tonymckenziecom | 5 years ago

How to make your guitar amplifier look like a custom shop amp. I show how to recover a Bogner Brixton amp with custom shop colours achieving a result that can cost you less than $100 in total. I also show how to reduce the amplifiers gain structure in a very simple way that anyone could do - and its completely safe!

Episode Guide:
0:10 - Overview
1:25 - Why recover? The case for recovering
3:10 - The choice of tolex
4:10 - The Bogner case assembly
5:45 - Removing the parts from the amp
9:50 - Removing tolex staples
11:30 - How to remove the old tolex easily
14:00 - The Template
14:35 - Cleaning and prep of the case
20:35 - Mark up and cut the new covering
23:45 - The special glue I used
25:10 - Gluing the case and tolex
29:00 - How to fit the tolex
33:10 - Cut and fit the end tolex
34:55 - The incredible results
37:10 - Fitting the 5751 tube
41:40 - Summing up and results

Get answers and info for questions like:

Why re-cover the amplifier?
What equipment do I need?
Will I need any new parts?
Why change the colour of the amp?
Which glue do I need?
How hard is this work to complete?
Is this dangerous?
Can I fit the 5751 to any amplifier?
What is the cost to do the rework?

Over the years guitar amplifiers get knocked about and the tolex or Levant can get torn. It makes the amp look unsightly and can reduce the resale value of your amp. But also, sometimes, you might not like the colour or the tolex finish of the covering and decide to change it. In this 'how to' video I show you the whole process from start to finish and how easy (or hard) it really is to recover an amplifier case.

I also show you what equipment I used to complete the whole job and the good news is that it's likely that you will already have the tools I used.

Choosing from the myriad of amplifier tolex finishes might not be your idea of fun, but if you do decide to recover the amp then you have literally hundreds of choices of colours, patterns and material types that you can use. Often the materials are low cost too.

But using the correct glue is absolutely essential and failure of the project is assured if you just use glues from your local hardware store. One company, Tube Amp Doctor ( http://www.tubeampdoctor.com ) sells very special glue specifically designed for tolex and Levant coverings. Using this glue you will never get bubbles or other problems.


This is part two of the overall series on this amp.

Throughout this video and its associated other videos (one for the recovering of the case, and one comparing this and my other Bogner amp) I have tried to make things simple so that its an educational tool for ordinary musicians to learn more about their amplifier.

I also fitted a different preamp tube later (5751) so that the amplifier can be heard almost like two different amplifiers, one as standard and the other with a reduced but modified drive for other styles of music. This is covered in part three as seen below.

Other videos that are part of this series include:

How to modify the amplifier for different voltages: https://youtu.be/P8CFhfHAuvk
How to recover the amplifier case assembly: This video
Comparison & playing of two Bogner amps: https://youtu.be/g95Cx6UmSIw
Note that these videos will be added here when completed.

I have been told on many occasions about videos that I have made and how they have helped different musicians to at last be able to easily maintain their equipment.

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