Rectifier Tolex (or is it Pleather?) Questions

[RicherHertz]

Hi all, first time poster on The Boogie Board and hoping you all can help me out.

I scored a Dual Rectifier Rev F and its original Oversized Slant 4x12 cabinet today. I have a couple questions about the tolex (or is it pleather?) covering Mesa used on these earlier Rectifiers. The covering is starting to bubble on the cabinet's back baffle (picture included below).

1) Is there a fix for this, other than recovering it?

2) Are there any vendors selling this material? It looks like Mesa stopped using it in the early 90's.

3) What's the best way to clean this material (damp cloth, Simple Green, etc.)?

4) Any tips on how to avoid the covering from becoming further loose?

5) What's the value of these Mesa Oversized 4x12 Early Rectifier Cabinets on the used market?

Thanks for enduring these questions. Absolutely loving all the info and interaction on The Boogie Board!

 

[rarebitusa]

I've done a few tolex jobs, botched a few and learned along the way. It appears to be lifting all around the edges and you may be able to carefully peel back the edges, using a flat blade all around until it gets to the more established center. Using some 3M 90 reseat it and roll out the sections with a hard roller.

Matching exactly could be tough... AFA material I've had good luck with www.speakerbuildersupply.com, they have sent me samples in the past.

 

[RicherHertz]

I've done a few tolex jobs, botched a few and learned along the way. It appears to be lifting all around the edges and you may be able to carefully peel back the edges, using a flat blade all around until it gets to the more established center. Using some 3M 90 reseat it and roll out the sections with a hard roller.

Matching exactly could be tough... AFA material I've had good luck with www.speakerbuildersupply.com, they have sent me samples in the past.

Thanks rarebitusa. Your recommendation to reseat and roll it sounds like the best option. Haven't found any vendors that sell this material.

 

[Dr.G]

Use a hot air gun and heat it up. The glue will melt and get sticky again. I had this on my old 2 channel heads.
Just be careful and take your time. No need to remove anything.

No idea about the price of those old cabs, but the most sought after cabs seem to be from the 2001-2003 era.

 

[RicherHertz]

Thanks Dr. G. I haven't gotten around to this project, but will attempt what you described first. The less invasive the better.

 

[XRL]

That is leather by the way. The earlier models had real leather covering. Not sure when they changed to Tolex, probably 94-95.

 

[CoG]

Use a hot air gun and heat it up. The glue will melt and get sticky again. I had this on my old 2 channel heads.
Just be careful and take your time. No need to remove anything.

No idea about the price of those old cabs, but the most sought after cabs seem to be from the 2001-2003 era.

+1 on the heat gun. The process is more forgiving than you think if you're really patient. The good thing about Mesa using quality materials is that they don't shrink.

There's so little market for 4x12s right now (nless they are minty vintage marshalls) that you should just hold onto it if you've got the space. If you really need cash you honestly might do better selling the speakers separately.