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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2016 22:46:49 GMT
I found some acetone helped with refoaming the Gale drivers. Of the four, three were not too bad while in the fourth the glue had turned to the consistency of thick tar and was very hard to remove.
Are you going to use the battery or shim method to centre them in the magnetic gap?
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 6, 2016 23:37:24 GMT
I'll be trying the battery way first, I don't want to risk accidentally cutting those 2 fragile wires just under the dust cap unless I absolutely have to!
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Post by MartinT on Mar 7, 2016 4:49:09 GMT
Agreed, that's my preferred method.
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Post by Chris on Mar 7, 2016 4:54:57 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Mar 7, 2016 6:38:20 GMT
The best glue to use is Aileen's Tacky Glue. There are equivalents, too.
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Post by dsjr on Mar 7, 2016 8:01:51 GMT
On speakers like these, I'd be inclined to give the unit(s) to a professional to properly repair. This isn't a cheap Heybrook or a JPW ripe for 'Doc Mods,' but a true and eventually expensive classic collectors item.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 7, 2016 8:55:35 GMT
Measure twice cut once ! and that super careful stuff
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Post by MartinT on Mar 7, 2016 13:46:28 GMT
So are my Gale GS401s, Dave. Not quite in the same league as LSTs, but still classics. It didn't occur to me to have someone else do them, that was part of the pleasure.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 7, 2016 13:55:27 GMT
When I have the time I still don't think I would like to do something like refurb speakers
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Post by dsjr on Mar 7, 2016 14:08:56 GMT
So are my Gale GS401s, Dave. Not quite in the same league as LSTs, but still classics. It didn't occur to me to have someone else do them, that was part of the pleasure. I was under the (mis?)understanding that the 401 drivers were still available. 1970's AR's not as easy to obtain. |
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 7, 2016 14:13:33 GMT
I thought the Gale used AR drivers in the bass?
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Post by MartinT on Mar 7, 2016 14:38:35 GMT
I was under the (mis?)understanding that the 401 drivers were still available. 1970's AR's not as easy to obtain. Not the Celestion HF2000 tweeters, one of which I had to rescue with great care. Unobtainium. The bass drivers I re-foamed myself. Yes, I believe they are AR drivers but I didn't know you could still buy them. |
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Post by dsjr on Mar 7, 2016 16:34:08 GMT
Martin, I can't remember the exact Gale 401 bass drivers and rather thought they were a European sourced model - so long ago now and none of them terminally failed in my time - I think if any did, Gale were still there to supply new ones up until the early 90's (I think it was) when they were taken over. The HF2000's were a problem I agree and I remember in the early 90's trading in a pair of Celestion 551's (slightly smaller version of the 661 in 'updated boxes' which replaced the Ditton 66) and buying the last replacement tweeter dome units from them. They sounded nice too, but I digress. I used Wembley Loudspeakers to re-foam my Elac drivers in the Compacts. I was upset the dust cap had to be replaced, but I suspect that to make a reliable commercial job when someone is paying good money over, the coil needs to be properly and accurately centred up and the best way sadly is to remove the dust cap and place a thin tubular shim in the gap while the glue sets. The replacement dust cap was well doped if not as 'solid' as the original but as this is a bass unit up to 400Hz or so, it probably didn't matter. There's another company in Gt Yarmouth I believe that also do this work and possibly cheaper. Impressive row of ATC-like mid dome units on show in one of the pictures... www.audioloudspeakers.co.uk/boultons.shtml |
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 7, 2016 17:16:50 GMT
From the vintage Gale site: Each GS401 had two doped Acoustic Research derived 210mm bass drivers sourced from CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply), a Peerless K040-MRF four inch midrange, and a Celestion HF2000 tweeter. Each of these components is now long out of production..... www.vintagegale.com/history.php |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 7, 2016 21:29:03 GMT
Thanks for confirming. I knew the Peerless mids cannot be replaced and I repaired (rather than replaced) the foam surrounds very carefully with watered down glue, which worked well. I rescued one tweeter and bought a mesh grill since one of them had gone missing. All in all, I ended up repairing 7 of the 8 drivers and building two crossovers from scratch as the originals were completely destroyed.
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Post by dsjr on Mar 8, 2016 14:40:09 GMT
Thanks Chris.. Falcon do a supposedly accurate replacement for the Peerless mids, which I think/hope only suffer foam-rot.
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 8, 2016 14:53:18 GMT
So if the Gale bass drivers are 8 inchers, they would be similar to the ones from the AR 4-xa and the 6 and 7 then? I think the 4 and 4a had cloth surrounds.
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Post by dsjr on Mar 8, 2016 18:26:34 GMT
AR changed their drivers a few times, even in the 70's I believe, but maybe this was more cosmetic rather then a drastic re-design? I must admit to not liking the AR4 and 5? as much as the others. I seem to remember them sounding different to the others generally, but it's one of those fleeting moments when comparing, where my more lengthy experience and much fondness for the 7, MST, 6, 2xa and 3a/10pi and LST models remains. I'd love to hear the little MST again. In series 2 form (one less tweeter each?), they were delightful and 'fresh' sounding I remember and not as radical in presentation as the smaller Allisons with upward facing drivers were - I don't think the UK market was ready for these latter models and the UK dealers definitely weren't  |
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 8, 2016 19:08:28 GMT
I love my 2-xa to bits, lusted after the 3a and never thought I'd have a hope of getting LSTs. I did come close to getting a pair of MST as a gift a few years ago though. There were 3 models with this trapezoidal cabinet - the LST II used the same model drivers as the 5 - three each in the mid and treble, so one less than the LST. The MST was a two way but with four tweeters and an 8" bass driver. Tweeter units from the models 6 and 7. I think, later on, they went to 3 tweeters on the little MST. If your eyes are good enough, you can see the specs below - sorry I can't make it any bigger.  |
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Post by ChrisB on Mar 8, 2016 23:13:18 GMT
I should have said (for completeness) that the LST has the drivers from the AR-3a but there are 4 tweeters, 4 mids and that 12" bass driver.
The LST/2 bass driver is the 10" unit ftrom the 5.
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