DLK MODEL 4 Speakers

[dhanson64]

That's the first pair of model 4s I've seen. They look really nice. I've always heard good things about them.

cubdog

Thanks!! they are all original and I'm the second owner of these. The only thing I had to do before I could listen to them was to give the pots a real good cleaning,they had all kinds of noise I didn't dare run some juice through them until I had them cleaned and working noise free.I really need to get to restoring these fully and get them back cosmetically to there original glory! :yes:

 

[dhanson64]

No, he used the plural of Howard in his post. He's actually talking about having multiple men named Howard come fix your speakers for you. It'll be easier than you messing with them!
:thmbsp:


And, most people suggest starting with some Howard Feed-N-Wax:

http://www.howardproducts.com/prod-feed-n-wax.php

Hi have you used the howard feed n wax before if so do you think it will bring the fronts back to uniform in color? The restore a finish comes in so many colors I'm not sure which one would blend with the current patennea of the wood that I really like. It's just the shadow darkness areas I want to lighten up to match the rest of the wood. Anybody please let me know if you have used this or what has worked for you in the past to fix these. Thanks

 

[dhanson64]

Those look like serious speakers, I'm betting Howards would take care of the color difference on the veneer.

Hi they are very serious speakers and Are extremely hard to find let alone Find an all Original pair in nice Shape.There were so few pairs of these ever made,they were custom order speakers, most people had to wait for them to be built and it took a while to get them after your order was placed. That is unless you bought a demo pair that was on the floor at schaak. Those were for show and eye candy so then you had to listen to them after that no Other speakers would do! You had to save up your hard earned money and wait an hope to get a pair of dlk 4's. The dlk 4's were only in production from late 1976 to about 1980 and again THEY WERE NOT MASS PRODUCED SPEAKERS. You had to order them and wait. But IT WAS WORTH IT! :yes::yes:

 

[dhanson64]

Hi can anyone help with more info on restoring these cabinets? Thanks

 

[wilke87]

If I get a chance I have an original newspaper article that shows the manufacturing of the DLK 4 from the pioneer press , I will try and dig it up.......or I may have posted it in way earlier dlk post ,will have to look around.

 

[dhanson64]

If I get a chance I have an original newspaper article that shows the manufacturing of the DLK 4 from the pioneer press , I will try and dig it up.......or I may have posted it in way earlier dlk post ,will have to look around.

Thanks that would be great!! I also have 1 other pair of dlk 4's that are still pristine and all original.They were all special custom made to order with the factory Upgrades and Marble Tops are still intact and original with no scratches very clean.They were custom made for a local professional musician my dad. They have Custom Rosewood cabinets and Alnico driver's.You have to here these to believe them,there that great sounding with Phenomenal Bass that is a fiscal experience you feel in your chest! I'm in the process of re foaming them for the second time as we speak. I have pics of them on my cell but I can't seam to be able get them from my cell and onto a post so people can truly see a pristine 1 owner pair of DLK 4's from the 70's. :zoom:

 

[wilke87]

Will try one pic at a time

 

[wilke87]

ok had some troubles with windows 8 ......anyhow article is from 1977

 

[dhanson64]

Thanks so much for taking your time to put such a great read an article on the DLK's in my thread. I didn't realize they stain the veneer I thought they were all a hand rubbed natural oil finish. I wish he would have been left alone and have been allowed to continue with his DLK label he built that up and earned to keep it. some people are so sue happy they sue over naming right and win and then you never here from them again and the speakers under that label go into history.He was a brilliant designer of loud speakers.! :thmbsp:

 

[dhanson64]

Hi I finally was able to get a pic of the speakers up in this thread. And yes they do sound marvelous !! :yes::yes:

 

[wilke87]

Yes , sadly he passed away awhile back..... he never quit making great products . Don had a business in Wisconsin called Winslow industries , there he still made and designed crossovers , still restored Janszen electrostats and manufactured the electrostat panels . He still hand wound coils etc, many of his crossovers used in many companys, JL audio,soundtube,wilson ,the list goes on and on.

 

[dhanson64]

I'm still trying to decide if it's best to strip an sand these down to try an remove the darkened areas on the front or if I should just darken the other 3 sides of the cabinets to try and match the fronts. Once you out start there's know turning back. What's the best easy to proceed on these cabinets restoration? Thanks

 

[dhanson64]

Anyone have any other tips or ideas on the restoration of these cabinets? Thanks for any an all replys!:yes:

 

[Son-of-Vere]

You may have more luck over at DIY. I've found that you have to sand pretty deep to remove fading like that. Hopefully the veneer is thick.
I really like the design of these, they look strangely familiar.

 

[westend]

Anyone have any other tips or ideas on the restoration of these cabinets? Thanks for any an all replys!:yes:

The thing about wood and sun fading is that the different shade of color is in the cells of the wood. If you would just strip the finish off the cabinet, you would still see the shade of the wood that has been sun bleached. I have done some color matching for restoration work and it is a tough nut to crack. Sometimes, depending on the species of wood and the difference in shades, it's possible to strip, sand and bleach the entire panel back to similarity. Also, sometimes after all that work, when you apply a new finish, the discoloration will reappear. Sometimes it is not that noticeable and sometimes it is similar to the original.

For the amount of work involved, the potential reward, and the risk of not very much improvement, I would enjoy the DLK4's and look at them as a very rare and classic piece, much like a Steinway that has been in the sun.

One thing you could try is to use a color wax and apply it heavily to the bleached areas, maybe using a clear wax for the areas that are darker. Me, and a couple of my homeys swear by this stuff: Lundmark's.

 

[michiganpat]

try some howards's restore a finish, maybe a lighter color on the darker areas, and a darker color on the faded areas to even it out

 

[dhanson64]

You may have more luck over at DIY. I've found that you have to sand pretty deep to remove fading like that. Hopefully the veneer is thick.
I really like the design of these, they look strangely familiar.

Those look like DIY knock offs. Are they yours ? How do they sound with the bass port ?

 

[Son-of-Vere]

They're mine. I have a build thread over in DIY. I have never seen the DLK's until this thread, apparently they're pretty rare. I just struck me as funny that I stumbled onto a design that somebody with far more knowledge than myself thought was a good idea.
The port is tuned approximately 5-7 Hz below the Fs of the woofers to extend the overall response, seems to work fairly well. But I need to hook up with someone to do measurements with as I do not possess such equipment. I was shootin' for a '70's style sound from these and the fact that the DLK's are '70's speakers makes it even better.

I just wonder if the original designer of the DLK 4's had the same idea I had. That 2 woofers in a line array would reduce the footprint of the cab vs. a single large driver.

 

[dhanson64]

The thing about wood and sun fading is that the different shade of color is in the cells of the wood. If you would just strip the finish off the cabinet, you would still see the shade of the wood that has been sun bleached. I have done some color matching for restoration work and it is a tough nut to crack. Sometimes, depending on the species of wood and the difference in shades, it's possible to strip, sand and bleach the entire panel back to similarity. Also, sometimes after all that work, when you apply a new finish, the discoloration will reappear. Sometimes it is not that noticeable and sometimes it is similar to the original.

For the amount of work involved, the potential reward, and the risk of not very much improvement, I would enjoy the DLK4's and look at them as a very rare and classic piece, much like a Steinway that has been in the sun.

One thing you could try is to use a color wax and apply it heavily to the bleached areas, maybe using a clear wax for the areas that are darker. Me, and a couple of my homeys swear by this stuff: Lundmark's.

Ya your probably right might be just better to leave them alone with the grills on you don't see it. Only with the grills off. Wish there was a way to blend them without darkening the wood.

 

[dhanson64]

They're mine. I have a build thread over in DIY. I have never seen the DLK's until this thread, apparently they're pretty rare. I just struck me as funny that I stumbled onto a design that somebody with far more knowledge than myself thought was a good idea.
The port is tuned approximately 5-7 Hz below the Fs of the woofers to extend the overall response, seems to work fairly well. But I need to hook up with someone to do measurements with as I do not possess such equipment. I was shootin' for a '70's style sound from these and the fact that the DLK's are '70's speakers makes it even better.

I just wonder if the original designer of the DLK 4's had the same idea I had. That 2 woofers in a line array would reduce the footprint of the cab vs. a single large driver.

Hi are those 12" peerless woofers an mid's in your diy's?