My Ebay Cast-offs part II

[Jac Hawk]

Ok guys, as some of you know i recently bought a pair of Castle Kendal II's off Ebay to replace my Lintons as I found them a little bass shy.

The Castles cost me £26.50 and were in average condition, i.e. the drives and crossovers were fine but the cab's were shabby and they didn't have any grills.

The following pics show what i did to them.....
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0297.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0296.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0294.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0304.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0303.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0301.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0299.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0298.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0311.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0313.jpg

I think they look great and they sound great too, £26.50 well spent in my opinion...

[DSJR]

They look great. Well done :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Great job there!

[John]

nice work

[Beechwoods]

Good as new!

[Marco]

That's total quality, Mike. The pride and satisfaction you must feel now having done that must be quite something - enjoy! :)

Marco.

[Barry]

Excellent work there Mike - well done!

Out of curiousity, and for possible inclusion in the Library's article on the cosmetic refurbishment of audio gear, may I ask where did you obtain the speaker cloth and how did you know what type to choose?

Regards

[chris@panteg]

Beautiful job ! well done .

[Jac Hawk]

Excellent work there Mike - well done!

Out of curiousity, and for possible inclusion in the Library's article on the cosmetic refurbishment of audio gear, may I ask where did you obtain the speaker cloth and how did you know what type to choose?

Regards

Ebay, just search for acoustic cloth

[Jac Hawk]

Just got a new camera so i thought i would take some more photo's, a bit more arty this time..

Anyway downstairs has stayed the same, windows media player, toslink to Marantz sr5400 6.1 reciever, MS45Ti front, MS10 rear, Polk Audio 250s centre, Yamaha YST-SW80 sub

here are some pics

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup7.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup6.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup4.jpg

Upstairs has all changed, out go the Wharfedale XP3's and Cambridge Audio A1, to be replaced with a Pioneer A400 which is undergoing a series of mod's and a pair of Castle Kendal II's which have had the crossovers re caped and the cabs restored.

here are more pics..

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup8.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup5.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/closeup2.jpg

[Reid Malenfant]

That Castle looks great now you have sorted them out ;) I have a pair of ARC101s that i picked up from a boot sale that i might see what i can do with, at some point some plonker painted them - matt black :eek: :mental:

Similar to the Castles they used foam grills that have literally fallen to bits due to age. Looks like the front panel will have to remain black though as i don't think it was veneered, & if i remember correctly there are strips of velcro that are stapled to the front baffle :doh:

Nice pics Mike ;)

[Jac Hawk]

That Castle looks great now you have sorted them out ;) I have a pair of ARC101s that i picked up from a boot sale that i might see what i can do with, at some point some plonker painted them - matt black :eek: :mental:

Similar to the Castles they used foam grills that have literally fallen to bits due to age. Looks like the front panel will have to remain black though as i don't think it was veneered, & if i remember correctly there are strips of velcro that are stapled to the front baffle :doh:

Nice pics Mike ;)

What sort of paint? if it's a vinyl you cound try a tea towel and steam iron to soften it , and then scrape it off, by the way if you need to make grills i would suggest 6mm MDF, you can get it cut to size from B&Q and acoustic cloth is readily available from eBay, also if you want to go the whole hog you may even be able to get grill badges from eBay too, i did.

[Reid Malenfant]

Hey Mike, don't you worry about me getting wood cut chap ;) I have about 15 sheets of 8' x 4' in the garage & a rather large bench saw, router etc etc :eyebrows:

How do you think i made such a good job of my Yamaha speakers ;)

Cheers for the suggestions though, much appreciated :cool:

[Jac Hawk]

Hey Mike, don't you worry about me getting wood cut chap ;) I have about 15 sheets of 8' x 4' in the garage & a rather large bench saw, router etc etc :eyebrows:

How do you think i made such a good job of my Yamaha speakers ;)

Cheers for the suggestions though, much appreciated :cool:

eeeerrrmm???? didn't think about that mate:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[MartinT]

Very nice job, Mike. May I ask what treatment you used to reduce that nasty long scratch on the front baffle?

[hornucopia]

Encourages me to polish up my old Leak Sandwiches!
I have a non-matching pair (wood wise) that I bought second hand, separately, in 1972/3.
My 3090s aren't too bad.

[Jac Hawk]

Very nice job, Mike. May I ask what treatment you used to reduce that nasty long scratch on the front baffle?

Thanks
I did a step by step guide to how i referbed the cab's here http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7023&page=5, (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7023&page=5)

[MartinT]

Excellent info there, Mike. Thanks.

[radio]

hi there the now look wow well done.........maria

[Jac Hawk]

Well since i didn't get to Scalford I decided to give a set of Castle Durhams that i got off ebay a makeover.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0331.jpg

Out with the old mahogany

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0330.jpg

In with a cool blue paint job and some new grills

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0329.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0328.jpg

I think they look quite nice :) and in a small room they sound fab which is even better

[Rare Bird]

They are the wrong badges, should be the small sq ones, i can't find the other

[Jac Hawk]

They are the wrong badges, should be the small sq ones, i can't find the other

Yes i know, i have the originals, but to be honest i like these better, you may have noticed they aren't exactly in Castle livery anymore so i thought,what the hell

[Spur07]

Very nice Jac, I like what you've done there.



Well since i didn't get to Scalford I decided to give a set of Castle Durhams that i got off ebay a makeover.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0331.jpg

Out with the old mahogany

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0330.jpg

In with a cool blue paint job and some new grills

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0329.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0328.jpg

I think they look quite nice :) and in a small room they sound fab which is even better

[Jac Hawk]

Well I didn't like the blue :( so I decided to go with red and take a little more time on the finish so now they are like glass and shiny as a very very shiny thing:)


http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10722.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10721.jpg

[Reid Malenfant]

Hmmm, speakers you can redecorate as the mood suits :scratch: I quite like it :eyebrows:

Looks like a damn nice finish with the red, the reflection in the side of the enclosure is very clear :)

[Jac Hawk]

Hmmm, speakers you can redecorate as the mood suits :scratch: I quite like it :eyebrows:

Looks like a damn nice finish with the red, the reflection in the side of the enclosure is very clear :)

Thanks mate, but I won't be changing colour again, it's quite a long process to get them like that, but I'm happy with the result:)

[Rare Bird]

What paint you used Mike?

Bright orange would look superb :eyebrows:

[Jac Hawk]

Mini chilli red is the colour i used, but you're right tango orange would look good, in fact any bold colour would be ok, damn:doh: i just realised i forgot to spray the screw heads black

[Rare Bird]

Yes but what kind of paint/brand ??


i just realised i forgot to spray the screw heads black

Nice shiney Stainless screws would look good

[Jac Hawk]

Yes but what kind of paint/brand ??



Nice shiney Stainless screws would look good

Ohh it's car spray paint Hycote Double Acrylic

Too much bling for me mate :lolsign:

[Rare Bird]

Too much bling for me mate :lolsign:

Bling! Na Gold= Bling :lolsign:

[Macca]

Bling! Na Gold= Bling :lolsign:

Gold screws would look the business with the red - don't do it by halves:eek:

[DSJR]

Well I didn't like the blue :( so I decided to go with red and take a little more time on the finish so now they are like glass and shiny as a very very shiny thing:)


http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10722.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10721.jpg

My passive ATC 20's were that colour in so called "piano lacquer." The friends who bought them from me got a bit tired of the bright red and had them re-sprayed by a BMW body shop in high-gloss black :( Long gone now though.

[Jac Hawk]

My passive ATC 20's were that colour in so called "piano lacquer." The friends who bought them from me got a bit tired of the bright red and had them re-sprayed by a BMW body shop in high-gloss black :( Long gone now though.

Yes i nearly bought a pair or ATC's from cottage Audio a number of years ago, i remember you could have just about whatever finish you wanted, they did look sexy in gloss black:drool:

[Rare Bird]

What were you saying about bling ;)

[Jac Hawk]

Some pics of may latest deck and it's new headshell

the Aiwa AP-2600
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/IMAG0062.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/IMAG0063.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/IMAG0066.jpg

[RichB]

Hi Mike,

Nice work on them Castles mate. Noticed you said you had a Pioneer A400 undergoing a series of mods, I've just cleaned mine up after 20 year of abuse and misuse and i'm keen to bring this classic back to fighting form. What mods have you carried out, have you done the work yourself? I'm not particularly handy with a soldering iron but have a mate who is so I'd be keen to know what the mods were and what benefits they've brought.

All the best

Rich

[Jac Hawk]

I'll start of by saying the A400 is a class amp, it wouldn't have been pioneers most popular amp ever if it was just another jap box, however it's not perfect, the big let down on it being the phono stage, but then it was made when vinyl was out and cd was in, so i guess you can forgive pioneer for that.

Upgrading this amp is a piece of cake, and the service manual is in the AoS library too, the big question is, how much do you want to spend? personally all i've done to mine is replaced the smoothing caps and added a Schottky bridge rectifier, fiddled with the bias slightly and cleaned the potts, but just by doing that the old A400 has been taken to a whole new level. the good thing about this amp was it was well designed and had some high quality components, which you can improve on very easily;)

If you need any more info PM me and i'll dig out all the info i have and send it to you.

[Macca]

Great looking deck Mike - was the headshell second-hand or is someone still selling them new?

[Jac Hawk]

It's secondhand

[Macca]

Well it looks mint.

[Jac Hawk]

It is mate, and the deck is close to mint too, I was looking to get a Sumiko headshell but saw this one and thought what the he'll, it could do with some better leads but apart from that I couldn't be happier. I'll be using it in my C.A.C system at Salford too.