no more carpeted cabs?

[beans-on-toast]

The industry has much better alternatives available today with spray-on coatings. Ozite fabrics (rat fur) and vinyl should be a thing of the past.

Vintage reissue amps are something else. You gotta keep tweed and some vinyls. That’s down to consumer demand. But manufacturers are also stuck in their ways when it comes to this.

 

[dspellman]

Ive noticed I don't see any new cabs with carpeted exteriors. I thing they are tougher than the vinyle covering and I like the look better

My most recent (and current) cabinets are coated in LineX (textured pickup bed coating that's nearly structural) or Duratex (rubberized textured paint found on a lot of current Pro Audio gear).

LineX is tough as hell (see Mythbusters episodes on YouTube), but it's also a bit heavy (like carpet), fairly thick. It also offers a sound damping factor for the exterior of the cabinet. Duratex (made by Acrytex) can be applied via brush, roller or spray (mine's applied via a textured roller). Unlike fabric/vinyl coatings that tear and rip, dings and scratches in Duratex can be easily repaired.

 

[dspellman]

But lacquered tweed FTW...

I replaced the faux tweed tolex on a pretty battered Carvin Belair several years ago with real tweed (oops -- it's LOTS thicker than tolex) and lacquered it well. Stuff is brutal (to other cabinets). Extremely tough.

 

[dspellman]

What happens when you give your truck bed spray cab a good bang against something and then the wood gets exposed?

Doesn't happen with LineX. That stuff is a two-parter that goes on hot, and that's usually cured well enough to take home an hour later. It's not fully cured for about 24 hours, after which it's an anti-explosion coating. A "good bang against something" will usually result in damage to that "something," not to the LineX.

 

[Chico Cornell]

I like the carpeted cabinets because it gives our cats something to scratch on. I also like metal grates over the speakers to keep the cats from tearing the speakers apart.

 

[blowinblue]

There are different grades of "rat fur", the good stuff (trade name "Ozite") is a high quality product and is pretty costly too. While it's a very durable covering, it does tend to attract cats, cat hair, and odors if playing rank dive clubs.

I've lost count of the number of times that I've gigged in rank, dive clubs and stray cats have jumped up on my carpeted cab or clawed at it or just rubbed up against it. Totally annoying! I hear you, Brother. Lol.

I'm ok with carpeted cabs. Owned several and still own one (the one I purchased new in 2002). After a couple hundred gigs and rehearsals it still looks brand new. Never had a case or cover for it. I've found the secrets to keeping carpeted cabs looking like new. It takes just a little effort on a regular basis, but is well worth the effort. Please don't ask how I do it, because then they wouldn't be secrets. A few previous posters seem to know part of the routine. In fact, I'm so ok with rat fur that I might have my truck bed lined with it. For me it's a toss up between carpet and coatings. Vinyl comes in a distant third place.

M. M.

 

[fourteenstrings]

Who was the "genius" that thought covering amps and cabs with road kill was a good idea? Good bye and good riddance to rat fur.
B.

I’m not sure if they invented the idea, but Cerwin Vega was the earliest “big” manufacturer I recall using it (back in the 1970s).

As agedhorse mentioned in an earlier post, the “original” carpet covering really was very durable compared to what is applied to cabinets these days. It did absorb beer and smoke smells though.

In my opinion, a “perfect” cabinet covering hasn’t been developed yet - everything has its pros and cons, so we just have to buy based on our individual preferences.

 

[jamro217]

I know this is going to sound bizarre, but I sprayed my rat fur Randall 2-10 cab with Camp Dry before an outdoor gig and it hasn't picked up any odors.

 

[Bob McAlister]

No rat fur for me, but my cat used to think my old cabs were scratching posts....loved them! Resulting in something very ugly.

 

[Dyna LowRider]

I’m just not a fan of carpet, be it on my amps or my floor. Tolex is nice, been considering the spray on truck bed stuff for both the Eden EX112 and the 440Live Aguilar GS112 clone.

Agreed bro . Never have been a fan of Astro-turf on cabs (or sports fields) . If your cabs are made of birch ply , rather than strand , a better option would be to strip them down to the wood then applying some clear urethane .

 

[agedhorse]

LineX is tough as hell (see Mythbusters episodes on YouTube), but it's also a bit heavy (like carpet), fairly thick. It also offers a sound damping factor for the exterior of the cabinet. Duratex (made by Acrytex) can be applied via brush, roller or spray (mine's applied via a textured roller). Unlike fabric/vinyl coatings that tear and rip, dings and scratches in Duratex can be easily repaired.

LineX can in fact chip depending on the location of the impact and the film thickness of the coating. 0.050" is about the minimum and 0.063" is ideal. Beyond that it gets awfully heavy, and even at the 0.063" thickness it will weigh about 5 pounds more than vinyl/Tolex on an "average" bass cabinet

Duratex scratches pretty easily, and has a tougher time adhering to birch faced plywood without serious roughing up of the surface. It's popular with the DIY crowd because it's easy, and it works better than paint. I did extensive testing about 5 years ago to see how viable it might be in a production environment and unless extreme care and control over temperature, surface conditions and film thickness is used, it's nowhere near as forgiving as the 2 part catalyzed coatings.

Doesn't happen with LineX. That stuff is a two-parter that goes on hot, and that's usually cured well enough to take home an hour later. It's not fully cured for about 24 hours, after which it's an anti-explosion coating. A "good bang against something" will usually result in damage to that "something," not to the LineX.

See my above comments, while LineX is one of the best options, it's not indestructible (and it's heavy).

 

[Redbrangus]

Line-X and the other true bed-liner products are indeed durable, and if properly applied, probably the closest thing you can get to indestructible. However, you might find the texture too rough and aggressive for a speaker cab as applied by most truck-bed-type guys, and finding a vendor willing to experiment with dialing back the texture could be a bit of a challenge.

While not nearly as durable as a 2-part, catalyzed coating like bed-liner, DuraTex works well enough for DIY purposes. IME, you need to apply two full coats before doing the texture coat to get it on thick enough to last.

Carpet, as @agedhorse sagely pointed out on the first page, is available in widely varying quality. The original Ozite-based stuff, as used by the SR industry, is incredibly durable, but I'm not certain that product is still available. Although I don't care for it personally, I get why some pro sound companies went that route...I have some 20(+)-year-old Showco boxes sitting in my shop right now and they don't look all that bad, given the number of miles and shows they've probably endured. But the carpet covering on them is infinitely superior to the covering on all the manufactured MI products I've ever seen, some of which are little better than felt, IMO. The term 'rat fur' (around my shop we called it 'monkey fur') is used to distinguish these inferior products from the real stuff, and it is indeed derisive. It's intended to be.

 

[Hot Rats]

I guess I am the odd man out. I like carpeted cabinets. My NeoX 212t still looks great after 11 years and hundreds of gigs.

 

[agedhorse]

I guess I am the odd man out. I like carpeted cabinets. My NeoX 212t still looks great after 11 years and hundreds of gigs.

It also uses the American, brand name version which is nothing like the stuff out of China. There is a difference

 

[dspellman]

LineX can in fact chip depending on the location of the impact and the film thickness of the coating. 0.050" is about the minimum and 0.063" is ideal. Beyond that it gets awfully heavy, and even at the 0.063" thickness it will weigh about 5 pounds more than vinyl/Tolex on an "average" bass cabinet

It's a bit heavy compared to Duratex, and *slightly* heavier than tolex. I've used it for about four years on a pair of oversized 2x12 cabinets that were hauled around the country, and it's been bulletproof. Heavy wasn't an issue since each cabinet had a pair of Eminence Delta Pro 12A speakers and a pair of 1165N-style piezo tweeters, and given the magnet weight on the speakers and the cabinet construction, "heavy" was thus guaranteed. The cabinets are semi-retired at the moment, but look near-new. The tolex cabinets that went along are shredded. While I won't dispute your contention that it can chip, that hasn't been my experience.

Duratex scratches pretty easily, and has a tougher time adhering to birch faced plywood without serious roughing up of the surface. It's popular with the DIY crowd because it's easy, and it works better than paint. I did extensive testing about 5 years ago to see how viable it might be in a production environment and unless extreme care and control over temperature, surface conditions and film thickness is used, it's nowhere near as forgiving as the 2 part catalyzed coatings.

I'd go with that. I think Duratex works better than vinyl when properly applied and it's a LOT easier to fix and it doesn't tear. The newer cabinets that I have (with Duratex) are constructed with the intention of being lightweight, and they'll be subjected to better handling than the LineX coated cabs (and it's likely that StudioSlips will get some of my hard-earned money, and that will provide some more protection for local hops). As long as they're not loaded into a trailer with a shifting Hammond B3, they should be good. I'll let you know.

 

[IconBasser]

I've had an old wad of gum stuck to the rat fur of my old Carvin 210 for about 10 years now. Can't get it out.

I'm ok with no more rat fur.

 

[Jim Carr]

What happens when you give your truck bed spray cab a good bang against something and then the wood gets exposed?

Doesn't happen w rat fur.

All the Ozite (rat fur) covered cabs I ever owned (at least 8, from SWR, Eden, and Epifani) developed exposed wood areas after several years.

Four of my fEARfuls are covered with bed liner. Anything I bump with one of said cabinets gets damaged, not the cabinet. Even rat fur, brick, masonry, enameled metal, car interiors, etc. suffer if whacked or scraped with a bed liner coated fEARful.

Perhaps you are thinking of black Duratex, not bed liner?

 

[Jim Carr]

Duratex is the stuff for sure. Basically all good pro audio gear uses it.

I don't know of any musical instrument cab manufacturer other than Avatar that actually uses a "bed liner" product as that stuff always looks and feels cheap.

Anchak Audio Works, and other Greenboy builders offer bed liner as an option. Serious stuff, not cheap, and darn well indestructible.
Mr. Anchak told me that it actually makes the cabinets significantly stronger and less prone to unwanted vibration, while adding 3 or 4 lbs to the weight of a 15/6/1 cabinet.

 

[Jim Carr]

...those rhino linings will add weight to the cab.

A little added weight, yes, like 3-5 lbs for a really large cabinet. However, it adds strength and damping. It might actually positively affect the performance in that sense.

My one complaint about bed liner on cabs is that it is toxic and a skin irritant. Last week, after carrying a 15/6/1 up a flight of stairs, (yes it weighs neatly 60 lbs and I'll be 70 in 3 weeks, LOL), my forearms became red and irritated where the LineX was in contact with my skin. Washing the area with warm water and lots of soap addresses the problem, and it was more severe when the LineX coated cabs I have were new.

The fix? Long sleeves.

 

[68Goldfish]

I don’t mind the fur. I’m currently gigging a pair of bag end cabs that have a pretty hefty fur on them. I got both used and they don’t smell or look bad at all really. Plus they sound great so there’s that....