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Western Electric wires

gogofast

gogofast

Addicted Member
I see "Western Electric" cloth wires selling for really high $$ on ebay. Every listing I've seen does not really provide any proof that the wires are actually WE. In most cases, a bundle of wires without spools or labels.

How can you tell what's WE wire and what's not?
 
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Your right it is not labeled, but the fine outer weave, black inner cloth and tinned copper stranded 17ga wire, would be almost impossible to recreate and make any money at.
I purchased 3M of 11 wires to replace the crispy ones coming from the output transformers in my Harmon Citation II and they were an excellent replacement.
 
I just sold a spool of 16 # black cloth wire for $250 , the spool was marked Western Electric and that is the only way you would know it was . The insulation was in exceptional condition for 100 year old wire .

Most likely went to someone who was going to sell it by the foot
 
I'm not trying to ask if WE wires are any better than other wires, but if there's a way to distinguish them. So do they all have black inner sleeve like jmprest had mentioned?
 
gogofast said:
I'm not trying to ask if WE wires are any better than other wires, but if there's a way to distinguish them. So do they all have black inner sleeve like jmprest had mentioned?
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I apologize, I didn't intend to hi-jack your thread, more of an impulse question as I see the WE wires consistently on you that big web site with all the stuff for sale. The prices seem kind of high for old wire with no real track record or reviews. Carry on.:thmbsp:
 
apachef1 said:
I apologize, I didn't intend to hi-jack your thread, more of an impulse question as I see the WE wires consistently on you that big web site with all the stuff for sale. The prices seem kind of high for old wire with no real track record or reviews. Carry on.:thmbsp:
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oh, no problem. Didn't mean to stop your from asking that question. Just wanted to clarify it. I feel the same way about it anyways and was really wondering. Plus I have some really old cloth covered wires from the 60's that I have no idea what they are, too.
 
Jeffery said:
eBay? I've seen the wire on eBay before, but have never bought any wire off eBay yet.
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Yup that it, back to the thread owners original question, how do you identify the authenticity of the wire. I did see some sellers showing the original WE reel of cloth wire with the ad. Maybe buy a reel and make up all the interconnects and speaker wires you need then sell the remaining wire on the reel. Even then who is to say the wire on the reel is authentic. Seems like a crap shoot.

The cloth has no marking to identify WE as the manufacturer?
 
whoaru99 said:
Perhaps the desire for them isn't a particular sonic difference, but simply period correctness/originality.
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That's what I would think. Anytime we come home with an antique lamp, I end up ordering reproduction cloth cord to replace the 1970's rewireing job most inevitably have.
 
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