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Rat issues

Gabu

Gabu

Jan 2, 2001
4,432
576
California
#1
It looks like when my old Ampeg cab was in the garage some rats moved in for a while... Everything works... but when I was looking through the rear ports, I noticed the droppings...

Ok, got the garage vacuum and cleaned up some rat poop inside it... but I am thinking of what to do next. Since everything seems to work, I guess I just need to clear out the acoustic material that's in the bottom of this duder, replace it, and then cover the ports up.

One thing is the amount of acoustic material seems pretty low. Not sure if the rats were eating it or carrying it off somewhere else... but I am guessing it used to have more than it does now. Ampeg Yamaha does not have any info on my old PR212 cab. I guess that was not transferred to the new owners. Any tips on how much fluff to add back to this cab? Generally, I wish i could just make it like it was... I just don't know how it was.

Also, would speaker covers like these be open enough to cover my cabs rear ports without issue?

81HaYlL7gTL._AC_SX679_.jpg
 
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#4
Well, if the rats in California are somewhat similar to mice in Europe, I have some experience to share (don't ask). They just lived inside because nobody was disturbing the cab for a long time. I don't think you need to hard cover the ports, if you plan to use the cab. If the rats had eaten the acoustic padding, you would see it - they leave debris all around. They don't eat the foam which likely is made of plastic, rather they create a cozy bedroom.

Open the box (unscrew the speaker closest to bottom), look how it looks, and clean the mess. Also check whether they tasted the paper speaker cones and cable insulation. Possibly the bottom stinks of urine; easy to clean with some common mild cleaning agent dissolved in water; let it dry thoroughly. I wouldn't change the partly eaten padding, if the cab sounds alright - the padding is not that very important sound factor with ported cabs. I believe - someone correct me - that grill over the ports might change the sound more significantly than missing padding; you would be of course wise to check it before drilling screw holes.

Surely you did something to get rid of the rats, otherwise they will move somewhere else, likely more destructive.
 
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#9
jj.833 said:
Well, if the rats in California are somewhat similar to mice in Europe, I have some experience to share (don't ask). They just lived inside because nobody was disturbing the cab for a long time. I don't think you need to hard cover the ports, if you plan to use the cab. If the rats had eaten the acoustic padding, you would see it - they leave debris all around. They don't eat the foam which likely is made of plastic, rather they create a cozy bedroom.

Open the box (unscrew the speaker closest to bottom), look how it looks, and clean the mess. Also check whether they tasted the paper speaker cones and cable insulation. Possibly the bottom stinks of urine; easy to clean with some common mild cleaning agent dissolved in water; let it dry thoroughly. I wouldn't change the partly eaten padding, if the cab sounds alright - the padding is not that very important sound factor with ported cabs. I believe - someone correct me - that grill over the ports might change the sound more significantly than missing padding; you would be of course wise to check it before drilling screw holes.

Surely you did something to get rid of the rats, otherwise they will move somewhere else, likely more destructive.
Click to expand...

Since I noticed this, I'm looking around for rats as a current issue... But they may be from long ago. I have not found any sign of them outside of this cab. After 911, I joined the Navy and was gone a lot. So, this cab sat around for years at a time. I still dragged it out and played when I could... but it really did sit around a lot.

I'm retired (from the Navy) now, so I'm picking up where I left off. :)

Yes, I am going to clean all of that out. Hopefully nothing else is damaged. If I see the rats were chewing on something else, I think I'll stop screwing with it, and let a pro fix it up. It sounds ok though, so I am guessing if they chewed on bad things, they didn't do it much.
 
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#17
Every year around October I get a possum who usually hangs around until the beginning of March and then disappears. It's always a different possum; it's always a young possum. I think I may be part of their internship program.

Time was I would have a pretty good idea where the possum was at any given time of day. Now, not so sure. Many times to locate it I have to cry out, "O possum, where art thou?"
 
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#18
GretschWretch said:
Every year around October I get a possum who usually hangs around until the beginning of March and then disappears. It's always a different possum; it's always a young possum. I think I may be part of their internship program.

Time was I would have a pretty good idea where the possum was at any given time of day. Now, not so sure. Many times to locate it I have to cry out, "O possum, where art thou?"
Click to expand...
Possum Academy would be an awesome bluegrass band name. :D
 
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#19
Gabu said:
It looks like when my old Ampeg cab was in the garage some rats moved in for a while... Everything works... but when I was looking through the rear ports, I noticed the droppings...

Ok, got the garage vacuum and cleaned up some rat poop inside it... but I am thinking of what to do next. Since everything seems to work, I guess I just need to clear out the acoustic material that's in the bottom of this duder, replace it, and then cover the ports up.

One thing is the amount of acoustic material seems pretty low. Not sure if the rats were eating it or carrying it off somewhere else... but I am guessing it used to have more than it does now. Ampeg Yamaha does not have any info on my old PR212 cab. I guess that was not transferred to the new owners. Any tips on how much fluff to add back to this cab? Generally, I wish i could just make it like it was... I just don't know how it was.

Also, would speaker covers like these be open enough to cover my cabs rear ports without issue?

81HaYlL7gTL._AC_SX679_.jpg
Click to expand...
Sorry, but I gotta ask…this cab isn’t covered in rat fur, is it?
 
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#20
Gabu said:
It looks like when my old Ampeg cab was in the garage some rats moved in for a while... Everything works... but when I was looking through the rear ports, I noticed the droppings...

Ok, got the garage vacuum and cleaned up some rat poop inside it... but I am thinking of what to do next. Since everything seems to work, I guess I just need to clear out the acoustic material that's in the bottom of this duder, replace it, and then cover the ports up.

One thing is the amount of acoustic material seems pretty low. Not sure if the rats were eating it or carrying it off somewhere else... but I am guessing it used to have more than it does now. Ampeg Yamaha does not have any info on my old PR212 cab. I guess that was not transferred to the new owners. Any tips on how much fluff to add back to this cab? Generally, I wish i could just make it like it was... I just don't know how it was.

Also, would speaker covers like these be open enough to cover my cabs rear ports without issue?

81HaYlL7gTL._AC_SX679_.jpg
Click to expand...
Oh, I thought we were talking about this...

20240111_125206.jpg


:)
 
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