Kustom Amp Project: Round Three

[02R96]

For anyone who's interested, this is the third installment of my Kustom II "rescue" amp rebuild project. I was given an old Kustom amp (vintage 1975) that had been sitting a garage for god knows how long. It still works, but needs some fixing up.

 

The other night I completely gutted the cabinet and scrubbed the Tolex to get the dirt and mildew off. What I found was the Tolex was in worse shape than I thought it was (dings and cuts), which makes sense since my father-in-law gigged with it back in the day. So this leaves me with a few questions...

 

First, is this amp a collectible or just a run-of-the-mill amp for it's day? What I'm getting at is I thought about doing a gonzo rebuild with new paint, chrome parts and embellishments. But if has some sort of collectible value I don't want to ruin it.

 

How hard is it to replace Tolex? I looked at a few DIY sites on the net and it looks easy; easy if you know what your doing (like dry walling)!

 

I also thought about stripping off the Tolex and finishing it by either painting it or going over the partical board with a

veneer. Or just build a new cabinet (which puts an end to my finishing questions).

 

Opinions?

[Bluesape]

I could be wrong, but I'd say you're not risking much collector value by fixing it up.

[Caevan O’Shite]

You could try an Ampatch Tolex repair kit; I think that'd be much preferable to taking off the Tolex and painting, and veneering is just too crazy extreme, way more of a Federal project than this needs to ever be...

 

(Their "Vintage Black" might be the best match for you; look and compare.)

 

http://www.easynett.com/ampatch/orange.jpg

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

First, I don't KNOW this, but my feeling is that it is basically worthless as a valuable collectable piece.

 

So, lets get practical. I'd clean it well, then use one of the commercial vinyl/plastic restoration products (like ArmourAll) on it to restore the flexibility to the surface. The cracks and crazes are a part of its age and charm. Any cuts can be patched with that vinyl patch kit you see on TV, probably find it at WalMart or like that. Then Play On.

 

If you are really nuts, you might either take the cab to an upolstery shop or attempt to do a tuck and roll yourself. But it really isn't worth it from any practical financial standpoint. I've re-upolstered a few things, and it is time consuming and it seldom comes out as well as one might hope, though usually better than one might have a right to expect.

 

I would NEVER strip it and paint it or whatever. It has some class the way that it is. It will be a hacked up POS if you hack it up. Meanwhile, you can buy or make a cabinet for less work that is brand new and looks a treat. Why put work into messing up that old cabinet. It never did anything to you... seriously, if it has any value at all, it is going to be the cool factor of what it is. Don't try to make it what it is not. Be like turning Britaney's make-up people loose on Keith Richards.

 

Bill

[02R96]

>>> Be like turning Britney's make-up people loose on Keith Richards <<<

 

 

I'm going to use that line. I don't know when, but I'm going to use that!!!!!

 

Actually you guy's are right. I have a habit of making the simplest things more complicated than they have to be. I believe in the business world it's called "Scope Creep".

 

I do have some vinyl cleaner I forgot about. I'll give that a try first...

[Caevan O’Shite]

First, I don't KNOW this, but my feeling is that it is basically worthless as a valuable collectable piece.

 

You're probably right; I agree.

 

If you are really nuts, you might either take the cab to an upolstery shop or attempt to do a tuck and roll yourself.

 

Oh, I forgot, this is a Kustom! Is it the tuck-and-roll style covering, like custom car upholstery? or "flat", crinkly Tolex?

 

I would NEVER strip it and paint it or whatever. It has some class the way that it is.

...seriously, if it has any value at all, it is going to be the cool factor of what it is.

 

Many an old "tweed" Fender amp with that heavily worn "Raggedy-Anne" look, and the way they're revered, proves this point. As long as they're functional and upkeep maintenance has been done, they're generally held to be worth more as-is than recovered.

 

This particular amp is probably "worth" the most as an amp that can be used by a player who likes its sound, feel, and features, much more so than as an appreciating collector's piece. (I could be wrong, but I don't think so.) And too much alteration could ruin its value as either.

[TallonReazin]

 

So, lets get practical. I'd clean it well, then use one of the commercial vinyl/plastic restoration products (like ArmourAll) on it to restore the flexibility to the surface.

 

Ummmmmm... I wouldn't use ArmourAll. I work in the car industry and unless you want it to crack MORE, do NOT put it on there. At first, it's great. If you don't keep reapplying it every month or so, it dries it out big time. There are much better products out there than ArmourAll.