getting the official JBL refoam kit should be nearly impossible at this point correct? given how old these are.
It's worth noting that there is no such thing as an "official JBL refoam kit". JBL never officially condoned refoaming. Their stance has always been that when the foam deteriorates, the only correct repair is to do a full recone. Thus, the only "official" kits were full recone kits. Their logic is/was that by the time the foam deteriorates, other parts of the suspension, such as the spider, would have weakened also and would benefit from being replaced as well. Of course, in reality you can get by just fine only replacing the foam, and at this point there are even many of us who have replaced the foam on the same driver multiple times over the years without ever doing a full recone.
so most suppliers like SimplySpeakers, Speaker exchange, or maybe the looneytune2001 ebay seller from above are actually carrying the same product? (SF-JBL2214).
It's possible. I get my surrounds from Rick Cobb (looneytune2001), and IMO he is one of the best if not the best place to get JBL refoam kits from, because:
-He knows the nuances of the individual woofers. For example, the 128H is a 12" JBL woofer but actually comes in two
slightly different cone sizes. He sells separate foams for each size, and goes the extra mile to make sure you get the correct size. Some other places would just happily sell you a generic 12" kit that is technically "compatible" with both cone sizes, but may very well fit worse and/or look worse due to not being such a perfect fit. So even if it does end up being the same foam that another site sells in this case, at least you will know with a very high degree of confidence that it will be the correct foam for your woofer.
-His foams have always been fresh. Keep in mind that foam ages even when it's still "brand new" in the bag. Vintage woofer repair is a small enough market, some of these companies order in bulk and then the foam just sits there, for years in some cases, until it sells. If you want your refoam to last 15-20+ years, then you don't want a refoam kit that has already aged 5-10 years in the bag before you even used it. As of this point, I have still never had a foam from a Rick Cobb kit fail. That includes some refoam jobs that were done over 20 years ago now and are still going strong. On the other hand, I've worked on multiple speakers that used other kits and had their "new" foam go bad again after only 5-10 years.
-The fresh bottle of glue with each kit is a nice touch, and it is a great glue to work with.
-The price of the refoam kits is very reasonable.
