Has anyone replaced the cloth side panels on their SDA's?

Bubinga99

I did try searching but all I found was re-doing the cloth. I was thinking of replacing them with wood sides.

But I'd like to see some photos if someone has done it.

ben62670

Here you go. I think these are the best looking SDA's on the planet. Many pics of start to finish.
Lasareath is his name, and fine SDA's are his game. Check out some of his links. Take your time and do it right!

nooshinjohn

what series SDA do you have?

Bubinga99

I have the 2.3TL's with white oak top and bottom pieces (I don't recall if there were other wood options)

nooshinjohn

I had a set of SDA-1c's that I replaced the side panels with wood inserts similar to the SDA-SRS. I cannot find the links at the moment, but shoot me a pm with your email and I will forward them to you. I plan on doing a similar thing with my 2.3's but the they are in such nice shape that I am going to hold off for a bit

Bubinga99

Thanks for the tip. Looks nice Lasareath.

I was thinking more of doing the whole panel, and the tops and bottoms (probably thicker, inch and a half maybe)

NJPOLKER

Sal
Will you marry me?
I forgot how awesome a job you did on those. Outstanding.

Bubinga99

Lasareath wrote: »

I hope you are planning on using some exotic wood on the SDA's ?
Something like this Bubinga:

Yes, bubinga is defnitely in the running, but there are so many stunning exotics to choose from. Something like Macassar Ebony with a lot of strong black vertical streaks might play well with all the front and back black of the speakers. If I can find the right slab of Hawaiian Koa that might look pretty sweet too. So many to consider though.

If you want a good site to browse "wood ****," Gilmerwoods in Oregon is a good one: http://www.gilmerwood.com/new_unique.htm

Fongolio

The tops and bottoms of my 1C's are finished in Padauk and looked fantastics.
Here's some links with pics. The speakers are mine now I bought them off Master craftsman Geoff in Seattle for much less than he put into them. Insanely sweet sounding and looking SDA's.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79106&highlight=Geoff
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63110&highlight=Geoff&page=2

Fongolio

Sorry for the hideous typing errors above.

Kel

Bubinga99

Thanks for those links. Looks really sharp. While reading those links I also found the thread where the back, sides, top of some Monitor 10's were veneered with Sapele, which also looks very nice.
(link in case anyone else is interested: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61901 )

Looks like the sides of my 2.3TL's are glued on. If I do end up doing this, I'd want to preserve those when removing them just in case I ever need to sell the 2.3TL's so I could put them back on and they'd be all original.

But I guess that all depends on what approach I take. If I did something like the monitor 10's there's no going back.

kcoc321

Well, you could always make wood panels and make them removable. The you could just swap them you for the cloth ones, if you need to or change your mind.

Bubinga99

Yes, removable is an idea.

In an old thread there was a pic of removed side panels that were glued on, and it looked like it had just a couple lines of glue.

Mine seem to be seriously glued, all the way to the edges. I couldn't get a putty knife blade in at the edges at all.

Conradicles

Try something a little stronger than a putty knife...say a thin 1" chisel. Worked for me. They are not all that hard to remove once you get them loose. Peace.

Bubinga99

Are the tops and bottoms glued on too, or just loosen the 4 bolts and off they come?

Or maybe it varies with model?

Fongolio

When Geoff re-did my 1C's he made the side panels removable but still cloth. He used the ball nub type socket for the panels to press into. He is a craftsman that dude in Seattle!

Bubinga99

I think I've officially chickened out on this project. The sides anyway. There's nothing I can see to do that leaves me absolutely sure I'm not going to damage either the particle board corners where the body of the speaker meets the panel, or accidentally slice the side panel cloth, by jamming something in and prying.

The speakers are currently as nice as the day I first unboxed them, and I think I want to keep them that way. If the panels were already damaged, that would be different, and I'd just rip away. Hell I've lived with the black cloth sides this long.

I may still redo the tops and bottoms though (never did think the 3/4" thickness tops and bottoms looked quite right in proportion). But now I've become more interested in building a pair of speakers as a more ambitious woodworking project.

In any case, thanks everyone for the answers and advice.

Bubinga99

wow....what's the story behind that damage?

OK, here's my theory. The guy that owned them, his wife hated "those black monstrosities" but he wouldn't part with them. They had several cats, and every day when he went to work, his wife rubbed catnip on them, and the cats climbed them all day. Eventually they looked so bad, he finally agreed they had to go. Am I close? haha