Packing Tape vs Doug's Plugs (to stuff F-holes)

**Bosko** · 01-30-2014, 11:02 AM

Has anyone tried these? Did you like them? Worth the extra $?

Doug's Plugs - hand-made f-hole covers to eliminate feedback in your archtop guitar

**wintermoon** · 01-30-2014, 11:24 AM

I've had them in my L-5 for yrs. they work great, but even though the website is up I'm not sure he's still in business.
the last copyright year listed on the site was 3 yrs ago.

**jorgemg1984** · 01-30-2014, 11:51 AM

Packing tape looks hedious and can damage a finish. Dougs plugs are expensive and he's not replying to mails anymore.

I locally boat some cheap EVA foam and Balsa wood. A designer friend took phots of my two achtops and designed two plugs on the computer - one that fit the hole perfectly, the other a little bigger. Found a local cnc store that did small jobs (the hardest part) and.. done! Oh my tech painted balsa as ebony. Very cheap and works great.

**mr. beaumont** · 01-30-2014, 12:12 PM

Waaaay back when I played an Epiphone emperor regent that was a feedback machine, I made some plugs for a loud gig out of painters tape.

I traced the F holes onto a piece of paper, and made a cardboard cutout that was a little bigger than the F hole. I then put blue painters tape on a piece of wax paper, and covered that with black tape. I traced the F hole cutout, cut around it, and my plug peeled off the wax paper easily.

I left them on for a 2 weekend run of a show I was playing in (a jazz age themed thing at the high school I work at which featured a pretty loud" pit" band that wasn't in the pit, but on stage) and they left no marks on the finish...granted, those Epiphone are essentially dipped in plastic, but, still, another option and about 2.5 beers worth of work.

**West LA Jazz** · 01-30-2014, 02:45 PM

Thanks! Great idea. I'm going to try this using f holes cut out of beach flip flops and see if it works.

I saw something that looked like flip flop material here.

http://gretschpages.com/forum/genera...s/14562/page1/

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Waaaay back when I played an Epiphone emperor regent that was a feedback machine, I made some plugs for a loud gig out of painters tape.

I traced the F holes onto a piece of paper, and made a cardboard cutout that was a little bigger than the F hole. I then put blue painters tape on a piece of wax paper, and covered that with black tape. I traced the F hole cutout, cut around it, and my plug peeled off the wax paper easily.

I left them on for a 2 weekend run of a show I was playing in (a jazz age themed thing at the high school I work at which featured a pretty loud" pit" band that wasn't in the pit, but on stage) and they left no marks on the finish...granted, those Epiphone are essentially dipped in plastic, but, still, another option and about 2.5 beers worth of work.

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Packing tape looks hedious and can damage a finish. Dougs plugs are expensive and he's not replying to mails anymore.

I locally boat some cheap EVA foam and Balsa wood. A designer friend took phots of my two achtops and designed two plugs on the computer - one that fit the hole perfectly, the other a little bigger. Found a local cnc store that did small jobs (the hardest part) and.. done! Oh my tech painted balsa as ebony. Very cheap and works great.

tape works better than plugs. I've tried both. The packing tape is less intrusive to the guitar's vibration. I've talked to Paul Bollenback about this and he agrees. Benson, Rodney Jones, Henry Johnson, Bollenback, Johnston and many others are using tape. I used tape on an '88 Gibson ES-165 for a couple years. When I pulled it off, it took about 5 minutes worth of wiping with naptha and left no trace of glue and did not cause any damage.

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 02:52 PM

Some people just want an expensive solution to a simple problem.

**wintermoon** · 01-30-2014, 02:57 PM

I've seen packing tape eat into the guitars' finish before. I bought a guitar that came w/the tape still on and after removing left a thin ridge that was a pain to level out. took some time but I got it done.

I use packing tape everyday [not on guitars] and there are some that are stickier than others...

but, ymmv

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 03:06 PM

all i can tell you is that I've used it for years with no issues. Talk to Henry Johnson, Benson, Bollenback or any number of guys using it. I've seen bollenback's guitars off and on for many years and never saw any sign of the finish being eaten away. I don't think Paul is scouring the stores for a certain type of packing tape either.

First of all, if your guitar is finished in poly, you have no issue. No packing tape glue will eat into that. But even if it's lacquer and my 88 ES 165 was old lacquer, there was no issue. The newer lacquer is not the same as the older stuff and is more impervious to that kind of damage.

But the main thing is the sound. Everyone I know who uses it has tried the plugs and has said the sound is much better with the tape.

It's only on message boards that this is a debate, lol

**wintermoon** · 01-30-2014, 03:09 PM

"The newer lacquer is not the same as the older stuff and is more impervious to that kind of damage."

that's nice if your guitar is newer. I use old guitars. all the guys you've mentioned use newer instruments...

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 03:18 PM

my guitar was '88. YMMV. You've got a solution in search of a problem IMO...

**rkwestcoast** · 01-30-2014, 04:18 PM

I bought a set of Doug's Plugs for my Peerless Monarch - they worked well - but since I have switched amp to a Mambo 10" wedge have not needed them at all.

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 04:27 PM

how do you get a mambo in the USA? I emailed them and never got a reply!

**coolvinny** · 01-30-2014, 04:41 PM

I really don't view $60 as expensive in the context of someone's (presumably) no. 1 guitar. That's the cost of one-way shipping on a guitar purchased on trial, isn't it?

Re: Mambo, you cannot purchase directly in North America. Jon Shaw will get back to you eventually. He is a great guy, and the amps are wonderful.

**wintermoon** · 01-30-2014, 04:49 PM

"I really don't view $60 as expensive in the context of someone's (presumably) no. 1 guitar"

agreed, they were $50 when I bought the plugs and I thought that was high @ the time, but within a few weeks I realized it was about the best $50 I ever spent on a gear related purchase. they've done the job on thousands of gigs and the cost is an afterthought @ this point.

**Bosko** · 01-30-2014, 06:20 PM

"The sound is much better with the tape" - better in what way?

Thanks for all the feedback
MB

**jorgemg1984** · 01-30-2014, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

tape works better than plugs. I've tried both. The packing tape is less intrusive to the guitar's vibration. I've talked to Paul Bollenback about this and he agrees. Benson, Rodney Jones, Henry Johnson, Bollenback, Johnston and many others are using tape. I used tape on an '88 Gibson ES-165 for a couple years. When I pulled it off, it took about 5 minutes worth of wiping with naptha and left no trace of glue and did not cause any damage.

It caused damage to mine and made it look horrible. Plugged into an amp I did not find the difference much relevant.

**jorgemg1984** · 01-30-2014, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

how do you get a mambo in the USA? I emailed them and never got a reply!

Jon sells direct only. Did you emailed to buy one or demo / endorse? He always replies to e-mails.

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Bosko

"The sound is much better with the tape" - better in what way?

Thanks for all the feedback
MB

Better in that it sounds no different with or without the tape through the amp. The doug's plugs give the guitar a more muted tone.

**jzucker** · 01-30-2014, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Jon sells direct only. Did you emailed to buy one or demo / endorse? He always replies to e-mails.

Apparently not because he never replied to my email.

**snoskier63** · 01-31-2014, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

how do you get a mambo in the USA? I emailed them and never got a reply!

I emailed Mambo recently. It took several days to get a reply, but that reply was very detailed and it sounds like a great product. I'm not sure if it is worth getting one when I have a Henriksen Jazz Amp that I love, but I have not completely ruled out selling my Henriksen and going with the Mambo. Any thoughts?

**rkwestcoast** · 01-31-2014, 03:53 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

how do you get a mambo in the USA? I emailed them and never got a reply!

I'm in the West of Ireland rather then West Coast USA!!

**disco~juice** · 01-31-2014, 04:27 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Apparently not because he never replied to my email.

That's weird, normally Jon replies to my emails within hours.

**disco~juice** · 01-31-2014, 04:30 AM

Originally Posted by snoskier63

I emailed Mambo recently. It took several days to get a reply, but that reply was very detailed and it sounds like a great product. I'm not sure if it is worth getting one when I have a Henriksen Jazz Amp that I love, but I have not completely ruled out selling my Henriksen and going with the Mambo. Any thoughts?

Dutchbopper tried a lot amps, including Henriksen and Mambo.
You should ask him.

As a mambo owner I will say this: it's really hard, maybe impossible, to find another amp in that weight, volume, clean headroom, small package, price.