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Topic: Paint my amp? |
Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 12:46 pm |
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My travel amp for my steel guitar is the Vox DA5.
I have the amp with the ugly chrome grill.
Vox now produces this amp with a traditional cloth grill. Very cool!
I'd sell my ugly chrome for the cloth one but remember, this is my travel amp. I throw it in my suitcase when I fly. The traditional cloth covering is the only protection for the speaker from the outside world.
So what to do? My question is: Can I paint the chrome grill with flat black spray paint?(yeah, yeah... I'll take it off first  ). Will flat black paint stick to chrome?
Here is another version of the amp with flat black. This is what I'm hoping for.
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Gary Lynch
From:
Creston, California, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 1:01 pm
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Sand the beegeebers out of the chrome first. Primer then paint it.
By the way, how does the Vox sound compared to the Roland Mini Cube? Much difference? |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 1:03 pm
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I got that Green/Black one ...
If it was mine ... I'd go to an Auto Parts store ... and get this:
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalcast.html
I messed around last summer with this stuff ... and its very cool.
I got the blue ... and some of their "Adhesion Promotor" too ...
Easy to get the effect ... neat stuff.
As always, just my opinion. |
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Jason Dumont
From:
Bristol, Connecticut, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 1:49 pm
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Gerald, maybe you can remove the grill,paint it black and then neatly stretch the fabric of your choice around it securing it to the back of the grill (unseen by the crowds) with double stick tape or hot glue gun, Then screw it back into the cab.
That way you have the protection and the look you prefer. |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 1:53 pm
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Like Gary said, sand it before painting. It still will probably chip off. Here's an idea - get some of the cloth and put it over the chrome grill. Then you'll have looks and protection.
I got one of those DA5s and think it beats anything close to its size. It has a wide variety of amazingly loud clean and dirty tones with plenty of bottom strength. And it has some decent effects. |
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Craig Stenseth
From:
Naperville, Illinois, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 1:55 pm
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| I hope you're not going to paint that chrome guitar on your avatar picture... |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 3:42 pm
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| Jason Dumont wrote: |
Gerald, maybe you can remove the grill,paint it black and then neatly stretch the fabric of your choice around it securing it to the back of the grill (unseen by the crowds) with double stick tape or hot glue gun, Then screw it back into the cab.
That way you have the protection and the look you prefer. |
You could even get the original Vox grill cloth from an amp supply place... |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 2 Jun 2007 4:54 pm Chrome grill........
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Gerald: That metal front stuff sorta looks like the same metal "SECURITY" screen that folks are putting on their homes and businesses.
You could be setting a trend!
I vote for your keeping it. |
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Randy Reeves
From:
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2007 3:30 am
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what is on the other side. ?
might look nice. just reverse it. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 3 Jun 2007 6:29 am DA5 Classic
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Gerald, when I went to the local GC to try out the DA-5 based on your comparison to the MicroCube, I was definitely impressed with the difference in volume and tone. I like my MC, but the VOX definitely had more of 'it' for a small wattage battery powered amp. I couldn't, however, bring myself buy it with those horrible cosmetics. Ughhh... I know, a stupidly superficial reason not to get it, but I thought that maybe in the future, I would do that, and then paint or recover that grill, as you're doing.
Then, only a couple weeks later, I saw that they were going to produce the same amp with the 'classic' VOX cosmetics:
YES! I will definitely pick one of these up in the near future. I have an MC already, and I will most likely continue to use it, too (or sell it to a friend for cheap). I bought the VOX Pathfinder 15R based on your review of this one, and am definitely a believer in that VOX really has gotten really good at getting that tube tone from a cheap PCB amp.
Anyway, I'd try to cover that grill with some kind of cool cloth material of some kind, myself. You'll have better speaker protection, and have a better cosmetic look, too. You may need to paint some flat black paint on there first anyway, but that's what I'd do.
Post a pic after you do!
TJW
_________________
Todd James Weger --
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, E13, A6); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Custom-made 25" aluminum cast "fry pan" with vintage Ricky p'up (C6); 1938 Epiphone Electar (A6); 1953 Oahu Tonemaster; assorted ukuleles; upright bass |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 3 Jun 2007 9:34 am
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Gerald,
I'm really worried about you. It's a PRACTICE AMP.
Now get back to obsessing over ukeleles and steel guitars...
Drew |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Chuck Fisher
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 3 Jun 2007 10:35 am
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Gerald,
the paint will be scratched to ugliness quikly. you can get VOX grillcloth and cover the metal, I'd use contact cement on the wrapped around section. Or sand it and get it powdercoated.
cf |
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Mitch Druckman
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2007 10:12 pm
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I can't imagine that the grill cloth on the DA5 classic is THAT fragile. Many old Vox amps with cloth grills still have the original undamaged speaker and have traveled harder roads than your DA5 will ever see. I wouldn't let the cloth grill stand in your way. I personally find the design of the DA5 metal grill very unattractive, even in black.
My suggestion would be to buy a new DA5 Classic for $139 and keep your black one as a backup. I'll bet you could even get an amp cover to fit the new DA5. That would protect the grill when you toss it in the car trunk or overhead in a plane. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 4 Jun 2007 7:27 am
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Moved to Electronics from Steel Without Pedals.
_________________
Bradβs Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2007 6:46 am
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I just spent the weekend in Chicago playing at a music convention. I had my DA5 with the metal grate front.
After banging the amp around on tiny stages and manuvering through crowded rooms I was very happy to have the metal grate on the front.
If I had the cloth front I'm sure it would of been torn by now.
I'll stick with the metal.
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 26 Jun 2007 7:54 am
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| Gerald, I agree that the metal grill is ugly. Why these companies abandon their traditional mainstays is beyond me. Every time these companies think they are moving forward they seem to move backward by destroying their traditional designs that attracted us to their products in the first place. They probably got alot of complaints on that grill and switched back to the grill cloth. |
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Blake Hawkins
From:
Florida
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Posted 26 Jun 2007 11:36 am
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After seeing all the nice things you folks have said about the DA-5, I went and bought one.
Took it back to the store the next day. Could not get any bass notes out of the thing no matter what I turned.
I was really disappointed because otherwise it had all the features I want.
It was Ok with the lap steel as long as I just used the 4 top strings.
With my Nashville Tele, the chords sounded terrible
and the bass runs were nonexistant.
Gerald, maybe you could tell me what I did wrong?
Blake |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2007 12:27 pm
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Blake,
Maybe you got a bad one.
Granted, the 6.5" speaker and 5 watts is not going to sound like a Fender Twin that has two 12" speakers and 65 watts.
I use this amp on my ukulele, Rickenbacker Bakelite and my D'Angelico New Yorker archtop guitar. The bass response is "good enough" and it sounds fine.
I ran all three instruments through the DA5 this past weekend (not at the same time  ) and it sounded great. I did however mic the amp and it was routed through the house sound system.
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Blake Hawkins
From:
Florida
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Posted 26 Jun 2007 7:49 pm
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Gerald,
Thanks for the reply. If your D'Angelico sounds OK, then there was surely something wrong with the one I had.
Used both "Clean 1" and "Clean 2" with the effects bypasssed and still had trouble.
I'll keep looking.
Blake |
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Bob Bowman
From:
Staffordshire, England
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Posted 2 Jul 2007 2:34 am Painted amps
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Way back in the UK in 1962 we had Vox AC30s in their original beige livery. Then came the Beatles with black AC30s so we painted ours to match, with shoe dye.
After the next gig some local musos came up and said the new amps sounded fantastic.
As my old agent used to say 'People listen to music with their eyes'
Cheers Bob |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2007 10:58 am
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You'll regret it 40 years from now, when the original chrome grill Vox DA5's are selling to collectors for $650,000.
_________________
-πππ- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2007 7:00 am
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Back to the question (only because I've been in the paint business umpteen-zillion years) -
Painting chrome is a losing proposition. The recommendations to sand the chrome are, I assume, not from experience - because you can't sand chrome (if it's real chrome). You might scrach it a little, but not nearly enough to provide mechanical adhesion (for which you need a 2-3 mil profile minimum - that's little mountains 2-3 thousandths of an inch high over the entire surface).
What you need to do is find a local plating shop with a small sandblasting booth, and have the chrome removed - THEN you can prime and paint it (priming is mandatory - too many people fall into the trap of "well, I'll use Rust-Oleum and not have to prime. Rust-Oleum is a *brand* - all aerosol finishes applied correctly need primers on metal).
Translation - it's not worth it.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Scott Appleton
From:
Ashland, Oregon
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Posted 4 Jul 2007 7:26 am paint
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epoxy paint sticks the best for metal .. I used it on a
motorcycle and it never chipped.. that of course was a
sand blasted primered frame .. chrome is another problem. |
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