Covering Guitar Amp Cabinets in Tweed or Tolex - Sizing, Cutting, Gluing, Applying, Cutting Corners

Covering Guitar Amp Cabinets in Tweed or Tolex - Sizing, Cutting, Gluing, Applying, Cutting Corners
After spending a day building and finishing a few amp cabinets now the time has come to cover them in tolex or tweed. These are some moments along the way. Hopefully they will give you an idea how this is done. Feel free to comment below with questions.
Tolex/tweed application can be a bit of an art but if it is something you're considering doing it is also totally a learnable skill. I started my tolex journey by recovering several Suitcase Rhodes pianos about 15 years ago. A Rhodes has about every angle you could imagine to cut and apply tolex so it was a great primer.
Enjoy!
#ampcabinets #tolex #tweed

[@ivandzombak8234]

Beautiful work, and very helpful video! I'm getting ready to apply tweed to the 5F2A amp that I recently built, and I've never done tweed/tolex before. I plan to do some practice pieces first, especially for the corners. Thanks!

[@FreshOldSchool]

Go for it! Practice makes it easier but the only way to get in some practice is to cover something! The 5F2-A is one of my favorites. Hope it turned out great!

[@uptownphotography]

Great job and i love the vintage 1" 8 track machine in the frame.... Phil NYC Area

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks! I'm still getting used to doing all the work and setting up the camera. It's tricky than it looks! Haha! One day soon I'll do a video on the tape machine. It's got a great history!

[@uptownphotography]

@@FreshOldSchool Yes, definitely do a video on the tape machine. That would be interesting. I used to own a 1 inch 16 Track before getting a digital stand alone recorder. I am sorry I sold it and still do have quite a few 1" tapes that I used back in the 1990s when I recorded my jazz fusion songs for a CD. I didn't have the 24 track digital machine at that time (when I sold it) or I would have transferred my analog tracks over to the digital machine. Phil NYC Area

[@wrekkingcru]

I can tell you really do quality work, man - from both your amps and that sweet looking shop you're in. Have you ever made any furniture for your family as well? Years ago we bought two bar stools from an Amish store in PA and they are the perfect thing for sitting on and performing one-man acoustic shows. Very comfortable.

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks! My brother in law builds couches for Lazy Boy. He's the only one in the family that has built his own furniture. But, you know, some of those guys (especially in the design department) have to sign exclusivity contracts and can't even build doll furniture on the side! I've got the back seat out of a '64 Galaxy that I'm building into a couch. I'll make a video of that when I get to it! Thanks for watching! There are some great craftsmen out there in PA!

[@dogger2186]

Tweed is great work with and apply some heat makes it even easier on holes/corners

[@FreshOldSchool]

Great tip!

[@jasonbiggs603]

Wow. You are great at this. I thought I might want to try this but it looks stressful.

[@FreshOldSchool]

Haha. I’ve got ice water in my veins.

[@lazarus-lake]

Digging the mustache, Chris!

[@FreshOldSchool]

Haha! Thanks. It's my disguise.

[@dogger2186]

*As a side note I also use SuperGlue Gel and a broken off piece of a coffee stir stick to line under the two seams. After applying it I hit it with a little heat to start to flash it and then line and press everything in place. Really helps stop the seam from lifting with time #BFGCABS

[@Eyesofthasouth]

Very cool man. Subscribed! Do you have a video that shows the matching of the front to the sides?

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks for watching! I build cabinets all the time but since I’m a one man shop I don’t get to film all of them. I’d like to get more and better videos up next year. Showing how I match and line up is a good idea. I’ll do it.

[@1thess523]

How many yards of tolex would you say I would need for a Marshall JCM 900 head. I've replaced the face plates and replaced my cabs grills but now I want to redo the head

[@kalrasmussen4780]

Hi Great job So what weight of Rolex were you using? Do you have the specs on it? I would like to purchase the same . Also the exxact glue you were using please. Thank you so much and keep up the good work!

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks! You can get tolex here: www.tubesandmore.com/products/grill_cloth_tolex_piping?filters=980a275c272a980 or here: www.mojotone.com/cabinets/cabinet-parts-hardware/tolex-carpet-and-tweed both sites have tolex glue available. Hope that helps!

[@Billkwando]

At what timestamp was the aforementioned gluing?

[@gianni.chiarello]

is fabric an option to cover cabs? i see companies like Morgan having that fabric look on their cabs, or is it still tolex with a fabric type finish?

[@LatinRhemaMusic15]

I am working on covering my 4x10 cabinet wuth Tweed Cover.... Any sugestión as to how to cut the Rear Ports ? I am thinking on covering the sides first, and then Cover the rear all the way to the rear Ports.... any sugestión fir this?I am working on covering my 4x10 cabinet with Tweed Cover.... Any sugestión as to how to cut the Rear Ports ? I am thinking on covering the sides first, and then Cover the rear all the way to the rear Ports.... any sugestión fir this? Thank you

[@thompson11285]

Hi There! Awesome tutorial. I did want to ask how you tolex corners when you don’t have the standard 90 degree angle that your tweed amp has. I see that you have a head unit in the final frame that has a front-mounted chassis. That first angle is going to be obtuse, and the second angle (where the bottom of the chassis connects with the baffle board) is also obtuse. Any guidance as to how to handle telexing this exact scenario? Thanks for the fantastic content! -Tommy

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks! That cabinet was covered starting with the bottom. So with it upside down I wrapped the bottom and sides. Then after that I flipped it over and used a center section piece for the top. It is a flush connection with the tolex on each side rather than an over-wrap. That way the whole thing has one smooth layer of tolex. As far as the cuts go, when you cut a corner that's going to have an over-wrap like vintage Fender cabinets you are cutting the extra off along the plane of the cabinet so you don't wind up with a double overlap where you don't want it. When you're doing a smooth job with no overlap like that little cabinet, you cut the 45 at the corner but are careful not to cut material you will need. Also, while they are 45 cuts you're actually removing an inverse 45 worth of material before you make the stretch around a corner. That's where the extra material to manage obtuse angles comes from. Hope that helps! I'll link another cabinet covering video I made below. Thanks again for watching!

[@FreshOldSchool]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bom6c6J8j8h2isU

[@thompson11285]

You are THE MAN! I found that second video after searching through more of your content, and I was able to use it to tolex my head cabinet last night. I wish i could post pictures on KZbin; it turned out fantastic because your instructions. Do you have a link where I can donate a couple dollars to buy you a beer?

[@FreshOldSchool]

Nice!! Thanks! I’ve got even better!! You can buy a pint glass from my shop and enjoy a beer yourself for a job well done! fresh-old-school.creator-spring.com/

[@thompson11285]

Done and done. Thanks again!

[@gregsmith7492]

So....you applied glue to both surfaces, let dry, then used the heat gun to soften it up when you actually applied the material to the cabinet?

[@FreshOldSchool]

Thanks for watching! That's exactly right. The timelapse in the bottom left was the only record of that part (unfortunately!). Tolex glues are applied to both materials and allowed to dry. The heat dries whatever is still wet and also softens whatever has already dried.

[@brentholladay3113]

It should say on the bottle Mojotone Truglu Tolex snd tweed glue is probably like contact cement, which bonds by applying both sides, then let dry then bond together

[@mefirst4266]

I HAVE A FEELING THE PIECE THAT GOES OVER THE TOP AND BOTTOM CENTER IS FIRST FOLDED AND GLUED BEFORE INSTALLING IT.

[@jander4342]

Hi...do you do recovering as a business? I have a vintage 1950's 45rpm record player that needs to be recovered.

[@michaelclark5020]

It looked good but I really missed the over lay part would have liked to seen it all but I guess you can’t reveal all your secrets.

[@FreshOldSchool]

Sorry about that. The camera quit for that part and it was only picked up by the timelapse GoPro. I'm a lot better at covering cabinets then I am at filming it all. Haha. For gluing I use a cheap brush with plastic bristles. Butter up the tolex and the cabinet and then after about 30 minutes you can make sure both are dry with a heat gun. The heat is your friend and it can even soften it enough to pull apart if you need to realign. Again, sorry about that! Technical difficulty. You can see it in the small timelapse but i wish the main camera had caught it!

[@Owegi]

What weight tolex do your prefer or recommend for fender amps that will have bare corners (no metal covers) ?

[@FreshOldSchool]

Anything Mojotone sells is rugged enough but tolex is really just fabric backed vinyl like boat upholstery so anything could work. I'd stay away from Hobby Lobby or craft store stuff.

[@Owegi]

@@FreshOldSchool Thanks for getting back with me and for the info. How about tolex weight (light, medium, heavy)? Is the heavier stuff, like the 30oz fabric for example, too thick for open corners like the chassis in this video? I guess I'm wondering what tolex weight/thickness you find best, based on your experience, for doing open (uncovered) corners on cabs. Thanks again...

[@MAC100PROOF]

Is there anyway you can remake this video with an annoying buzz in the background and the background music drowning your voice out?

[@mefirst4266]

TOO BAD YOU CAN NOT SHOW US THE CORNER AT A GOOD ANGLE. THEY DO NOT LOOK LIKE FENDERS AMPS.

[@garyburginjr1366]

Go outside