What to clean tolex and grill cloth with?

[Mr. C]

I just picked up this Peavey Classic 30 and it's filthy. Something was spilled down the grill cloth and pooled slightly at the bottom. What would be a safe product to use to clean the tolex and the grill cloth? Can I use a spray bleach, or would that bleach it out? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[flamin-gitaur]

I have always just used warm water with a mild soap and a damp rag. Sometimes it takes a few tries, but its worked for me.

 

[pohaku]

I wouldn't use any kind of bleach. Way too harsh and it could change the color of the fabric and perhaps even affect the tolex. I'd start with water and detergent and see if that was sufficient. Failing that, use a spray cleaner like 409 or Fantastik and rinse with water. You might need to use a carpet cleaner/upholstery cleaner product like Resolve on the fabric. But I'd start with lighter stuff first.

 

[Scottgman]

Mabye some Oxiclean?

 

[Dani Pace]

Dish detergent and water, then wipe off with a damp cloth. Allow to dry and repeat if nessassary. Use a soft brush on the grill. If you have access to an air compressor you can remove the grill, apply your cleaner, let it soak to loosen the grime then use compressed air to blast off the residue. After you get the dirt and grime off, coat the vinyl with a protectorant (Armor All or similar product) and if the vinyl is discolored a coat of shoe polish will sometimes restore both the color and luster.
If the amp is that dirty on the outside, you should also use compressed air to blow out all the dust and cobwebs on the inside too. It wont hurt to give the pots and plugs a cleaning with a deoxidizer while you are at it.

 

[travelin travis]

i've used a toothbrush and dish soap on the tolex and grill of an amp with really good results. the amp was an old peavey and it was redicously dirty. i started by taking out the amp chassis and speaker. next, i put the cab in the bath tub and went after it with a hi pressure detatchable shower head and a soapy towel. after that i put it in front of fan to let it dry. as it dried i noticed that alot of dirty spots were still there, between the grains of the tolex. i got a toothbrush and mixed some soapy water with dish soap and water and started scrubbin away, rinsed, towel dried, put in front of the fan again to completey dry it out. it turned out looking great. the little metal pieces that covered the handle screws and the cab corners had some surface rust on them and looked pretty dirty still so i took some fine steel wool to those. that worked out really good too. i took off the knobs and used the toothbrush on those too. besides a little rust down in the heads of the corner protector screws, it almost looked like a new amp.

btw, it was a friends amp that i did this to. when he saw the results he was shocked.

i would bet that some of that foaming upholstery cleaner that comes in a can would work good on your amp (if it has the tweed cab). you might test a small hidden section to check for color fastness. upholstery cleaner, a toothbrush, and some steel wool would probably do wonders for that amp.

beware: anyone that has an amp cab made of something like osb should probably avoid getting any water directly on the wood.