Why on earth do they put carpeting on cabs?

[JakobT]

I freely admit that I have trouble understanding the reason many cabs are covered in carpet or "rat fur". To me, it just means that the cab will attact dirt, be difficult to clean, and generally look fuzzy and worn very quickly. I like my gear to look good, so carpeting is a deal-breaker as far as I'm concerned.

What do you guys think? Do you like carpeting or not, and if so, why?

 

[AaronVonRock]

I hate rat fur. I wouldn't buy an amp or cab that has it.

 

[Jloch86]

Only if it looks like George's hat

 

[chris_b]

My carpet covered cabs never had a problem.

I put covers on them and everything was fine.

 

[sharkbait130]

I'm not a big fan of rat fur but it is one of the most durable coverings out there so I guess it's a compromise between being easily cleanable and durability. Those little sticky roller things for cleaning a suit are the best things I have found to clean rat fur. If you own a cat , all bets are off.

 

[Skybone]

So that your cat has something else to rip to shreds?

 

[IanA]

Rat fur works for me, as Chris_b said, if you get covers it is never a problem.

 

[Nighttrain1127]

Rat fur is relatively cheap compared to duratex type spray on coatings and more durable then tolex . Yes it can collect a lot of dirt and stuff but if you clean it regularly and use covers it can look decent and last a long time.

 

[murphy]

My cabs look new after years of playing and gigs.
keep it covered at home....Cats
Give a sweep now and then
Protects the cab from bumps and scrapes and still looks sharp

 

[murphy]

Now...Tolex rips
Duratex chips
very quickly

 

[ASQTec]

The carpet acts as a bass trap.

 

[thunderbird66]

My Hartke cabs have the rat fur. It's the only thing I don't like about them. They look dirty all the time. Bought them used. Could clean them with carpet shampoo and a shop vac I guess......

 

[beans-on-toast]

Rat fur has a bad reputation in some circles. At one time, it was common on professional PA cabs. You have to keep in mind, there is good heavy grade Ozite and there is cheap rat fur such as the stuff we see. I have EV cabinets with the good stuff and the covering has stood up well over many years. An advantage of it is that velcro sticks to it and this can be handy.

There are better solutions available today. I wouldn't but a new cab with quality Ozite on it simply because I prefer a smooth surface.

 

[deeptubes]

I have a rat fur 810. I have a tolex 215. In all honesty, I don't care what the cabs are wrapped in. I only care about what comes out the front.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

The carpet acts as a bass trap.

Seriously though, I thought there was much more to a bass trap than just random chunks of carpet?

 

[Korladis]

I freely admit that I have trouble understanding the reason many cabs are covered in carpet or "rat fur". To me, it just means that the cab will attact dirt, be difficult to clean, and generally look fuzzy and worn very quickly. I like my gear to look good, so carpeting is a deal-breaker as far as I'm concerned.

What do you guys think? Do you like carpeting or not, and if so, why?

I agree. Carpet covering is awful. I'd rather a cab be covered in nothing, rather than rat fur.

 

[JakobT]

An advantage of it is that velcro sticks to it and this can be handy.

There are better solutions available today. I wouldn't but a new cab with quality Ozite on it simply because I prefer a smooth surface.

I hadn't thought about the velcro thing. I agree that it's a point in its favour.

 

[Blueinred]

I remember seeing it for the first time on Cerwin Vega cabs in the mid 1970's. They used a light to medium gray covering and they were unique at a time when you still saw a lot of rolled and pleated Kustom rigs, usually torn with the stuffing showing.

 

[shawshank72]

I love carpet.
Holds up fantastic with little maintenance.
Had a GK MB212 that everything it touched took the finish off and looked like chit.
Yet my Traynor gear looks as good as the day I bought it.

 

[FunkHead]

My Avatars are over 10 years old and still look new. I hate the Rat fur but it's what I ended up with. I almost bought enough Tolex to recover them but it seems like a ton of work.

As stated above, A lint roller does wonders to remove the debris that gets stuck on them.

If I had it to do over, I would choose Tolex but it's not really that big a deal.