need advice on refinishing speakers. Do's & Don'ts

As a pro, let me say you've made a wise decision. A good shop knows how to remove black stain from wood if, in fact, it is actually a stain. Most often it is black lacquer, the color is in the finish and not in the wood. One thing to consider, ash is an open, large grained wood and may look a bit odd colored cherry or mahogany. The walnut (brown) color would be more appropriate. Have the grain filled as it will help disguise the fact that it's ash. Also, the use of a dye stain vs a pigmented wiping stain will result in a much nicer look. Glazing can help too.

If you have somebody else do it, and if that person hasn't done speakers before, there's one thing you have to make clear to the person.

Many professional refinishers strip by immersing the furniture in a large vat of chemical stripper since it's otherwise labour intensive work. Obviously you don't want this done to the speaker cabinet unless it can be taken apart, any filling removed and then properly replaced. Now I don't think that a real pro would be that stupid, but then again, some pros may not be as professional as they should be, just like any other contractor. Make sure they know that the cabinet can't be immersed and that it would have to be stripped by hand. It will add to the cost but that's the price you pay if you prefer to have somebody else do it.

Markphd makes an excellent point and I'll go a step further. Never have any piece of furniture tank stripped, hand stripped only.

Lots of wisdom in those last few posts. I am very grateful... the vat deal never entered my mind... nor did the filling or glazing ideas. Many thanks.

thank you. Surely for myself, and naturally for htose later on planning some likewise venture.

I've been involved in things like this...it's a simple box...have it re-veneered if the speakers are worth it. You'll have a very wide pallette of woods to choose from and they'll look MUCH better when you're done (new, in fact).