JBL L100

PhonoJ

Member
Are people actually paying $2000 or more for these used speakers these days? I find this insane.
 
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Occasionally a super clean original pair will approach the $1K mark. I don't recall seeing L100's ever tracking much above that but I suppose it can happen. Hey, when people will pay $1K-$2k for a length of speaker or interconnect wiring, anything is possible. Good value? only the buyer (and seller) can decide that for themselves.
 
Actually, yes. A nicely cared for, original pair will command nearly $1000 USD consistently. And has been recently shown on eBay, an original unrestored pair, complete with all original packaging, owners manual, grills etc. will go for beyond $2000, perhaps close to $2600. I paid $700 Canadian (which today equates to about $525 USD) for my L100s. They had new grill foams, and the former owner had added upgraded binding posts. Add in the several pairs of new grill foams I purchased online (I now have orange, blue, and black), a repro owners manual, and new tweeter foams, and I probably have about $1200 USD in them.
 
ebay 254084635839 sold Jan 27 for $2,916.00 plus shipping, VG condition with rings on top of both, early As, but with boxes.

They don't usually get that high, most struggle to get much past $1,200.00, but most aren't very nice.

If you find it insane, you're not a collector. At least you can listen to these, people pay much more for rare postage stamps or a game baseball that will never again be used.

I'm happy with the prices, sure beats a pair of used Wilsons for half a mil, ...
 
ebay 254084635839 sold Jan 27 for $2,916.00 plus shipping, VG condition with rings on top of both, early As, but with boxes.

They don't usually get that high, most struggle to get much past $1,200.00, but most aren't very nice.

If you find it insane, you're not a collector. At least you can listen to these, people pay much more for rare postage stamps or a game baseball that will never again be used.

I'm happy with the prices, sure beats a pair of used Wilsons for half a mil, ...

Yeah I guess I'm not a collector, I'm a listener. I'm not in into collecting as much stuff as I can, all I'm looking for is a few classic pieces to enjoy listening to. I like my set ups now, I have a Sansui Eight, Sansui G-7500 and a Marantz 2240b, paired with Celestion Ditton 551s and a Thorens TD 125 MarkII. All of which I got for under $400 a piece over the past 8 years, the most expensive being $400. I would love to find a nice pair of JBL L 100s, 112s or 43xx series one day, but not for the asking prices. I'll just have to keep an eye out at estate sales and other places other than Ebay.
 
They show up.

If you don't mind something more cosmetically challenged it's a bit easier, collectors want eye-candy condition.
 
They show up.

If you don't mind something more cosmetically challenged it's a bit easier, collectors want eye-candy condition.

Yeah I don't mind a few nicks and marks as long as they are working proper or if they need to be refoamed or something along that line.
 
Damn, I can actually get my $600+tax back that I spent back in '78 for my L100a's? Have all three boxes (grill box) and owners manual plus the little tag that talked about the 'Enclosure Material' and the bill of sale. I think I even have the letter sent to me from JBL in the early '80's about replacing the foam grills (don't have original foam grilles. They'd be nothing but a pile of foam 'sand' by now.) Also, a letter from the early '80's from JBL stating that JBL's are digital ready and not to worry.
 
Damn, I can actually get my $600+tax back that I spent back in '78 for my L100a's? Have all three boxes (grill box) and owners manual plus the little tag that talked about the 'Enclosure Material' and the bill of sale. I think I even have the letter sent to me from JBL in the early '80's about replacing the foam grills (don't have original foam grilles. They'd be nothing but a pile of foam 'sand' by now.) Also, a letter from the early '80's from JBL stating that JBL's are digital ready and not to worry.

The ones without foam grilles are definitely worth a lot less than the ones with new replacement foam grilles, which (and I speak from experience) are expensive and time-consuming to obtain.

Your original boxes, etc., definitely add value, but the lack of foam grilles maybe knock $300+ off the value. If you really did want to sell them, you should buy new foam grilles and get them as clean and new-looking as possible. With all that stuff, in perfect condition, you'd probably get well over $1,200 for them.
 
Paid 100 bucks for a pair of working L100's. Refinished the cabinets. Built and installed a Denis Murphy designed crossover. The build quality of the drivers and cabinents was top shelf. Never had a better looking pair of speakers in the kit, but then I love the look of bookshelves on stands. Unfortunately they were and are not worth 1000 dollars!

While we are stewing on JBL, the used prices on L300's are also out to lunch.
 
The ones without foam grilles are definitely worth a lot less than the ones with new replacement foam grilles, which (and I speak from experience) are expensive and time-consuming to obtain.

Your original boxes, etc., definitely add value, but the lack of foam grilles maybe knock $300+ off the value. If you really did want to sell them, you should buy new foam grilles and get them as clean and new-looking as possible. With all that stuff, in perfect condition, you'd probably get well over $1,200 for them.

Wow, maybe twice what I paid for them.
I was a happy 19 year old when I opened the Saturday edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that morning and read the ad from Pacific Stereo for the JBLs. I recall they said they had 6 pairs, first come, first serve at $299.00 per speaker. Orange, blue and brown special JBL foam grilles, you pick your color!
Just so happened that my Grandpa died the year before and things were finally settled and inheritance money was distributed. He left me one thousand dollars! I new what I wanted... Stereo Equipment! Of course Dad wanted me to leave that in the bank (sorry Dad.)
Called my buddy whos Dad just happen to own a station wagon, perfect! Called him, stopped by another friends house and the three of us headed off to Pacific Stereo. My friends were disappointed when I picked the brown grilles. I don't know, I was leaning towards the blue, but I didn't dare get the orange ones, I thought... too flashy! lol! Figured the brown would go with the furniture, what the heck.
So, off we went super excited to have a pair of JBLs in the back of the wagon. At that point in my young life I never even heard a pair of JBL anything! None of my friends had the cash to buy anything in that price range. Just spending the occasional .75 cents for a Stereophile magazine and drooling over the JBL ads. In my mind, if it's JBL, it's good!
We hit Lindbergh Blvd. and headed back home... I do believe somebody fired-up a couple of joints. I knew there was a reason for calling that 'other friend' for the ride! ...:smoke:
 
Aw; that’s a great story!

Mine is a bit different: In high school, one day I visited a friend from a wealthy family, who showed me his new stereo: Orange L100s lying horizontally on sheets of plywood, hanging from the ceiling by chains, connected to a Sansui amp and Pioneer turntable. He cranked up One of These Days from Pink Floyd’s Meddle and the sound captivated me, as did the sight of the woofers pumping. I was smitten.

Probably within the year I’d bought a mismatched (orange and brown) pair of L36 Decades, which I loved but was convinced (erroneously) were inferior. More recently I’ve had 4311s and two pair of L100s, but never quite recaptured that original magic.
 
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