Studiocraft Model 110. What to do with 'em?

Ficklistnr

Passive Fanatic
I wont claim to be fortunate in my finds using veiled Bose speakers I picked up (for a 5 spot) a few weeks ago as an example...

But the mystery (or complacency with researching them) is starting to annoy me as much as the waffled plastic "180 degree reflecting" grills on the front and the clever (BS) novel pasted to the back... with its citation "Used under license of Bose..."
Cmon, were consumers incredibly naive in 1972 Or was a Bose labeled box as overpriced then as it is now, which warranted a product in disguise that bears a price tag "directly reflecting" its value?

The damn things sound pretty good though. (Well, pretty good compared to the 1972 Magnavox branded sealed cab 2 way with a 3 inch paper tweeter having nothing between it and the source signal but a tired 2mfd paper)

For what they are I'm in no hurry to power down the early 90s Sherwood 25w receiver with a Steely Dan CD filling its narrow signal rail delivering it to the 4 ohm "Studiocraft"

The Bose ahem "Studiocraft" model 110 is a forward port bass reflex 2 way with 5 (5.5?) raw paper cone bass driver thats actually seamed from coil to basket suspension with a 1/4 inch glued lap!
Mag stamp 103288 over 27044 over 2857423 (Box says 72 stamp says 74?)
Heavily zinc'd sheet metal basket, Hefty round double ceramic motor with steel back plate. Screams CTS? Quam Nichols? Rola? (no reference material handy)


The phenolic ring tweeters with paper dome might be the least "paper" sounding tweeter Ive ever heard. But maybe a wasp in a beer can would sound better than the Magnavox 3 inch paper tweeter next to it?
It (the Bos... damn it! "Studiocraft") appears to be a CTS Phenolic ring tweeter, and if I had any depth of imagination, I'd say SimplySpeakers found Hitlers body and a bunker full of these tweeters. (which doesnt really explain the price does it?)

Whats strangely appealing is the terminals. Marked left to right "4ohm" and "COM"
Now as if + and - sinply wasnt the hand-holding all new Bose owners deserve? We get to pause for a moment and draw on our 3rd sober day an MIT (Michigan Institute of Terminology)...
hmmm com? com? com? whats... Oh yeah! The smell of Sunday Buddweisers, Lakes-region winters and Canadian hockey fans...

NEGATIVE!

Duh.

Definite old school wire "wrap" posts (haunting me with early career chants "whiteredblackyelloowviolet redrum blueoreangegreenbrownslate"

The square wire posts are on both drivers as well as the inside panel with knurled round-nut binding post terminals that do not have a hole in the post, because nobody, especially a Bose, errr "Studiocraft" owner, should have to use a flashlight, a magnifying glass and a piece of thread with a slip-knot in the end to wire up a speaker!
2 zinc'd copper washers compress against a hexagonal nut with a star lock washer at the cab.

The bass driver is unfiltered (because our customers are either purists, or will BE purists until they buy a REAL Bose!)

Wired parallel, the woofer passes nothing to the fully enclosed basket-single ceramic mag tweeter, filtered in parallel with a Solen/Bennic MET @ 2.4...because everyone should have baked beans in their ears, not just us here at Bos...Shhh "Studiocraft!" of Framingham Headhunginshame Mass!

Cabs are photo-vinyl walnut over 1/2 inch mdf with a 5/8 back panel.
Uhh, 5/8 back panel?

Connection panel looks like masonite glued and stapled over a tapered hole. An electrical inspection tag with serial number E5-011 004 (and 005 on sister speaker) model number 110 and "M. O." number E5 1027 Gives it somewhat of an "Adult toy" feel...or uhhh maybe something different?

Pictures detail the rest.

So what have I got here? A novelty? A collectors elusive prize? A speaker with potential to sound good and still bid poorly at auction?
A speaker with the potential to sound almost as good as a speaker and fetch a premium?

Evidence of a conspiracy to mislead American consumers with techno-babble?

Direct-Reflecting has struck me as an oxymoron since day one. Every time I take a racquetball to the oh-henries I think to myself "Ok, I saw that coming and did nothing prior to a "direct hit"
Or
I heard it behind me, reflecting its sharp noise as though warning me, and I still walked into it like I was aiming my groin at the ball.



So I looked at the speakers and didnt really see dollar signs. Wasnt motivated by potential profit. I'm not the guy with woven fingers, sucking saliva and air through my teeth with one eye twitching as I laugh without a smile waiting for the next sucker to come along and flip two nitro glycerol tabs under his tongue when he sees the word Bose errr "Studiocraft"
Nor do I offer to help him to the ATM as I giggle at the word "angina" like Beavis or Butthead would.



I didnt buy them to temp Insurance salesmen to come up with one more way to spend their next commission check.
In fact, I saw the $25 price tag, pulled a grill corner back like I knew what I'd find, and pointed at the yellow fiberglass insulation consuming the space where a rubberized foam suspension used to be. And gasped audibly towards the cash register.
I (In my best Robert Kilgore Duvall) said to the smug assistant manager of the local Salvation Army thrift #34 ...."Soldier, I've got a crisp five and my spot in line at Saigon Suzies" for the Bose...awe nepalm! these here "Studiocraft" boxes of shrapnel" What say you?

He looked at me as though I'd just changed roles to Lt Gunp and said "As is, no returns Colonel"

Stupid is....

I have never laid eyes on the model SC 110 and have not seen a 1974 speaker in better condition in my 30 years of speaker collecting buying selling refurbing installing Theil-Smalling, replicating customizing, creating, coning, coning again -coil rub. M-80ing, bird-nesting (Bose 901 cab screwed just under the eve on my garage... full of swallows. No sweeter tune has ever come from them, well, maybe Ella Fitzgerald)

So. The Studiocraft 110.
Any folks care to offer a means to justify an asking price of say double my investment?

I'm sure theres no shortage of "Bose up-turns my nose" folk with something to say. Save it. My pokes are not the result of any experience with Bose that didnt fulfill its expected role:
Play Judas Priest.
Loud enough to make my ears bleed.
Then go for a direct reflecting swim in the pool with one shirtless drunk girl and 14 grinning guys who dont make eye contact, and fight to stay a foot away from each other.

I hope to hear something positive! (other than "Hey it was only 5 dollars man you'll get it back next week at the Mahjong bingo pot luck")

I cant even SAY Mahjong!

Any suggestions other than my first thought of a 0.5mh air core coil and any random 4.7k250?

Refurb bass drivers? or replace?
Port tuning?

Restore and leave original?

Set reserve at $500 and run it for 30 days while posting numerous Karma threads on how rare and valuable they are with one pair in Oregon that has serial number 004 and 005

The bass drivers are in a box waiting for a suggestion or three of who might give them a nice new cone, and suspension job? I'd do it myself but I'm up to my ears in coil replacements.

Info
Resources
Historical auctions
Mods with great results?
Caliber of gun and grain weight of bullet most satisfying to shoot them with?

Thanks in advance. Or in direct reflection of what you have to offer.
 
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