How to Install Grill Cloth on a Guitar Amp

Give your amp a face-lift with new grill covering.

Installing grill cloth on a guitar amp or speaker cabinet is done to repair torn or damaged grill material, or to give your amp a custom face-lift. Made of acoustically transparent cloth or metal screening, installation requires a few common hand tools and will not permanently modify your amp. It is recommended that you use the existing amp grill frame, and install the new covering in the same manner as the original. Amp grill covering can be purchased at most music stores, or from retailers specializing in speaker restoration and repair components.

Things You'll Need

• Masking tape
• Pen
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Speaker grill cloth
• Scissors
• Staple gun and staples
• Wood glue
• Paint brush
• Weights, optional (boards, books, bricks)
• Wax paper (optional)

Instructions

Removing Old Grill Cloth

1. Remove the speaker wires by pulling them from the speaker and marking the positive and negative wires and speaker connections with masking tape and a pen. Open-back amps will allow direct access to the speakers. Closed-back amps and cabinets require the rear panel screws to be removed with a screwdriver to access speakers.

2. Remove the grill frame from the amplifier. The grill frame is a wooden frame which holds the speaker and grill cloth in place, and can removed by loosening and removing the mounting screws located on the inside front of the amp cabinet.

3. Push the grill frame gently from the amplifier cabinet, holding the front with one hand and pushing from the back with the other.

4. Place the grill frame with the grill cloth side down and the speaker magnet facing up. It is not necessary to remove the speaker, but care must be taken to avoid damage during the cloth installation process. You may remove the speaker if you wish, by removing the mounting screws or nuts with a screwdriver or pliers.

5. Determine the speaker cloth mounting method by looking at the edges on the cloth on the frame. If staples are present, the cloth is attached with staples. If no staples are present, the cloth is attached with glue. You may use either method for attaching the new cloth, but restoration purists prefer to use the original attachment method.

6. Remove stapled grill cloth by prying up the staples with a screwdriver, and pulling them out with your fingers of pliers. Remove glued grill cloth by peeling up one corner (which may be secured by a staple), and peeling the cloth away from the frame. Don't cut the cloth away unless absolutely necessary, as it will be used as a measuring template for the new cloth.

Installing New Grill Cloth with Staples

1. Place the old grill cloth over the new, and trim to size with scissors.

2. Place the frame over the new grill cloth, and center it so that the excess grill cloth is even on all sides. Ensure that the grill cloth is smooth and contains no folds or bumps.

3. Fold the grill cloth up and over the center of one long side of the frame and place a staple through the cloth into the wood.

4. Folding and staple the opposite long side, pulling gently on the cloth as you fold it over.

5. Continue the folding, pulling and stapling procedure on the two short sides of the frame, and continue folding, pulling and stapling around the remaining areas of the frame.

6. When all sides are stapled, fold the four corners in and secure each with one or more staples.

Installing new Grill Cloth with Glue

1. Place the old grill cloth over the new, and trim to size with scissors.

2. Place the frame over the new grill cloth, and center it so that the excess grille cloth is even on all sides. Ensure that the grill cloth is smooth and contains no folds or bumps.

3. Apply a thin bead of glue (about 1/4 inch) around all sides of the frame, and spread evenly with a small paint brush.

4. Fold one of the long edges of the grill cloth up and over the frame, pressing the cloth into the glue. Place strips of masking tape over the cloth and inside edge of the wood frame to hold in place. As an alternative, you may also place old boards, books, bricks or other heavy objects over the glued cloth area, with wax paper between the cloth and weight to avoid glue transfer.

5. Continue folding and pressing the cloth onto all glued frame surfaces, securing with tape or weights, and allow to dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• If your amp is a vintage or expensive model, saving the old grill cloth and including it with the amp will increase the amp's value when it's time to sell, even if the cloth is damaged.

• Stapling the cloth is faster and easier than gluing. Gluing may require several attempts before it is executed properly.

• You may use speaker grill cloth glue (which is sometimes supplied with the speaker cloth) instead of wood glue.

• Avoid the use of "super" glues to install speaker cloth. If the cloth needs to be removed for adjustment or future replacement, the glue and cloth is extremely difficult to remove without damaging wood.

• Use only cloth made expressly for speaker use, as it is acoustically transparent, and is deigned to be stiffer and easier to work with than fabric. The use of regular fabric will not only be more difficult to work with because of its looseness, but may muffle or filter the sound coming from the speakers.

References

• Human Speakers: How to Install Speaker Grill Cloth
• Simply Speakers: Speaker Grill Cloth Instructions
• Acoustical Solutions: How to Install

Resources

• Duh Voodoo Man: Grill Replacement for VOX Valvetronix AD30VT Amp
• Geofex: Building Replicas of Vox Cabinets and Heads