JBL L200 Studio Masters, value?

Ken Boyd

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Anyone have an idea of what a pair of the JBL L200 Studio Masters are worth? Orginal owner close to me, so shipping not a problem. Looks like a big two way large 15 inch bass driver and a horn behind the lens.
 
2nd condition is everything, if complete with original screens with grill cloth and badges, unmolested original components, cabinets in nice original condition with no noticable dings/scratches could fetch $1,000 IMO. Not having to crate/ship is a huge benefit. The L200B could fetch up to $500 more due to having the 136A woofers, same applies re condition and being original. Check Lansing Heritage for detailed info re the L200. Nice examples or any examples are getting harder to find, JBL mfg more advanced speaker systems of similar size in the same period and in later years but the prices are quite higher and easly average $3000-$5000. These are probably the only affordable large JBLs you can expect to find and it probably won't be that case for long.
 
They are the L200's with no other desigination Orginal owner since new in excellent condition according to the owner.
 
Check the corners for cracks and check the feet for swelling -
my first pair of L200 cabinets had gotten damp and, I think,
froze at some point - so I found a second pair of cabs to move the drivers into!

Basic LE15 woofer and LE85 (horn & driver) combo.
Do they have the original plastic "lens" over the horn -
they are getting rare and hard to replace with originals.

Are you buying them to resell or buying to keep?

A couple of us have upped the 2way design into 4333/L300 equivalents -
and the cabinet has a great SAF ... (Spouse Acceptance factor)
 
Again I'll second everything Heather said. As for SAF if you want to go the extra mile you can purchase reproduction foam grills that came in assorted colors that bring the appearance of the speakers to another level. If you have never owned large JBL speakers I doubt you will be in a hurry to resell them unless your moving up the line of JBL speakers. They arn't difficult to power but they deserve to be used with decent associated electronics, amp/preamp etc like your Mac equipment which would of been used by many owners when they were sold new. If you think I'm talking trash check Ebay for a currently listed L200 in nice sape with original components but missing screens, something like $890 so far with multiple bids and six days to go.
 
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Another pair of L200 listed on Ebay and already up to $1350, I thought I was being conservative at $1,000.
 
Are these speakers local to you, 'cause shipping would be ... whew!

For what its worth, mine did not have grills or foams. The grills are much like window screens that fit into place and are held by velcro -
the foams can be glued to the screens but mine are held on with more velcro.
 
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Be aware that some JBL fans consider the L-200B a far better and more valuable speaker than the plain old L-200, this because of a different woofer in the B and a flatter, more controlled bass response. According to Don McRitchie the original L-200 was designed to sound boomy, that was the intent.
 
Much like the L100 the L200 can be simply/cheaply modified to adjust the bass with a plumblers plug by closeing one of the two ports, this is reversable. The L200b was an updated L200.
 
Much like the L100 the L200 can be simply/cheaply modified to adjust the bass with a plumblers plug by closeing one of the two ports, this is reversable. The L200b was an updated L200.

Yep, that "less wank" guy told me about changing the box tuning by plugging the 2nd port
with a pipe plug from Home Despot - but we just call it a Zilch plug now...
The ports are matched left and right - this box has the right port plugged.

That was just the start of a series of updates I did to mine as it evolved over 6 or so years.



I have a 4333 based crossover in mine to run the 2405 slot I installed top dead center on the front baffle,
so I have 2 LPads on the right where there was originally just one ...
Someday I'll have a new foilcal made for them, but its a needless expense for now.

I had also pulled the LE15 woofer and substituted a 2234 - thats a 2235 without the mass ring.

Since I am using an external midrange and walnut smith horn,
I have a plywood cap over the center hole where the LE85 used to go.
I originally had OEM-color brown grill foams, but now use a custom black pair that looks better to me.
I also made wheeled footers that just fit around the original MDF footers, to protect the fragile footers,
and make it easier to move the boxes to vacuum.

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Since the original question was about value, I'll chime in having just bought a pair:
Beaters with good drivers and crossover: $500-$1000
Good condition with cloth grills:$1,000-$1,500
Looking great with new foam grills:$1,250-$2000
 
Since the original question was about value, I'll chime in having just bought a pair:
Beaters with good drivers and crossover: $500-$1000
Good condition with cloth grills:$1,000-$1,500
Looking great with new foam grills:$1,250-$2000

But - What drivers are in yours?
And - How do they sound??
 
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