Cleaning the rugged leather casing on your Boogie combo
- Thread starter hcashew13
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Fastforded
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I used damp soapy cloth and gently wiped it. Used vinyl cleaner after to give it a wipe and it looked OK. 
I will get hell for this and rude comments like "why would you use..... blah blah blah" This is just a suggestion I know better and probably should not recommend it as I have gotten some backlash on using acetone to clean the metal chips the tube shields sometimes shed around the tube sockets on the PCB (amps that have tubes facing upwards and not hanging down like a combo amp). Example: Roadster, MWDR, Royal Atlantic head.
A damp cloth, not wet but not dry is probably the best method to clean with. However, there are some products you can use every now and then to restore the look and shine.
If we are talking about the vinyl and not actual leather. If it does have real leather, you need a good quality leather conditioner. Something like leather honey. Do some research for leather cleaners and conditioners.
For any faceplate that has white silk screen printed legends and such, probably best not to clean that area with anything. With some amps, it has a tendency to flake off just with your fingers. So far I have yet to experience that problem but have read about many who have. I generally do not apply anything that would lift the ink from the metal surface. I may use a small paint brush on occasion. So if you have issues with the white text or other silk screened areas, just use caution. If you see that it has worn off from normal use, do not clean those areas with anything.
For Tolex or vinyl, I found a product that is better for vinyl and plastic than Armor-all. I used to frequently to go char shows so detailing was a must. Turtle Wax Liquid Ice. It works on vinyl too. Even glass. Just do not use the paste type, but the liquid version. Apply a small amount to a cloth covered applicator sponge and wipe it on the vinyl. It does not take much to clean a combo or a 412 cab. I have used that for years now on my amps, as well as any guitar that has a polyurethane finish. Not suitable for nitro finish though. Also use it on my drum set including the drum heads. Use it sparingly. Wipe on and follow up with a dry microfiber cloth. It will remove dirt and darken up the black. Hint: If you do use it on a cab, follow up with a damp cloth on the top surface or you may find your head is moving around on the cabinet. I had a migrating JP2C head on its V212 cab. It will also clean the leather corners too. It does not dry like most automotive waxes. It goes on very thin. use a swirling movement. It will not leave any white residue either. It is more like an oil than a hard wax. I may clean my gear once a year. I will clean the guitars more so than the amps. I have also refreshed the appearance of the black jute grill too. Vacuum it first. You may also what to go to the hardware store and get some paint brushes, they work great for dusting purposes especially on the faceplate, around the control knobs, GEQ sliders and in the tucked corners. Just a dry brush, no cleaners or waxes.
A damp cloth, not wet but not dry is probably the best method to clean with. However, there are some products you can use every now and then to restore the look and shine.
If we are talking about the vinyl and not actual leather. If it does have real leather, you need a good quality leather conditioner. Something like leather honey. Do some research for leather cleaners and conditioners.
For any faceplate that has white silk screen printed legends and such, probably best not to clean that area with anything. With some amps, it has a tendency to flake off just with your fingers. So far I have yet to experience that problem but have read about many who have. I generally do not apply anything that would lift the ink from the metal surface. I may use a small paint brush on occasion. So if you have issues with the white text or other silk screened areas, just use caution. If you see that it has worn off from normal use, do not clean those areas with anything.
For Tolex or vinyl, I found a product that is better for vinyl and plastic than Armor-all. I used to frequently to go char shows so detailing was a must. Turtle Wax Liquid Ice. It works on vinyl too. Even glass. Just do not use the paste type, but the liquid version. Apply a small amount to a cloth covered applicator sponge and wipe it on the vinyl. It does not take much to clean a combo or a 412 cab. I have used that for years now on my amps, as well as any guitar that has a polyurethane finish. Not suitable for nitro finish though. Also use it on my drum set including the drum heads. Use it sparingly. Wipe on and follow up with a dry microfiber cloth. It will remove dirt and darken up the black. Hint: If you do use it on a cab, follow up with a damp cloth on the top surface or you may find your head is moving around on the cabinet. I had a migrating JP2C head on its V212 cab. It will also clean the leather corners too. It does not dry like most automotive waxes. It goes on very thin. use a swirling movement. It will not leave any white residue either. It is more like an oil than a hard wax. I may clean my gear once a year. I will clean the guitars more so than the amps. I have also refreshed the appearance of the black jute grill too. Vacuum it first. You may also what to go to the hardware store and get some paint brushes, they work great for dusting purposes especially on the faceplate, around the control knobs, GEQ sliders and in the tucked corners. Just a dry brush, no cleaners or waxes.
I use whatever household detergent I have on hand and warm water. Just a tiny drop though, not cause too much foam. And a toothbrush. That gets the gunk out of the grooves. I only do this for ’new’ amps (newer than 1960 
), which the previous owners have not cleaned. After that i might just wipe it once in a blue moon. I usually cant help myself but I’ll fix any tears and scuffs with glue and use black marker to completely hide it.
If that’s not enough, the only option is to re-tolex, but especially vintage amps i would not re-tolex.
), which the previous owners have not cleaned. After that i might just wipe it once in a blue moon. I usually cant help myself but I’ll fix any tears and scuffs with glue and use black marker to completely hide it. If that’s not enough, the only option is to re-tolex, but especially vintage amps i would not re-tolex.
I have been using Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover for about 15 years
It brings old Tolex back to life and gets rid of grime.
If the amp is just “Kind of dirty,” then I just use an old T-shirt and the Bug and Tar stuff
If the amp is really bad, I use a car buffer with foam pads
I have made a lot of older amps look really good using this stuff
I have amps that showed up at my house looking like they were covered in sweat, beer, and motor oil before being buried in the desert for a year
They leave looking beautiful
It also helps get rid of tobacco smells
It brings old Tolex back to life and gets rid of grime.
If the amp is just “Kind of dirty,” then I just use an old T-shirt and the Bug and Tar stuff
If the amp is really bad, I use a car buffer with foam pads
I have made a lot of older amps look really good using this stuff
I have amps that showed up at my house looking like they were covered in sweat, beer, and motor oil before being buried in the desert for a year
They leave looking beautiful
It also helps get rid of tobacco smells
As already mentioned, only a good leather cleaner and conditioner on real leather. I like the Bick products.
Do not use leather cleaner on suede or unfinished leather.
When I buy a used amp or cabinet wrapped in vinyl I always start with dish detergent, specifically Dawn. I use two cloths, one pretty wet that I’ll put a small amount of soap on and then knead it thru that rag to get it soapy and removing excess water to end up with a damp soapy cloth. I’ll take off all the knobs and handles then go over the entire amp/cab one side at a time with the soapy cloth scrubbing as needed followed by a wipe down from the clean damp cloth. I vacuum and brush grill cloth.
I start with pulling the chassis on amps and clean that first so I don’t get scratches from a dirty rag. I rinse the clean rag after each section I clean, and rinse and re-soap the other rag as needed. The cloths should not be dripping wet, just damp enough to work well without water running into jacks/sockets etc. If there is stubborn dirt/schmeg I’ll use a cleaner like Pine-sol or Mr Clean diluted per the directions on the container. Fantastic spray cleaner works well also.
Magic erasers are great for getting those areas that look like paint transfer from rubbing against something, just don’t go overboard with the scrubbing. Q-tips are great for corners and other tight spaces. I usually do all this twice unless the amp is already pretty clean.
Be especially careful not to get any liquids in tube sockets and jacks. If you do, break out the hair dryer on low heat and dry it out, then use a contact cleaner like De-Oxit to remove any residue from soaps/cleaners or any remaining liquid.
Soap and water or mild household cleaners only on anything that is screen printed. I’ve accidentally removed lettering with isopropyl alcohol, and that’s a very mild chemical solvent compared to other types. On older vintage amps I would probably pass on cleaner and just use a damp cloth and lightly wipe.
Whatever you do don’t scrub the crap out of the standard style tolex or you will scratch it, especially with a stiff brush. The rougher textured ‘bronco’ can take more scrubbing, even with a decent cleaning brush.
I avoid any ‘solvents’ like acetone, xylene, mineral spirits, or paint thinner. I’ll use naphtha only for desperate situations. The only exception with the solvents is maybe if there was actual paint on the tolex, but would go sparingly with mineral spirits/paint thinner. If it wasn’t that bad I would just leave it alone instead of risking bleached out spots. A little bit of brushed on black paint, or even a sharpie can make small blems much less noticeable on black tolex.
Once an amp is clean I’m a ‘wipe it down often’ guy, unless something has been spilled on it that’s all I need to keep them looking great. I ‘borrowed’ a couple of my wife’s makeup brushes years ago, great for getting dust off the cabinet lip under amp knobs or recessed speaker grills. I also keep everything either covered or in its case when I’m not playing them.
One thing I’m unsure of is cleaning the black speaker grill cloth, I think it’s dyed jute. I’ve contemplated using a foamy carpet cleaner and vacuum but I’m worried about leaving streaks of lighter areas so I just dry brush and vacuum.
Dom
Do not use leather cleaner on suede or unfinished leather.
When I buy a used amp or cabinet wrapped in vinyl I always start with dish detergent, specifically Dawn. I use two cloths, one pretty wet that I’ll put a small amount of soap on and then knead it thru that rag to get it soapy and removing excess water to end up with a damp soapy cloth. I’ll take off all the knobs and handles then go over the entire amp/cab one side at a time with the soapy cloth scrubbing as needed followed by a wipe down from the clean damp cloth. I vacuum and brush grill cloth.
I start with pulling the chassis on amps and clean that first so I don’t get scratches from a dirty rag. I rinse the clean rag after each section I clean, and rinse and re-soap the other rag as needed. The cloths should not be dripping wet, just damp enough to work well without water running into jacks/sockets etc. If there is stubborn dirt/schmeg I’ll use a cleaner like Pine-sol or Mr Clean diluted per the directions on the container. Fantastic spray cleaner works well also.
Magic erasers are great for getting those areas that look like paint transfer from rubbing against something, just don’t go overboard with the scrubbing. Q-tips are great for corners and other tight spaces. I usually do all this twice unless the amp is already pretty clean.
Be especially careful not to get any liquids in tube sockets and jacks. If you do, break out the hair dryer on low heat and dry it out, then use a contact cleaner like De-Oxit to remove any residue from soaps/cleaners or any remaining liquid.
Soap and water or mild household cleaners only on anything that is screen printed. I’ve accidentally removed lettering with isopropyl alcohol, and that’s a very mild chemical solvent compared to other types. On older vintage amps I would probably pass on cleaner and just use a damp cloth and lightly wipe.
Whatever you do don’t scrub the crap out of the standard style tolex or you will scratch it, especially with a stiff brush. The rougher textured ‘bronco’ can take more scrubbing, even with a decent cleaning brush.
I avoid any ‘solvents’ like acetone, xylene, mineral spirits, or paint thinner. I’ll use naphtha only for desperate situations. The only exception with the solvents is maybe if there was actual paint on the tolex, but would go sparingly with mineral spirits/paint thinner. If it wasn’t that bad I would just leave it alone instead of risking bleached out spots. A little bit of brushed on black paint, or even a sharpie can make small blems much less noticeable on black tolex.
Once an amp is clean I’m a ‘wipe it down often’ guy, unless something has been spilled on it that’s all I need to keep them looking great. I ‘borrowed’ a couple of my wife’s makeup brushes years ago, great for getting dust off the cabinet lip under amp knobs or recessed speaker grills. I also keep everything either covered or in its case when I’m not playing them.
One thing I’m unsure of is cleaning the black speaker grill cloth, I think it’s dyed jute. I’ve contemplated using a foamy carpet cleaner and vacuum but I’m worried about leaving streaks of lighter areas so I just dry brush and vacuum.
Dom
marcel20855
New member
I've had good results on tolex and bright metal with this product. A little goes a long way, and you'll want to buff with a dry cloth afterwards.
