In search of JBL L100 Century replica grilles

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lucifer23

New Member
Hi there!

Does anyone know a US source for a pair of replica JBL L100 Century replica quadrex grilles? I've attempted to contact all three of the different individuals from the Lansing Heritage forum who have offered them in the past but none has responsed . There is a new seller on eBay who is based in Poland but those grilles are very expensive and I don't know the quality.

Perhaps someone knows how to reach one of the US-based well-respected sellers? Or another source?

Thank you!
 
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Allison3 said:
Ah. I've never compared the old and new L100s. Are the new ones smaller/larger?
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Dimensions (HWD):
L100 Century (original): 23 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 13 3/4
L100 Classic (new): 25 1/16 x x 15 3/8 x 14 5/8

So yeah, significantly different, and larger in all dimensions.
 
Yes, but the fact that New grilles are larger means there is some possibility the New foam inserts could be trimmed down to the size of the Old foam inserts. Hate to be the guinea pig on that though as the L100 Classic (new) grilles are $325/pair. Nice that they come with replacement badges too!
 
lucifer23 said:
Yes, but the fact that New grilles are larger means there is some possibility the New foam inserts could be trimmed down to the size of the Old foam inserts.
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Yeah, but you're not going to get an even trim. Even if you center it exactly. The edges of the grills for the Classic are molded flat and different from the rest of the grill. Same goes for the originals. I'm not going to bother doing the calculations, but chances are if you cut them you'd end up with partial squares, plus no edge trim. And the grills (at least the originals) were painted, the color wasn't molded in, so the edges wouldn't match the rest of the foam.

l100a.JPG
 
Very good point. My speakers do have (cat-scratched) quadrex foam inserts but they aren't JBL OEM. I believe the previous owner likely cut them down from the similarly-styled foam that Radio Shack sold back in the day. And yes, the edges look pretty rough.
 
I bought a pair of blue Quadrex grills from Sonofagun, and they were awesome.
The guy his backed-up but makes excellent work!.
 
Yes! He has a stellar reputation! I’d love to buy one (or two or three) of his sets but he hasn’t replied to me. And his website says he’s not doing the L100s inserts these days.
 
A bit of trivia if L88P owners want to upgrade. The wood grille frames for the L88P are the same size as the L100 except the four mounting pegs are in different locations. The foam should fit though.
 
I have a pair of L100s, which were bought in 1975. Mine are also in need of replacement foam grilles. I have the original grille frames but the foam deteriorated many years ago. If I remember correctly the foam in my grilles were not "painted" - the foam was the same color throughout, if I am not mistaken.

Is there a source in the United States that sells replacement foam for a reasonable price? Thanks for any help!
 
Brad Anbro said:
If I remember correctly the foam in my grilles were not "painted" - the foam was the same color throughout, if I am not mistaken.
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Well, I remember reading (I believe it was from one of the new foam manufacturers) that the original grills were painted, but it would have been a few years ago, and it's always possible that I'm misremembering and that it was actually the new grills that were painted. The one current seller of replacement grills on eBay doesn't make any mention of it.
 
The ones that Sonofagun makes/ made, were painted, he says himself but they were really nice, i can attest to that.
 
turboyam said:
The ones that Sonofagun makes/ made, were painted, he says himself but they were really nice, i can attest to that.
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Yeah, I'd think that any new ones would need to be painted, since this is a niche market, and no seller of replacement grills is going to have the clout of JBL to get some custom colored foam made.
 
I bought a pair in Russet Brown for my original L100s from Sculpted Foam Innovations. Haven’t had time to install them yet but can confirm that they look gorgeous. Price seemed reasonable in $USD but I paid a premium for shipping and exchange to $CDN. No regrets though. You can contact Scott at jbl100century@aim.com. He is based in the Portland WA area.
 
I bought two pair of L100s in 1975, for a quadraphonic system. Don't ask... anyway, mine were blue painted dark gray foam. They lasted a lot longer than the much newer speakers I bought to replace them, and I would take the tired old L100s back in a heartbeat, if they were offered.
 
MrMcgu said:
I bought two pair of L100s in 1975, for a quadraphonic system. Don't ask... anyway, mine were blue painted dark gray foam. They lasted a lot longer than the much newer speakers I bought to replace them, and I would take the tired old L100s back in a heartbeat, if they were offered.
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You can find them, for SALE$$$ here and there!. Not interrested in cute lil soundbars? smart speakers? :) how long are these gonna last?! :)
 
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