Noel Posted June 30, 2016 Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hello! I have lurked around the site for awhile but just signed up officially and this is my first post. I really appreciate all the insight already and the extensive community. I have a pair of AR3a and I wondering what their value might be if I tried to sell them either on craigslist, ebay, or these forums. I do not know a ton about them. You can see from the photos the following... The production numbers appear to be 100534 and 100598. One of the tweeters has a dent in it. One of the woofer appears to have been removed and at higher volumes does have some vibration noise? The pots on one function quite well while the other has points of contact loss when rotated. Also the cabinets have a couple dents / marks one on a corner is highlighted in a photo. I forgot to take pictures of the grills but they appear a bit discolored but function otherwise with one badge and velcro to adhere them to the cabinets. I do not really have the system to drive them nor the desire to invest time to fix them up better. I really have little experience with these speakers and online I see them go for a wide range depending on condition and production year? I am just curious if anyone can give me any insights as t what I should ask for them. Thank you so much in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted June 30, 2016 Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 If you intend to list these on eBay, an accurate description of the condition will be very important; otherwise, you run the risk of an unhappy bidder and a "not-as-described" chargeback. It might be a good idea to approach this as if you were the potential buyer, and attempt to find & note every detail that would separate these speakers from factory fresh versions that have just emerged from a Time Machine. If you discover something that doesn't work perfectly, try to describe the issue in as much detail as possible; if you can clearly see a cabinet flaw, then be sure to describe it as such (this is where good photos are important). Hyperbole is not your friend - anyone willing to pay a top price for the AR-3a already knows more about the speaker than you do - stick to a straightforward & honest description, and you should be OK. Also, you might want to solicit opinions on the best way to pack & ship these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted June 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 So true! Ok, I was definitely trying to give as much info as I could above and that is why I provided all the pictures as well. But I am still even curious about ballpark numbers for the value of these speakers if sold. I honestly do not know where to begin. If you saw these for sale what price would you say was a real steal or way too much? Is there a picture angle that I am lacking that people would want? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 1 hour ago, ar_pro said: ... Also, you might want to solicit opinions on the best way to pack & ship these! That would be my major concern if buying these ... whether or not they would arrive in one piece. The underexposed and out-of-focus pictures of the back don't add anything however they are quite common on the auction site. I would guess these would sell at auction anywhere between $500 and $800 but I'm no expert on these. You might want to explain the green tape on the surround ... they appear to have been refoamed recently with cut down foams. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted July 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Thank you so much! Good to know... I definitely might start by seeing if I can't sell them local then think about shipping etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 1 hour ago, Noel said: Thank you so much! Good to know... I definitely might start by seeing if I can't sell them local then think about shipping etc. Also list them in the For Sale section here, telling prospective buyers where they can be picked up. Shipping speakers like these is NOT an easy task. I've shipped some speakers and many tube radios and take pride in how well they are packed but even so, a pair of KLH Model Fives (similar in size to your 3a's) got pretty banged up in transit. Local pick up is always best. Good luck. -Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Last of the 3a bunch with the inside wiring of drivers. Your foam is wrong on woofers and was spliced and blue tape is holding loose foam splice together somewhat....so new foam surrounds needed. Cabs need repaired and refinished. I imagine grill material will need replaced. You say one woofer makes noise at volume..so maybe a new woofer there if shot. New caps needed and pots removed and cleaned. These are project AR's and value won't be much if you need to ship as shipping is usually over a hundred bucks. With money to repair and refinish and shipping costs......I wouldn't give more than $250-300 for them depending on shipping costs. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Interesting to see the serial number on these late production speakers that ran concurrently with the AR-5 model. It is only about twice what the late production 5 numbers are. The 5's reportedly didn't sell well but it looks like the 3a's didn't do that well either. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 I once owned two pairs of the late-model 3a's, Roger; they were selling at a discounted price of $400/pair at a stereo outlet in DC! AR really had the fit & finish down on these; they had finally given in, and made a grille panel that could be easily removed, the better to view the drivers - something that had become a very big deal by the mid '70s - and the uniformity in the veneer's graining and stain was right on the money. With the bright fabric grilles, there were very pretty. Ditto on lakecat's evaluation - these are project speakers. At the least, we have cabinets that will need refinishing & repair (it's not possible to evaluate all of the sides, or the condition of the veneer joints from these photos), two stained grille panels, one dented tweeter, one bad potentiometer, two bad surrounds that will need to be removed & replaced, and maybe a bad woofer. And that's assuming the midrange & tweeter from the speaker with the non-functioning pot are OK. And as Kent mentioned, there's the joy of packing & shipping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 10 hours ago, ar_pro said: I once owned two pairs of the late-model 3a's, Roger; they were selling at a discounted price of $400/pair at a stereo outlet in DC!... Okay, so was that before or after the 10pi's and 11's came out? That sounds about right for the military price in Germany in the mid 70's but that is neither here or there ... resurrecting these at this date is obviously an act of love Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 Another thing to think about is the size of the market where local pickup is involved. They are going to do much better in Columbus OH than Columbus IN. People may be willing to drive a few hours for nice examples, but not so much for project speakers. The only true worth is what someone is willing to pay. Then there are guys like me that see AR3a's and that's enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 21 hours ago, owlsplace said: Okay, so was that before or after the 10pi's and 11's came out? That sounds about right for the military price in Germany in the mid 70's but that is neither here or there ... resurrecting these at this date is obviously an act of love Roger 1975, Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 6 hours ago, larrybody said: Another thing to think about is the size of the market where local pickup is involved. They are going to do much better in Columbus OH than Columbus IN. People may be willing to drive a few hours for nice examples, but not so much for project speakers. The only true worth is what someone is willing to pay. Then there are guys like me that see AR3a's and that's enough. They are few and far between out here in the AR diaspora. I saw a pair locally not too long ago that were not original and thought, no way. My younger brother commented one time saying, "Ebay sets the value." I think that is pretty true these days so auction price, shipping, and restoration costs oftentimes comes up way short of resale value. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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