Veneer Replacement

[DavidDru]

The larger grain features are not too bad a match. The big difference between old and new is that the new wood has very few pores (the streaks in between the grain whorls) because it's from a tree with fewer years on it, and the seam where two pieces have been bookjoined (the older speaker top is a single piece with no seams in the veneer). It's also easy to see that the entire top of the reveneered speaker is veneer while the older one is veneer meeting up with the solid wood face frame at the front.

If you want to minimize the differences between the two speakers, you'll probably want to use some stain and make them more like the dark brown 70s speakers than the medium reddish-brown 60s finish. That will make the seams and the pores less prominent.

They said they would be using some stain in the application process. There is a break in the veneered new pieces where the frame line would be so hopefully that will show up as we go along.

[DavidDru]

Got the AR 3 cabinets back from the refinishing shop. Look pretty good. They had some difficult things to fix and they pretty much got em all.

The process did not include a complete sand down. They did not want to remove the color so all sanding was kept to higher grit number paper which got out most scratches and such. There are still a few deeper gouge type scratches on the bottom and one light water ring on one of the sides that they could not get completely out. I think they matched the new veneered top pretty well with the grain and color matching.

I decided to go with a 10 level lacquer finish instead of the oil to help better protect it. The 10 level keeps it looking like an oil finish. No color was added.

[genek]

Not bad at all, especially for the price you were quoted. They did an excellent job of simulating the face frame seam, which is usually the dead giveaway of most reveneering jobs I've seen.

[owlsplace]

Not bad at all, especially for the price you were quoted. They did an excellent job of simulating the face frame seam, which is usually the dead giveaway of most reveneering jobs I've seen.

Lovely job ... what makes you think the frame seam is simulated?

[genek]

Because he said so. See post #26.

[VintageMan]

Is it correct to say the the first series AR3a (MKI ) had different cabinets then the later serie (MKII)?

I have the same kind of massive bar/wood surrounding the grill but a friend of mine has a AR3a that does not have that + the finer seems more "cheap" looking.

[genek]

They all had it, but in the later years cabinetmakers had to use veneer from less mature trees, the finishes got darker and the grain less figured so the distinction between the veneered cabinet sides and the solid wood face frames became harder to see.