Cleaning 200s Speaker Cabinet and Utah Speakers

[RobertS]

I just snagged a 1968 200s Cabinet off of Craigslist.  When I picked it up I was really surprised at the condition. Its really nice! Just dirty.

I was thinking of pulling the grill off and scrubbing it. Will scrub the tolex too. Its barley torn and in great shape. . The corners are corroded but I can replace those.

Question is what works good to clean the grill and tolex?

Also this cabinet has what I think are Utah speakers in it. Metal cones with vents in the center. I haven't opened it yet but will soon.

Did they put Utah 15s in cabinets in 68s? I have a pair of K140s I can put in it but after trying this thing I may not. It sounds good and is really loud as is. 

Will the K140s make it sound even better? I have them in a vintage acoustic cabinet right now.

Opinions anyone?

Bob S. KC

[Isaac]

I don't know anything about cleaning the grill cloth or Utah speakers. I am a fan of JBLs and have to think that it would sound better to me with the K140s in there, but, as they say, your mileage may vary. Gotta be worth a try, though, and you can always switch back, right?

[66tele]

Bob,
I have not seen Utah speakers in a Sunn cab before......Jensen, Eminence, JBL, Cerwin Vega, Magna (by Eminence I think) yes, but not Utahs. You will hear an improvement with the JBLs!
I've had good success cleaning Sunn tolex Like this......spray the tolex with a household spray cleaner like Fantastik, 409, etc. and let it sit for a minute or two. Then scrub the tolex with a stiff nylon bristle scrub brush. The cleaner will turn a dirty brown color. Then wipe it all up with an old bath towel. You will be amazed at how good the tolex looks. Do the same with the grille cloth (removed from the cabinet so you don't get the speaker cones wet), but use a soft bristle brush judiciously.....go very light with the brush and wipe it up with a towel.
Good Luck!

[Isaac]

Good advice on the cleaning, 66Tele. I've done much the same on Tolex, and it has always worked out well.

[bigobassman]

Once the tolex is clean, I've used things like Armour-All, Mop n' Glo and/or shoe polish to put the final and proper sheen and fill after cleaning.  Definitely go with the JBLs.  You'll hear and possibly feel a big difference, IMO. 

[66tele]

A cautionary note on using ArmorAll. It contains silicone. If it gets on any of your guitars or basses, it can wreak havoc if you ever decide to refinish them as it is impossible to completely remove (even with a chemical stripper)....totally screws up nitrocellulose lacquer, causing "fisheyes" or pock marks in the finish (unless you use a flow-out solution in the lacquer). Kind of an obscure possibility, but still a product I don't want around my instruments. Personally, I prefer a natural look to the tolex on my amps. But to each his own. Just my 2 cents.

[Isaac]

I just cleaned the Tolex (or whatever the similar substance is) Bright Green all-purpose cleaner, scrubbed it with a plastic scrub brush, then wiped it down with a cloth. Looks great.

[66tele]

Yep! I've used a similar product...."Simple Green"......works great. It's amazing how much you can improve the appearance of 40-50 year old tolex with a simple cleaning! I've also used super-glue to glue down torn flaps of tolex....you can't even find them again. Keep fixing those old Sunn amps!

66tele

[Sunny Boy]

I dismantled my cab - pulled the speakers and the grille off - then used Krud Kutter and a stiff brush, as mentioned above.  The difference is that instead of just wiping it with towel, I took it outside and rinsed it off with the garden hose and then wiped it dry.  I re-grilled mine on a new frame (saved the original grille and frame). But if I wanted to wash the grille, I'd soak it with Krud Kutter, lean it against something and then hit it with the jet setting of the garden hose. Shake out the excess water, and let it dry in the sun. YMMV

[EdBass]

I dismantled my cab - pulled the speakers and the grille off - then used Krud Kutter and a stiff brush, as mentioned above.  The difference is that instead of just wiping it with towel, I took it outside and rinsed it off with the garden hose and then wiped it dry.  I re-grilled mine on a new frame (saved the original grille and frame). But if I wanted to wash the grille, I'd soak it with Krud Kutter, lean it against something and then hit it with the jet setting of the garden hose. Shake out the excess water, and let it dry in the sun. YMMV

That's close to how I clean the old Sunn cabs I get. I scrub the crap out of them with Dawn dish detergent using a stiff scrub brush and then hose them off, try to keep the hose off of the bare wood as much as possible, and then let them dry out outside.
I usually replace the grill cloth, and re-glue the tolex tears as well as I can.