lakecat Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 The seller just called and we made a deal and now I have to drive an hour away to go them tomorrow afternoon.... One woofer is bad (voice coil?) and the other is fine but some refinishing is going to be done, new grille cloth, and redoing the insides as per the excellent guide here. I am excited about getting these and working on them. I have the Heathkit version of these but this pair will be my first 3a's I will even see, let alone hear. Been is storage a long time but original owner and seemingly good guy.I have refinished lots of fiurniture and cabinets over trhe years but never electronics but seems simplle enough with the instructions you fine people have provided. Pics below...wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Luck!The woofer with the very large dust cap does not "look" like an original but you'll only be able to tell once you pull it and check the markings. Maybe it's been reconed. The truncated frame looks right. If you do have an original AR3a woofer that's "bad" I highly recommend Bill LeGall of Millersound in PA. If anyone can fix it, he can.Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Good luck restoring those babies. You'll be quite happy with them for sure.I did a set earlier this year and I'm still impressed with them every time I fire them up!Keep us posted on your restoration.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 The seller just called and we made a deal and now I have to drive an hour away to go them tomorrow afternoon.... One woofer is bad (voice coil?) and the other is fine but some refinishing is going to be done, new grille cloth, and redoing the insides as per the excellent guide here. I am excited about getting these and working on them. I have the Heathkit version of these but this pair will be my first 3a's I will even see, let alone hear. Been is storage a long time but original owner and seemingly good guy.I have refinished lots of furniture and cabinets over the years but never electronics but seems simple enough with the instructions you fine people have provided. Pics below...wish me luck!Nice find...Both woofers have been improperly re-foamed...looks like someone spliced them together.The appropriate voice coils, foam, etc, are available. I've rebuilt 6 of these woofers in the past few months.Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 I was going to say the same thing Roy said, the surrounds look odd to say the least.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynaco_dan Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Hi thereI see that you also have Heathkit 103/103A speakers as well.The earliest Heathkit/AR AS-2 speaker manuals suggested running a bead of glue around the inner cabinet seams.If you are inside your cabinets you may wish to thoroughly assess the seams for slight gaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Luck!The woofer with the very large dust cap does not "look" like an original but you'll only be able to tell once you pull it and check the markings. Maybe it's been reconed. The truncated frame looks right. If you do have an original AR3a woofer that's "bad" I highly recommend Bill LeGall of Millersound in PA. If anyone can fix it, he can.KentDuly noted and thanks!Good luck restoring those babies. You'll be quite happy with them for sure.I did a set earlier this year and I'm still impressed with them every time I fire them up!Keep us posted on your restoration.JohnI will...thanks JohnNice find...Both woofers have been improperly re-foamed...looks like someone spliced them together.The appropriate voice coils, foam, etc, are available. I've rebuilt 6 of these woofers in the past few months.RoyHi Roy...I wondered about that black line on the surround. Thanks for noticing that. Does that woofer with the large cap look original? I see the AR guy in NY has a few of them for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 I see the AR guy in NY has a few of them for sale.Yes--and they are $120 to $160 each. My advice: send the pair you have to Millersound or consider what I wrote to you in a PM. You'll have the original woofers, rebuilt and up to spec, at a fraction of what it would cost for a pair of replacements.Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 Yes--and they are $120 to $160 each. My advice: send the pair you have to Millersound or consider what I wrote to you in a PM. You'll have the original woofers, rebuilt and up to spec, at a fraction of what it would cost for a pair of replacements.KentHi Roy...Does that woofer with the large cap look original? I see the AR guy in NY has a few of them for sale.Most of those woofers were rebuilt and/or re-foamed by me for Larry. They are nice, but I agree with Kent. Both of your woofers are original, and are repairable for less than the cost of those.Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Step one- Removed the non-funtioning woofer and removed the stuffing. I had played this speaker and the mid and tweet were muffled ...like in a can so not sure what to look for. I am providing pics so that you guys can see what's in there and tell me how it looks. It still appears to be original and from what I have read, seems to be in the 1972-74 era construction. I couldn't really test the pot on this speaker but when I played the other speaker that has the good woofer, it worked very nicely. This pot turns as easily as the other so hope it is alright.Any ideas would be appreciated. Pics are included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Step one- Removed the non-funtioning woofer and removed the stuffing. I had played this speaker and the mid and tweet were muffled ...like in a can so not sure what to look for. I am providing pics so that you guys can see what's in there and tell me how it looks. It still appears to be original and from what I have read, seems to be in the 1972-74 era construction. I couldn't really test the pot on this speaker but when I played the other speaker that has the good woofer, it worked very nicely. This pot turns as easily as the other so hope it is alright.Any ideas would be appreciated. Pics are included.The level controls are not original, and appear to be standard l-pads.Your woofers appear to be original, but the large dust cap is not. The date stamped on the side of the woofer magnet in your photo should be very close to the date of your speakers' manufacture date.The silver cap (150uf) and the wax block cap (6uf) are Industrial Condenser caps, and are more likely to be out of spec than the brown Sprague cap (50uf)Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Just to clarify: You took apart the speaker with the bad woofer. Is it the one with the bigger dust cap?I would consider re-capping. As Roy said, you "could" keep the Sprague but if you're going to the trouble, why not replace them all? You can get a Bennic electrolytic for the 150. I'd probably bundle five 10uF "surplus caps" from Madisound for the 50uF (they are 60 cents each) and use a Carli mylar or any film cap of your choice for the 6uF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Just to clarify: You took apart the speaker with the bad woofer. Is it the one with the bigger dust cap?I would consider re-capping. As Roy said, you "could" keep the Sprague but if you're going to the trouble, why not replace them all? You can get a Bennic electrolytic for the 150. I'd probably bundle five 10uF "surplus caps" from Madisound for the 50uF (they are 60 cents each) and use a Carli mylar or any film cap of your choice for the 6uF.Hi Kent..yes..the bad woofer speaker. I removed that ugly ass dust cap today successfully with heat and patience. Going to get the right cap put on. Roy had me test the mid and tweet directly to speaker wires and discovered they are alright. It is the controls that are junk so good news there too. Got the AR badges back to good shape and waxed them. Will be sending out my woofers for new surrounds and one rebuild plus getting new caps and pots. All in all....proceeding slowly and looking forward to a very nice set of 3a's.. The cabs are excellent condition so not much work to make those nice.Will be heading out tomorrow to a few material places to see if I can snag some grill material but if can't find it, will order online.Oh..one question. When I removed the stuffing, there wasn't that lining under the woofer. What material can I use for that? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted August 11, 2012 Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 Great! The BEST fabric to use is the linen from 1-2-3 stitch as described in the Restoration Guide. But it's expensive. Look for similar linen (18 count). There is some "OK" stuff available at Michael's craft stores in the needlepoint dept. Either Irish linen or Belgian linen. Beware of "linen-like" fabrics in fabric stores because they are often sythetic blends and won't shrink when spritzed with water (needed for a snug fit).For the kempac (sp?) lining you can use crinoline or similar sheer cloth.Good luck!Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 Great! The BEST fabric to use is the linen from 1-2-3 stitch as described in the Restoration Guide. But it's expensive. Look for similar linen (18 count). There is some "OK" stuff available at Michael's craft stores in the needlepoint dept. Either Irish linen or Belgian linen. Beware of "linen-like" fabrics in fabric stores because they are often sythetic blends and won't shrink when spritzed with water (needed for a snug fit).For the kempac (sp?) lining you can use crinoline or similar sheer cloth.Good luck!KentHi Kent,Got the linen ordered from 123. Was taking the padding out of second speaker and lo and behold....the backing for both of thre woofers was stuffed into the padding!..pic below. Whoever had worked on these was a goof I swear. The woofers are packed and ready to ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted August 13, 2012 Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hi lakecat, Unless I missed something I hope you realize the woofer you removed the dust cap from is no good. The voice coil is shattered. It's going to need to be reconed. Off to work, I'll give more info later about it. Forget what I said..... I see your sending the woofers out for repair. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagster Posted August 20, 2012 Report Share Posted August 20, 2012 The AR3a's are definitely my next project. I am on the hunt, and will find a pair I can afford. I have much more time than money, and the right pair will come up. They can be dead or alive, as it matters not. The 2ax's were my first serious challenge, and I have newfound confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted August 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Good luck on your quest Jag. I just got my woofers back today and looking great. Gettin' ready to tackle them and caps that are prewired for newbies like me.. ..this weekend. Also got refurbished pots since the ones in there were junk. Then the cabs get refinished but easy work there as they are in great shape.By some awfully good luck, I also today acquired a pair of very nice AR3"s! Retired doctor had them and was downsizing. He had cabinets built for the speakers as he didn't want to see them so he just opened the door to hear them. Needless to say, it kept the speaker cabinets in excellent condition. Pics of 3's included.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted September 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 I have to say the 3a's came out beautifully and sound fantastic. Thanks especially to Roy.....Kent for your ideas. Pics show the progress and completion. I now have these mint AR's to match my mint Heathkit 103's and am in audio heaven!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted September 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 Closing this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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