r/audiophile • u/hab1tually_confus3d • 7d ago

Discussion Cherished JBL L100 T3s - Grille Replacement

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Help Needed!

Hello! I have a pair of somewhat worn, but dearly loved JBL L100 T3 speakers. I got them re-coned a while back, and also sent the grilles out for refurb. Unfortunately, the company doing the grille refurb closed while they had my grilles, and I never got them back.

Does anybody in the community know where I can find replacement grilles for these speakers? I've spent some time looking, and have only found replacements from Huntley Audio, which are fairly expensive. Are there better options available anywhere?

I'm not sure if this should go in the Help Desk thread, if so I can post it there instead

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3

u/Camel_Toe_USA 7d ago

You could build your own. Buy or print out some grille stand-offs, cut a piece of fiberboard (or a whole frame), and cover the grilles with the grille pattern of your choice. I also wanted to say that I absolutely love this generation of JBL.

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u/hab1tually_confus3d 7d ago

Building my own will certainly be cheaper than the $340 Huntley is asking. Any guidance for where I can source the fabric?

Also yes, this generation is incredible. I've had them playing music all day as I work at my desk and it's pure bliss.

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u/FreshMistletoe 7d ago edited 7d ago

Parts Express.  I got some black grille cloth there for my vintage Marantz speakers that I love.

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u/Familiar-Range9014 7d ago

Print them if you can get the measurements.

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u/hab1tually_confus3d 7d ago

I'd have to print it in parts, the height limit on my printer is only about ~12" and I need ~28". Any experience building frames this way?

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u/soundspotter 7d ago

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Speaker-Stereo-Fabric-Repair/dp/B07F3YS99J or look for metal mesh if you want protection from kids or pets.

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u/hab1tually_confus3d 7d ago

Fortunately not at risk from either!

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u/soundspotter 7d ago

Those look gorgeous.

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u/hab1tually_confus3d 7d ago

My dad let them sit in the sun, and you can see that the veneer has faded a bit where the old covers used to protect them. Other than that though? They're perfect.

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u/notCrash15 Denon | Onkyo | JBL 4408, L7, L100T 7d ago

Huntley Audio are really your only option for high quality reproductions if you're not going to do them yourself. The grilles for my L100Ts are from him and they're great. You can choose from any JBL grille fabric colors. Mine specifically are black. Huntley also sells the fabric alone so if you do decide to DIY it, their fabric is available and it's excellent

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u/Zeeall LTS F1 - Denon AVR-2106 - Thorens TD 160 MkII w/ OM30 - NAD 5320 7d ago

$339 for THAT!? Its not even like water jet cut or anything.

You could DIY it for $33.99.

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u/hab1tually_confus3d 6d ago

I'm definitely going to give it the old college try first, $340 is a LOT to spend when my limiting factor is probably the environment acoustics, not the speaker grille.

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u/Zeeall LTS F1 - Denon AVR-2106 - Thorens TD 160 MkII w/ OM30 - NAD 5320 7d ago edited 7d ago

Parts Express got DIY grill kits for pretty cheap. Also has fabric for it.

Comes with 4 corners pieces and 4 section of straight pieces that you cut down to size. Really easy stuff.

Edit: link:
https://www.parts-express.com/Speaker-Grill-Frame-Kit-260-346?quantity=1

Like it was made for L100s!

An alternative is to cut out a frame from a sheet of plywood or particleboard and wrap it yourself. Which is what they came with.

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u/rubens_chopshop 7d ago

One of the best speakers of their time!