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What would you do? Bassman painted black...

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  • #16
    I've been through this exact same problem before. I found a brown Concert at my local store asking $800. I bought it for less as a fixer-upper. It had been modded, it was missing some knobs, it was missing the pilot lamp, but it had original speakers and iron. The biggest problem? It had been painted black once upon a time (very common in the 60s) and someone had tried to use chemicals to strip the paint. It was a disaster. The brown tolex had bee treated so aggressively with chemicals that it looked more like blonde tolex with an orange cast. I'm not sure if it was bleached or what, but the tolex was absolutely horrid. In spite of all of the chemical treatment, the people who stripped it still couldn't get the black out of the cracks, so it was obvious that it had been painted black and then abused trying to un-do the paint job. The original tolex was worthless, so I re-tolexed it in brown tolex.

    One thing that you need to consider is that there's no value in the original tolex any more. Once it's been painted it's no longer original, and you don't lose anything by re-tolexing it. In cases of extreme tolex abuse, re-tolexing is the least intrusive way to make the amp look good again, and IMO that doesn't really degrade it's value, it only improves it.

    I would refused to get involved in trying to clean up the tolex. It's an Uncle Remus "tarbaby" project if there ever was one.
    "Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest

    "I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H

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    • #17
      IMHO those knobs are a bigger travesty than the painted Tolex...

      Justin
      "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
      "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
      "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

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      • #18
        those knobs don't bother me. i'd be happy to rock that amp as-is.
        "Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest

        "I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H

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        • #19
          It's a real shame but it appears the Oxblood grill cloth was also painted black.

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          • #20
            Originally posted by Jazz P Bass View Post
            It's a real shame but it appears the Oxblood grill cloth was also painted black.
            Actually it seems they spared most of the grill cloth. It does look a bit like the edges of the oxblood was hit by the black paint even, Savages!! Look at the picture to decide. I will check it out and see.
            Click image for larger version

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            I had to change those knobs to replacement cream knobs just to at least get it looking right. Of course they are not vintage original knobs but it makes it look better.
            Click image for larger version

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            When the going gets weird... The weird turn pro!

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            • #21
              Seems to me it would be just as easy to re-tolex as it would be to go thru all the paint removal. And it would look cleaner.
              It's weird, because it WAS working fine.....

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              • #22
                +1 on re-covering and calling it a day.
                Same with grill cloth.
                Juan Manuel Fahey

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                • #23
                  So a follow up on this amp. I figured it's nice to be able to know what happens to an amp like this one once it's sold. So I sold the Bassman as is and did not re-tolex it. The amp sounded excellent and the gentleman I sold it to planned to go ahead cleaning the tolex. That original plan did not work out very well and he then just bit the bullet to re-tolex the amp. It turned out great! Since I was not the owner of the amp it was decided to just sell it after I made sure it was 100% electronics wise. Most of the time your left wondering what became of the amp. Did the new owner finish the restoration or are they just happy with the ugly duckling? Here is a link a thread that was sent to me showing the finished restoration of the amp.

                  https://www.thegearpage.net/board/in...oject.1958777/
                  When the going gets weird... The weird turn pro!

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                  • #24
                    Nice. A little rough on the corners and seams (the photo's were taken from angles intended to hide it ) but still better than black paint
                    "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                    "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                    "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                    You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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