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JBL L166 Horizons

Find a reputable reconer, and I'd trust him to get the cone or foam, but you can suggest your preference.

However, if the (foam) surround is not installed properly, it can cause the coil/former to rub, again a reputable speaker shop like @GordonW mentioned by @tarior will be able to look at the speaker and suggest the correct path, it sounds like the first step would be to cut the foam and see if it can be made to not rub.
 
It may be foamed incorrectly, or as noted in some of my pics, the paper VC formers have a tendency to absorb moisture and bubble up. After so many botched re-foam attempts, we're right back to having them re-coned.
Unless someone knows something I don't there are only three reconers in the whole country that I would trust with my JBLs (for which factory kits are NLA); myself, Gordon, or edgewound.
 
@tarior while I got all the speakers out of the cab and being as I need to recone the woofers, would you recommend reconeing the LE5-8's while I'm at it? They seem fine except the one with a dimple in the dust cap.
 
Yes, with new ones from Parts Express. IIRC, I used the 15W for the tweeter and the 50W for the mid. With the 1" shaft versions, you can set the depth to be just right.
 
What glue do you like to use? I was going to use hot glue but read it may harm the new caps. Someone said permatex and another said rtv.

Edit: nevermind, I've settled on using Goop.
 
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Parts are starting to come in for my speakers. I got the grill badge in today, it is a little dirty but should clean up real good with some car wax or wd-40. However, it did not come with a retaining clip. Any ideas on a retaining clip, what could I use instead of the original one if I can not find an original clip?
IMG_20210301_222613369[1].jpg
 
SaturationPt said:
If it’s like the clips on mine, an internally-toothed spring retainer, you should be able to buy one from an auto-parts store as they were used on lots of trim a few decades ago.
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Be sure to take the badge into the auto supply shop. The diameter of the pin is a bit smaller than a lot of those spring retainers. It won't work well with those sizes.
 
SaturationPt said:
This isn't about whether you or any other reconer is competent.

Simply put, a pair of JBL L166 speakers with excellent original woofers / original drivers is worth more than a pair of JBL L166 speakers with aftermarket drivers/diaphragms/cones. OTOH, if the speakers have rough cabinets, non-original tweeters, no original grilles it really doesn't much matter what you put in the woofer baskets for value.

The L166 is a very good speaker, one of my favorite classic JBLs, but its value to me and other collectors is as an original, not for its ultimate SQ which will be less accurate than for example a pair of new Studio 590s or many other lesser-known used speakers. To retain their value they need to have the original parts.

Maybe you're willing to buy speakers without original parts, but if so I suspect you're not the guy who was the backup bidder on my $3,350 L100As last year, you are more likely one of those who might pay $500 for a flip. The guy who bought them, or any other of my well-preserved collection of JBLs and others is a guy who wants only original.

This is not a concept unique to JBL or to audio, there's original and there's everything else in a collectibles market.

If the OP were interested in reconing the speakers I would suggest finding a pair of baskets that are already without cones or with damaged cones to have reconed, and set these woofers aside for the later option of reuniting them with the original boxes and the best value to a collector.
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A tired OEM JBL is worth more than most modified to-new-standards. Very similar situation to vintage Fender amps and guitars. :)
 
Ok. I have my cabs all but ready for refinishing. So the only thing that concerns me with the refinishing is: should the black be satin, flat or matte?
 
I was also going to put a complete new crossover in. After seeing the original. I don't think I will.
 

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