Or ya know, actually taking care of your gear.
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no more carpeted cabs?
- Thread starter joebeadg
- Start date
Greetings from the North,
I detested Rat Fur so much that I even ordered a 'Dr Bass' cab without trying one first because at the time they were the only manufacturer that I could find that didn't use it. I was one of the early buyers that actually received their cab albeit 3 months late.
Rezdog
I detested Rat Fur so much that I even ordered a 'Dr Bass' cab without trying one first because at the time they were the only manufacturer that I could find that didn't use it. I was one of the early buyers that actually received their cab albeit 3 months late.
Rezdog
I want to be buried in a rat fur casket.
Actually, the real bedliner material can take a major beating without tearing. That is why it is used in pickup beds. The cheap spray can stuff is not very resilient. I had to repair collision damage on a bed that had the spray on liner and it was almost impossible to get off, even with a grinder.
skyline_01
Endorsing artist: Nordstrand Audio, Tsunami Cables
I've had a number of rat fur cabs in the past and I've never been a big fan. I think the best was probably the Aguilar GS112 - it seemed to hold up pretty nicely and after about 3 years of solid use I sold it in very good condition.
I lucked out when I found my current "gigging" cab through a local TB user. It's an early Epifani UL210 that started life with black carpet and somewhere along the way a previous owner recovered it in red vinyl. It's not a professional job but still looks overall and I still prefer it to the fur.
I lucked out when I found my current "gigging" cab through a local TB user. It's an early Epifani UL210 that started life with black carpet and somewhere along the way a previous owner recovered it in red vinyl. It's not a professional job but still looks overall and I still prefer it to the fur.
I can’t get overly obsessive about things like that. I made some covers for my Goliath Juniors. But mainly because the van my band was using at the time had a very rough plywood floor and our cabs didn’t slide to easily across it without hitting and snagging the occasional screw heads holding it down.
Most times my attitude about my road gear is the same as my attitude towards my car - take reasonable care and precautions- but don’t get frantic over it. As my grandfather used to say, “If you got a new car and you’re always worried about where you park it, then you probably can’t afford to own such an expensive car.”
I still use my Bag End S15-D cabs with the deep red carpet covering. They have a few pilled areas, but I have no issues bringing them out in public. They're friggin bass cabinets, not Ethan Allen dressers for godsake. Would I like them to be covered in black bedliner? Yes, of course...but I’m unwilling to spend the hours it would take to disassemble and slowly strip them down, and seal them, and the $ to have them sprayed at my local Line X dealer. maybe someday...if I am around in a few years, I might consider it.
So I was complaining about the smell of my carpet-covered cabs after a weekend gig, my wife gently scooted me aside and sprayed the cabs with Fabreze. No more smell. That's my girl! As far as the covering, most higher end cabs have Tolex, or something that looks like Tolex; I invest in vinyl slip over covers to save my cabs from dings and tears during transport. Carpet covered cabs don't ding and tear so easily, and some stout glue and a magic marker cover the tears fairly well. If the cab sounds great, I don't care how they cover it.
Carpet is durable but I always had a lint brush in my gigbag! Peavey made the best cabinet covering! I have my dads 50 year old cabs that are still in great shape.
Ahh, those were the days. Tuck 'n' Roll forever!!
However, many Nauga's had to give their hides to cover one of those magnificent rigs, and they are on the endangered species list at this time.
Also, the Glastron Boat company used up the last of our natural supply of metalflake, so you can only get the cheap imported variety now.
I've seen Kustoms and other brands covered in black leather (pleather?) tuck and roll, and it looks pretty good, but it lacks the "charm" of the blue, green, or purple originals.
+1 on disliking fuzzy cabinets. I'll take Tolex, liner, etc. any day. Easy to clean (especially beer spills), doesn't get smelly, doesn't trap allergens... I'm glad "rat fur" has gone by way of the dodo too.
And I agree with @Kukulkan61 that tuck 'n roll needs to make a comeback. Being a Jersey guy who's all about "shiny diners," tuck 'n roll makes perfect sense to me. Ain't nothing finer than some post-gig grub at a 'Jersey diner
And I agree with @Kukulkan61 that tuck 'n roll needs to make a comeback. Being a Jersey guy who's all about "shiny diners," tuck 'n roll makes perfect sense to me. Ain't nothing finer than some post-gig grub at a 'Jersey diner
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My cabinets are covered in...wood. I don't have roadies hauling them, granted, but they seem to hold up OK so log as I don't horrible mistreat them.
I wonder how difficult and practical it would be cover a cab with real full grain leather.
Some combination of glue and/or rivets? Bet it would look (and smell) fantastic, although you’d have to be of the mindset that scuffs = character.
Some combination of glue and/or rivets? Bet it would look (and smell) fantastic, although you’d have to be of the mindset that scuffs = character.
