Found a pair of 5b's for cheap

Stew · March 2007

I went to a conference in Denver this week and checked craigslist before I left. Found a pair of monitor 5b's listed for $80. Vinyl has scratches so he took $60. Drivers and grills are in great shape. Each speaker needs one tab thingy.

The scratches in the vinyl are superficial (none go into the wood) but there's quite a few on the top and bottom. This guy obviously has a cat (cat hair on the grills, etc.) with claws and it looks like the cat used the top of the speakers as a scratching post. Has anyone had luck improving scratches? I've thought of a number of things that might work, e.g. Meguiars plastic polish, paste wax, furniture polish, etc. Any suggestions?

I've also seen several posts about installing real veneer. This sounds tempting. Can anyone give me some pointers? Is this something I could do myself or should I find someone that knows what they're doing? If I install it, what would I cut it with? Where would I buy veneer and what kind? How would I install it over the front bevel, i.e. would I cut a thin strip for the bevel or is it flexible enough to bend around the bevel? I don't have a clue and would appreciate any advice on this!

I'm in no hurry to complete this but I plan to install the RD0194's that I had in my SDA 2B's and upgrade the caps. (Anyone need SL2000's?) I'm excited to restore these. I bought a pair of 5b's in 1988 right after I graduated from college. The store I bought them from had an upgrade policy and they would give you what you paid within a year if you upgraded to a better pair. My 5b's became 7c's and then SDA CRS+'s and finally SDA 2B's. I loved the sound of every one of them but there was always something special about the punchy sound of that little 5b that I never forgot. I'm looking forward to hearing it again in a second system.

ben62670 · March 2007

Good find. You might want to try brown shoe polish for the scratches. The monitor 5's have rounded edges so real veneer can be tough. You have to strip all th vinyl off them before you can adhere the wood. If you can't clean up the scratches you can get some new woodgrain vinyl for them.
Good luck
Enjoy
Ben

Stew · April 2007

Thanks for the reply Ben. Replacement vinyl may be an option. Where's a good place to get woodgrain vinyl? Could I install new vinyl over the old vinyl?

I'm not ready to give up on real veneer yet. The edges are beveled rather than rounded so it seems like it should be possible. I looked at Band-It brand veneer and edging. It seems like the veneer edging would work for the beveled part and the veneer sheet would work for the rest. This stuff is available at Lowe's, Home Depot, Sutherland's, etc. Is this a good choice for veneer or does anyone have another recommendation?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

schwarcw · April 2007

Hi Stew!

Congrats on the 5's! Try Googling veneer. You will find a boatlad of references for wood, laminate and vinyl. They sell do it yourself kits at Home Depot. The kits are inexpensive and have the cutting tools for beveling the edges, etc. The veneer comes preglued so it's pretty easy to use. I would suggest trying it on an old wooden box or piece of wood for practice. Vinyl is also an option, I've had luck using vinyl on some wood products. The real wood obviously is much better. You can stain it and apply the type of clear finish (satin, gloss, high gloss) that you desire.

What kind of tabby thingies do you need? Do you mean the wire terminals? I may have some original ones. Take a picture and post it of what you need.

Congrats and good luck!

ben62670 · April 2007

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&CATID=48&ObjectGroup_ID=135
They have lots of other neat stuff here too.
Have fun
Enjoy
Ben

Stew · April 2007

Carl - Thanks for the info on the laminate; I'll take a look. I should have been more specific and said "grill tab thingies.";) These are the small posts that protrude from the front of the speaker and fit into the holes on the backside of the grill. I vaguely remember a post on here stating that these are still available from Polk. I'll call Polk CS and see if they have them. The terminals are in good shape but I appreciate the offer.

Ben - Thanks for the link. I've ordered a few things from there but had no idea they carry vinyl laminate.

Found a pair of 5b's for cheap

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