Sequel remodel??

[Tube60]

Hi all
Haven't posted in a little while. My life is going in new and wonderful directions, so I haven't had time to post recently.
But I digress: My Sequels I've enjoyed for many months now, but the mis-matched panels and the deteriorating Nextel coating on the enclosures are beginning to become fairly major issues. The panel issue is straightforward; new ones! As for the Nextel issue, I'm concerned about stripping it, since it's a fairly toxic material. It would be fairly straightforward to reverse-engineer new enclosures, but along the way I'd like to update the look of the replacements, in the vein of the Summit. I do find the flying-buttress panel supports of the original Sequel to be a bit dated, visually, compared to the current ML designs. I'm considering replacing the original-style panel supports with 2 x 2 oak or walnut supports, which I think would perform well, look better, and provide a better soundstage than the originals. I'm not trying to create a poor-man's Summit or anything, and for what it's worth, I'd save the original enclosures. I think I'd be able to create a better performing speaker, visually as well as acoustically, than the original. So, thoughts please!
BTW I'm as of this writing building new amps and eventually a new preamp to go along with all this!
Regards,
Ross

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Ross,
I would keep the design. You could just strip off the Nextel and finish the cabinet with something of your choosing. I would get some advice from ML about stripping the Nextel. I have used some Orange cleaner on mine which has helped and I know others have used Armour All or a similar product which seems to help.


Jeff

 

[JonFo]

Ross, I'd ripp off the panel, woofer and electronics and hand it to a cabinet shop for them to deal with stripping and refinishing.

That way the challenge is on them and you get to pick your finish.
However, the box is MDF, so finish is going to be some kind of paint.
Unless you want to pay for laminating, but with some of the curves, it could be costly.


Rebuilding sound neat but get's complicated, quickly. Trust me on that...

 

[Kruppy]

Oooo, I bet laminating the box would look sweet, one of kind Sequels!

 

[Tube60]

Thanks all for the encouraging replies! I think now I'll stay with the original cabinets, and I'll email ML about stripping the Nextel coating, per Jeff's advice. I'm considering gloss black lacquer with dark-stained side rails.