Taperssection.com

Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: Nick in Edinboro on October 10, 2005, 08:23:37 PM

Title: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: Nick in Edinboro on October 10, 2005, 08:23:37 PM
My mother loves to go to thrift stores but unfortunately she's loosing her sight and can't drive.  Since my girlfriend was out of town last weekend I took good ol' mom to some thrift stores around town.

I happened to stumble onto a pair of JBL L112's at one of the stores...  The one looks fine visually, foam surround in tact, etc.  The other the surround on the sub is totally gone.  The cabinents are both in apparently fine condition.

They have them priced at $75 for the pair.  If they are still there I wager I could fetch them for $40 maybe...

I didn't know much about them but after reviewing them online it seems as if this could be a worthy investment.  They sold for $900 new and mint pairs currently sell on ebay for gobs apparently (see this auction at $449 w/6 days to go (http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-JBL-L112-Speakers-All-Original-Like-New_W0QQitemZ5817576568QQcategoryZ61377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)).  The tweeters alone are selling for $44, crossovers for sale at $30, etc.

Anyone have any thoughts?  I wouldn't neccesarily just turn these around for a profit by any means.  I imagine I would keep them but curious how much it would take to restore them and if anyone has any thoughts on their sound.

Here's what a mint pair of them looks like:
(http://i11.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/1e/dd/1b_3.JPG)
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: BobW on October 10, 2005, 08:31:11 PM
I remember these well.
I never liked them, although some folks did.
I found them "peaky" in low-mid-bass and upper-mids (female voices)
YMMV
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: pfife on October 10, 2005, 09:15:43 PM
how much to replace a woofer?   Honestly, for $40, I'd totally do it... but that's just me.  I also have piles of old shitty speakers sitting around... and those seem to have better potential than all of the shitty ones I have around here.

Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: nickgregory on October 10, 2005, 11:10:04 PM
I got new foam surrounds put on a set of older speakers for ~$90 for the pair earlier in the year fwiw
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: Daryan on October 11, 2005, 09:49:42 AM
Buy them, and if you can't live with them, flip them on ebay and make some money.  I have heard of people financing college this way believe it or not.
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: jpschust on October 11, 2005, 09:50:36 AM
Buy them, and if you can't live with them, flip them on ebay and make some money.  I have heard of people financing college this way believe it or not.

flipping potentially broken gear?  who would have thought that someone could finance their way through things with something like that  ::)
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: Nick in Edinboro on October 11, 2005, 06:40:40 PM
Whelp, stopped today again with full intent to buy'em (they were having a half off everything sale no less0 and they were gone.  Investigated further and it turns out they threw them out.

Oh well.  Bummer!
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: pfife on October 11, 2005, 06:41:51 PM
Whelp, stopped today again with full intent to buy'em (they were having a half off everything sale no less0 and they were gone.  Investigated further and it turns out they threw them out.

Oh well.  Bummer!

 :o

shitty!
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: Daryan on October 11, 2005, 09:10:45 PM
Buy them, and if you can't live with them, flip them on ebay and make some money.  I have heard of people financing college this way believe it or not.

flipping potentially broken gear?  who would have thought that someone could finance their way through things with something like that  ::)

Huh, he said the parts alone were worth more than what he would have had to pay. ???
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: carlbeck on October 12, 2005, 02:04:00 PM
damn! That blows, my father had a pair very similar to those & they rocked back in the day. I remember lusting after them when I was 14 or so, knowing someday I would have a pair to crank Megadeath through  >:D
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: L Ron Hoover on October 12, 2005, 04:15:34 PM
PEACE SELLS.........BUT WHO'S BUYING!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: carlbeck on October 12, 2005, 05:44:19 PM
We always said, PETE sells but who's buying  8)
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: cheshirecat on October 17, 2005, 11:38:03 AM
Quote
flipping potentially broken gear?

Foam surrounds are pretty easy to replace, basically you take out the woofer, clean off the old surrounds and glue with some alcohol and then glue the new ones in, you just have to take your time and be careful not to damage the speakers.  You can buy kits from partsexpress and others to do so.  I did a pair of large advents a year or two back, also took the time to replace the crossover caps while i was in there.  Ended up with a pretty nice pair of speakers.
Title: Re: JBL L112 Loudspeakers -- Should I buy them?!
Post by: BobW on October 17, 2005, 06:35:16 PM
Quote
flipping potentially broken gear?

Foam surrounds are pretty easy to replace, basically you take out the woofer, clean off the old surrounds and glue with some alcohol and then glue the new ones in, you just have to take your time and be careful not to damage the speakers.  You can buy kits from partsexpress and others to do so.  I did a pair of large advents a year or two back, also took the time to replace the crossover caps while i was in there.  Ended up with a pretty nice pair of speakers.

+T for recycling.
I'd never give up my Dynaco A25XLs to the trashman