JBL L-100 Century
- Thread starter skarma
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
All three are slightly different versions of the same box using the same woofer and same simple network. Prices are all over the map depending on your need to relive your youth or document just how far off from "flat" monitors were in the '60s and '70s. JBL calls all of these "control" monitors meaning they were purposely non-linear in their response to mimic the popular Altecs of the day they were destined to displace in the studio. "Fake but fun" is another term for them popularized by Zilch both here and over on the Lansing Heritage group.
Condition is everything. Original foam grilles are always shot. Replacements aren't cheap. Most JBL fans will tell you you can find much better JBLs than the L100 for much less than the going rate, and they'd be correct.
I'm sure others will add to your knowledge but Google will tell you as much in just a few hits. Prices range from worthy of parting out at $100 or less at the curb to gold-diggers asking and getting around $1000 or more on auction sites for a well-preserved original pair. I didn't like them in the early '70s and haven't felt I was missing anything by not having a pair among my over a dozen pair of JBLs today. Nostalgia and historical significance would be the only reason I'd own a pair. Not for the sound quality and certainly not for the bang-for-the-buck.
Condition is everything. Original foam grilles are always shot. Replacements aren't cheap. Most JBL fans will tell you you can find much better JBLs than the L100 for much less than the going rate, and they'd be correct.
I'm sure others will add to your knowledge but Google will tell you as much in just a few hits. Prices range from worthy of parting out at $100 or less at the curb to gold-diggers asking and getting around $1000 or more on auction sites for a well-preserved original pair. I didn't like them in the early '70s and haven't felt I was missing anything by not having a pair among my over a dozen pair of JBLs today. Nostalgia and historical significance would be the only reason I'd own a pair. Not for the sound quality and certainly not for the bang-for-the-buck.
Wes_in_VA
Super Member
I recently sold a pair for $650 I believe.
Cabinets were in nice shape except for a couple of significant scratches.
Tweeter foam rings were replaced. I bought reproduction foam grills for them and installed a set of original JBL logos. I also upgraded those horrible stock binding posts. Oh, and they sold with a set of reproduction stands.
I probably could have gotten more, but I got a good deal on the speakers (without those extras) and wanted to pass that on.
Cabinets were in nice shape except for a couple of significant scratches.
Tweeter foam rings were replaced. I bought reproduction foam grills for them and installed a set of original JBL logos. I also upgraded those horrible stock binding posts. Oh, and they sold with a set of reproduction stands.
I probably could have gotten more, but I got a good deal on the speakers (without those extras) and wanted to pass that on.
skarma
Active Member
BMWCCA,
you have to tell us now what are those pairs of jbl! give us some hints! and thank you for putting the pressure of owning a pair of l-100 out of the way.
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
Well, we're in Dollars and Sense so I can speak freely. This info is under the heading of JBLs I like rather than gloating about "scroes".
I paid $200 or less for each of these:
L7
L5
L3
L1
L20T
4412A
L96
Pro-III Plus
L80T plus T3 conversions
I prefer nearly any of these to the L100. I don't expect to be able to match these prices every day and I"d certainly never sell any of them for what I paid for them, but then I don't usually sell anything anyway. Speak to my widow about it in the future! The L7 and L5 remain today some of the best un-sung bargains in the JBL lineup. They're easily worth three times what they normally sell for today based on their sound quality. I traveled 1,000 miles for my first pair of L5s and then the first pair of L7s showed up three houses down my street!
I recently paid $250 for a pair of LSR305 powered monitors, new from a dealer. These are self-powered two-way monitors with 5-inch woofers that will blow an L100 in the weeds. I can't tell you how they do it. I know the superb imaging is a result of the M2 horn design. Simply amazing. I'd love to try the LSR308 some day!
I also own L150A, 250ti, 4345, 030 (over 50-years now) and a pair of L112s I bought new.
I paid $200 or less for each of these:
L7
L5
L3
L1
L20T
4412A
L96
Pro-III Plus
L80T plus T3 conversions
I prefer nearly any of these to the L100. I don't expect to be able to match these prices every day and I"d certainly never sell any of them for what I paid for them, but then I don't usually sell anything anyway. Speak to my widow about it in the future! The L7 and L5 remain today some of the best un-sung bargains in the JBL lineup. They're easily worth three times what they normally sell for today based on their sound quality. I traveled 1,000 miles for my first pair of L5s and then the first pair of L7s showed up three houses down my street!
I recently paid $250 for a pair of LSR305 powered monitors, new from a dealer. These are self-powered two-way monitors with 5-inch woofers that will blow an L100 in the weeds. I can't tell you how they do it. I know the superb imaging is a result of the M2 horn design. Simply amazing. I'd love to try the LSR308 some day!
I also own L150A, 250ti, 4345, 030 (over 50-years now) and a pair of L112s I bought new.
Last edited:
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
Many studio monitor quality 2-way powered monitors sound awesome. Best kept "secret" in audio, IMO.
