Tolex is the outer “skin” of your amplifier and cabinet; it’s a material that’s flexible vinyl and originally trademarked way back in 1945 by General Tire. Currently, it is registered as “a plastic sheet and film material for book binding and case covering for speakers and amplifiers”, although you can also commonly find Tolex used on many guitar and bass guitar hardshell cases as well.
Put simply, if the amp or cab has a “skin” on it and it’s not tweed, it’s most likely Tolex.
Tolex comes in several varieties. Here are a few of them:
Ampeg checkered
“British” style
“Fender” style
“Elephant” style (looks somewhat like elephant skin)
Want to see a whole bunch more, including all the different colors like red, orange, white, silver and even purple? That’s right here.
All amps and cabs at some point start having their Tolex “skin” start coming off, usually from a combination of the amp or cab being used quite a bit and age. Or maybe you’re in the situation where the Tolex on your amp or cab has lots its fit and you want to replace it. Well, you can.
“I have absolutely no idea how to do a Tolex wrap. Help!”
Ask and ye shall receive! Here’s a video (note: it’s 22 minutes long, but worth the watch).
Have you ever done a Tolex wrap?
Post a comment and share your experience. Was it difficult, easy or somewhere in between? Let everyone know.
It takes planning, but I thought the hard part would be the main cabinet, but it was the back panel for the sealed, ported design. The wrapping of the cab provided the tension to hold while it set. I finally needed to clamp the tolex on the flat back board, then it finally held. Looks great, though.