Where can I get enough Sunn grill cloth to cover my Sorado cab? Don't you just love how un-symmetrical the speaker cover clamps are.
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If you're looking for the first version cloth, mid '69 and before, pretty much none has been found. Second version (Fender-ish looking) is available from Mellotone Div. Wendell Fabrics, located in Blacksburg SC. 864-839-6341. They made the original for Sunn as well as still make cloth for other brands. They have new "new look" cloth and new "aged look" cloth, meaning a darker color like age and smoke would affect. New look is DF-7005 and aged look FN-5660-21. These numbers were good about 3 or so years ago when I visited and bought cloth. Manager at the time was Bill Swank. They are literally located less than 30 minutes from where I live. Good luck. 
Thanks, I just emailed them at there site. Looks like the have their sh!t together.If you're looking for the first version cloth, mid '69 and before, pretty much none has been found. Second version (Fender-ish looking) is available from Mellotone Div. Wendell Fabrics, located in Blacksburg SC. 864-839-6341. They made the original for Sunn as well as still make cloth for other brands. They have new "new look" cloth and new "aged look" cloth, meaning a darker color like age and smoke would affect. New look is DF-7005 and aged look FN-5660-21. These numbers were good about 3 or so years ago when I visited and bought cloth. Manager at the time was Bill Swank. They are literally located less than 30 minutes from where I live. Good luck.
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My old Sept. 1969 Sorado cabinet that was in in almost mint condition.
Oren is all over this, the pre '69 grill cloth is unobtainable. D.M.N. found some Traynor cloth that is similar, but not a straight up match. There are some folks over at the Sunn Forum that might part with enough post '68 grill cloth to cover a Sorado, a few (including myself) bought rolls. I forget Wendell's minimum, but it's waaaay more than you need for a single 215.
The sunn Forum - Index
I've got a pile of Sunn gear that I could still recover, or I'd volunteer some.
This is a 2000S rig that I redid with the Wendell DF-7005, it's dead on a brand new 1970 Sunn.
No, that is the original grill cloth, the cabinet was totally stock, including the drivers that were in it when I bought the cabinet in the early '00s.
Here is a closer look at the cloth.
They have a web sight. They still list the new look DF-7005 but looks like the aged look stuff is no longer offered.If you're looking for the first version cloth, mid '69 and before, pretty much none has been found. Second version (Fender-ish looking) is available from Mellotone Div. Wendell Fabrics, located in Blacksburg SC. 864-839-6341. They made the original for Sunn as well as still make cloth for other brands. They have new "new look" cloth and new "aged look" cloth, meaning a darker color like age and smoke would affect. New look is DF-7005 and aged look FN-5660-21. These numbers were good about 3 or so years ago when I visited and bought cloth. Manager at the time was Bill Swank. They are literally located less than 30 minutes from where I live. Good luck.
Wendell is a great company that has been in business supplying US amp manufacturers for a long time. If their minumums are too high, their products are available from retailers, search for Mellotone.
Here are two to check out:
https://qcomponents.ca/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes
Qcomponents is A good source, they are located in Canada, part numbers are listed.
Mellotone In Stock At Parts Express With Free Shipping
They offer a somewhat limited selection.
Here are two to check out:
https://qcomponents.ca/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes
Qcomponents is A good source, they are located in Canada, part numbers are listed.
Mellotone In Stock At Parts Express With Free Shipping
They offer a somewhat limited selection.
The closest fabric available for the first generation grill, like Jeff posted, is the Acoustone 4540. It'd fool most people. The weave is actually a near mirror image of the original Sunn cloth, and I believe is a bit less dense/a bit less grey, possibly a little bit less silver thread in it. However, at the moment, it's the best available. As stated though, the Mellotone fabric of the later style is available as well.
To restore that cab properly, regardless of the grill cloth style, you will have to reconfigure a few things. While from outward appearance the Sorado cab looks exactly like the 200s cab that featured a detachable grill cloth frame, it was a downmarket box with entirely different construction(the amps, although with different model names, were virtually identical). The Sorado baffle has to be detached(unscrewed from the cleats inside), take the logo off, then whatever cloth you have to work with will have to be stapled to the baffle, then reattached. Loose those clamps in front(and those 'pie' covers, of course), the speakers would be mounted on the inside(that's why the back can be taken off). In the case of your cab, the direction of the T-nuts would have to be reversed, and preferably holes for them would be re-drilled to align with the speaker frame holes so that (shorter) bolts would directly mount the drivers(through the frame holes). I don't think there's enough basket lip clearance to be able to use those clamps on the inside, but I could be wrong. The clamps are an aftermarket mod that was sloppily done, hence the weird spacing. Originally, there were T-screws mounted inward; you would slip the speaker in carefully so that the screws would go through the basket lip holes, and the driver would be secured with nuts attached after. Almost identical to Fender cabs of the same era. The reason for all this? The baffle/port construction of the 200s cab was unique and a bit complicated, and a lot more labor intensive to manufacture. Plus, JBL D-140 drivers were used(still mounted from the back). The Sorado design was simpler and more straight-forward, and cheaper CTS speakers were employed, making for a less expensive package(even though, as I mentioned, the amp heads were the same). That's why there's that little raised area in the upper left(along with the frame strips along the sides); it's for attaching the logo plate after attaching the grill cloth. There's just not enough clearance to put a cloth frame on top of the baffle as is without it sticking out past the edge of the front. Hopefully all that makes sense.
Also, I'm assuming those original inward T-screws had been taken out, but if they're still there, that would save you a bunch of grief. The only consideration is that those EV's are much heavier than the CTS's those screws were meant to accommodate, plus there's only four per driver, probably not secure enough. That's probably why the baffle was modded to have the drivers front loaded, and the heftier clamp/bolts used.
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I will add that upon further investigation, you can purchase Traynor reissue grill cloth through Long & McQuade, which is likely the closest match (close I believe than even the Acoustone). Here's an example on their reissue amps:
Yes, it is different. However, the original grills I believe were the same weave, but were mounted at a different angle. I've talked with some people on the Sunn forum who have both original Sunn and Traynor pieces, and aside from fading, say that they look the same. AIMS also used this style of grill. While the new grill isn't identical, I think by mounting it with the dominant weave going the same way as the Sunn, it's going to be the best option for those wishing to recreate the look of the original Sunn amps.
Here are my former two '60s era YS-15 (sealed) cabinets (part of them, anyway. Even these two have different grill cloth from each other, beyond the bias of the two, and not like the RI Traynor stuff. But if that is what one can get, from a distance it will look good. At least, the color is pretty much identical.
