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Bag End Club.

sand em down and use some of this
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I literally just clicked over from the S-15B-B page, reading this:

“ABOUT NATURAL OILED BIRCH CABINETS
Bag End® Natural Oiled Birch enclosures were the original cabinets we made starting in 1975. In the 1970’s we made all our cabinets from the highest grade clear face Finland Birch plywood with a hand rubbed oil finish. At first look these cabinets may seem to be fragile and too nice looking for use for portable systems, but the durability and longevity is now well proven. Many Oiled Birch cabinets are still in use 30 or 40 years later and perform as well today as the day they were made. With use and travel the finish will nick and ding and over time and the cabinet acquires a patina like finish. This is especially enhanced if you occasionally re-oil it. Today most of our production is still made with Finland Birch plywood and finished with durable black Ro TexTM. The classic clear face Finland Birch plywood with the hand rubbed oiled finish is available on several standard models and most models can be custom ordered in this finish”
 
love it. im always looking for opportunities to show off my little bottle of bag end cabinet oil. it smells and looks like your standard hardware store stain probably in some walnut flavor. i dont think the carpeted cabs were as high a grade of plywood (aesthetically speaking) but that wouldn’t stop me from chasing that look if i were in your particular shoes. you can always paint it later if you hate it, but it would be harder to go the other direction
 
I literally just clicked over from the S-15B-B page, reading this:

“ABOUT NATURAL OILED BIRCH CABINETS
Bag End® Natural Oiled Birch enclosures were the original cabinets we made starting in 1975. In the 1970’s we made all our cabinets from the highest grade clear face Finland Birch plywood with a hand rubbed oil finish. At first look these cabinets may seem to be fragile and too nice looking for use for portable systems, but the durability and longevity is now well proven. Many Oiled Birch cabinets are still in use 30 or 40 years later and perform as well today as the day they were made. With use and travel the finish will nick and ding and over time and the cabinet acquires a patina like finish. This is especially enhanced if you occasionally re-oil it. Today most of our production is still made with Finland Birch plywood and finished with durable black Ro TexTM. The classic clear face Finland Birch plywood with the hand rubbed oiled finish is available on several standard models and most models can be custom ordered in this finish”

I called them last year about getting some oil to do my BE cab. They told me to use this:

Watco 1 pt. Dark Walnut 350 VOC Danish Oil-265501 - The Home Depot

The link is to Dark Walnut. That looks a little too dark. Maybe the Medium or Natural? Hmm... Have to call back and ask.
 
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Those oiled cabinets look great, even having the somewhat normal Bag End badge is much better than some other brands with their screaming loud badges. But what catches my eye is the thickness of that plywood, yikes!
The smaller S15 cabs are not heavy. 42 or 44 pounds. The sound difference with Bag End cabs is worth it to me, though.

Heavy tube amps aren’t my tone and not worth it to me to haul. For some, they are. Solid classic cabs like my S15’s definitely are.
 
I called them last year about getting some oil to do my BE cab. They told me to use this:

Watco 1 pt. Dark Walnut 350 VOC Danish Oil-265501 - The Home Depot

The link is to Dark Walnut. That looks a little too dark. Maybe the Medium or Natural? Hmm... Have to call back and ask.
I wonder whether they apply a lighter Danish Oil at the factory, but recommend a darker secondary application to sort of make the patina develop nicely.

IN OTHER NEWS I JUST ORDERED A D12 in black carpet from GC in New Hampshire. I have a little brewery tour next weekend up through Massachusetts and will swing up that way to pick it up between gigs.
 
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Well they sound great! I got them for nothing because of some minor water damage — a centimeter of storm water wicked up into the deep red carpeting, and there was some yellow mold. I got them from a TB’er the day after the storm, and cleaned them up with alternating rounds of vinegar and other cleaners. I got them looking very good and set them to air out for a month, but they were still unfortunately musty.

Last week I pulled the carpeting off and did another quick round of cleaning amd they’re now all good! The only thing now is to decide on whether to take the drivers out and refinish the plywood with a sander or to go some kind of bed liner route, or simply throw a few coats of black paint on!

Looks like they spray the edges at the input panel and handles black at the factory. Probably for two reasons — better adhesion there and so no light wood shows at any slight gaps in the carpeting.

I have two S15D’s and could make two rigs as you have! But using the smaller boxes as a gigging pair is perfect for me. The Big Dogs are a bit much since I bring the PA, which sometimes means those TA15’s.

So the plan is to use them at home.

I have a large recording Studio/Rehearsal space and my current thinking for their use will be as bottoms for a stereo PA setup — Keys, Vocals, my Turntables, and as a powerhouse monitor system for my computer DAW rig when I demo mixdowns. The TA12 jr’s can be the tops, easily pulled for use on smaller gigs.

I’d love to hear some feedback on which way to go with the refinishing.
Duratex would be a good option - multiple coats possible depending application technique.
 
View attachment 4452437
View attachment 4452443
View attachment 4452441

Well they sound great! I got them for nothing because of some minor water damage — a centimeter of storm water wicked up into the deep red carpeting, and there was some yellow mold. I got them from a TB’er the day after the storm, and cleaned them up with alternating rounds of vinegar and other cleaners. I got them looking very good and set them to air out for a month, but they were still unfortunately musty.

Last week I pulled the carpeting off and did another quick round of cleaning amd they’re now all good! The only thing now is to decide on whether to take the drivers out and refinish the plywood with a sander or to go some kind of bed liner route, or simply throw a few coats of black paint on!

Looks like they spray the edges at the input panel and handles black at the factory. Probably for two reasons — better adhesion there and so no light wood shows at any slight gaps in the carpeting.

I have two S15D’s and could make two rigs as you have! But using the smaller boxes as a gigging pair is perfect for me. The Big Dogs are a bit much since I bring the PA, which sometimes means those TA15’s.

So the plan is to use them at home.

I have a large recording Studio/Rehearsal space and my current thinking for their use will be as bottoms for a stereo PA setup — Keys, Vocals, my Turntables, and as a powerhouse monitor system for my computer DAW rig when I demo mixdowns. The TA12 jr’s can be the tops, easily pulled for use on smaller gigs.

I’d love to hear some feedback on which way to go with the refinishing.
Have you or any other S15B owners tried running these sealed?
I would think that would be killer!
 
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Nooooooo

“Hi Joseph,

I am reaching out to you about the bag end cabinet you had ordered. Unfortunately when we received this item, the speakers and magnets had shattered in shipping. Currently we are selling it as just the cabinet. If you are still interested please give us a call at (603) 621-3016. We will be more than happy to assist!

Cheers,
Kasey”
 
Just recently got a pair of cabs, man they compliment my rig so well. So light and modular, wish I had got them 20 years ago.
F8E96AD7-13E6-46E7-AAD7-17DB22E524CD.jpeg
Just beautiful cabinets.
 
Nooooooo

“Hi Joseph,

I am reaching out to you about the bag end cabinet you had ordered. Unfortunately when we received this item, the speakers and magnets had shattered in shipping. Currently we are selling it as just the cabinet. If you are still interested please give us a call at (603) 621-3016. We will be more than happy to assist!

Cheers,
Kasey”

Kasey needs to quit smoking his lunch!
 
Not knowing the wood quality, is that the same veneer as the factory oiled cabinets?
No. It’s US plywood not Baltic if I remember correctly from stuff I’ve read. It’s not poor quality, but it is I believe a notch below the really good stuff. There is one small factory repaired void on one and a biscuit-shaped patch of a knot in the other.

I left the baffle as it was, painted black. It has some kind of thicker spatter texture on it, sparsely applied.
25107B65-0579-401D-A1FC-15BB1A228B4A.jpeg
 
That still looks awesome! I really like to sell off a few cabinets to buy an oiled Bag End.

Btw nice stable!
Thanks. I hit it with 60 Grit. Then went right to a quick pass with 150. Had I gone one more pass with 150 and then a 220 it would have come out a bit better, but these were a little beat up and it didn’t quite seem worth it.

And I thought something similar about the GC cab. (In RE your post above)
 
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