another Ebay clown

[scott fitlin]

OK, I have been readinbg this thread, and I know many say Aep30 is a good ebay seller. usually, when people say good things about sellers, its because of good experiences with the seller.

Anyway, to say Altec never built a cabinet without the sloped bottom panel may be correct, and may not be.

I wasnt around way back when, so I dont know what changes and revisions designs went through.

I have some A7,s all have the sloped bottom panel, they are late 70,s vintage. I also have two 815A,s two 817A,s, and four 816A,s, and NONE of them have sloped bottom panels.

But, I do agree with OG, the cabinets for sale on ebay are pretty rudimentary looking.

[Old Guy]

I'm not so much arguing the lack of slant bottom, as much as that combined with the crude build.
If they were really well built, i'd say interesting- I would however like to see more evidence.

I've seen some bad Altec cabs, including the ones they made with no braces behind the horn.

But the finish was way better than anything like that- it just doesn't look like an experienced woodworker made it. I keep trying to think of any other way to look at it-, I really do- and it keeps coming back to a crude piece of junk being palmed off as "rare".

[GM]

Greets!

Well, I'm just curious too and as it turned out I had a misfiled high res pic of three original looking A800s with the early mil-spec two piece cast H-800s and tiny DC vent, paper surround 803s that clearly show a flat bottom confirmed with a scaled 16" mouth height, the same as the 825's throat height and all three even more poorly assembled than the unit in question!

Since I've seen a large throat/sloped bottomed unit, apparently a variety of horn expansions were tried and/or possibly even different ones were used depending on the app before finally settling on the 825's. That, or there was an Altec contractor back then making his own. BTW, these have decals pasted on all three sides with excessive amounts of a brownish glue like we used on mil-spec and high heat/humidity climate bound electrical equipment cabs and combined with the cast H800s makes me wonder if some were built/installed prior to the official 1947 intro date while Altec was in wartime production mode.

Still, I'd like to see some data taken from the cab to confirm it's an Altec as this cab is so easy to replicate.

[Old Guy]

Interesting Gm- those may have even been prototypes...

Fit finish may not have been as much a concern on a prototype unit.

I'm still negative about the Ebay unit- I would gladly apologize if there were Altec stamps inside- but I would bet $50 they ain't there...

[Old Guy]

Just a note- I'm sure the older among us know how readily available decals were- the 50's versions of Altec prints I have list an address and price to order them...

Altec clamped down on distributing decals later- I know by the 70's they were difficult to get even for distributors. I work for a contractor here in Ohio- around 73 and we couldn't get them.

[Steve Schell]

I dunno guys, but I am inclined to give the ebay seller some slack on this one. I have numerous pictures stored from an October 2001 ebay auction for a pair of model 800 systems, and the cabinets appear to be identical in almost every detail to this auction piece. Even the chamfering of the curved panels at their front edges, which looks to have been done somewhat crudely with a handheld belt sander, looks the same. The only difference I can see is that the large VOTT decal was applied to the removable back panel on these cabs rather than to either side as in the auction piece.

I also have a single picture from an auction in September 2002 for another pair of model 800s. These cabs also have the flat bottom flare, but the decals are applied to the sides like the auction piece. The sanding of the curved panels was more carefully done on these.

I don't have a host site set up for pictures, but if anyone has this capability and would like to have them appear on this thread then write to me at stfrsc*AT*juno*DOT*com and I'll send them to you.

[bfish]

I'll venture one last speculation...

No matter what they are, they ain't worth the opening bid.

Anyone wishing to argue that should contact me...I'll knock 800/825/828 boxes out all day long for $500/pr.,

...then beat the **** out of them for nothing!

[bfish]

Originally posted by bfish:
...then beat the **** out of them for nothing!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Which is an excersize in efficiency here in the Ozarks...build 'em on a hilltop, and roll 'em off into the back of a truck parked in the holler...like the Mountain Dew guy...

[Old Guy]

I remember back in the 70's- I think Science and Mechanics, a poor competitor to Popular Mechanics, ran an article on making reproduction furniture into "instant antiques"

Some of the tips included flogging with chains, and-no kidding- to simulate wormholes, peppering it with a shotgun.

[bfish]

You bet, some #9 in a .410's just right. Plenty of fun, too.