James' SS9.5's in special finish

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jsalk

James' SS9.5's in special finish
« on: 3 Nov 2020, 07:48 pm »
James saw a pair of speakers in our gallery that I had built for myself and wanted the same finish.

This is a relatively complex process.  First the oak veneered speakers were shot with silver gray dye, which was sanded off leaving gray in the grain.  Then the veneer was white-washed.  After enough coats of sealer were shot to fill the grain, the front baffle is taped off and shot with a gray metallic paint.  After that step, the entire speaker is shot with several coats of automotive clear.  Finally, the surface is sanded and polished to remove dust particles and the physical line that separates the gray automotive paint from the rest of the cabinet.

When I first saw the finished cabinets, I was a bit jealous...I wanted to keep them for myself.

The only problem with the final result is that photos cannot capture the full impact of the finish. And with a gloss finish, the speakers reflect everything.  So it is hard to get a good photo.
 
Here is a photo...



In this picture, you can perhaps see a little of the metallic finish on the front baffle...



James loaded up these beauties and headed home to Kentucky today.  It just happened to be his birthday as well.  What a present!

Happy listening James!

- Jim
 

Big Red Machine

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #1 on: 3 Nov 2020, 08:28 pm »
Kentucky?

DEP14

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #2 on: 3 Nov 2020, 10:15 pm »
Snap!

Cool Finish!

jriggy

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #3 on: 3 Nov 2020, 11:52 pm »
Could you please post color photos of these?



 :wink:



SlushPuppy

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #4 on: 4 Nov 2020, 01:37 am »
Salk is simply killing it on the finishes lately. Damn those look good! Congrats to the lucky owner!  :thumb:

Ace Deprave

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #5 on: 4 Nov 2020, 01:02 pm »
Could you please post color photos of these?



 :wink:

Hahaha, that's what I think every time gray speakers are posted. I'd love to see some in real life, as I'm sure they look fantastic.

Jrhodus

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #6 on: 5 Nov 2020, 09:39 pm »



Not the best photo, but they are unpacked and alive. 

Jrhodus

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #7 on: 5 Nov 2020, 09:46 pm »
Hard to capture their true beauty in a photo but here a few quick ones
They do sound wonderful and I haven’t even fiddled with placement yet







Big Red Machine

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #8 on: 5 Nov 2020, 11:21 pm »
Where in Kentucky?

Jrhodus

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #9 on: 5 Nov 2020, 11:39 pm »
Louisville area

Ledhead26

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #10 on: 6 Nov 2020, 02:18 am »
Gorgeous! And I bet they sound as good as they look!

Grbluen

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #11 on: 6 Nov 2020, 07:13 pm »
Those are beautiful! I'll bet they sound amazing!
Congrats

senna1a

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #12 on: 6 Nov 2020, 10:48 pm »
Very nice - that is an awesome looking speaker.

Jrhodus

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #13 on: 7 Nov 2020, 02:26 am »
Thank you, they are a wonderful looking and sounding speakers.  The talent of Jim and his staff is amazing.

We were in Michigan when my speakers were finished and we were able to pick them up.  Jim and his wife, Mary were as nice as can be and we able to hear the speakers before they were packed up.  I don’t know if he thought that we could fit them in our SUV, but we did it along with all of our other stuff   

From our talking to Jim, he is as good of a person as he is a speaker maker.   It is an added bonus, that adds to the satisfaction of owning the speakers.

Ern Dog

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #14 on: 7 Nov 2020, 05:11 am »


Not the best photo, but they are unpacked and alive.

Beautiful!!!  Did that sleepy cat cost extra?  :lol:

TWINSKI66

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #15 on: 7 Nov 2020, 05:15 pm »
Wow!  That’s well beyond a stereo speaker...that’s (furniture) art in its highest form.

Rocket

Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #16 on: 8 Nov 2020, 02:08 am »
Hi Guys,

Jim builds such a nice speaker.  I've got a pair of HT3's and Song 3's.

Cheers Rod

ermd1

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #17 on: 12 Nov 2020, 02:13 pm »
Very Nice.  I'm from Louisville and will be there around Xmas.  Any chance to view them in person?

Jrhodus

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #18 on: 12 Nov 2020, 04:27 pm »
With COVID going crazy like it is I don’t that it would be wise.  That is to protect both of us.   When and if the vaccine is in place it could be doable then.   Sorry

ermd1

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Re: James' SS9.5's in special finish
« Reply #19 on: 12 Nov 2020, 08:02 pm »
No problem.  Understood