OK, the AV1's are done! (1 Viewer)

[Wes Nance]

Brian,

The finish looks really wonderful. I'm going to be finishing up my sub soon, with Maple veneer, and wanted a natural finish. I was going to use polycrylic, but you had mentioned the "Old Dad's" wipe on satin poly, and it looks great.

I called the company, and unfortunately, I think I might be out of luck with a local store that carries this product, and they don't sell direct. Could you give me an idea of what the price you paid is for it, and since I have kind of a small project, would you be willing to pick some up for me for a small fee and mail it out to Rochester, NY?

Thanks, Brian,

Wes

 

[Brian Bunge]

Wes,

IIRC, it was $8.99 for a pint. Definitely not cheap but a great product. I'd be willing to pick up some for you if you'd like. You could pay me through PayPal if you want.

Since I've got my own business I wonder if I could buy from them with my own label and sell it myself? I might check into that!

Brian

 

[Randy G]

Absolutely you can, but you may need to buy a certain minimum quantity...or so their website says. Call em.

 

[Pete Mazz]

Shipping will cost more than the material is worth. It's considered hazardous materials and would probably cost $25 to ship UPS ground.

Pete

 

[Gil D]

Brian,

That's one super job on those cabinets. Those A/V1's look really sharp! I think they're better looking than the Paradox with the round tweeter.

What is the pricing on these and the grills I've seen mention of? Any pics of the grills yet.

going to be offered? Also, any plan to do the AV1+ cabinets and will they have grills instead of the covers available.

 

[Gil D]

I would have gotten the AV1+'s if I had the money. Danny say's these are his best and he likes them more than any other kit he sells. He highly recommends them.

Jeff,

Are these better than a pair of Paradox3??

 

[Brian Bunge]

Gil,
Thanks for the compliments. Danny Richie has been working with a separate cabinet maker to cut the grills and baffles that I'll be using. I've seen a drawing of the grills but have not seen them in person yet. They will be just wide enough to sit on the flat part of the front baffle and the corners will have a large radius to them. Danny got some samples from the cabinet maker but they were not to spec so he had to send them back.
There will be cabinets for the AV-1+'s as well. I'm not sure that I can post pricing here as it may be construed as advertising and I don't want to break any rules. But you can go to GR's dedicated forum on Harmonic Discord and click on the thread I've started with the pricing by clicking here. Or you can email me directly at [email protected].
Also, due to the some limitiations in making the grills fit, the production cabinets will not have a 3/4" radius, but will have a 1/2" radius. We can still do the 3/4" radius if you don't want grills and I'll even place the grills on my speakers to see how much of an overhang we have with the 3/4" radiused corners. This way I can take a picture to show people exactly what it will look like if they want the larger radius and grills.
Brian

 

[jeff lam]

Gil,

I have not heard the AV1+ or the P3 but I assume the P3 is much like the P1 with lower bass extension. I consider the paradox series to be more for musical listening systems only due to the sharp high end response and the sensitivity to room placement and electronics. With a two channel system, the P1's would probably be my choice.

What Danny recommends to all his customers looking for HT and music speakers is the AV1+'s. Suposedly these are his favorite design and nicest sounding speakers. They will be my next main/center combo when the upgrade is in order. However, I have lot's of other things to take care of first... Sub, stands, TV, DVD, etc...

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Wes, I'm building some monster 70"+ tower cabinets that I'll veneer in Padauk and I've been studying and getting professional finishers' advice for a good durable finish. I can't use my labor-intensive Danish oil finish, as Padauk is a wood that darkens quite a bit after cutting and exposure to light (UV) and air. I discovered that any oil treatment will severly accelerate the darkening to the point it will turn the wood brownish/blackish. So, I pursued acrylic finishes and have settled on General Finishes' EF High Performance Polyurethane, which appears to be based on their EF PolyAcrylic Blend with UV protection added: http://www.generalfinishes.com/finis...e%20Top%20Coat
The local Woodcraft store stocks it. Also, there are other wipe-on acrylic finishes that should work for you.

 

[Wes Nance]

Hank,

Thanks for the advice- I looked on the site, and it looks like that product is a pure polyurethane product, so I'm wondering if the EF blend would be better for me. These are brush on finishes, right? Or can you wipe them on as well? I was intrigued with the ease and idiot-proof nature of the wipe on finish Brian was using, since I'm not a very experienced woodwooker.

I do have a local Woodcraft store listed on the website, though, so that may be a solution. I already bought some Minwax polycrylic at Home Depot, which looked very nice on the sample Maple veneer I tried it on, but I am concerned about how easy it would be to apply it without brush strokes showing, which prompted my first inquiry to Brian about the wipe on finish.

Any further comments? Thanks for your expert advice-

Wes

 

[Brian Bunge]

Wes,

I used the Minwax Polyurethane in a satin finish on the hardwood sides of my own version of the ACI Emerald LE's. If you use a foam brush you shouldn't have any problems with brush marks. This was the first time I used poly and it worked out fine.

Brian

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Wow! Those are flawless and beautiful, Brian. I would never take close-ups like that of my work. I hate you talented guys.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Jack,

The veneer seam is easily visible on the back (at least to me). I think that angle at which I took that picture hides it a bit!

Brian

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Wes, those General Finishes products are brush-ons. Note that Fine Woodworking magazine named the G.F. EF PolyAcrylic Blend the best brush-on in a test of polys - I think I have that issue. The EF High Performance product has UV inhibitors in it that I need for the Padauk veneer I'm going to be using, as it is a specie that UV energy causes the chemical reaction that darkens the wood. Go to your Woodcraft store and talk to someone who really knows finishing and ask for advice on a wipe-on. The Woodcraft employees here are real woodworkers with lots of experience and expertise they are willing to share - I know nothing compared to them. You might want to stick with a wipe-on gel for your first experience and, good quality brushes are not cheap. Have fun and post pics of your work!

 

[Brian Bunge]

To add to Hank's post, I believe Bartley's makes a wipe-on gel poly, which is sold at WoodCraft.

Brian