It'd be interesting to see behind the cloth. I don't think I've seen a picture of old Gales where the woofer foam hasn't perished.
This page is interesting:
http://0339436.netsolhost.com/WordPress/gs401-speaker/
I pulled the end caps off (not easy to do) a couple of years ago and took a look and they still looked good. No signs of cracking or anything. I purchased them new in 1980 or so. Twice they got really wet. I only recently got stands for them, so they used to just sit on one end on the floor. Once an apartment I lived in got water damage from a fire next door, and another time the water pipes upstairs leaked. Both times the speakers sat in water for a couple of days. That chrome plating really stands up. A wood veneer speaker would have been ruined.
Terry