RS III - Optional factory finish?

[seifreit]

OK, my fellow Infinity collectors, was the RS III ever offered with a black finish? I've seen lots of pictures online with the traditional oak finish and brown grill cloth but I just picked these up this weekend and they are satin black.

So, why do I think they may be an original factory finish? The satin black matches the foot/tilt base exactly and is the same finished used on all the other Infinitys with tilt bases I have (RS IIIb, Kappa 8, Kappa 9). It appears the black may have been applied before the speakers were assembled, the paint carries past the grill pegs on front but there is no paint on the grill pegs. To me, that indicates either the paint was applied before final assembly or, more unlikely, whoever painted them later removed all the grill pegs and then installed new ones. It is also interesting that Infinity stuck with the brown grill cloth instead of using a black cloth.

From what I have been able to find out, these seem to be a one year only model (1981) before they were replaced with the RS IIIa. If they really are original and a very rare optional finish of a one year model then I will keep them as is. If they were painted later then I will probably strip them back to oak and finish them that way.

 

[goodolpg]

JMO, that looks DIY, like someone masked off the baffle an inch or so in from the edge before spraying the paint.
Seems like factory finish would have gone to the edge where the baffle meets the side.
In other words the "pebble" brown would run edge to edge on the front baffle as produced in the factory.
Just a theory. That extra step of masking and unmasking would lead to more "production" time, for a money no object speaker I could see the extra time being allowed. For a mass produced product seems more unlikely. To me.
If those grille pegs pull out easy and don't break it wouldn't be that difficult for whoever painted them to remove and reinsert.
While the sides and top/bottom might strip ok, getting the paint of the baffle might present different problems. Like stripping both the black and brown at the same time.

Rarely see those for sale, let us know how they sound please.

 

[seifreit]

that looks DIY, like someone masked off the baffle an inch or so in from the edge before spraying the paint.

I would tend to agree if the paint wasn’t a dead match for the base/foot paint in every aspect. If someone did paint after purchase, they did an outstanding job matching finishes. Given its age, it looks professional.

If those grille pegs pull out easy and don't break it wouldn't be that difficult for whoever painted them to remove and reinsert.

The grill pegs are almost impossible to get out without damaging the cabinet and/or breaking them in the process. One was broken and I had to drill out the insert to remove it. Prying on it wouldn’t work without gouging the mdf and I can see no evidence they were removed previously.

If I decide to strip them I will probably just respray the entire front the correct brown to avoid disturbing the original textured finish.

let us know how they sound please.

I will, all 4 woofers need refoaming first and there are a couple other things I want to check. Last owner said they hadn’t been played in 8-10 years.

 

[goodolpg]

I like a mystery. Hopefully someone will have an answer.

 

[tubed]

I'm not sure why someone would want to DIY them black.
The stands could have been painted at the same time if they did.
I'd prefer them factory.

 

[goodolpg]

WAF?
Every so often I see speakers that have been painted. A color, not black. Guess they thought it was a good idea at the time.

 

[seifreit]

WAF?

Not sure if that would have been an issue at the time as the person I bought them from said they were originally purchased by his father new along with a set of larger Infinitys that, by his description, would have been RS IIs. Unless his wife hated oak.

 

[seifreit]

Well, I posted this question over on the Vintage Infinity group on FB and got a reply from someone who sold Infinitys back then for a large chain and he does not recall Infinity offering the RS IIIs in anything other than the oak finish. So...

 

[zebra03]

Nice

 

[goodolpg]

Even if the "painter" ruined the grille pegs removing them, replacements may have been available, from Infinity at the time, or aftermarket. And I still don't think that masking on the baffle was done in the factory. Perhaps he just got lucky on the paint, correct color and sheen.
Did the III's come with factory stands? Finished or unfinished? It is possible he took one of the stands to a paint store and had the paint store match the stands when making the paint used on the cabinets. For the most part it seems Infinity was consistent with the brown baffle paint for a while, I suppose they could have been consistent with the stand paint as well.

I still think those are quite rare, looking forward to your refoaming and listening.

 

[cemerson]

I saw a set painted white once to go with the painted trim in the house. White grill cloth and all. It was sad.... almost brought a tear to my eye.....

The stands were black from the factory.

 

[seifreit]

UPON FURTHER REVIEW......

I finally had a chance to look over the RS IIIs further this weekend. I pulled one of the bases off and now have an answer to the question.

It looks as though @goodolpg was right, they were painted after purchase. The picture shows the original oak finish on the bottom. It appears the original owner must have painted them at some point and did not remove the bases. He was clever enough to match what would have been the original base finish. That was what sort of threw me off, that and hoping maybe I had something unique. Oh well, they will now get stripped of the black finish and restored to their original factory oak.

I will take pictures and document the restoration for a thread to follow later.

 

[goodolpg]

 

[Bkphoto]

Always been intrigued by those....very rare...I would veneer the whole front and ditch the grills...