post some pics of the final restoration when completed.

[RoyC]

Noobie here. I have spent some time lurking around on this forum and have been reading a lot of interesting and useful posts regarding AR speakers. I bought my first pair of AR speakers about a year ago from a local CL listing. I got them cheap and after reading how wonderful these AR2ax's sound I thought I would try restoring them. I have successfully restored the pots (just a little bit of corrosion that cleaned up nicely) and am waiting for new caps from PE. Here is my question:

Is there a database that can give me information as to the year of manufacture for my particular AR's that I can go to. These are the serial numbers: 79504 and 79516. These speakers have the "fried yolk" tweeters ( a term I learned here) and cloth surrounds which are still very supple and in very good condition with fiberglass batting. So, based on these numbers what year were these made and are these low serial numbers based on the fact that they contain only 5 digits instead of 6 digits? I will post some pics of the final restoration when completed.

They were probably manufactured in 1968.

Roy

[dynaco_dan]

They were probably manufactured in 1968.

Roy

Hi there;

Roy has probably given you the closest date that can be done with the information you gave.

Not suggesting that you remove everything, but, if you removed the drivers, there will usually be a readable date, rubber stamped on the magnets, very, very, likely, or even on the rear cabinet wall, perhaps.

[Jess]

They were probably manufactured in 1968.

Roy

Hi there;

Roy has probably given you the closest date that can be done with the information you gave.

Not suggesting that you remove everything, but, if you removed the drivers, there will usually be a readable date, rubber stamped on the magnets, very, very, likely, or even on the rear cabinet wall, perhaps.

The year you mention was my guess as well. Since I will be replacing the caps I will look for stamps indicating the year they were manufactured. I had the woofer out of one of them already but did not think to look for a date stamp on the magnet. I will check it out. Thanks.

[dynaco_dan]

The year you mention was my guess as well. Since I will be replacing the caps I will look for stamps indicating the year they were manufactured. I had the woofer out of one of them already but did not think to look for a date stamp on the magnet. I will check it out. Thanks.

Hi again;

The caps usually also have a date code on them.

[Jess]

OK, now I am a bit frustrated. Pulled the woofer out of one of the speakers to check for evidence of any date stamps. Nada! Not on the woofer and not on the cap block and nothing I could see inside the cabinet. Do the serial numbers themselves yield any clues as to date of manufacture? If not, then my speakers manufactured date will remain a mystery to me. Circa 19xx - 19xx is not good enough for me. I guess I will have to be content in that they are pre 1970? Oh well. Here are some pics of the badges that came with my speakers and a pic of the woofer magnet. If this helps in ID'ing the manufacture date that would be great.

[dynaco_dan]

OK, now I am a bit frustrated. Pulled the woofer out of one of the speakers to check for evidence of any date stamps. Nada! Not on the woofer and not on the cap block and nothing I could see inside the cabinet. Do the serial numbers themselves yield any clues as to date of manufacture? If not, then my speakers manufactured date will remain a mystery to me. Circa 19xx - 19xx is not good enough for me. I guess I will have to be content in that they are pre 1970? Oh well. Here are some pics of the badges that came with my speakers and a pic of the woofer magnet. If this helps in ID'ing the manufacture date that would be great.

Hi there;

The cap date code is quite likely, something like, 2465, which would be, the 24th week of 1965, for just one example.

Sadly the serial number does not contain, in itself, a date code.

The factory records would probably indicate serial numbers at a cerain time in it's production, perhaps for unannounced changes.

Such as a change in supplier for a component or crossover design change.

Dynaco used the year and week and a serial number on their hifi items, for interested parties.

[Guest matty g]

OK, now I am a bit frustrated. Pulled the woofer out of one of the speakers to check for evidence of any date stamps. Nada! Not on the woofer and not on the cap block and nothing I could see inside the cabinet. Do the serial numbers themselves yield any clues as to date of manufacture? If not, then my speakers manufactured date will remain a mystery to me. Circa 19xx - 19xx is not good enough for me. I guess I will have to be content in that they are pre 1970? Oh well. Here are some pics of the badges that came with my speakers and a pic of the woofer magnet. If this helps in ID'ing the manufacture date that would be great.

Hi -

If you put a mirror in the cabinet with a flashlight and look at the back of the tweeter and/or midrange magnet you will likely find the date stamp on one or both of them. I have found that there are sometimes two dates, probably the earlier date is the date of driver manufacture and the other is the date that it was actually installed in the cabinet. The round alnico magnets on your woofers puts them no later than 1968, and they can be no earlier than 1964. Interesting that they have the brass "a" logo, this might mean that they are an earlier version of the first generation ax?

Matt

[Jess]

Hi -

If you put a mirror in the cabinet with a flashlight and look at the back of the tweeter and/or midrange magnet you will likely find the date stamp on one or both of them. I have found that there are sometimes two dates, probably the earlier date is the date of driver manufacture and the other is the date that it was actually installed in the cabinet. The round alnico magnets on your woofers puts them no later than 1968, and they can be no earlier than 1964. Interesting that they have the brass "a" logo, this might mean that they are an earlier version of the first generation ax?

Matt

Hey Matt, thanks for the tip. I was able to see what appears to be a date stamp on the tweeter, however, it appears to be smeared and I cannot make out the numbers. I did not want to remove the tweeter. Those little wires attached on the front look extremely delicate. I don't want to chance breaking those wires. I hope to have better luck with the other speaker. I did pull the mid-range and there were two or three separate groups of numbers but nothing to indicate dates at all. More than likely serial or model numbers for the mid-range. Yes, it is interesting about the brass logos. The papered stickers attached on the back of the cabinets state them as AR2ax's but not on the badges that came with both speakers. I see that the guy on ebay who sells AR parts and such has badges to go with my speakers but mine are just the simple brass badge with the painted on logo.

Interesting note: What is the significance (if any) or meaning of the the little stamped figure on the inside panels of the speaker cabinet? It looks like a cartoon of a girl (boy?). Here is a pic.

[Guest matty g]

Hey Matt, thanks for the tip. I was able to see what appears to be a date stamp on the tweeter, however, it appears to be smeared and I cannot make out the numbers. I did not want to remove the tweeter. Those little wires attached on the front look extremely delicate. I don't want to chance breaking those wires. I hope to have better luck with the other speaker. I did pull the mid-range and there were two or three separate groups of numbers but nothing to indicate dates at all. More than likely serial or model numbers for the mid-range. Yes, it is interesting about the brass logos. The papered stickers attached on the back of the cabinets state them as AR2ax's but not on the badges that came with both speakers. I see that the guy on ebay who sells AR parts and such has badges to go with my speakers but mine are just the simple brass badge with the painted on logo.

Interesting note: What is the significance (if any) or meaning of the the little stamped figure on the inside panels of the speaker cabinet? It looks like a cartoon of a girl (boy?). Here is a pic.

Jess -

I was wondering the same thing - I found that little figure inside my 4x cabinets last week. I've taken apart a number of AR units from that era and I've never noticed that stamp before. I thought it looked like a cartoon character of a carpenter wearing coveralls and a hat with a pencil behind his ear, but it was pretty late at night and I was kind of bleary eyed. Maybe the cabs were assembled in another carpentry shop and that's their logo? I agree that the tweeter shouldn't be removed unless it is absolutely necessary - those little wires can be the source of much misery!

Matt

[dynaco_dan]

Interesting note: What is the significance (if any) or meaning of the the little stamped figure on the inside panels of the speaker cabinet? It looks like a cartoon of a girl (boy?). Here is a pic.

Hi there;

The rubber stamp is a little girl with her school books.

Obviously someone with a sense of humour placed it there.

[Steve F]

<The rubber stamp is a little girl with her school books.

Obviously someone with a sense of humour placed it there.>

Pine and Baker of Medfield MA made a lot of AR's cabinets in the mid-60's. I am still in touch with the company, and it is still family-owned (now on the next generation). They still make cabinets for the loudspeaker industry, although the US speaker industry has diminished considerably and P&B's business is now predominently in other areas.

I will ask them if they made these cabs and if they have any memory of the "little girl" stamp. Worth a try.

Steve F.

[Jess]

Hey Steve, thanks for your post. I just find it curious and would be interesting to know about the stamp. It is stamped on all inside panels. Some are not as clear as the one I posted but I can tell they are all of the same figure. Let us know if you find out its meaning.

Jess C.

[charger3834]

Hey Steve, thanks for your post. I just find it curious and would be interesting to know about the stamp. It is stamped on all inside panels. Some are not as clear as the one I posted but I can tell they are all of the same figure. Let us know if you find out its meaning.

Jess C.

First Time on the new site, nice work !!!! Roy is right, 1968 has got to be the year based on my understanding of AR-2ax production.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi there;

I would stay with the AR badge and the letter, "a".

This in my opinion has more of a history and significant issue than changing to a AR-2AX single new or older original badge.

The dual badges will place the speaker in a less common and more desirable production time period down the road.

By changing to a single badge you are including your's in the mass quantity of later AR-2AX's and actually miss-identifying it's origin.

[Jess]

First Time on the new site, nice work !!!! Roy is right, 1968 has got to be the year based on my understanding of AR-2ax production.

How about 1966!!! I could not find any date stamps on the first speaker I recapped but yesterday I got to working on the second one and (with the help of a mirror and flashlight) I was able to see a date stamp of 1966 on the tweeter. It's good to know but I am still curious about the character stamp inside the cabinet. I found them in this speaker as well.

All I have left to do is replace the original cloth on the grills with some cloth I found to be a very close match at a local fabric store. I have been playing some vinyl through these speakers most of the day. I found some putty at Lowe's that is a perfect substitute for the original putty AR used in sealing the speakers to the cabinets. The stuff I got is used for sealing duct work. I think it is the same stuff that the AR guy sells on ebay. I will post some pics as soon as I redo my grills. I will stay with the original badges as I don't want to change the original look of the speakers.

So far I am impressed with the sound these speakers have been putting out.

[charger3834]

name='Jess' post='71454' date='Nov 25 2007, 04:59 AM']How about 1966!!!

The tweeter could be from 1966, but I am still confident that the speakers would have been assembled in 1968. I suppose it could be late 1967 or early 1969, but I doubt it. Watch those date stamps, as they can be pretty blury; an 8 can easily look like a 6. Tell me something, are the control pot switches on the back of the cabinets black or red ?

I will post some pics as soon as I redo my grills.

Do that for sure.

I will stay with the original badges as I don't want to change the original look of the speakers.

So far I am impressed with the sound these speakers have been putting out.

Agreed!

[Jess]

name='Jess' post='71454' date='Nov 25 2007, 04:59 AM']How about 1966!!!

The tweeter could be from 1966, but I am still confident that the speakers would have been assembled in 1968. I suppose it could be late 1967 or early 1969, but I doubt it. Watch those date stamps, as they can be pretty blury; an 8 can easily look like a 6. Tell me something, are the control pot switches on the back of the cabinets black or red ?

I will post some pics as soon as I redo my grills.

Do that for sure.

I will stay with the original badges as I don't want to change the original look of the speakers.

So far I am impressed with the sound these speakers have been putting out.

Agreed!

The pot switches are red. When I looked at the date stamp I looked long and hard because I thought the date could have read "1968" but the "6" looked just like the other "6" and I know these were not made in "88". Still, these speakers could have been assembled at a later year but since I could not find any other date stamp anywhere in the cabs I think I will stick to the "66" unless someone can prove otherwise. Afterall, these AR models were being made since 1965 if I am not mistaken but correct me if I am wrong.

[charger3834]

The pot switches are red. When I looked at the date stamp I looked long and hard because I thought the date could have read "1968" but the "6" looked just like the other "6" and I know these were not made in "88". Still, these speakers could have been assembled at a later year but since I could not find any other date stamp anywhere in the cabs I think I will stick to the "66" unless someone can prove otherwise. Afterall, these AR models were being made since 1965 if I am not mistaken but correct me if I am wrong.

Well Jess, it's like this, the tweeter can be from 1966. AR may have had a glut of them built in that period. Bottom line, this is a game of production numbers. AR-2ax's were first introduced in late 1964. In 1970, the first of the new genneration AR-2ax's were built starting with serial 125,000. They simply were not up to 79xxx by 1966. A serial number in the 40xxx range would be more typical of a '66. Moreover, the red controls are more typical of post 1966 AX's. Unfortunatly, I can't be more exact since for now, we have to work with "ranges." Having said that, I have studied 2ax's for a good number of years, and I am quite confident your speakers were not assembled in 1966. My gut feeling is that Roy is spot on with 1968. Well that's the best I can do for you. By the way, it's great to see someone interested in historical accuracy.

[Jess]

Well Jess, it's like this, the tweeter can be from 1966. AR may have had a glut of them built in that period. Bottom line, this is a game of production numbers. AR-2ax's were first introduced in late 1964. In 1970, the first of the new genneration AR-2ax's were built starting with serial 125,000. They simply were not up to 79xxx by 1966. A serial number in the 40xxx range would be more typical of a '66. Moreover, the red controls are more typical of post 1966 AX's. Unfortunatly, I can't be more exact since for now, we have to work with "ranges." Having said that, I have studied 2ax's for a good number of years, and I am quite confident your speakers were not assembled in 1966. My gut feeling is that Roy is spot on with 1968. Well that's the best I can do for you. By the way, it's great to see someone interested in historical accuracy.

Hey Brad thanks for your help. 1968 will work for me, no problem there. It's interesting that AR did not see fit to actually put a date of manufacture on their speakers. Did they do this for all their models? The best part is that these speakers put out good sound but to tell you the truth that after the recapping using Solen's I have not been able to tell much difference if any but almost all who have posted here and at AK would tell you to recap any way just due to the age of the speakers. These speakers were never touched. Everything was original except for the 1/4" holes some idiot drilled in the center of the top of each cabinet. I enlarged the hole using a 5/16" bit and used a plug cutter of the same size to cut a couple of walnut plugs from a solid piece of walnut stock I have for building new bonnets for my vintage Pioneer receivers and tape decks. The plugs were glued in place, sanded flush and gave the entire cabinets 2-3 coats of Watco Walnut Danish Oil and they look pretty good. Why do you suppose the holes were drilled on the cabinets in the first place? I could still see the pencil marks that were drawn from corner to corner to find the exact center of the cabinets. Strange what people do. I felt like I was desecrating the speakers when I snipped the wires to the original capacitor block in each speaker in order to recap. But I intend to keep these babies and so I thought preventative maintenance was in good order. I also left the original caps in the speakers. I saw no sense in taking them out.

Regards.

Jess

[charger3834]

I have no idea why anyone would drill holes in the cabinet of an acoustic suspension loudspeaker speaker. Lots of things have no date of manufacturing, but you can date them if you no the serial number ranges. A Rolex watch is good example of this. Some manufacturers are very precise. For example, Ping Golf can tell you the exact date that your clubs were made and all the specs. Interestingly enough, Ping and Rolex are two companies that operate very much like AR did from a quality, service and product support standpoint. The difference is that they have a healthier relationship with their dealers than AR did, and a better understanding of how their products fit in to the marketplace than AR did.

[Steve F]

>Hey Steve, thanks for your post. I just find it curious and would be interesting to know about the stamp. It is stamped on all inside panels. Some are not as clear as the one I posted but I can tell they are all of the same figure. Let us know if you find out its meaning.

>Jess C.

I heard back from Pine and Baker, and the 'little girl' stamp wasn't theirs. The owner says that Cab Tech of NH (Warren Rudman's company, before he went on to become a US senator) was the other major supplier of AR cabinets during that time period, so he suspects it might have been a Cab Tech mark, but wasn't sure.

From the owner of Pine and Baker:

"We did make AR's whole line of cabinets from the first cabinet in the 50's, to making 2000 + cabinets per week. We went on to make cabinets for KLH, Advent. Kloss Video, Cambrige Sound Works--all the Henry Kloss companies.

There was also Cab Tech in Nashua, New Hampshire that made cabinets at the same time. That was Warren Rudman's company, the Senator from the same state.

I don't recall a "young girl" stamp. I do remember that they did put some type of stamp in their cabinets. I believe it just said Cab Tech. We indented our cabinets with a "2" on the back edge of our cabinets."

Steve F.

[dynaco_dan]

>Hey Steve, thanks for your post. I just find it curious and would be interesting to know about the stamp. It is stamped on all inside panels. Some are not as clear as the one I posted but I can tell they are all of the same figure. Let us know if you find out its meaning.

>Jess C.

I heard back from Pine and Baker, and the 'little girl' stamp wasn't theirs. The owner says that Cab Tech of NH (Warren Rudman's company, before he went on to become a US senator) was the other major supplier of AR cabinets during that time period, so he suspects it might have been a Cab Tech mark, but wasn't sure.

From the owner of Pine and Baker:

"We did make AR's whole line of cabinets from the first cabinet in the 50's, to making 2000 + cabinets per week. We went on to make cabinets for KLH, Advent. Kloss Video, Cambrige Sound Works--all the Henry Kloss companies.

There was also Cab Tech in Nashua, New Hampshire that made cabinets at the same time. That was Warren Rudman's company, the Senator from the same state.

I don't recall a "young girl" stamp. I do remember that they did put some type of stamp in their cabinets. I believe it just said Cab Tech. We indented our cabinets with a "2" on the back edge of our cabinets."

Steve F.

Hi Steve;

Thank for posting that very interesting historical information.

Surprising the amount of 2,000+ per week, that's a lot of hifi.

Dynaco A-25's went out of their Denmark factory to the USA at 1,100+/- per week, sales of over 1,000,000 total, for several years.

Means the Dynaco A-25 was a formidable opponent for a while at least, with just one speaker being sold during that time period.

Only a few brand numbers are available to give us all some idea of the production numbers.

Thank you again.

[Jess]

Thanks for the follow up. At least the stamp is not exclusive to my set of AR's. I guess it will remain a mystery as to its meaning and origin.