ADS L2030 Restoration

Yes, a real test of my patience. Since I paid her already, there was no sense starting a war. With the grilles design the safest place for the grilles is installed on the speakers. They fit tightly and are stable once installed.
 
Well, I got the grills about ready for new fabric. I rebuilt all of the damaged corners using Bondo wood filler which worked very well. Painted them flat black and now I just need to get working on the fabric.

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Bad pic, but here's the finished product.
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Also, I didn't mention it here (started a thread in the SS forum), but I picked up a new amp for these guys. The sound is just sublime! :music:

Sonogy Black Knight Mk II by Audio Database, on Flickr
Excellent progress! The light at the end of the tunnel is in view, and love the amp!
 
I'm considering the grills DONE. With the exception that I need to find one grill badge to make them complete. I ended up using the original fabric. The JoAnn Fabric cloth had an unoriginal sheen and transparency to it and, once unfolded, there was a large snag right down the middle. My mother-in-law, unbeknownst to me, hand washed the original fabric, patched a couple small holes on the bottom, and re-stitched the seams. I have to say, she did a great job! After seeing how well it turned out, I knew I had to re-use the original fabric.

Today I took the morning to reinstall the fabric. I decided to use this Roberts Max Grip double sided adhesive for the install. It worked really well! Just stretch and press. The install was pretty straightforward as the original corner/edge creases were easily visible. I used these as a guideline to stretch the fabric into place.

I'm very pleased with how this project turned out. While it took a while to complete, it really wasn't as daunting as I anticipated. Now my new sticky domes are safely out of sight of my 2 year old dust cap destroyer (she got my old L1530's and Tekton Lores).

On to the pics:
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Looking great! I must have missed it - no more risers on the carpet?
Thanks! Yes, they are sitting on risers. They're just about 3/4" shorter than the factory ones and, once pressed into the carpet by the weight of the speakers, it looks almost as if there are no risers at all.
 
  • What GD70 just said. Outstanding Matt. I am so very glad you kept that fabric my friend. You can clearly see why that was important now. I was considering that tape myself on my project at one time. Now I'm going to let a professional do it. I know my limitations!! (smiling). Just Beautiful. That said, I can't thank you enough for the super quality of pics you took of your frames. It was funny, I was at Home Depot and thought to get that aluminum square bar that I knew they had for my surround build and low and behold, right there in the same bin, was the solid square rod just like in these frames. Too short for your or my Lxx30's but not for my surrounds, and subsequently my center which I've chosen to re-do this summer. :beerchug:
Wonderful thread you created for posterity here Matt. Thank you!!
 
Outstanding! These are spectacular looking and you should be proud of your accomplishment!
Now you can sit back, open a cold one and bask in the sound!
Glenn
Thanks, Glenn! I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

  • What GD70 just said. Outstanding Matt. I am so very glad you kept that fabric my friend. You can clearly see why that was important now. I was considering that tape myself on my project at one time. Now I'm going to let a professional do it. I know my limitations!! (smiling). Just Beautiful. That said, I can't thank you enough for the super quality of pics you took of your frames. It was funny, I was at Home Depot and thought to get that aluminum square bar that I knew they had for my surround build and low and behold, right there in the same bin, was the solid square rod just like in these frames. Too short for your or my Lxx30's but not for my surrounds, and subsequently my center which I've chosen to re-do this summer. :beerchug:
Wonderful thread you created for posterity here Matt. Thank you!!
Thanks, Garry! The tape really worked well. I was able to gently set the fabric in place and reposition as needed. It wasn't until I applied direct pressure that it was firmly stuck and, even then, I could pry it up and reposition if needed. The tape also leaves no residue on the fabric.

I'm glad you're finding the right materials to complete your fantastic build project. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!
 
Wow! The grills came out fantastic Matt. Great job...you better take Mom-in-law out for a steak as well! Lol
 
Matt, these speakers turned out amazing! I'm hoping mine turn out half a good as yours did!

I have not been able to spend much time on rehabbing my pair, but that will be changing. I was recently laid of from my job, so I have unexpected spare time available. Beside job searching, I plan to see what I can accomplish on my speakers. I'm currently working on building new risers. Once that is complete, I'll move onto building grills. I was not fortunate to have grills included when I purchased my pair of speakers. I think I will be ok figuring out dimensions and angles needed, but what should I use to build the grill frames? Of course, fabric for grill cloths will be a whole other challenge
 
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Simply fantastic, well done Matt! Kudos for using the original fabric! It took 6 months for me to get the 1530 grills back from the "professional" upholsterer. She struggled mightily with the aftermarket fabric. You owe your MIL a nice dinner out or a spa day!
 
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