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JBL L80T for me

mojoe

mojoe

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I recently acquired a pair of JBL L80T in neglected but decent shape. Cleaned and sanded the veneer. Applied Watco Danish Oil. New foam surrounds. After a few easy break-in hours, I cranked "Money for Nothin" and damn!..I am loving these speakers. I think I'll keep them.
 

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Thanks. It's easier than it looks. Maybe 6 hours total time invested. They aren't perfect but you have to get up close and try to see the veneer issues.
 
mojoe said:
Thanks. It's easier than it looks. Maybe 6 hours total time invested. They aren't perfect but you have to get up close and try to see the veneer issues.
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Out of curiosity, is it possible to keep them shiny like they were in the during picture? I sure wouldn't mind a pair of shiny speakers like that.
 
Sure, use Captains Spar Varnish High Gloss. The shinier they are, the better to repel moisture. I always use marine varnish.
 
I did the same thing with some JBL L-19's and they turned out just as well a yours. It is so fun to find something like this and then fixing them up and getting an awesome result!
 
I used Watco based on other AK discussions I'd read. It seemed important to me to respect the original finish. I did go darker though, using black walnut rather than natural Watco. Natural seemed too orangy (is that a word?)when I did a test wipe on the bottom.

There are other mods suggested by many folks here. I did suff some polyfill behind the tweeter but don't think I'll extend the port tube or replace the crossover with L80T3 crossover. I may recap though. Is it possoble to "hear" if a recap is necessary?
 
For recapping, you might want to replace only the electrolytics, if any. They're probably blue on yours.
 
I would bet the caps in them are already poly types on the mid~hi end. I really like the 80T's, for its size it is a super sounding speaker. The driver compliment is very good and well balanced. For a 10" 3 way speaker you can't do much better!
Your restoration looks very nice as well, good work!
DC
 
mojoe said:
I used Watco based on other AK discussions I'd read. It seemed important to me to respect the original finish. I did go darker though, using black walnut rather than natural Watco. Natural seemed too orangy (is that a word?)when I did a test wipe on the bottom.

There are other mods suggested by many folks here. I did suff some polyfill behind the tweeter but don't think I'll extend the port tube or replace the crossover with L80T3 crossover. I may recap though. Is it possoble to "hear" if a recap is necessary?
Click to expand...

I agree with the comment on the tone of the black walnut. Seems to fit well with the decor as well.

What did you mean polyfill behind the tweeter? The 035 and other JBL models used a bit of foam on the pole piece for damping purposes that, like old foam surrounds, tends to disintegrate with age. Likely you mean fill within the enclosure but was curious.
 
re: polyfill....I'm probably using the wrong terminology given my limited knowledge of these things. I scavenged the puffy white pillow stuffing out of some blown Infinity (SL22?) bookshelf speakers and stuffed it into the open space behind the JBL tweeter. What is this stuff actually called? Perhaps I've misinterpreted the strategy for toning down this tweeter. I still have to drop the treble down for my taste.
 
I put a little bit of fiberglass behind the tweeter area on mine, as it is supposed to improve the bass. I also tried the L80t3 crossover, but reinstalled the original crossover as I found I preferred them instead, and I left the port as is.

Mine unfortunately need to be veneered as they are missing too many pieces and were stained a real dark color. They are pretty decent speakers.
 
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