Of course the JBL C38 is the pinnacle of "low-boy". I have the C36 (the upright versions), and they are by far the most dynamic and dazzling speakers of that era I have tried so far (a perfect match to my Fisher 500c and were stupendous with my MC30's which are dedicated to another room).
The benefit of the "C" JBL system is that all the components are interchangable and the hardware is easily attainable or makable. I bought my cabinets empty (had been gutted for ebay flip as the parts are worth more than the whole), and I experimented with every combination (D123 12", D130 15" and LE14 14" drivers; 075 bullet tweeters and LE20 dome tweeters, LX8, LX2, and N2600 X-overs) and found that the cabinet size likes the D123 12" drivers and 075 bullet tweeters. The "LE" system was the last generation that went into those cabinets (1965 was the last time that cabinet design shows up in the JBL catalogs) and it is a bit soft and tubby with tubes, but glorious with early SS (MC2105 was the perfect match to those drivers and the bass was truly deep, tight and powerful unlike the earlier paper edge drivers which can be bass shy).
The design of the later C38 "lowboy" (and C36) is incredible as the feet screw off, the grill slides out and all parts (except crossover which screws into a factory cubby in the rear) are accessible from the front with simply a phillips scew driver. Compononet swapping is done in less than 10 minutes and you are up and running again! The C36/38 is truly the last set of cabinets you would need to buy as they are part of a fully modular system which allows you to mix and match to your heart content to get exactly the dynamics you want.
Oh, and my cabinets actually had a set of Jensen Coax drivers in them originally.....hence you can use them for any drivers of the era that fit simply by making a new baffle board out of plywood or MDF.....brilliant!
The prices have jumped on these in the past 3 years, but the C38 is still lower than the C36 as the low-boy is less desireable. I would think around $1k would get you the configuration I have in minty condition....and after hearing them, they are well worth the price!
James
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