I built a Custom Cabinet for my RM80 - Old School

I am into vintage amps usually and I didn't like the Randall aesthetics at all. So I bought a RM80 chassis from a member (grbassist) here and built my own cabinet.

It is made out of pine with a plywood baffle. The cabinet really rings like the vintage Fender cabinets did back in the day. I was going for the old school 50's art deco sorta look. I play traditional blues music and it fits the look of my band. I used an old piece of original Marshall basket weave grill that came off an old Marshall cabinet. The black tolex is the textured Vox style material and the cream is a Fender blonde.

I sanded off the black faceplate on the amp and added some water slide decals on the brushed aluminium. I did this before I fianalized the black and white tolex and it doesn't match very well with the black and white. So I am going to repaint it black and do some white pinstriping on it instead once I am sure the amp is going to work for me. I have Jaded Faith making me some mods and I want to confirm they will work for me before spending any more cash on this thing.

There is a 12 inch Webeer 12F150 Jensen style speaker in it right now. I have a second baffle cut for a 15" Weber Alnico speaker and a 10" Weber Legecy (celestion type) speaker. I will to be trying that out soon.

I am going to put a car fender emblem on the wide portion of the front of the cabinet below the input to finish it off. Currently looking for a vintage Cadillac, Chevy, Bel Aire or similar emblem. If you have something cool, let me know.

(that is the reverb tank and tube shields sitting in the bottom of the cabinet. I just got them from some other forum members, thanks.)

Wow! That looks impressive. Bet it sounds equally great. What a superb job with attention to detail! +1 on creativity.

That is is slick! Really nice job
Agree with your decision to go black for the chassis.

nikki-k said:

That is is slick! Really nice job
Agree with your decision to go black for the chassis.

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Yeah the brushed aluminum isn't working right now.

Also, that yellow tweed face on my module isn't helping either. Not sure what to do about that. Any ideas on module look changes would be appreciated. I am afraid to do custom faces for them because then I wouldn't be able to trade them easily.

Way cool!

Now that is very cool indeed. Totally right on the chassis needing paint with that tolex.

That is just killer!! Great work. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it in MTS. It's got loads of vibe. Kudos sir!! 8)

Daryl said:

That is just killer!! Great work. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it in MTS. It's got loads of vibe. Kudos sir!! 8)

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Well Randall focused MTS on metal players. Guys like Jaded Faith brought vintage tones to it. Guys like me would be laughed out of my blues gig's if I showed up with a normal looking MTS.

That, sir, is spectacular! WAY cool.

That is bad ***! As far as the faceplates, you could have new ones designed and if you go to sell them keep the old ones and then whomever buys it will have a choice. I will look and see if I have any of the old ones around which you would be more than welcome to.

ricky said:

That is bad ***! As far as the faceplates, you could have new ones designed and if you go to sell them keep the old ones and then whomever buys it will have a choice. I will look and see if I have any of the old ones around which you would be more than welcome to.

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Glad you guys like it.

That would be great if you had an extra face-plate around. I destroyed the original when I sent it through a big drum sander which took all the original finish right off it. They are pretty thin and have double sided tape to hold them onto the chassis. It was hard to remove it without bending it all up.

Steve...
how is the weight on that cab??? I wonder if u were able to cut down on the weight of this awesome combo.
Me, I am looking to turn my rm22 into a combo...but everytime I make an effort in that direction the weight is STILL a problem....I add it all up and its still approx 45 lbs for a 22lb amp..wth??
YOUR THOUGHTS?
GtrGeorge

GtrGeorge! said:

Steve...
how is the weight on that cab??? I wonder if u were able to cut down on the weight of this awesome combo.
Me, I am looking to turn my rm22 into a combo...but everytime I make an effort in that direction the weight is STILL a problem....I add it all up and its still approx 45 lbs for a 22lb amp..wth??
YOUR THOUGHTS?
GtrGeorge

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I haven't weighted it but I think it is lighter than the standard cabinet. I would guess between 5 to 8 pounds lighter. I made the back out of pretty thin material which cut down on weight as well. It is still heavier than I would like it to be so it isn't a lightweight by any means, but it isn't a killer either. More than anything is the depth and width of the chassis on this model. It is just big and makes it hard to carry.

Steve,
I figured that Randall used material that was heavier than it needed to be..must have been inexpensive for them. I have several 2 -12 cabs that are lighter than what Randall has offered. And they have held up fine..with being thinner and lighter. I dont understand why Randall and others dont see weight as important...sometimes its not even listed in the specs.
But if you play out, its really critical.
Thanks for the input, the cab looks great..and if you use neodymium speakerI am sure you canget the weight downeven more, if you want to go thru the effort.
GtrGeorge

I bought a two wheel dolly at Costco ten years ago for $45. That was the best $45 I have ever spent. I don't think about weight nearly as much these days.

Steve, I PM'd you about sending you a face plate.
ricky

I am right there with you George. I gig and am in my late 40's. This chassis was never designed to be a small light weight amp. I have 1x12 amps that are about 1/4 the size of it.