PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Keeping this short and sweet. I Picked up a lovely old Series 6 130 C7 Amp which bought from a basschat member. I am going to be pairing with this Trace 4x10 that I picked up for £50 on Facebook marketplace. The amp is fine, will need s couple of EQ slider caps but the £50 cabinet was in a shocking state, painted tolex, several coats black then white then black then something, clear coat... got the speakers out, all happy cones no wear or flap, no fixes no sprays... Everything was sprayed without any primer so rust got under and into everything and started making everything scabrous. Flappers, wire wool, sanding paper, scrapers all to the rescue... It was reassembled last night and it works beautifully, sounds amazing. My only break with tradition is to foam line the cab — older trace cabs didn’t, newer ones did. From DIY restorations in the past, I like and believe in foam and despite adding £40 to the repair (you’ll see I have reused as much as possible) — even going so far as to clean the corner bumpers and flap off the old paint and powder coat back to bare metal — as well as adding some castors for £20, the general feeling is this is money well spent. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Nice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Most people can't give these away...I admire you for bringing it back to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 It’s an *amazing* cab... and amp combo — from sonics alone... i’d take something like this over anything new and full price these days 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 I get this. Big time. I made lots of cabs for friends' stereos in my late teens and twenties. I'd buy the drivers, crossovers and terminals from Tottenham Court Road in London. I'd take the parts home to Dublin and put them in cabs that I made to order. I wasn't as well informed as folk are today about porting and cabinet tuning for individual driver sets but I always got a better sound than the boxes that my friends could afford from the shop. Lets face it, even today, it isn't difficult to improve on the speakers that come with all-in-one sound systems as standard. Made me a bit of pocket money too. Deeply satisfying. I'd love to do a few bass cabs but for the larger scale of the endeavour. I might do when I can reclaim some decent working space in the house again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Nice job. Is that a Tuff Cab finish you've used? I've been quite pleased with how that stuff looks and holds up on my DIY cabs from a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 The grill and corner protectors - are they painted or treated in any way, or just bare metal? Looks ace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Just stripped the corners with wire brushes then rubbed with wire wool while the grill was stripped with flappers on a grinder to bare metal. Both WD40ed and left alone. It won’t stay shiny but dull down to a grey metallic matte eventually - unless I seal them. Edited March 26, 2019 by PunkPonyPrincess 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iacopo San Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Celestion cones! Amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, PunkPonyPrincess said: Just stripped the corners with wire brushes then rubbed with wire wool while the grill was stripped with flappers on a grinder to bare metal. Both WD40ed and left alone. It won’t stay shiny but dull down to a grey metallic matte eventually - unless I seal them. I think you should give the bare metal a longer lasting treatment than WD40. Over time you are bound to get rust due to condensation. It looks like you've put a lot of effort into getting the metalwork to that stage. It would surely be wise to apply some permanent surface treatment to stabilise the metal (mild steel). If you have the budget, galvanising would look awsome. Here is a firm that would quote for the job. That said, the rusty look is in at the moment. So much so that some people pay to have the appearance of rust airbrushed onto panels that are completely rust free. Edited March 26, 2019 by SpondonBassed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Yes the wd40 is temporary. I’m considering something other than flapped and while Galvanised is nice I like raw metal: maybe a belt sander to get a brushed effect then possibly a matte polyurethane metal seal on top. Awaiting a new Trace cab logo. The new Shiny chrome to replace the plastic ones of old — which will limit aesthetic choices for me (in a good way). Edited March 26, 2019 by PunkPonyPrincess 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Sand blasting is a good one to consider if you like a dull grey metal surface. It has the advantage of thoroughly cleaning and keying the surface ready for clear coating. Here is a firm that does mobile sand blasting. If you do that, you might want to consider the further stage of powder coating for a baked on finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 This is inspiring. I have a Trace cab in a tatty state. I had to replace the speaker which turned out to be flucked when I got it home. I think I might have a go and reviving the box. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkPonyPrincess Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) Posh metal Trace badge arrived which is replacing the worn plastic one, it’s not historically accurate but hey... £15 inc delivery from U.K. supplier. I tried it symmetrically top centred but but it didn’t look right, I tried it left in line with the border but again not right, so I shifted it right a couple of centimetres. Now it looks right. Weird but that’s my eyes... drilled 2.5mm holes and fixed with a bolster behind the sign/grille, some nail varnish as threadlock to hold the tiny screws from bass vibration loosening. I’m liking the flapper effect of rough paint/powder coat clearance... might just use a metal polyurethane metal sealer. I have time to decide on that. Stripped hardware one last time to put on three more coats of Tuff Cab because this is going to be my main rig so why not? Once the hardware is put back on this is pretty much a wrap. If you are just restoring one or two cabs the 1Lit tub of Tuff Cab is plenty. Seriously, it goes a long way. Edited March 27, 2019 by PunkPonyPrincess Piccy 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 If you want it to look like the original powder coating, POR-15 paint is the next best thing. Not that cheap, but great finish. It's more often used for painting car parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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