owlsplace Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 Just curious -- there is a pair of 2a's on the auction site -- the seller stated the cabinets are solid wood. The photos are not that great but the image showing the corner damage looks like solid wood.Serial number is 23,500+Did AR put out some solid wood cabinets back in the day?Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 Just curious -- there is a pair of 2a's on the auction site -- the seller stated the cabinets are solid wood. The photos are not that great but the image showing the corner damage looks like solid wood.AR2a.corner.damage.JPGSerial number is 23,500+Did AR put out some solid wood cabinets back in the day?RogerNope. Early AR veneered-wood cabinets, starting in early 1955, were made with an MDF-like material known as Novaply. It's actually a high-density panel material. The end grain looked very much like solid wood, but speaker cabinets were never made using solid-wood panels-- nor would it have made sense to do that. Solid-stock wood panels are prone to warpage and cracking, and for this reason (and cost), furniture manufacturers rarely made cabinets (and loudspeaker manufacturers) out of solid wood. Very small cabinets, such as the early KLH table radios and even the earliest AR Turntables, were made from solid Walnut, but larger speaker cabinets were never made this way. Utility cabinets for AR speakers were made from void-free Ponderosa Pine plywood. --Tom Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidhead Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 Roger, I have heard of "special" sets made for various reasons so I guess anything is possible. Is there a pic of the backside that might have info on the cabs?Interested to see the outcome. I am picking up a set of 2ax today for $40 that look pretty ratty. They appear to be the standard oiled walnut. For $40 I can't resist. Badges, grill frames and pots all there, so what the heck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted December 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 Tom, that's what I thought. I wouldn't expect solid wood to perform well.Geoff, back panels look typical. I'd pick up all the the AR's I could find for that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidhead Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 that top one sure looks like solid wood, particularly the left vertical edge. Also, I've seen a stamped finish type on the serial page on the back, I see no mention one way or another. I vaguely recall someone selling a set a while back that was made special for a VIP that were solid oak I believe, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 that top one sure looks like solid wood, particularly the left vertical edge. Also, I've seen a stamped finish type on the serial page on the back, I see no mention one way or another. I vaguely recall someone selling a set a while back that was made special for a VIP that were solid oak I believe,Yeah, these have a 2 stamped into the cabinet wood also but that may have been common for that period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Not sure what the specific stamped numerals are intended to communicate, but the upper cabinet in post 4 shows a stamped "2", while the lower speaker shows a stamped "3". Definitely not solid wood, though. Tom's mention of Novaply core stock for the panels is accurate, but the actual composition of this material is somewhat mysterious. Was Novaply more, or less dense than currently produced MDF or hardboard (Masonite), which are both manufactured from sawdust and wood flour and binders and by-product from the lumber industry? Also, the term "ply" is curious with this panel product, since by definition it refers to a layering of laminae, which is not visually obvious with the early Novaply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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