lakecat Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 I was visiting a gentleman to look at some audio equipment to possibly buy. After I purchased an item, he mentioned that he searches the area sometimes for audio equipment. I asked him if he ever runs across AR equipment as that was my interest. He mentioned a small audio shop nearby and swore they had a pair of AR's there but not sure what they were. I thanked him...loaded the item and left. My wife was with me as we always hit a diner or something new for a change of pace when out doing this sort of thing and as we backed out of his driveway, I said I have a feeling about this audio shop and want to stop by. She laughed and said, "But you never stop at those places?".....sooooo.....we head down, found it, and parked. We walked in and the place was packed with audio equipment and even had a small room with chairs and dozens of speakers around them for listening. I walk around a corner of equipment and there sat under shelving of receivers was a row of older speakers....and I saw the infamous grill pattern and badge of the AR3...one stacked behind the other. Turns out they were on consignment there and had been there since November, 2015! In beautiful shape and what got my attention was serial numbers 07360 and 07363....and grill cloth with gold thread thru it. The grills were in incredible shape and removable...and the plastic backing was unbroken! The employee said the tech cleaned the pots and everything was working fine. Knowing I was going to buy them, I had them put pigtails on the speaker tabs and personally carried them over the listening room to hook them up and listen. They played beautifully.... and are now mine.....:) Question.... the surface a hard smooth shiny finish. There is some rub spots where it is missing on top....presumably from being on a shelf? Being they are first year AR3's, should I just leave it alone? I am also gonna remove one woofer to see what is inside with the hope that it still has the original caps and see what pots are in there. Just feel so fortunate that I listened to my gut for once....:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Jeepers! They don't come any better than that. Congrats. (edit: I was thinking those might be cherry veneer, but the cabinets look almost identical to Tom Tyson's pair in oiled teak.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbon Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Just lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronan Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Congratulations Lakecat! It's even more fortune if you got it under 1K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 I own a nice pair of 3's and I'm still drooling. Fabulous, and congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Thanks everyone. I assumed they were walnut and never really looked hard at grain....so will have to look at some teak graining as now my curiosity has me wondering. I got them for $600 plus tax but the added bonus was this album thrown in with deal!...lol. When I had set up the AR's to listen to, the salesman asked what type of music I liked.....so of course my smartass wife suggested disco to him. He smiled and played a demo he had....ignoring her request. I paid for the speakers and was carrying them out to car...and when I walked back in to tell them thanks...I see the salesman go to an album rack and picked out this album....looked at my wife and said, "Here, take this as he should enjoy this greatly with the new speakers"....:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Amazing that in this day and age one can still find a pair of 3's in beautiful shape for $600 somewhere in this country. Sold by an audio shop, no less. Would never happen here in the Bay Area. I'm now officially doubly envious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 42 minutes ago, samberger0357 said: Amazing that in this day and age one can still find a pair of 3's in beautiful shape for $600 somewhere in this country. Sold by an audio shop, no less. Would never happen here in the Bay Area. I'm now officially doubly envious. I know!....crazy. They had a $700 tag on them and the worst thing he told me was they had been there since November on consignment. So I offered the six. He told me if the owner was here...no way...as he never haggled. He called the seller on consignment and he said to take the deal...as he was tired of having them in there. So how lucky I was to be in there on a Tuesday which the day the owner takes off every week.....but I still would have plunked down seven in a heartbeat also. The decision to make now....is to leave them alone with the history on them or refinish them. I love taking wood items and making them new again but something tells me to leave them alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidDru Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Nice! Cool look to the wood for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Lovely but that 2-album set just puts it over the top Tough call on the finish, maybe some Howard's. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidhead Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 congrats for sure. if they turn out to be teak they can command $2k if marketed properly! The one on the right appears to be a lighter finish than the other, possibly bleached from sunlight? album looks like it should have the K-tel logo on it LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Geeee.....congrats! Those look amazing. That's a great deal you walked away with. I bet they'll sound as sweet as sweet can be. And like the others said, that album made the deal a deal of a life time! Good luck with them and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 14 hours ago, stupidhead said: congrats for sure. if they turn out to be teak they can command $2k if marketed properly! The one on the right appears to be a lighter finish than the other, possibly bleached from sunlight? album looks like it should have the K-tel logo on it LOL No difference in colors and just lighting. Looks to have never seen the sun. These may become keepers....and replace the mint Heathkits I have. The album lost value to us as the fine print on bottom stated dance instructions included....but was gone...;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 Congrats on a great find! Amazing condition! I'm guessing 1960, not first year, based on the serial numbers. Mine are in the 6000's and from 1960. Fortunately, they have the oil caps and I left them alone. Unlike yours, mine were in need of restoration. Roy's great advice, and some parts got them sounding great. Lets see some better pics of cab area you mention. Maybe a light wipe of some Watcos natural color oil may do the trick. Cheers, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 Okay....looking at them hard and I just can't tell. Could it be cherry?...... I haven't seen teak in a big piece as I have small pieces on my boat....so I don't know what grain teak has. Could be walnut also but has that reddish glow to it. I have decided to refinish them as the grain could look nicer. Has a washed out look to it...even though the gloss finish is shiny. I included better pics.....maybe someone that has been around these veneers knows what this is. I am guessing cherry by the shade it has and the graining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 Looks like walnut. You can try some oil, see how it looks. When I restore speaker cabs, especially the cabinet challenged sets I've found, I've had do sand the entire cab to the veneer. The advantage is when re-oiling, I get a gorgeous, uniform finish. I'm not suggesting you do this, but just food for thought if you want to have a virtually mint cab finish at some point. I posted links to some of my restoration projects if you want to take a look. Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 17 minutes ago, GD70 said: Looks like walnut. You can try some oil, see how it looks. When I restore speaker cabs, especially the cabinet challenged sets I've found, I've had do sand the entire cab to the veneer. The advantage is when re-oiling, I get a gorgeous, uniform finish. I'm not suggesting you do this, but just food for thought if you want to have a virtually mint cab finish at some point. I posted links to some of my restoration projects if you want to take a look. Glenn My first thoughts too were walnut until I got them home. The graining can be cherry also and the hue is more cherry than normal walnut...which the camera doesn't pick up. I will see when I strip them. If the grain looks good, I may not even stain them and leave it natural...especially if it is cherry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 4 hours ago, lakecat said: My first thoughts too were walnut until I got them home. The graining can be cherry also and the hue is more cherry than normal walnut...which the camera doesn't pick up. I will see when I strip them. If the grain looks good, I may not even stain them and leave it natural...especially if it is cherry. When I refinished mine, the veneer had that beautiful red hue to it just with the oil, no staining needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Those are rare and easily four-figure dollar speakers, so I would recommend holding off on harsh chemical application until you get a bit more informed feedback, and I certainly agree with GD70, no additional stain needed. I look at one face and I think cherry; I look at another and I think walnut; but here's what made me think maybe teak: on the left, the OP's speakers; on the right, Tom's oiled teak. http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/original_models_pictures/tom_tysons_oiled_teak_ar-3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 +1 on ra.ra's comment. It looks like you have an early pair of lacquered cabinets (walnut, cherry, or teak) so I'd be inclined to stay away from an oil application. Maybe some clear lacquer on any bare wood and chalk up the look to 'patina'. The original owner took good care of these. Certainly a great find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidDru Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 If those are indeed lacquered, what are the chances that they have yellowed over time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 13 hours ago, DavidDru said: If those are indeed lacquered, what are the chances that they have yellowed over time? I don't think lacquer yellows -- certainly not like BLO. May want to wipe them down with lacquer thinner and see if the finish evens out. I'm guessing walnut by the close-up photo of the front frame. Here are some teak images if you want to browse: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=teak&t=ffnt&iax=1&ia=images Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted April 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 9 hours ago, owlsplace said: I don't think lacquer yellows -- certainly not like BLO. May want to wipe them down with lacquer thinner and see if the finish evens out. I'm guessing walnut by the close-up photo of the front frame. Here are some teak images if you want to browse: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=teak&t=ffnt&iax=1&ia=images Roger I am pretty sure it is a lacquer finish but has a very long time since I have dealt with it. It is hard as glass and glossy and certainly not an oil finish. Good idea on the thinner....but I may just strip these cabs and look into putting the same finish on. If they are cherry, leaving it natural would be beautiful. There seems to be a stain on these so we will see when I start on these. Has to warm up here in Ohio a little first....as I like to strip outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 I think quite a few people like to take the finish to the red side rather than yellow on the old walnut veneers. This pair is on the light side to start with though ... I'm sure they will look great when you get done with them. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidDru Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 I've used the gunstock minwak stain and it can get a little too orange so be careful with that for sure. Is it the eurothanes that can yellow? Varnish? I have quite a few danish modern teak pieces and the grain patterns can be very similar to Walnut. The color though is different between the 2 with the teak of course being more of eh red/orange when oiled. The teak seems to have areas of tighter pattern grain too. I will take some photos of the teak when the light gets better and post them for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.