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Post subject: 65ish Blackface Fender Twin- f'ed up screw holes in baffle
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:07 pm
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Hi everybody, new to this board with a question about my original blackface twin. Amp is in great condition, just needs a few tweaks to be mint. Not sure if I'm gonna put it up for sale or use it, but I want to address the major issues.
The main issue I'm having is that the speaker baffle came loose at the bottom when I last transported it (not sure what I was thinking putting in a trunk face down!). The cleat at the bottom is fine but where those long screws go into the baffle, the wood has completely come apart. At first I thought I could just plug up the holes with some dowel and wood glue, but there is basically no structure there to glue into, it just breaks apart.
I read somewhere that they switched to particle board for the baffle later on, but from what I can tell this can't be solid wood or plywood if it's coming apart so easily. There is no sign of rot or water damage anywhere on the baffle.
So my options seem to be:
1. Try to fill in the holes (or craters) with some heavy-duty two-part wood filler that can be drilled into once cured
2. Try to replace the entire piece of wood- I'm assuming this is one solid piece?
3. Spend a couple hundred (at least?) to have a professional do one of the above, but sleep easy in the knowledge that I haven't screwed up an amp that could one day be a family heirloom..
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Scott


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Post subject: Re: 65ish Blackface Fender Twin- f'ed up screw holes in baff
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:40 pm
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The baffle board on all vintage blackface combos is 1/2-inch MDF (ie: particle-board), with a 1-inch x 1/4-inch pine or poplar frame at the edges and a 1/4-inch shelf for the logo in the upper left corner. They're not too difficult to build if yours needs to be replaced (and it sounds like it does). Age and atmospheric factors take their toll on cabinetry, especially so with MDF. You can use 1/2-inch birch ply in lieu of the particle-board construction if you wish (not recommended for sealed-back bass-reflex enclosures though). I've replaced at least 100 vintage Fender baffle boards over the years -- it can easily be done in an afternoon assuming the tools and materials are on hand and one has some level of expertise working with wood.

Best of luck, HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: 65ish Blackface Fender Twin- f'ed up screw holes in baff
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:44 pm
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Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:55 pm
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Hi Arjay-
Thanks so much for the info. My main concern is keeping the amp as original as possible, but it sounds like replacing the baffle would not diminish the amp's value. It sounds like I could probably get the job done myself with a circular saw and jig saw, but I may enlist the help of my father as he has an extensive workshop and bit more experience than me :)

I may also get my girlfriend to help me restretch the cover as she is a paintings conservator and has a lot of experience stretching canvasses- hopefully not too different a job..
thanks again for your help
Scott


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