Suggestions for removing particleboard speaker baffle...

[gtone]

...you know, like those cheap-ass ones they used for Fender amps after CBS acquired 'em. Need a suggestion on best approach as I want to upgrade my '70's SuperTwin to Baltic birch plywood baffle with T-nut speaker mounts, proper mounting cleats and some nicer looking grill cloth (black cloth on the ST with the white plastic trim strips is hurtin' for certain... ).

Thanks in advance.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx132/bafa8/SuperTwin.jpg"]

[crunchee]

I WAS gonna say that you could probably unscrew them from the inside/back...until I saw "'70's Super Twin". The baffleboard on that amp might be dovetailed in and glued to the cab sides permanently, instead of mounted with wood screws to wood stringers like the old cabs from the '60's were. Or I could be completely wrong about that. I'd recommend asking the advice of people who make and restore Fender style cabs, because it might not be easy to do. Good luck!

[hamerhead]

Shot in the dark here - can you cut the existing baffle board out, leaving an inch or so on each side, and screw the new one to that? (Sorry - it's early and I'm not picturing how they attached 'em) Or would that be too much of a hack job?

[gtone]

Yep - dovetailed in, glued and stapled in place apparently. Because it's particle board, it's gonna be messy to hack out as the stuff doesn't chisel worth a darn. Could take a sawzall (recip saw) and cut existing baffle out close to flush with the cab, but will still likely have a lot of cleanup after that.

HH - thought about your approach, but I think the baffle might be pushed out front too far and not line up properly with the chassis faceplate going that route. Particle board is prone to dryrot and doesn't take fasteners well , so thinking if I'm going to go to the bother to do this, prefer to do something that will last.

[Bloozguy]

I think the sawzall might be your only answer. Put a layer or two of duct tape on the inside walls of the cabinet in front of and behind the old baffle so the saw blade doesn't cut into the cabinet. Cut out the existing board, pull off the tape, sand it flush, then mount your new cleats.

Or...

You can buy a repro Twin Reverb cabinet from Mojo (and other places)...solid pine, baltic birch baffle board and back panels, complete with tolex, grille cloth and hardware for about $270. Then keep the stock cab and if you ever sell it you can put it back to "all original."

[gtone]

Thanks for the advice Ray. Thinking along the same lines with your suggested removal method.

Checked with Mojo on their repro cabs. They look great, but at well above $500 with their quoted UPS shipping fee (youch!), looks like a non-starter for a SuperTwin I paid $325 for. Especially given that I can source 5'X5' sheet of 1/2" Baltic birch ($44) + nice repro cloth ($20) for less than a bill locally (have lots of material for cleats and T-nuts leftover from previous cab builds).

Baffle build should be piece of cake, removal of old one not so much. Guess I just gotta bear down and "give 'er"...

[backinit]

Build an oak cabinet with cane grille cloth....sorry thinking about the Legend amp I used to own.

[gtone]

Build an oak cabinet with cane grille cloth....sorry thinking about the Legend amp I used to own.

Those Legends were pretty good looking amps, IIRC. Heck of a lot better than a SuperTwin in any event.

Or, I could take the chassis out of the cab and shoehorn it into this one...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx132/bafa8/Zottola5F1.jpg"]

[Bloozguy]

well above $500 with their quoted UPS shipping fee

That's nuts. I bought a 1x15 wide body extension cabinet from them last year and the UPS charge was $55.

[gtone]

well above $500 with their quoted UPS shipping fee

That's nuts. I bought a 1x15 wide body extension cabinet from them last year and the UPS charge was $55.

Fact Ray - UPS gouges us Canadians big-time. Heck, they even tack on whatever arbitrary charge they want for "customs brokerage" to boot! For many of us here, UPS in the equation is a "no-go" for a trans-border gear deal. USPS rocks, even FedEx is better, as a general rule.

[JohnnyB]

Why do you want to change out the baffle so badly? Do you plan to do hard and frequent gigging with this amp?

Otherwise, it sounds like the cab is well put together and a lot of attention went into mounting the baffle in a rigid, rattle-free way, although that method makes replacement a bitch.

Also, there's particle board and then there's MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF is the ubiquitous standard for speaker cabinets in audio. Plywood is lighter and more rigid, but MDF is generally more neutral and less resonant (a good thing for a speaker baffle). It's also not that cheap. MDF is about 2/3 to 3/4 the price of Baltic birch. So make sure of what you're swapping out. If it's an MDF baffle that well mounted in a like new amp more than 30 years old, why not leave it alone?

Also, I see where you are looking at a 1/2" sheet of Baltic. Is that the depth of the current baffle?

[gtone]

Why do you want to change out the baffle so badly? Do you plan to do hard and frequent gigging with this amp?

Otherwise, it sounds like the cab is well put together and a lot of attention went into mounting the baffle in a rigid, rattle-free way, although that method makes replacement a bitch.

Also, there's particle board and then there's MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF is the ubiquitous standard for speaker cabinets in audio. Plywood is lighter and more rigid, but MDF is generally more neutral and less resonant (a good thing for a speaker baffle). It's also not that cheap. MDF is about 2/3 to 3/4 the price of Baltic birch. So make sure of what you're swapping out. If it's an MDF baffle that well mounted in a like new amp more than 30 years old, why not leave it alone?

Also, I see where you are looking at a 1/2" sheet of Baltic. Is that the depth of the current baffle?

Baffle replacement is desired primarily because I have speakers that do not fit the current 8-stud mounting pattern and 35 yr old particleboard does not take well to modification (doesn't age particularly well either, as the stuff used by Fender tends to be subject to dry rot). I'm well aware that the existing 3/4" particleboard baffle glued, stapled and channelled into the cab adds to the structural integrity of the cab design (except where dry rot has taken hold and the baffles are starting to crumble/collapse, as I've heard with a few older Twins), so I'm not going into this blindly.

I've talked to guys this week that have replaced their baffle boards with cleats/plywood in the design I'm considering, some with 1/2", others with 3/4". The consensus key to successful results appears to be through using solid, substantial cleats (preferably hardwood) firmly attached to the cab (glued/screwed) married up/firmly attached to quality plywood (Baltic or marine grade). Through my own cab building experience, 3/4" Baltic birch seems like it might be overkill, unless you're mounting heavier speakers or playing at much higher volumes than I plan to. Repro cab builders are also generally opting for 1/2" Baltic birch also, so I'm thinking it should be a good choice and if I'm wrong, it won't be a huge deal to upgrade to 3/4".

The Lord hates a coward...

[Hamer Dave]

I had to do an early 70's Silver face twin some years ago. The particle board was crumbling apart when mounting some JBL's. I don't recall anything difficult. I removed it pretty easily I thought, cut a new one from plywood, and reinstalled it. I left it natural, sealed it, kept the grill frame/clothe off (it was falling apart as well). Originally tried chicken wire just over the cones, but that ended up noisey. Replaced the wire with some cotton material, once again simply stretched over the speakers, leaving the support baffle exposed and natural. She was ok, after that.

[crunchee]

I had to do an early 70's Silver face twin some years ago. The particle board was crumbling apart when mounting some JBL's.

I once had a '67 Twin that had the fasteners broken out of the baffleboard, because a previous owner had loaded it with EV speakers. I had originally wanted a plywood replacement baffleboard, but the guy who redid the cab wanted to use the original baffleboard, so I agreed and he re-anchored it with T-nuts. It worked fine...but the speakers that I used in it were MUCH lighter than the EVs. Heavy speakers like JBLs and EVs apparently don't always play well with particle board, but YMMV.

[gtone]

I had to do an early 70's Silver face twin some years ago. The particle board was crumbling apart when mounting some JBL's.

I once had a '67 Twin that had the fasteners broken out of the baffleboard, because a previous owner had loaded it with EV speakers. I had originally wanted a plywood replacement baffleboard, but the guy who redid the cab wanted to use the original baffleboard, so I agreed and he re-anchored it with T-nuts. It worked fine...but the speakers that I used in it were MUCH lighter than the EVs. Heavy speakers like JBLs and EVs apparently don't always play well with particle board, but YMMV.

+1. Fortunately, my speakers are even a tad lighter than stock speakers and TONS lighter than JBL's, EV's and Altecs.

[JohnnyB]

Checked with Mojo on their repro cabs. They look great, but at well above $500 with their quoted UPS shipping fee (youch!), looks like a non-starter for a SuperTwin I paid $325 for. Especially given that I can source 5'X5' sheet of 1/2" Baltic birch ($44) + nice repro cloth ($20) for less than a bill locally (have lots of material for cleats and T-nuts leftover from previous cab builds).

Would this help?

Sorry it's not a combo cab. If you don't like the color or configuration, they have many others. Note the free shipping.

[cynic]

Note the free shipping.

Free to lower 48, $125 to Great White North

[JohnnyB]

Note the free shipping.

Free to lower 48, $125 to Great White North

I keep forgetting about that pesky border.

[hamerhead]

Them damn Canucks always.