JBL Minuet restore/upgrade

Galaxie65

Galaxie65

Always looking for new gear to try
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Hey folks so I have a pair of the JBL Minuets finally and want to restore them. But I have some questions and wanted to see what the best thing to do is. So I need some advice if I should do a recap, if so what caps should I use? Is there anything I should upgrade or change aside from caps? Also I was thinking of updating the binding posts, but also keeping the factory ones just to have.

The speakers are going to need some new surrounds. Are the foam a good choice or is there a different choice to use like rubber? Anyone know of someone that can give them a once over and make sure they are all perfect?

I'm going to have to fix the cab on one, looks like some water damage on a corner and some swelling. I'm thinking of taking them down bare and going over them and attempting to fix the issue.

Grill cloth is nice so I ll keep that and the badge is nice as well. What are your thoughts? I ll have pics to add soon but just wanted to get some insight.

Thanks!
 
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Very cool project, Galaxie! I like the look of those. Generally, people use foam surrounds to replace those old Lansalloy surrounds.

Can you post some pictures? Are the crossovers potted (encased in wax)?
 
Thanks guys, the plot thickens. So here are some pics of the project.

The PR8's look different from what I remember. But I think it might just have been that run and they had changes along the way I'm sure.

The LE8T's are clean and also differ in appearance slightly. They are 16ohm not 8 as I though initially.

There is no crossover at all, just some leads running from the terminals to the units attached by a single screw each for the push pin connectors. So I guess I don't have to worry about replacing caps, but now I'm not sure what to use for amplification.

Insides look decent, was debating on updating the sound deadener. What do you think? If I do any recommendations for what would be a good suggestion/product?

The screws for the PR8 look like they belong and are correct on both. However the LE8T screws on both to mount them to the cab look bigger and not really what it should have. I included pics of that too.

So debating if I should upgrade the two wires in each cab and the binding posts since I'm here. I would naturally keep the originals just in case I want to go back.
 
Pics
 

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The cabs are serial numbers 10214 and 10208

PR8s are 13195 and 13392

LE8T are 18660 and 29039

Here is the two screw differences and the back of the cabs.
 

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Very cool. So OK, I'm just gonna be brutally honest (tough love and all), and predict that you're never going to get great sonics out of those little full-rangers/PRs. If you keep them original, as I would, I think you're going to get nice, decent sound, but the highs are going to be a bit muted and beamy, as is the nature of those drivers.

I would not go nuts trying to upgrade them, unless you want to get rid of those cool vintage drivers and replace them with something different, like a woofer/tweeter combo or coaxes of some sort. Rather than worry about damping, wiring or terminals, I'd be more interested in refoaming the drivers and getting the cabinets as pretty as possible; keep it all original.

Just my two cents. Those are very cool, but in a museum-piece way, not in a super high-fidelity way. I would be working toward getting them to look like this, and maybe even make or source some stands like these (which I am guessing are after market):

hqdefault.jpg
 
The LE8Ts read 5.5-5.7 on one Serial (29039)
And the other serial (18660) reads 5.2-5.4
 
Hey Zonker,

I agree completely and figured the same as you did. I only figured that if I was there I would look it over and just do it. However I really like them as original and was thinking out loud if anything lol. Main concern for me is fixing the drivers up and the cabs. Ideally I want to fix them up to look like that pic and I have some stands in mind like that too. You know I just can't leave well enough alone lol, but I agree with you on what you said.
 
A bullet tweeter on a cute little walnut stand would look like an appropriate upgrade. Of course that smokes the budget unless you happen to have a pair just sitting around collecting dust.

Good luck with it!
 
lol, that is tempting Don. However I'm not quite sure how I would incorporate that. Maybe something small like a 077? lol

I'm sending the drivers off to Gordon to get doctored up and I'll get some wire for the inside. How would I go about incorporating a tweeter? I know with the one set of Tweets I really want that Sony made they had XO's with them.

I'm thinking about a new veneer with the cabs and also addressing any issues with the structure. I think there are a few spots where there is a crack on the inside where the driver mounts.
 
Update for anyone who's interested,

The Minuet's are under the knife and everything has been removed. The cabs are getting some much need attention with a full change out of the veneer and complete repair of any damage. Thinking of installing some anchor's that will fit a machine screw with a flat head. Much of the same style as the traditional style screws used, but this will give it a nice look and a fit and finish. The previous screws were cranked down to hard and some of the wood was cracked along the holes.

So the holes are going to be fixed and sealed so that way they are stronger, along with the possible anchor's will give it a nice fit. The dampening material on the inside of the cabinets was something I was thinking of updating or replacing. However I'm on the fence about it right now, not sure what direction to go on that subject.

The drivers will be out to Gordon this week and hopefully I'll have them in a week or two from then. The binding posts/terminals are going to be updated to allow for modern plugs and still will retain some classic touches.

The JBL badges are going to be cleaned up and reinstalled after everything is said and done. The foil's were removed gently and the plates will be blasted and then powder coated, the foils will be placed back on and it should look pretty nice.

Grill material is decent but very dirty, so it was removed from the grills and is going to be washed. I might look to see other options of the material out there, but also want to retain the original style if not the same cloth.

Just depends I guess on how it all comes together, it's a fun project and one that I'm enjoying.
 
Here
 

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Super-cool!

By coincidence a couple of days ago I stumbled over some very worn L77 Lancers, significant chunks of missing MDF but the drivers are almost all good. I'll probably re-veneer them and I'll be watching this thread more, too.
 
Ok so above I attached some pics of the progress. I think that things are going well and I'm moving along, not as fast as I want but along lol.

I decided to make a little change and wanted to give it some "pop" I suppose. The rear was never veneered so I thought I would make it a little more special. So I wrapped the veneer and I think it came out pretty good. I'm also updating the binding posts and still going to use the same holes to run them in, they fit and look nice. Next I'll be using some better wire, not sure what to go with right now though. So any suggestions? Don't really need a lot and I have no network/crossover to worry about.

Just figured I would give an update on the progress. The woofers are being sent off to our resident amazing speaker man Gordon for the full treatment to be brought back to spec. I'm really happy that it's coming along and anxious to hear how it will sound when it finally comes together.
 
Zonker92 said:
Super-cool!

By coincidence a couple of days ago I stumbled over some very worn L77 Lancers, significant chunks of missing MDF but the drivers are almost all good. I'll probably re-veneer them and I'll be watching this thread more, too.
Click to expand...


Oh that's awesome man, I think those are pretty nice. I'd love to see some pics when you get them started.
 
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Ok folks it's been awhile since I had some time. I finally got the drivers back from Gordon and installed. I have some finishing touches I need to do but this is the final result aside from the grill cloth and badges put back on.

I think it came out nice and I think they sound pretty darn good. I just wanted to put a little spin on them but keep as much of the original aspects as I could. The next ones to work on will be my Legato's.

The badges are almost ready to go back on in the factory location. Just had to clean them up some. The grill cloth isn't terrible but needed a good cleaning.
 
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