Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hello all, So about a month ago while clearing out my fiancees garage, I came across an old Carvin cab that I used to keep at an old rehearsal space. Great cab, but when the band folded I simply didnt have a need for it and so it found its way into a garage somewhere near St. Albans; untouched, unused...unloved. And here it is: As you can see, a complete mess. The speaker clearly rotting away, the carpet shabby, mouldy and damp. The carpet on the underside of the cab nearly falling away, the speaker grille and the screws all rusty and the inside of the port filled with spiders webs. Electrics probably shot and the plastic handles and jack plate weak and brittle. A truly sorry state, not befitting a cab of such great promise and history. So, a plan forms: 1 - Strip it 2 - New speaker 3 - Re-Finish 4 - Blast! Read on.... Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 So, first job is to take it apart (sensibly of course), test the electrical components and strip the carpeting off of it. Grille off: And then getting the carpet off. A terrible job that took f***ing ages! Lots of swearing, smoking, scraped knuckles and broken spatulas later, we arrive at this: Looking good! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 So after finally managing to get all the sodding carpet off, I used several tools to remove the remnants of the glue and also stubborn bits of carpet off the cab. Namely a sort of mini-hand rasp type doodad and an electrical sanding machine (mini-sized). The glue proved stubborn and, much like the previous stage of getting the carpet off, it took f***ing ages. After giving it the once over with the heavy tools, I spent a while working throught various grades of sandpaper. The plan at this point was to simply varnish over the whole cab and make a new oxblood speaker grille. I'd seen this combination before and thought it looked great so thought I'd try it myself. Save me loads of money and effort too! Unfortunately after about 8 hours sanding I simply had to concede that the plywood just wouldnt be attractive enough for a 'natural' finish. (The stains on top were of spilled tea) So, at this point needed to have a little think! I busied myself making a speaker grille frame while deciding what sort of finish I should go for. I like building things, it makes me happy! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 After looking around on the internet for a while and thinking properly about what sort of cab designs I liked, I settled on a variation of the Purple Chili style. Two colours with binding inbetween! Play my cards right, It could lovely and retro, just the sort of vibe I'm after. After speaking to Ou7shined briefly, I got in contact with a company called Solsound who are a supplier of tolex and general cab/amp/guitar parts. I'll not spoil the surprise, look at the pretty pictures! Stage 1 - Dirty brown Fender-style tolex Stage 2 - Binding (friendly advice; for gods sake... buy a staple gun! Veneer pins are fine, but take f***ing ages!) Continued.... Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Is that 'Staines -Upon-Thames' or 'Teaside'..? Nice thread. It's a shame (for you...) that punk is no longer in vogue, you could've saved yourself the bother (speaker an' all...). A pity about the raw lacquer finish too; are you sure it wouldn't be good enough; under dim pub lights, perhaps..? [i]Edit : too late, looks great..![/i] A welcome change, anyhow, from our consumer throw-away habits. More power to your elbow. Now get back to work... Edited May 24, 2012 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hey, pat yourself on the back... She's looking good. What speaker are you installing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Next step is to get the speaker grille made up and do a test fitting to make sure it fits properly. Much like the binding, life would have been much easier if I had bothered to by a staple gun. As it was, I couldnt so I didnt. I used veneer pins bent over to get the grille cloth secured on the frame. Because the grille cloth wouldnt succumb to the old trick of using a heat gun to tighten it over the frame, I could hammer the pins in at an angle to really stretch the cloth and get a decent flat, tight finish. Test: and binding: Nearly there! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks guys! Yeah the plywood really wasnt anything special so not worth saving I didnt think. There's a couple patches of watermarking on the bottom half of the back and sides too which I just could not sand down. I have ordered an Eminence Delta. Forum bods seem to suggest that 400w at 4ohms will be a suitable match for my amp and blurb tells me that it'll work fine with the port size and the internal cab size too. The cab was a 400w at 4ohm jobbie originally anyway. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 So having used the grille as a welcome distraction from having to think about tolexing the sides, I then had to actually tackle tolexing the sides. For some reason, the dirty blonde tolexing didnt eally like the adhesive I was using which made it tricky to get it to stick down around the corners so it kept shifting. So I'd make a cut that would work, and then after adjusting it against the binding, I'd find that the cut was in the wrong place. So unfortunately, not happy with this part of the refurb. I think I might start again... Both sides done. See the sh*tty cuts? Not happy with that at all, so will order some more and try again. Happy with the colour scheme though and decided to get some castors put on too. Had them lying around from another project. And that's where I am at the moment. I still need to recover the sides, build a speaker grille for the port and also get some sort of badge to go on the top to finish it off. Also need to source some corners and fit the handles and the jack plate. Ive decided to keep the original Carvin handles and jack plate, mainly because they fit the holes, but also because it's a little tribute to this great cabs past! Updates as they happen (incuding a matching pedal board)! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is an awesome thread. I've stripped a couple of basses but would love to do this to an old cab. Loving the retro stylings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 amazing. top work that man ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Well, dont wanna sound glib, but it's easy really. Just source a suitable cab, do a little research (on here) to see what could work and then get it done! And someone with your practical skills I'm sure would do a grand job; much better than mine anyway! I dont understand why cabs are so bloody boring. All black or grey. Snore! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Alex, you have WAY too much time on your hands!!! Errm, Great Job! As you say, looks different from the "norm" Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Ha Ha! Nah, I just dont have any money to go out and do stuff with! Anyway, cheers buddy. Can't wait to get it all finished! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 So, had some more time available this morning and did the finishing touches. I made a grille for the port and fitted all the hardware. I decided to re-use the hardware I took off at the beginning of the project. Looking at them now, the corners look 'worn' rather than rusty. The screws look 'antique' and I was going to use the orignal Carvin branded handles anyway. Maybe for my next project I'll do everything new? Anyway, for now here's some pictures. Thanks for having a look. I really enjoyed myself and ive learnt loads that I'll take with me for future projects. Maybe I'll find another beat old cab on ebay and get it matching? Might be cool. But then I'd need to get an amp that goes down to 2 ohms And a family shot for good measure! Cheers Truckstop Ps. There will be a matching pedal board build diary up soon too! Need to buy more binding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Awesome job mate! It looks the bees knees! If my SWR doesn't sell soon I might follow suit!! Have you found that the sound has changed at all since you put the cover over the port? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 That looks fantastic! I have a sh*tty 4 x 10 that could do with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 [quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1338015319' post='1668588'] Awesome job mate! It looks the bees knees! If my SWR doesn't sell soon I might follow suit!! Have you found that the sound has changed at all since you put the cover over the port? [/quote] Unfortunately my Eminence Delta has yet to find it's way to me . As well as that, I havent heard this cab for 4 years and even when I do get the speaker, it'll be a different one so the cab will have a completely different character anyway even if I could remember what it sounded like in the first place! The area of the port has been cut by about half. Had I though ahead I probably would have gone out and bought some thinner batons to make the grille with, but I am a very impatient person so I just cracked on with whatever I had to hand! Thank you for the kind comments too! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Nice job Alex... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1338021304' post='1668649'] The area of the port has been cut by about half. Had I though ahead I probably would have gone out and bought some thinner batons to make the grille with, but I am a very impatient person so I just cracked on with whatever I had to hand! [/quote] Hi, looks great, nice work! I notice you say you had problems with the adhesive, was that the Stikatak brush stuff that I recommended? It does have quite a slow tack time which can be good or bad... Unfortunately I do think that your port grill will cause problems, as well as lowering the tuning with the batons, it will impede the air flow causing issues with turbulence at higher volumes - cab ports are usually left uncovered (or with a high-void-percentage grill offset a cm or two) for a reason. I'd suggest you try with and without at a decent level to see if it matters to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 looks gr8 mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Excellent job! Not something I'd have the nerve to do - though I'm often tempted to try to tighten the grill on my Hiwatt - but won't risk wrecking it. I watched the craftsmen at Marshall covering Lemmy Sig. heads & cabs, they took less than two minutes to do a head; I was amazed, but when you've been doing it for years.....! I'd no idea that was how piping was put on either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 [quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1338048445' post='1669024'] Hi, looks great, nice work! I notice you say you had problems with the adhesive, was that the Stikatak brush stuff that I recommended? It does have quite a slow tack time which can be good or bad... Unfortunately I do think that your port grill will cause problems, as well as lowering the tuning with the batons, it will impede the air flow causing issues with turbulence at higher volumes - cab ports are usually left uncovered (or with a high-void-percentage grill offset a cm or two) for a reason. I'd suggest you try with and without at a decent level to see if it matters to you. [/quote] Yeah I'll have to wait and see. I would have been happy to leave it open, but I couldn't get in there to get all the carpet out and the piping/tolex is clearly visible in the mouth of the port so desperately needed to get it covered! Hopefully it'll sound fine without :s Still waiting on the speaker though. Anyone had any dealings with Blue Aran before? Thank you for all the kind comments everyone, means a lot! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1337899329' post='1667334']I have ordered an Eminence Delta. Forum bods seem to suggest that 400w at 4ohms will be a suitable match for my amp[/quote] I've got two of those in a Marshall 2 x 15 - a mate of mine has 2 x Delta-Lites in a cab. I bought mine over the counter at Maplins & they only did 8ohm versions at the time. AFAIK the bog standard Delta only comes in 8 or 16 ohm but that was a few years ago; while not trying to tell my granny how to suck eggs it may be worth checking in case Blue Aran are looking for something they can't find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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