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Tolex vs Ozite carpet?
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The Steel Guitar Forum
Bar Chatter Archive
Tolex vs Ozite carpet?
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This topic was originally posted in this forum: Wanted To Buy |
| Author | Topic: Tolex vs Ozite carpet? |
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Joe E Member Posts: 620 |
posted 10 April 2000 08:43 AM
What is your preference on Tolex vs ozite carpet on speaker cabs. Why and why not? (as a few of you may have figured out, I may very seriously go BACK into the speaker building business. I have several "steel" proto types almost complete) stay tuned for updates. ------------------ "76" Fender Artist S-10 |
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Cliff Swanson Member Posts: 345 |
posted 10 April 2000 09:11 AM
I prefer the look and feel of tolex hands down over ozite every time. Given a choice I would always opt for tolex... Aside from the general aesthetics, another consideration for me is that there is a lot of cat fur around my house and it seems to glom onto ozite and STAY there. This might be a different story if it came off the ozite easily, but as far as I can see, covalent chemical bonding has nothing over the attraction between ozite and cat fur!  |
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J D Sauser Member Posts: 1240 |
posted 10 April 2000 09:38 AM
I think that can be a touchy issue when applied to speaker cabs or combo amps, as it may (and in IMNSHO, DOES) affect the sound response. There's even quite a difference between Tweed and Tolex.. so, it's not just about looks and wear resistance. ------------------ |
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Jerry Gleason Member Posts: 539 |
posted 10 April 2000 09:57 AM
I always prefer tolex. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it rains a good share of the year. As hard as you try to avoid it, your gear is going to get wet some time or other, either from being rained on, or having to set something down in a puddle. Ozite just wicks up water (especially bad for steel guitar cases). In addition to the cat fur problem mentioned by Cliff, cats definitely have a preference for Ozite as a claw sharpening material, so cat owners tend to have furry-edged cabinets. Because some prefer Ozite, I suppose a choice of coverings would be ideal. Tell us more about your cabinets when you can. |
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Joe E Member Posts: 620 |
posted 10 April 2000 10:37 AM
Thanks for the replies. Let me say this. Ozite is much more durable. And after years of hard use, it still looks pretty good. (except for stains) Tolex just doesn't hold up to the loading and unloading of the equipment. I have not noticed a huge difference in sound between the two. Hopefully, most of the sound is created on the inside of the cabinet and only small portions of the soundwaves are altered as it makes it way all the way through the cabinet. Also I would doubt in the case of a open back cabinet there would be any noticable difference. There is however a big difference in plywood vs particle board. Plywood by nature is warmer and natural sounding. It has a woody sound to it, which most have come to love. I used high density particle board in the past for PA cabinets. But also you end up using about 10% insulation filler on those types of cabs. As far as the new Steel cabs go. The line is being designed around speakers you aready own. This way the cabinet will be sold without speakers and you can load your own. EX: a closed back cabinet tuned for a BW 15 or a 2x12 JBLs. Most of us have kept the good speakers we've bought and will use them again and again. Also the final decision of, front or back loaded speakers will need to be addressed. I like the sound of front loaded speakers.(Laying the cabinet on its back and droping the speaker in from the front) With this setup you need better protection from damage. Any more thoughts? ------------------ "76" Fender Artist S-10 |
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Lee Baucum Member Posts: 3201 |
posted 10 April 2000 10:41 AM
Jerry - When you get to the point where you have had too much rain, just send it on down to the southern Tip O' Texas. We're entering our 6th year of drought. We need it bad! There are small kids in our neighborhood who have never seen rain. They only get to see pictures of it in their textbooks! Lee, from South Texas |
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Jerry Gleason Member Posts: 539 |
posted 10 April 2000 01:52 PM
The tone differences between covering materials would have to be pretty dramatic to make me choose a material that's less practical (for my situation). I can't imagine that there would be that big of a difference that you could detect it in a live playing situation, but I've never had the chance to compare directly. I do agree that plywood sounds better than particle board. Weighs less, too, and weight is a primary consideration for me. As far as mounting the drivers front vs. rear, I generally prefer front mounting, but I think it's more critical for smaller, high frequency drivers where diffraction effects from the edge of the hole might be apparant if they were mounted behind the baffle board. What I would really prefer is recessed front mounting, where the speaker is flush with the front of the baffle. It's a little more work to route out a ledge for that, however, and different speakers have different flange thicknesses (cast frames vs. stamped steel, etc.). And Lee, cmon up, and bring a bucket with ya... [This message was edited by Jerry Gleason on 10 April 2000 at 04:35 PM.] |
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Donny Hinson Member Posts: 9192 |
posted 10 April 2000 02:11 PM
Another reason that I go with Tolex is that it doesn't absorb odors. Whether it's tobacco smoke, mothballs, or spilled beer, or some "pet byproduct", the Ozite just isn't as "resistant". To keep the Tolex (or Ozite) in good shape, mount 3/4 X 1 1/2 wood furring strips along the sides of the cabinets about 1" from each edge. Paint them black, and fasten with 3 No. 8 X 1 1/2" sheet metal screws (if you can't "picture" what I'm talking about...imagine the strips as "runners" on a sled.) These strips, or runners, will take the brunt of the wear when moving your cabinets around, and sliding them in and out of trucks. They're light, easy to replace, and when you want to sell the cabinets, merely remove them, and all you have are 6 almost unnoticeable holes on each side. |
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