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Topic: Peavey Special 130 Re-Tolex and matching Vox DA5! |
Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 2:24 am |
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I recently acquired a 'fixer upper' - a Peavey Special 130 with some water damage. I saw this amp in the practice space of a band I was rehearsing with, and I asked about it - turns out the owner found it in the basement of a house he was renting! It looked like it had been in the basement a loooong time, and not the dryest of basements either. I wish I had taken some 'before' pictures. Anyway, long story short, I convinced the amp's owner to give it to me in lieu of payment for a gig. 
Electronically, the amp works well except for some scratchy pots, and turning up the reverb knob produces nothing but hum. If anyone has advice on that, I'm listening!
I got the amp home, cleaned out the leaves and cobwebs, and noticed a musty odor. The original tolex was very dirty, even coming apart in some places, so I decided to peel it off. Underneath it, the particle board was discolored and swollen in some places where water had gotten to it. I put the cabinet outside, and the next day I got some antibacterial bleach and bathed it, let it dry, and did it a few more times to be sure everything was dead. After it was completely dry, I used a palm sander to even out the swollen, bumpy surfaces of the amp, followed by some wood fill and fine sanding for an even surface.
I ordered the Western-style tolex from Mojotone, made to look like tooled leather. After some advice from Bryan Knox here on the forum (thanks Bryan!), I used Dap non-flammable contact cement to attach the tolex. I specifically used a textured tolex in order to hide some of the inconsistencies of the cabinet surfaces. When I was done I thought the cab looked great, but the grill cloth assembly was too plain...so I got some wood grain Contact paper to cover the side strips, Peavey logo, and even the knobs.
Now I just need a source for a few more knobs! Can't wait to show the amp to the guy who gave it to me. 
I had some extra materials lying around, so I covered my Vox DA5 practice amp to match. It was actually quite a bit harder and more time-consuming than the bigger amp!
Last edited by Bryan Daste on 25 Nov 2009 5:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 5:31 am
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I LOVE THE WOODGRAIN ACCENTS! Very nice job! Never thought I'd be envious over a Special 130.
For the extra 110% you could play the amp for a while to dial in your sound, and re-do the trim so the grain on all the knobs is vertical when set to your settings. (It's easy to be OCD on someone else's dime!) |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 10:32 am
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Bryan,Great job! there's a used amp like this in a music store close to my house for $100.00...ya got me thinking. 
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 10:45 am
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By the way these look great with chicken head knobs. Weber has a wide selection of colors.
Did I just hear someone say "Cottage Industry"? |
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 11:39 am
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I repaired a Peavey powered PA head recently and got all the missing knobs directly from Peavey. Their parts dept. was very helpfull. Antique Electronics Supply also sells Peavey knobs but their selection is limited.
Your amp turned out very nice. I haven't attempted a re-tolex. I guess I just need to jump in with both feet. |
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Bryan Knox
From:
Gardendale, Alabama...Ya'll come
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 12:26 pm
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AWESOME! Wow, that looks great!
I am also impressed with the wood grain accents. Very creative.
From one Bryan to another...GREAT JOB!
Blessings,
Bryan
_________________
Prevent Juvenile delinquecy...teach children to STEEL
1976 MSA D-10 8+4, Mullen D10 8+4, G&L Skyhawk, Fender '52RI Telecaster, Eastman MD 615 lefty mandolin, Fender DPC750 w/Tubefex, Custom Twin Tweed Cabs w/ Peavey 1504's, 70's Fender Super Reverb, Martin D28-L. |
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David Griffin
From:
Jimmy Creek,Arkansas via Cowtown, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 12:40 pm
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Very nice! Can I make a suggestion? If you replaced the black grillcloth w/ brown or the old Fender "oxblood" color it would really top off your project.Good job!
_________________
http://www.myspace.com/davidagriffin |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 1:16 pm
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| Very nice Bryan! different twist on an old standby. I have a 65 Bandit but it's in very very clean condition w/original shipping box so I won't be doing anything to it but bet your project was a fun one to work with. Nice job! |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 4:34 pm
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| Yeah, I was kind of forced into it by the poor condition of the original Tolex. I did think about changing the grillcloth, but I decided to leave it plain black so the rest of the accents would stand out more. Thanks for the comments! |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2009 6:40 pm
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Stu, I have one of these, killer little amp, and has an overdrive channel. Played clean, it's a tiny powerhouse suitable for pedal steel. I bought one when I was willing to lug 2 amps around for that fab stereo sound.
If the one in your town is pretty clean and plays clean, $100 is a bargain, imho.
Say howdy to Paulette for me!
Bryan, it's way cool!!!
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2009 5:23 am
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| Bump for pics of the Vox amp |
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Bill Moore
From:
Manchester, Michigan
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Posted 25 Nov 2009 5:48 am
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Nice work Bryan! The Vox, especially, looks very cool. I see the Peavey has an Eminence speaker, How do you like the sound? I have a Special 130, with the stock Scorpion speaker, and I'm considering trying a different speaker.
BM |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2009 5:54 am
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Hey Bill,
The Eminence sounds pretty good, even though there is a small tear in the rubber surround. I wish it had a model number or some identifying info on it, but no luck. It's plenty loud, clean, with good clarity. I haven't used this amp with a Scorpion, so I have nothing to compare it to, but the Eminence sounds good to me. |
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Greg Wisecup
From:
Troy, Ohio
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Posted 25 Nov 2009 7:29 am
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That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!
_________________
Derby SD-10 4&5 Black!(duh)/
Derby D-10/Steelers Choice/
Goodrich 120/ 2- Katana Boss 100's
/Nashville 400
RV-3/ Zoom MS-50G
As long as I'm down in the mix I'm Fantastic! |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2009 6:20 pm
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| Thanks guys! Anybody have an idea about the reverb? When I turn it up I hear hum...if I tap the reverb tank, I hear the spring bouncing around amplified through the amp. But it doesn't seem like the steel signal is getting to the reverb. |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 27 Nov 2009 9:20 pm Re: Peavey Special 130 Re-Tolex and matching Vox DA5!
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| Bryan Daste wrote: |
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Saturation distortion - ugh! I played through a Special 130 and tried a few other '80s era Peavey solid state amps, and I couldn't stand any of them. Maybe the clean sound is okay, but the distortion is pure garbage.
Nice tolex job though.
_________________
Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind! |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2009 11:14 pm
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| Yeah, that's why I've got it turned all the way down. Actually, with the settings you see in the picture, it sounds pretty good on the lead channel. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 28 Nov 2009 6:30 am
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| Bryan Daste wrote: |
| Thanks guys! Anybody have an idea about the reverb? When I turn it up I hear hum...if I tap the reverb tank, I hear the spring bouncing around amplified through the amp. But it doesn't seem like the steel signal is getting to the reverb. |
Check the cable from the amp to the reverb tank, and the contacts/plugs/jacks on the reverb tank & cables, they might be corroded; also, take out the reverb tank and check those tiny wires going from the jack to the transducers (the little coils connected to the springs) - quite often those tiny wires get broken at the point where they are attached to the transducers... |
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John Roche
From:
England
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Posted 25 Nov 2010 6:52 am
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| Bryan, what weight is the 130. also what setting are you using for steel guitar,,, Thanks |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 26 Nov 2010 6:54 pm
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Had one with a JBL 15", sounded pretty good, used for practice only. Neat job on the cover.
BF
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2010 11:56 am
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Not sure on the weight. I wouldn't recommend my settings as a standard for anyone else to use...since this amp was water-damaged, I basically twist the knobs until the crackling goes away, and that's where they stay. Also, the speaker is after-market and torn  It's good enough for rehearsal, and I can leave it at my drummer's house so I don't have to carry an amp to practice. Convenience |
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graham rodger
From:
Scotland
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Posted 27 Nov 2010 6:21 pm
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Bryan,I had the reverb problem with my bandit,first make sure the reverb wire white connecting block under the amp is pushed "all the way home" second if the reverb problem persists,reverse its direction as this was the problem I had when I had noise,had been wrong way round,hope this helps  ) |
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