pathakajit
Active Member
Just finished restoring a pair of the famous technics SB-F3 bookshelf speakers.
I had bought the pair a few months ago from the first owner - without actually seeing or hearing the speakers. Upon picking them up, closer inspection revealed that the cabinets were heavily scuffed, oxidized and discolored.
Playing them for the first time revealed that the woofer surrounds seemed to be perished. Quick look inside confirmed this.
I was now left with a pair of supposedly outstanding speakers, needing cosmetic make over and speaker repair.. This would take time..
Over the next few weeks, got the woofer surrounds replaced once, tested, found voice coil rubbing and finally reconed the woofers.. Had some good experiences with speaker repair technicians and some not so good ones.. Plenty of learning though!
Simultaneously I was also deciding about the cosmetic salvation of the cabinets..
The cabinets of these speakers are simply marvelous.. They are entirely made from aluminum, have internal bracing and are lined (internally) with thick sheets of rubber..
I remembered reading an old post on brairsfield uk site about finishing these speakers in shiny aluminum and the plan was formed. Over the next few weeks, I stripped the old silver paint off the cabinets, then dry and wet sanded the cabinets with varying degrees of polish papers - This turned out to be a mammoth task for the perfectionist in me.. Having to do it all by hand (no electric sander) left me with swollen and aching fingers on some days.. Finally, the feont plates of the cabinets were suffiently smooth and the cabinets were spray painted with primer..
2 coats of primer, 24 hour drying (left in the sun all day) and wet sanding between each coats-
4 coats of gloss black paint- 24 hour drying and wet sanding after each coat (400 grit after first coat, 2000 grit after next two coats and 4 th coat left unsanded)
Two coats of clear, 2000 grit wet sanding after each coat and final top coat yeilded this-
Got the face plates buffed and tidied up the badges-
Final assembly done-
The entire process was vastly time consuming. I couldn't wait to get done with work so that I could continue where the restoration was last left! Weekends were invested entirely into this project. Break during Diwali lengthened the timelines, this when the end was in sight!!
Then, when I fired up these babies, it was completely worth it! They image like crazy is what I had read about these speakers - I couldn't believe how spot on that statement was..The soundstage is brilliant! Separation is fantastic.. Lows are very, very good.. Mids are strong and the highs are something else.. That horn tweeter is a gem! These easily beat some of the 25-30k speakers from BIG brands which I have heard..
During the project, I was highly impressed by the build quality of these speakers.. They are solidly put together.. In the real sense of the term! No cheap plastic bits anywhere.. Even the badges are aluminum! :clapping:
... Experiencing bliss right now.
I had bought the pair a few months ago from the first owner - without actually seeing or hearing the speakers. Upon picking them up, closer inspection revealed that the cabinets were heavily scuffed, oxidized and discolored.
Playing them for the first time revealed that the woofer surrounds seemed to be perished. Quick look inside confirmed this.
I was now left with a pair of supposedly outstanding speakers, needing cosmetic make over and speaker repair.. This would take time..
Over the next few weeks, got the woofer surrounds replaced once, tested, found voice coil rubbing and finally reconed the woofers.. Had some good experiences with speaker repair technicians and some not so good ones.. Plenty of learning though!
Simultaneously I was also deciding about the cosmetic salvation of the cabinets..
The cabinets of these speakers are simply marvelous.. They are entirely made from aluminum, have internal bracing and are lined (internally) with thick sheets of rubber..
I remembered reading an old post on brairsfield uk site about finishing these speakers in shiny aluminum and the plan was formed. Over the next few weeks, I stripped the old silver paint off the cabinets, then dry and wet sanded the cabinets with varying degrees of polish papers - This turned out to be a mammoth task for the perfectionist in me.. Having to do it all by hand (no electric sander) left me with swollen and aching fingers on some days.. Finally, the feont plates of the cabinets were suffiently smooth and the cabinets were spray painted with primer..
2 coats of primer, 24 hour drying (left in the sun all day) and wet sanding between each coats-
4 coats of gloss black paint- 24 hour drying and wet sanding after each coat (400 grit after first coat, 2000 grit after next two coats and 4 th coat left unsanded)
Two coats of clear, 2000 grit wet sanding after each coat and final top coat yeilded this-
Got the face plates buffed and tidied up the badges-
Final assembly done-
The entire process was vastly time consuming. I couldn't wait to get done with work so that I could continue where the restoration was last left! Weekends were invested entirely into this project. Break during Diwali lengthened the timelines, this when the end was in sight!!
Then, when I fired up these babies, it was completely worth it! They image like crazy is what I had read about these speakers - I couldn't believe how spot on that statement was..The soundstage is brilliant! Separation is fantastic.. Lows are very, very good.. Mids are strong and the highs are something else.. That horn tweeter is a gem! These easily beat some of the 25-30k speakers from BIG brands which I have heard..
During the project, I was highly impressed by the build quality of these speakers.. They are solidly put together.. In the real sense of the term! No cheap plastic bits anywhere.. Even the badges are aluminum! :clapping:
... Experiencing bliss right now.
hyeah:
