SECOND BUILD OF WESTERN ELECTRIC WE 753C CABINETS

longdrive03

Active Member
I posted recently on my first build for a friend and as a result a second person (unknown at first but now a trash talking buddy) asked me to build a second pair. Used solid walnut on the attached grill framed and slats and figured walnut veneer on the top and sides. My friend asked me to cut the motorboard in half to allow use of different horn combinations on the top panel. In all he will have three top panels he can experiment with.

I really like the retro look (my wife says that shows in my clothes selection). Grows on you - kinda like a fungus!

I may branch out with some other type wood on another set (maybe bubinga??). The top and bottom curved transition to the slats need to be about 2.5" x 2.5". Up to this point I've found material that thick without having to glue and clamp. I have some bubinga that I will probably use on next set and maybe got with waterfall bubinga veneer on top and sides.

Will ship by Freighters and Craters from Little Rock to Washington DC. Anyone have experience with F&C shipping (hopefully good???)
 

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Jeepers, those things are gorgeous! I think I might know which lucky bastid’s getting ‘em, too, the lucky bastid!
 
Up to this point I haven't mentioned a name (didn't want to unless allowed to). He is a great guy to deal with i.e., banter with. Knows his stuff.
 
Yeah, the man is an artist. Very meticulous. The whole interaction has been great...now I'm just waiting to see how many times he sells the same pr of boxes.

Nah, just kidding. Longdrive 03 is a rock solid dude and a lot of fun. I'm excited to get my hands on these babies!

I'm loading these cabs with WE 728Bs and Altec 32/802s or 3000A tweeters...whatever works best. Hence the idea of swappable tweeter panels. The 728B is almost full range, out to about 8k, and quite listenable sans tweeter for me, but a little extra HF snap could help.
 
Lucky bastid! :D

This is just cool. I've got my fingers crossed for a safe transit!
 
I love the look!
Would love a listen once they arrive and get populated!
 
Okay, the rat (I mean cat) is out of the bag and Joe is the lucky dud commissioner. I'm glad the shop fire didn't damage the cabinets too much. Just a mild scorching. Should rub out.

I believe my wife would describe me differently than Joe did. Instead of meticulous she would say "ridiculous". Hope you never see my shop - at least until I can give it the Carl Spackler blower cleanup.

Joe, talked to C&F today and Jerry is out of office but another guy is going to get info and call me back.
 
Joe's speakers were picked up by the shipper yesterday for the trip to DC. I shed a tear when they left!!:banana: Turned out pretty nice.
 

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You'll shed even more tears when you try to cash that check! :thumbsup:

Only jestin' with ya....very excited to get these artistic manifestations of the woodcrafters' art!!

Hopefully I'll be listening to them by New Years Eve, possibly sooner!

My wife won't believe I finally broke down and got something NICE!
 
My wife won't believe I finally broke down and got something NICE!
Gotta be careful with that... the other stuff will suddenly look a whole lot worse, and may not be allowed back in! I have some black metal horns that are waiting to make a stealth debut when my wife's not paying attention. With luck, she'll never notice. :-/
 
Finally getting around to working on these boxes after a variety of interruptions. Today, I hope to get some grill cloth installed and maybe bolt up some drivers.

Aside from the 728B woofer, I'm thinking I'll start out with an Altec 3000A tweeter. The 728B is almost full range and sounds pretty good sans tweet, so maybe a little bit of sparkle on top is all it needs. I'll have a replaceable panel prepared to swap in a 32C/802D combo if I feel like it.

First order of business is to listen to and measure the 728B by itself to see what I am working with in these 4 cu.ft. cabs.

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If the baffle board were not two piece, the board would not be removable...that's a plus. Non removable board would make it hard to do the experiments I want to do. It won't be super easy to swap horn boards once all the damping material is installed and everything is braced in, but it will be possible.

A proper 753 hommage would have a 32 horn, if nothing else 753 related, but I'm thinking the 3000A tweeter would be a nice compliment to the 728B, so I'm trying that out first.

Well, I covered the baffles with 1/4" felt to reduce reflections/diffraction, even though the vertical slats on front suggest a diffraction nightmare from the get-go.
I've been looking for an excuse to use some of that 3" wide felt hoard I snatched an ebay deal on and this is it! After this job, I'll be down to only 100 feet or so.

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And I'm busy installing some swank maroon polyester grill cloth. Was thinking about going with fancy antique upholstery style grills, but the thin car audio stuff is probably better in terms of not being in the way..
 
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Hey Joe,

Which WE753 had an extra tweeter due to the use of a limited range compression driver?
 
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