Padded Speaker Cab Covers--better think twice!!

[Platefire]

Just wanted let other folks who are considering buying a padded cover for their amp cab, what happened to me. I got a new Allen Accomplice amp with the combo cab that came with a padded cover. The padded cover is a type of rubber foam built into the inside of the cover. It was real nice for about ten years and then the rubber foam started disintegrating and piling up in the inner lining holding the foam in place. I cut the inner lining open and the pieces of foam started falling out in pieces---what a mess! I went ahead and tore out all the inner lining and all the disintegrating foam bit by bit.
 
I decided to just use the outer speaker cab cover with the inner lining and all the foam removed as a cover. The problem with that is the glue emulsion that held the foam in place is saturated in the outer part of the cover then gets on the amp's tolex and then makes it sticky. If I'm going to have a cab cover for my amp cab, I really need to make or buy another cover. I don't know it the people who make these padded covers have discovered this problem yet and went ahead corrected this problem or not???? I just thought I would warn anybody that had bought one of these or planning on getting one, better check this issue out first.

[shooter]

 


the headliner in my Dodge truck has done the same!!!  it started to sag, bought a can of spray-glue, when i pulled out a section of the liner to spray,  the foam between liner n cab roof was DUST n chunky bits


every bump causes a mini-dust storm!! 

[Platefire]

Doing a little research on my deteriorating padded amp cover. Apparently the company that had the crumbling foam padding is "Tuki". Here is a link to some discussion on this problem:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/did-tuki-ever-change-their-foam.2568890/

[Platefire]

Gave the Accomplice a good cleaning today. Was able to get the gobbley Gook off the tolex with just a damp wash rag thankfully. The tolex is no longer sticky to the touch.  Used a vacuum on the grill cloth and used a touch of Windex on the face of the control knobs. I been looking at new covers on line but they are in the $70 -$100 dollar range. I have made covers for all my amps in the past, so I think I'll just do it again one more time. 

shooter--you can buy headliner kits on e-bay. I bought one for my 1994 Ranger and it lasted about 10 years and is drooping
again:>(

[shooter]

         it's a beater-wood-haul'n stump puller and occasional backup, so neglect is good enough 

[scstill]

My wife makes covers for me out of marine vinyl. Flexible and strong.
Not sure why covers would need to be padded.
Maybe I'm just more careful in transport than the pro roadies out there :-)
I always carefully pack the car so that there is no movement possible filling gaps with towels and such.

[Platefire]

shooter---My ranger is a beater for sure with 400K miles. I now use tacks to hold up the drooping headliner

scstill------your wife is a little bit more fancy than me on materials. I've used materials available at wall mart. I haven't bought any from them in awhile but they use to have different colors in a vinyl like material with a cloth liner. I use to cut out the material myself and get a local seamstress to sow it up using some cloth binding to cover up the edges. I finally couldn't find a seamstress who would sow it up for me. so I started using a stapler, that I don't like but I had to do something to connect the pieces. Now I wonder how I'll sow it up this time?

[scstill]

I finally couldn't find a seamstress who would sow it up for me. so I started using a stapler, that I don't like but I had to do something to connect the pieces. Now I wonder how I'll sow it up this time?

Wow what a coincidence.
A few weeks ago I picked up this Cordovox (for conversion)  https://stillampd.com/cordovox
Came with this period correct cover that was stapled together. haha
I wonder, could this be one of your masterpieces???
I really like the vibe of the cover and am trying to find a similar material to make a second.
So now the real dilemma, Do I leave the staples or have my wife sew it.

[Platefire]

Well I guess it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has plunged into depths of degradation of stapling amp covers together with staples. If I was you I would definitely get your wife re-do that cover with some nice stitches and maybe even add a binding strip. I can't imagine that your cover was originally stapled from the beginning. I would think the staples was done as a repair??? but I guess stranger things have happened!

That is some project you have undertaken with the electronic accordion. Never knew such a thing existed. I went to the link and checked it out. The amount of P to P wiring and parts are mind boggling! Those who designed that put a lot of thought and work into it. So it's good to know it's being re-purposed for guitar. I'll be following your progress on this one. It kind of reminds me of the time I picked up a Hammond PA40 Tone Cabinet converted it to guitar.
 
Pictures attached of a couple of my DIY covers. The black one done with staples for my #2 1482 and the camouflage one for my Peavey Paver conversion.was sewed up by a seamstress.

[scstill]

I played a similar beast when I was 13 or so. Parents likely spent a fortune for it new.
Accordions weren't cool so I played it as a keyboard (on a stand).
Electronics were such that you did not need wind through reeds for sound (although it worked analog too)
Maybe some day I'll get one with the Accordion.

I will likely start a separate thread with the circuit questions I have in the design.
They did some strange things in the day.

Also the Tone Generator tubes are weird, gonna create an amp prototype (another thread) as experiment to use them for guitar; 6X8, 6FH7 (triple plate!)

The cover is 100% stapled seams from the inside so you don't see the staples, Not factory. Sewing is best.

[Platefire]

OK, will be looking for the treads

[Platefire]

In conclusion to my Tuki padded cover problem discussed in the earlier part of this thread, I did the following to convert the cover from padded to just an ordinary am cover:

OK, experiment with converting padded Tuki cover to a non-padded cover is complete. First the main problem other than removing the inner lining and disintegrating foam rubber was the tackiness of the old glue and debris embedded in the cover material. That old glue and debris in turn would attach to the amp's tolex which was no good:>(


 This is what I did. Soaked the cover in 70% Esoprotyl Alcohol for 5 hours in a large bowl. During that
 period I would massage and change the position of the material in the Alcohol several times. I then
 rinsed  and rung out the material 8 times in tap water in a large bucket pouring the old water out
 each time and re-filling with fresh water until the water went from dingy dark to clear. I then hung
 it out on a clothes line to dry.

 The results is I find no tackiness/stickiness on the material as previously got on the amp tolex.
 Also I find no more deteriorated foam rubber coming from the material getting on everything.
 Once it dried out I did spend a little time trimming loose threads and remaining cloth left over from
 removing the old inner lining. The cover material held up good to the cleaning treatment and appears
 to be sturdy as ever and also held its black color. At this time it seems ok for use. I will keep an eye on it as weather changes to see if that effects anything.

[Bluebark]

Covers are a pain and waaay over priced. I have been looking for an industrial sewing matching for a while now to make my own. Hell, a cover for my boat alone is over $600. But...industrial machines are Not cheap either. But one will pop up soon...always does. Ask and the universe provides.

[Platefire]

Yelp! the sowing part was always the hitch in making covers for me. I tried a small hand operated sowing machine but it was too light weight to stitch the heavy material.  Then by going to a professional seamstress, by the time you paid them, you've ate up all money saved by doing it yourself. Staples will work but it looks pretty corny:>(

[Bluebark]

There is always Velcro. And the adhesive used on Original Velcro is great on smooth surfaces...never tried it on cloth/vinyl.