Hall of Shame & Wonder

The following photos illustrate some of the bad restorations,  ill-advised modifications and mistreatment (not to mention some downright interesting cosmetic designs) that are sometimes applied to Music Man amplifiers.  If one of these is your amp, I hope you have the sense of grace to chuckle along with the rest of us!  It is with a profound & humorous spirit in which these oddities are presented...
 

Interesting Restorations & Modifications
For some reason it is a part of human nature to change and "improve" things. Some people just don't know when to quit or when to call in a craftsman who has the specific talents that they lack. Some people simply want a project or want to "do-it-yourself". The offenses range from improperly-oriented grill cloth and unknown orifices to totally re-engineering the cosmetics of an amplifier.  Here are a few of the most interesting restorations and "modifications" I have run into.

Here's a deluxe modification for you.... hack out some purple vinyl with a pocket-knife, slip it OVER the black Tolex covering of an otherwise normal looking amp and make it stick using a staple-gun!

Also note the mismatched speakers (only one  "chrome-dome") What WAS this person thinking?

What we have here is a budget restoration....
strip off the outer Tolex covering, paint the entire cabinet black with spray-paint and throw-away that pesky grill board (after mounting the badges directly onto the cabinet).

Now add a mesh cover to protect the non-existent speaker for that final touch.  Magnifique!

This "head" looks like a homemade conversion from a combo model... and then some.  Not only is the cabinet not original, neither is the pilot light!

The front-panel control graphic plate has been removed and new grill-cloth has been poorly and improperly substituted as well. The application of the contact-paper covering using a household stapler ensures that we know this is a prime example of pure back-woods workmanship!

This "restoration" not only made the Hall of Shame for its "craftmanship",  but parts of it show up in the Hall of Rust as well... TWICE!

This cosmetic "sprucing-up" isn't all that bad, it is just indifferently executed.  Black grill cloth is incorrectly aligned and the badges are remounted in the incorrect locations.

As a bonus, white vinyl piping is installed around the grill board... probably so this head might somewhat match a Marshall cabinet.  The black-paint-over-chrome corner hardware is a nice touch as well.

This is an interesting cosmetic look pulled off with quality workmanship. The grill board sans grill cloth is sanded clean and clear-coated in a natural wood finish and installed over a protective black grill. The knobs have been replaced with some from a WWII U.S. Navy shortwave receiver and the cabinet has been covered in gray outdoor-type carpeting.

If paired with a matching speaker cabinet it wouldn't look bad at all.  I personally don't care for the "bulbous" corner hardware myself.

Let's see... I'll bore this hole in the side so I can mount a fan. This ought to keep my HD cool! Oops, the fan won't fit inside the cabinet!  I can't lug this thing around with an EXTERNAL fan bolted on (oh, the shame)!

I guess an extra cooling HOLE isn't so bad.  Now THIS ought to keep my HD cool!

My cousin Billy-Bob said that these old theater speakers would give my Music Man a real vintage sound.  I guess it is a good thing that I had to remove the back panels to make them fit, since it helps make up for the extra weight of these electro-magnet coils!

...and you thought Western-Electric only made telephone equipment!

Here's a Music Man with a real Scandanavian-furniture look to it.  Stripped to the bone and finished au naturel, it would fit right into the living room of many fine homes. With grill-cloth to match the sofa and new all-black hardware,  this honey is a real looker.

Now as soon as that set of Fender knobs comes in the "new-look" will be complete! Notice the matching speaker cabinet underneath!  Cool!

Here's an illustration of one of my pet-peeves... incorrectly aligned grill cloth. This grill cloth is 90 degrees out-of-phase!  The silver stripes are supposed to go up & down and the black ones go side-to-side.

To me, it is immediately apparent that something is wrong when I see this. Doesn't this bother anyone else? I suppose this is an acquired neurotic reaction.

I see my therapist on Thursdays...