JBL C36 "Viscount"

About three years ago I bought a pair of JBL speaker cabinets from the 50's/60's. They're referred to as the "C36” cabinet, also the "Viscount." This was in the JBL catalog from the fifties up to 1969 (then last year in ’70 as the “S36”)The cabinets could be bought with different speaker loads/combinations. For you Mid Century Modern aficionados, the design is attributed to Alvin Lustig, with a strong resemblance to George Nelson's work (the legs especially resemble the legs from Nelson's "thin edge" line.) The previous owner had painted them white. The woofers were dead; and the tweeters, crossovers and legs had been stripped and sold. I stripped the white latex paint off to reveal the walnut veneer, and after that they sat. I slowly gathered the missing parts...I got the crossovers off epay..rebuilt those...had to settle for reproduction legs, as the originals have gotten pretty pricey...had the woofers re-coned by Sundance Speakers...wheeled n' dealed to get me a pair of the 075 bullet tweeters...

I finally bit the bullet and started work on the cabinets that I had begun nearly three years ago. I sanded them down. I patched the beat up edges, corners, and scratches with either Bondo or epoxy putty stick. I used a high vinyl solids lacquer based sealer. I filled the grain to get the surface super smooth. I used "toned" lacquer to adjust the color of the walnut, and ended up rubbing out the finish up to #0000 wool.

The speaker setup is very efficient, I think the D130 is about 100db 1w 1m with the 075 110db 1 w 1m... it gets pretty loud with my 10w PP EL84 amp. These speakers and my Klipsch Heresies are gonna have to tide me over until I build cabs for my JELabs 32/414 project...
image.jpgIMG_3550.jpegIMG_3552.jpegIMG_3889.jpegIMG_3987.jpeg
 
Beautiful restoration on those cabinets. And I won't tell anybody the legs are repro.
 
About three years ago I bought a pair of JBL speaker cabinets from the 50's/60's. They're referred to as the "C36” cabinet, also the "Viscount." This was in the JBL catalog from the fifties up to 1969 (then last year in ’70 as the “S36”)The cabinets could be bought with different speaker loads/combinations. For you Mid Century Modern aficionados, the design is attributed to Alvin Lustig, with a strong resemblance to George Nelson's work (the legs especially resemble the legs from Nelson's "thin edge" line.) The previous owner had painted them white. The woofers were dead; and the tweeters, crossovers and legs had been stripped and sold. I stripped the white latex paint off to reveal the walnut veneer, and after that they sat. I slowly gathered the missing parts...I got the crossovers off epay..rebuilt those...had to settle for reproduction legs, as the originals have gotten pretty pricey...had the woofers re-coned by Sundance Speakers...wheeled n' dealed to get me a pair of the 075 bullet tweeters...

I finally bit the bullet and started work on the cabinets that I had begun nearly three years ago. I sanded them down. I patched the beat up edges, corners, and scratches with either Bondo or epoxy putty stick. I used a high vinyl solids lacquer based sealer. I filled the grain to get the surface super smooth. I used "toned" lacquer to adjust the color of the walnut, and ended up rubbing out the finish up to #0000 wool.

The speaker setup is very efficient, I think the D130 is about 100db 1w 1m with the 075 110db 1 w 1m... it gets pretty loud with my 10w PP EL84 amp. These speakers and my Klipsch Heresies are gonna have to tide me over until I build cabs for my JELabs 32/414 project...
View attachment 15858View attachment 15859View attachment 15860View attachment 15861View attachment 15862
Where if I might ask did you find the reproduction legs?
 
Last edited:
Where if I might ask did you find the reproduction legs?
I bought them off of eBay. Repro legs pop up from time to time, it seems every few months or so someone does a limited run of them. These were the most authentic I’ve seen. Most of the repros use a slightly larger threaded rod than originals. The repros I found (and right now I can’t find the guy on eBay) were made with the original 1/4-20 threaded rod.DC283E0A-B15A-4AB3-BFB9-226C19BD4AF1.jpeg
On the left is one of the repros, on the right is an original. I paid $20 per repro.
 
Last edited:
I actually looked these up before and was considering using them, but I don’t think they are quite the same as the ones @Astroman of the Future acquired. They might be these but at $400 a quad/set I’m a little shy to drop $800 for two speakers (much more than what originals are going for). They sure are beautiful though.
View attachment 15886
These are repros of the Nelson Thin Edge legs... they’re taller, and they attach differently. And obviously they’re very pricey. But have you checked the prices on Nelson Thin Edge furniture? Ouch!
 
Last edited:
She's got legs, she knows how to use them
She never begs, she knows how to choose them
She's holdin' leg wonderin' how to feel them
Would you get behind them if you could only find them?
She's my baby, she's my baby
Yeah, it's alright

ZZTop
 
Down right gorgeous! The grill fabric looks amazing and period correct also.
The repro’s you bought are just about perfect. A lot easier on the pocket too...hopefully some more pop up.
Are those Tannoys in the background?

As far as I know, the grill fabric is original. I haven’t seen anything else quite like it, it’s actually like a 1/4” thick, but a loose weave of a stiff seemingly synthetic material.

There is a pair (not mine) of Tannoy FSM (“Fine Studio Monitors”) in the background...
 
As far as I know, the grill fabric is original. I haven’t seen anything else quite like it, it’s actually like a 1/4” thick, but a loose weave of a stiff seemingly synthetic material.

There is a pair (not mine) of Tannoy FSM (“Fine Studio Monitors”) in the background...
You have to think that something like grill fabric was factored into the sound reproduction of said speakers.....I lost out on a neat set of FSM’s, tried to trade on a second set but the fellow was too proud of them and the deal felt lopsided (not in my favor mind you). How do the tannoys sound and compare to the JBL’s or Altecs (if you’ve listened to both of course)?
 
The FSM’s are really damned good sounding, but quite a commitment in washer/dryer sized cabinetry... I’ve heard a couple different pairs of them locally in the past year or two. The one pictured in the background of that photo is part of two pairs used for a home theater setup. As to how they compare to JBLs or Altecs, well my experience is somewhat limited. They’re “better” than my JBL’s (not in size and looks though). The owner upgraded to them from Altec M500’s, so he felt they were better than that... I know someone else locally that got rid of his FSM’s after upgrading to JBL M2...I recently got my paws on Altec 604 8g’s... in Stonehenge III trim... I’m really digging those...
 
Last edited:
Back
Top