Newby needs help- JBL L 101 Lancer

[StanHerring]

I have a pair of L 101 Lancers that I've owned for ~35 years, they have not been used in about 15 years. Marble is in great shape, woofers need re-coned, and the grills got destroyed in a move many years ago.

Can anyone advise on whether it is worth re-cone woofers or replace them?
Also, does anyone know where I might find a pair of grills? Or does anyone have a recommendation on where I can have some cloth or foam grills made?

 

[EarlK]

It's unlikely that the woofers ( le14a ) need actual reconing.

It's much more likely that they need to be simply refoamed ( due to stiff or rotted foam surrounds ) .

( Hint: posting some pics can help others make a proper determination of your woofers status )

Genuine JBL recone kits are no longer made ( and aftermarket kits just won't work the same and will lower the value of the woofers in any resale ).

 

[StanHerring]

It's unlikely that the woofers ( le14a ) need actual reconing.

It's much more likely that they need to be simply refoamed ( due to stiff or rotted foam surrounds ) .

( Hint: posting some pics can help others make a proper determination of your woofers status )

Genuine JBL recone kits are no longer made ( and aftermarket kits just won't work the same and will lower the value of the woofers in any resale ).

Thanks EarlK, That makes a lot of sense. One speaker is just the foam but the other has a busted cone. Also what is the probability that the voice coils are OK in the speakers?

 

[EarlK]

Measure the voice-coil resistance ( out of circuit ) to get an idea about it's health. It ought to be around 6ohms ( +/- , 0.7 R ).

A picture will give one an idea whether or not the busted cone is fixable.

 

[markd51]

Hmm, you got a bit of a dilemma on your hands.

The Bass Drivers are LE-14a? They can be gotten secondhand, go from there, and I'm sure tune ups to crossovers is not an impossible task.

If my thinking cap is on right, these speakers had a beautiful Lattice-Work Grill? Yeah there might be somebody in this world who could closely replicate such.

If it was me I'd just want to get all drivers and crossovers up to snuff, and whatever else minor repairs or upgrades done, lets say wiring, terminals, cosmetics, etc.

I'd likely build, or have built a nice set of custom Grill Covers that doesn't alter the speaker, looks appealing, and serves its purpose.

I'd say it is a speaker worth restoring-renovating.

The Lansing Heritage Website-Forum is a great source, many know their stuff, and can assist with many aspects of restoration, technical help-advice.

 

[donprice]

Huntley Audio is a source for JBL-style speaker cloth if you wanted to go with one of the classic JBL colors rather than the original fancy grill work. I believe they can work up a replacement grill for you.

Last but not least, welcome to AK!

 

[StanHerring]

Thanks everyone , I'm enjoying AK very much and the guidance on this subject is very much appreciated!