Ampeg Early 70's Grill Cloth

[greengoblin]

That was put out by Loud. And Yamaha has a new SVT coming that uses that cloth, so it can't be discontinued any longer.

Good catch!

 

[xJasonSmithx]

So there is a small local shop jazz guitar amp maker here in Denver: Home - Henriksen Amplifiers

They have a roll of the cloth left over from a custom job they did. They were nice enough to take time out of their day to mount the cloth for me. I mentioned that a lot of people on here would be interested in buying it from them. I think if you contact them and ask nicely they would sell it just keep in mind they are building their own line of amps and that measuring, cutting, and shipping this is probably not how they want to be spending their time. That said they were extremely nice guys so it couldn't hurt to reach out.

 

[Ringhammer]

New member here bringing (what I think) is good news for many of you:

I, too, have been scouring the web trying to find the coveted "70s"-style discontinued Blue/Silver cloth -- NOT the Black/Silver that I've been seeing (like this one Invalid Link Removed) -- and finally stumbled upon this:

Invalid Link Removed

The image on their site is the only one I've been able to find (so far) that looks remotely close to the original pattern, so I took a chance and ordered one 90x90cm piece. It just came in and it looks pretty good! Just need to wrap it around my frame and install it.

Here's what it looks like, right out of the package:


Get it while it's hot, and still in stock! But save some for me in case I mess up the install and need to order more

I ordered two 90 x 90 cm pieces from here and got them pretty quickly, like 2 1/2 weeks. It looks good, a bit more on the silvery side, not so much of the blue/green, but it matches the AV era material very well.

 

[Coltynp]

I ordered two 90 x 90 cm pieces from here and got them pretty quickly, like 2 1/2 weeks. It looks good, a bit more on the silvery side, not so much of the blue/green, but it matches the AV era material very well.

I was just about to order some of this to make a new grill for my vintage Svt but it looks like you might have got the last of it! Anyone got any leads on grill cloth that might be close? Or even some scrap left over that might be enough for an Svt grill?

 

[Mannishboy]

Hey Guys,
Fliptops.net has a limited quantity available now at $15.00/ft. (6' max per customer.)
Get it before it's gone!

 

[ahdw]

New member here bringing (what I think) is good news for many of you:

I, too, have been scouring the web trying to find the coveted "70s"-style discontinued Blue/Silver cloth -- NOT the Black/Silver that I've been seeing (like this one Invalid Link Removed) -- and finally stumbled upon this:

https://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/T...cloth-Ampeg-Silver-Blue-90-x-90-cm::1942.html

The image on their site is the only one I've been able to find (so far) that looks remotely close to the original pattern, so I took a chance and ordered one 90x90cm piece. It just came in and it looks pretty good! Just need to wrap it around my frame and install it.

Here's what it looks like, right out of the package:


Get it while it's hot, and still in stock! But save some for me in case I mess up the install and need to order more

I know this thread is ancient, but damn. I have been looking for this "aged" blue sparkle cloth for a while and I think this tube-town option was it, but it seems like it is discontinued now. I am trying to match the appearance of two modern 212AV cabs and a V-4B head to my black-line SVT.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I know this thread is ancient, but damn. I have been looking for this "aged" blue sparkle cloth for a while and I think this tube-town option was it, but it seems like it is discontinued now. I am trying to match the appearance of two modern 212AV cabs and a V-4B head to my black-line SVT.

It would be a lot easier to change out the blackline grille cloth to match the other two.

The problem with the grille cloths is that they are a synthetic material with the color imbedded. They don’t take well to dying. In general when I want to age grille cloths, I start with soaking in strong tea (Early Grey, Twinings) it darkens the material. Let dry and rinse. This is an easy option. All staining requires some experimentation with swatches.


Dyes are available such as the ones below. Less expensive water based dyes are also available at hardware stores. You need to mix a batch of colors and dilute with water, then see how it turns out. There is not magic formula that I use, it’s different all the time.

ColorTone Liquid Stains - StewMac

ColorTone Liquid Stains mix into most finishes and deliver hues that highlight wood grain on guitars, amps, and more. Backed by our Lifetime Promise.

www.stewmac.com

 

[ahdw]

It would be a lot easier to change out the blackline grille cloth to match the other two.

The problem with the grille cloths is that they are a synthetic material with the color imbedded. They don’t take well to dying. In general when I want to age grille cloths, I start with soaking in strong tea (Early Grey, Twinings) it darkens the material. Let dry and rinse. This is an easy option. All staining requires some experimentation with swatches.


Dyes are available such as the ones below. Less expensive water based dyes are also available at hardware stores. You need to mix a batch of colors and dilute with water, then see how it turns out. There is not magic formula that I use, it’s different all the time.

ColorTone Liquid Stains - StewMac

ColorTone Liquid Stains mix into most finishes and deliver hues that highlight wood grain on guitars, amps, and more. Backed by our Lifetime Promise.

www.stewmac.com

Thanks for the reply. I contacted fliptops about getting some swatches of the current production blue sparkle and I'm going to try several methods. Tea is the one I am most interested in - no lasting smell or chemicals that could leech off and damage other parts of the gear.

I know it would be way easier to swap the blackline to a newer grille, but I just really dig the aged look. The current production blue sparkle is both a little too blue and too sparkly for me, lol. It's also slightly different between my two 212AVs which were produced about 5y apart, so I have a very mismatched stack at the moment.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Thanks for the reply. I contacted fliptops about getting some swatches of the current production blue sparkle and I'm going to try several methods. Tea is the one I am most interested in - no lasting smell or chemicals that could leech off and damage other parts of the gear.

I know it would be way easier to swap the blackline to a newer grille, but I just really dig the aged look. The current production blue sparkle is both a little too blue and too sparkly for me, lol. It's also slightly different between my two 212AVs which were produced about 5y apart, so I have a very mismatched stack at the moment.

Some of the “ageing” on old cloth is dirt. I wash it with mild soap and water. Removing it is good, if the frame gets too wet it can warp. Old grille cloth is easier to reinstall because the folds are in place. It doesn’t have to be removed if it isn’t too dirty or smelly (smoke).

Ampeg used to put a thin sponge under the grille cloth, with time it disintegrates to a powder. I glue a layer of black felt on, cut out openings, then apply the grille cloth. The billowiness gives it a good look. The sponge that Ampeg used is like the type used inside the room on air conditioners. Home Depot and other hardware stores sell it.