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Wavy Veneer, KLH Speakers

J RR

J RR

New Member
Hey all!

Just found some FREE KLH 6 speakers -- right!?

Anyway, caps and new resistors on order. I've got cloth sealant, and getting some thin weatherstripping to seal the woofer.

One issue I haven't found a solution to: Wavy veneer. Likely from moisture damage.

It's not super awful, but it's a bit wavy. ... could I, like, iron it maybe? I'm not sure if sanding will fully take care of the problem ... I suppose it might.

Ideas or experience anyone?
 
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Tim D said:
Sharing pictures might get more support. It will help visualize the problem.
Click to expand...

Now that I’m able to look closer, it looks like two problems: 1) wavy veneer, 2) a slight gap in the miter joint.

Perhaps wood glue or putty?
 

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That's likely water damage as you said. You might consider re-veneering them and fixing that joint when they are stripped down.
 
I think that joint may have some powdery particle board in it and swelling will prevent drawing it together. I'd get in there with a wallboard knife and try to aggressively clean everything out, leaving a gap you could fill with wood expoxy and push together both ways with bar clamps. The veneer might be salvageable with contact cement pushed in, allowed to set up, and smoothed with a rubber roller. Experts will be along, but just my opinion.
 
Depends on your skill level. I've never done veneer but I believe it is sheets of stuff and glue and special cutters so you get a good edge. I wouldn't be afraid of doing it if necessary.

Others might bring in some other options. In fact you might want to electrically restore them and give a listen to see if you even like how they sound. Just be mindful that with those corners separated there might be air leaks that hurt the result. (Most KLH Six owners including myself love them.) If you don't like them you could part them out.
 
J RR said:
Hmm. ... this sounds daunting. Ha!
Click to expand...
Yes..Yes it is. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Just depends on how or if you value those KLH’s. I’ve recently did a soup to nuts refurb of a pair of ADS BC8’s it was my first veneer job. The part that took the longest was the particle board repair corners divots etc...

I’ll post the thread in a bit.
Cheers
BT
 
Do you have any carpentry skills and access to a table saw, a jig saw, and/or a router? That's what you'll need to build new cabinets.
 
Boston Tom said:
Yes..Yes it is. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Just depends on how or if you value those KLH’s. I’ve recently did a soup to nuts refurb of a pair of ADS BC8’s it was my first veneer job. The part that took the longest was the particle board repair corners divots etc...

I’ll post the thread in a bit.
Cheers
BT
Click to expand...
That should be interesting!
 
J RR said:
Hey all!

Just found some FREE KLH 6 speakers -- right!?

Anyway, caps and new resistors on order. I've got cloth sealant, and getting some thin weatherstripping to seal the woofer.

One issue I haven't found a solution to: Wavy veneer. Likely from moisture damage.

It's not super awful, but it's a bit wavy. ... could I, like, iron it maybe? I'm not sure if sanding will fully take care of the problem ... I suppose it might.

Ideas or experience anyone?
Click to expand...
The Six is an outstanding vintage two way speaker. Well worth the effort.
My 1963 set were pretty beat up as well, also free, though no water damage. That is repairable. You'll need to strip off the veneer to tackle and remove all the swollen particle board to pull the joints back together, square up and re-glue the corners before any veneer work can be done.

Here's the thread to mine, which you may find helpful. These were my first re-veneer project, and came out pretty good.
Lots of your questions may be addressed in the thread.

Cheers, Glenn
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...-original-1963-owner-pics-restoration.520806/
 
Well it appears these free speakers became a project instantly!

Also, they are both two different serial numbers ... clearly built from separate years. Will this affect performance at all?

Currently, I'm rocking KLH 17's I restored last year ... would the 6's be a significant upgrade?
 
J RR said:
Well it appears these free speakers became a project instantly!

Also, they are both two different serial numbers ... clearly built from separate years. Will this affect performance at all?

Currently, I'm rocking KLH 17's I restored last year ... would the 6's be a significant upgrade?
Click to expand...
The Sixes are a definite upgrade from the Seventeens. More punch. Deeper bass. They do everything right. Nothing against the Seventeens, either, they're great speakers.
 
J RR said:
Well it appears these free speakers became a project instantly!

Also, they are both two different serial numbers ... clearly built from separate years. Will this affect performance at all?

Currently, I'm rocking KLH 17's I restored last year ... would the 6's be a significant upgrade?
Click to expand...
Different years wont matter much. These were produced form 1958-72, with very little differences except for grill fabrics, and cab construction.

Let's see pics of the serial numbers, and drivers, if these have the removable grills, which started to happen around 1965 or so.
If you grills are the permanent variety, you have to make a decision here. Leave them, or cut them to access the drivers, especially the to reseal the woofer surrounds. The bass is outstanding on these, but the surrounds will almost always need resealing, or the bass will be lacking and flabby. If you look in my thread, mine have different tweeters. One glued, one screw mounted, they sound identical.

Glenn
 
GD70 said:
Different years wont matter much. These were produced form 1958-72, with very little differences except for grill fabrics, and cab construction.

Let's see pics of the serial numbers, and drivers, if these have the removable grills, which started to happen around 1965 or so.
If you grills are the permanent variety, you have to make a decision here. Leave them, or cut them to access the drivers, especially the to reseal the woofer surrounds. The bass is outstanding on these, but the surrounds will almost always need resealing, or the bass will be lacking and flabby. If you look in my thread, mine have different tweeters. One glued, one screw mounted, they sound identical.

Glenn
Click to expand...
No photos yet, but indeed they are constructed the same way. Woofers are screwed down, and they both have velcro grilles.

I think I'm going to start with as little work on the cabinet as possible -- meaning sanding and new stain on both. I'll recap and then test/see what it looks like.
 
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