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paper speaker cone infected with mold.

billoetjen

billoetjen

May 3, 2005
1,291
21
Burlington, Vermont vt
#1
just scored what seemed like a bargain (!) on Craig's List. Ampeg BA112 American-made, of uncertain vintage. Everything looked okay on the outside; sounded on-par at the guy's house; and the controls all worked right and no odd noises. I didn't bother to look under the grill cloth because the grills on these units can be a pain to remove.

Got it home :hmm: and the upper mid sounded more nasally than I expected. Yanked the grill and found pretty substantial growth of mold in spots across the cone and dust cap. Even more concentrated in the surround. A quick look with a flashlight through the port in back didn't reveal any.

Now, I can't tell if I am finding fault with the tone because I saw the mold, or if the mold might actually affect the sound.

Any suggestions? Treat the cone? Replace the driver? Any cab experts out there want to weigh-in?

Thanks in advance,
Bill
 
#2
You need to get that cab out of your house before the mold causes major health issues with you and your family. Go move it to the garage NOW.

FIX. Buy some chlorine bleach like a bottle of chlorox. The real basic stuff, pure chlorine and water mix; the really smelly stuff, not some marketing BS Chlorine substitute. Then mix it about 7-10:1 further reduced with water in a spray bottle and spray a rag and wash the cone gently with the rag. Don't be afraid to lightly spray the cone. It is already junk, you are trying to bring it back. If you fail throw it away.

You will want to wear gloves and a mask.

You are trying to kill a living organism that is trying to kill you. Don't let it succeed.

BOB
 
#4
Mold is everywhere, on many of the surfaces in your home already, present in most air you breathe daily. Not all of it is toxic and most of the time its not a big deal.

Not a big deal. I would say that the fact that mold is growing on the paper cone is a tell tale sign that it's been through a small water damage or stored in a high moisture space for an extended period of time. If the electronics fire up and are without serious corrosion, thats the more important issue.

I you feel like you need to treat the mold with something, ask a janitorial supply store for a quaternary disinfectant like Microban to stop it from activley growing during levels of high humidity in the summer.
 
#5
Mold and other fungi are pretty ubiquitous. Did it damage the cone and cause a sonic difference? probably and maybe. Put it outside and crank it up! disinfectants and dehumidification in the storage are may kill it off entirely and some loud playing should damage the hyphae quite a bit and disperse any spores.
 
#6
rbonner said:
You need to get that cab out of your house before the mold causes major health issues with you and your family. Go move it to the garage NOW.

FIX. Buy some chlorine bleach like a bottle of chlorox. The real basic stuff, pure chlorine and water mix; the really smelly stuff, not some marketing BS Chlorine substitute. Then mix it about 7-10:1 further reduced with water in a spray bottle and spray a rag and wash the cone gently with the rag. Don't be afraid to lightly spray the cone. It is already junk, you are trying to bring it back. If you fail throw it away.

You will want to wear gloves and a mask.

You are trying to kill a living organism that is trying to kill you. Don't let it succeed.

BOB
Click to expand...
You cant be too careful with this highly threatening organic material.
I know about this stuff, I used to live in Grenada!, One day a little green/black spot appears in the grouting between the tiles in the bath room and the next thing you know. Rampant mildew in your underwear!.:eek:
 
#7
If nothing else it represents the presence of moisture. I'd tend to think if you clear out the mold from the surface of the cone and the tone issue still exists, the moisture made it to the voice coil and started to corrode either it or the leads or something.
 
#9
j_nition said:
Mold is everywhere, on many of the surfaces in your home already, present in most air you breathe daily. Not all of it is toxic and most of the time its not a big deal.

Not a big deal. I would say that the fact that mold is growing on the paper cone is a tell tale sign that it's been through a small water damage or stored in a high moisture space for an extended period of time. If the electronics fire up and are without serious corrosion, thats the more important issue.

I you feel like you need to treat the mold with something, ask a janitorial supply store for a quaternary disinfectant like Microban to stop it from activley growing during levels of high humidity in the summer.
Click to expand...

+1
very few molds are that dangerous
lightly misted chlorox or microban or recone and you're good to go
I have a VT40 that has slight mold on the speakers and grill cloth; been like that since the early 80's; be careful not to remove the funk when you clean the mold
 
#10
rbonner said:
You need to get that cab out of your house before the mold causes major health issues with you and your family. Go move it to the garage NOW.

You will want to wear gloves and a mask.

You are trying to kill a living organism that is trying to kill you. Don't let it succeed.

BOB
Click to expand...



T o o l a t e



I ' m t y p i n g t h i s i n
a n I C U w i t h b y b l i n k i n g a t a n L E D


I l e a v e m y SX m o d d e d P t o Bo ng o m a n i a.
















But seriously, I'm not worried about the stuff I just want the driver to be 100% pristine and as new as the rest of the hulkin hunk.
 
#11
uh oh, judging by the odd typing it seems you've contracted ergot poisoning!!! :D
billoetjen said:
T o o l a t e



I ' m t y p i n g t h i s i n
a n I C U w i t h b y b l i n k i n g a t a n L E D


I l e a v e m y SX m o d d e d P t o Bo ng o m a n i a.
















But seriously, I'm not worried about the stuff I just want the driver to be 100% pristine and as new as the rest of the hulkin hunk.
Click to expand...
 
#13
rbonner said:
FIX. Buy some chlorine bleach like a bottle of chlorox. The real basic stuff, pure chlorine and water mix; the really smelly stuff, not some marketing BS Chlorine substitute. Then mix it about 7-10:1 further reduced with water in a spray bottle and spray a rag and wash the cone gently with the rag. Don't be afraid to lightly spray the cone.....

BOB
Click to expand...

This is good advice.

I used to live in the Caribbean, and it was so humid year-round that EVERYTHING used to grow mold on it. We had to keep "heat bars" in the closets to keep moisture down so mold wouldn't grow on everything. I remember pulling out a suit jacket once and the entire back was covered in green fuzzy mold, and it had only been two weeks since I'd worn it. :eek:

All of the musicians down there used to get mold on their speakers. We did exactly as Bob recommended above, every month or two. It worked like a charm every time, but you must be gentle when you rub the speaker.
 
#15
According to the EPA chlorine bleach works as well as anything
Have been involved in some mold remediation projects on residential projects that had air sample tests and wipe tests done before and after treatment and bleach kicks butt

Interesting thing on the air sample tests in that no matter how clean the space, the outside air can very greatly from day to day with concentration of mold spores

As I recall, aspergelious is the bad one for children, oldsters, and anyone with breathing issues
Besides, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
 
#16
Update - I keep all my gear in a well-dehumidified basement practice space. Mold won't have a chance to extend itself. So I'm not even bothering myself about it. As for the tone, it seems that the seller told the truth about never using the amp. The BA112 must not have seen any duty, because the driver just needed to break-in. Hard to believe but he had it for YEARS and didn't use it. The tone opened up beautifully and it sounds just the way I expected it to. Me very happy!
 

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