Korina Korina

[lARrybody]

Last week I was cruising the auction site and saw a pair of AR2ax's listed and no one had offered the low opening bid.  Opening up the listing I realized they were for local pickup only. On my laptop screen they seemed to have a rather lite color. Upon reviewing the listing further I surmised that they were not 2ax's at all but 2a's with the Korina finish. They appeared to have been upgraded to 2ax's and had 2ax grills. They were in Dayton OH, less than 2 hours east on I-70. So I bid $110.00, ten dollars over the opening. To my surprise I won them at $104.00. Upon meeting with the owner I realized he was one of us. He said, "You got a bargain,I paid $150.00 for them".  He invited me in and this guy had some nice vintage equipment. I got to listen to some excellent AR9's through restored Soundcraftsman and Crown equipment. I also listened to some HPM-1100 speakers. Well worth the trip.

Here is what I came home with. Much nicer than I thought they would be. AR discontinued the Korina finish in 1965. 

Looking at them I have the feeling I would like to restore them back to original AR2a's. I understand these upgrade mid-ranges and mounting boards were available in the late 60's and early 70's. How rare is this Finish?  

[JKent]

Congrats on a great score! See this thread: 

 

I "think" the newer tweeter ("mid") may have been factory installed in some cases while they were using up the old cabinets. You may want to listen to them as they are and see what you think. The double angled tweeters were meant for wide dispersion when the speakers are placed horizontally.

You may also have oil caps in there. I'd suggest re-sealing the woofers with Roy's goo and clean or replace the pots.

Tom would be the expert here but I suspect the Korina finish was not available on the "real" 2ax and it was rather rare on the 2a. A real collectible and another reason to consider leaving them as they are.

Anyway, congrats on those!

-Kent

[tysontom]

7 hours ago, larrybody said:

Last week I was cruising the auction site and saw a pair of AR2ax's listed and no one had offered the low opening bid.  Opening up the listing I realized they were for local pickup only. On my laptop screen they seemed to have a rather lite color. Upon reviewing the listing further I surmised that they were not 2ax's at all but 2a's with the Korina finish. They appeared to have been upgraded to 2ax's and had 2ax grills. They were in Dayton OH, less than 2 hours east on I-70. So I bid $110.00, ten dollars over the opening. To my surprise I won them at $104.00. Upon meeting with the owner I realized he was one of us. He said, "You got a bargain,I paid $150.00 for them".  He invited me in and this guy had some nice vintage equipment. I got to listen to some excellent AR9's through restored Soundcraftsman and Crown equipment. I also listened to some HPM-1100 speakers. Well worth the trip.

Here is what I came home with. Much nicer than I thought they would be. AR discontinued the Korina finish in 1965. 

Looking at them I have the feeling I would like to restore them back to original AR2a's. I understand these upgrade mid-ranges and mounting boards were available in the late 60's and early 70's. How rare is this Finish?  

Those are very beautiful AR-2as!  Lacquered korina is such a beautiful wood, and that finish was very seldom ordered, so the speakers are fairly rare and certainly worth holding onto.  These speakers were originally returned to the factory for the $15.00 upgrade to the newer CTS/AR midrange dfriver.  The original grill cloth material was different (this is the 1965 and later beige linen), so if you did anything, you might want to go back to get the original-type grill material.  You will also need the square AR logo and the "a" pin on the opposite end.  I wouldn't try to go back to the two 5-inch AR/Carbonneau midrange drivers, as the updated 3.5-inch midrange is vastly superior.  Are both speakers finished on all four sides?  Usually, AR did not finish the AR-2-series on the bottom, long dimension.  It was usually placed on a bookshelf, but with this finish, it's possible that all four panels were done in korina.  Congratulations!

--Tom Tyson

[lARrybody]

11 hours ago, JKent said:

Congrats on a great score! See this thread: 

 

The speakers pictured in the thread that ra. ra. started are the exact same ones that I now have. The veneer is in very good shape except for one small missing veneer piece near the top and on the side of one speaker. I will have to research the finish, but anything that may be done I will want to keep them looking original. Maybe a light sanding and a new lacquer finish. I am afraid that natural oil finish may darken them up a bit and that I don't want to do that. 

  

4 hours ago, tysontom said:

Those are very beautiful AR-2as!  Lacquered korina is such a beautiful wood, and that finish was very seldom ordered, so the speakers are fairly rare and certainly worth holding onto.  These speakers were originally returned to the factory for the $15.00 upgrade to the newer CTS/AR midrange dfriver.  The original grill cloth material was different (this is the 1965 and later beige linen), so if you did anything, you might want to go back to get the original-type grill material.  You will also need the square AR logo and the "a" pin on the opposite end.  I wouldn't try to go back to the two 5-inch AR/Carbonneau midrange drivers, as the updated 3.5-inch midrange is vastly superior.  Are both speakers finished on all four sides?  Usually, AR did not finish the AR-2-series on the bottom, long dimension.  It was usually placed on a bookshelf, but with this finish, it's possible that all four panels were done in korina.  Congratulations!

--Tom Tyson

They are in fact finished on all four sides. New reproduction logos are available from one of the members here. He will get a PM soon. I have the other grill, cloth in good shape, but Masonite frame broken (previously). They are held on by ten small brad nails. I will have to be careful removing the other one. The original grill cloth will be very hard to find. Maybe something close, but possibly better looking. I have no problem fabricating new original looking frames. Not my photos, but show's the grills.

 

Look what I got today. 

These came from a lady in Dayton. Dayton is my new honey hole for finding vintage AR stuff in 2016. First my AR3a's right after Christmas. A beautiful set of AR4x's in February. These AR2a's and now the mid ranges. Weird. 

[tysontom]

"Here is what I came home with. Much nicer than I thought they would be. AR discontinued the Korina finish in 1965."

No, korina veneer was was discontinued before the end of 1964.  This wood veneer was never available in any of the 1965 AR models.  I don't even think it could be special-ordered. 

--Tom Tyson

 

[ra.ra]

Very pleased to see that these ended up with a CSP member - - those are really gorgeous and rare. Excellent comments from Kent and Tom. Thx for the great pics from larrybody, these are the only korina cabinets I have seen. Do they have a ± 3/4" solid wood nosing along the front edge?

[stupidhead]

wow, beautiful. I just love that grille cloth. Congrats.

Dayton you say....

[VintageMan]

Really a nice pair.

Enjoy!