Fishman Artist cabinet rehab complete!

**Doctor Jeff** · 02-18-2019, 11:22 PM

Finally...one month later...interrupted by a trip to Jamaica, plus a number of logistical issues and external events.

Baltic birch 1/2” plywood—actually lighter than the original fiberboard. Should sound good as well. As usual, this project was more work than anticipated. This was not a simple screwed-together box; it was a trapezoidal box that was glued together and very challenging to take apart without completely destroying the speaker housing. I had to construct a new box and figure out how to do the joints.

**Doctor Jeff** · 02-18-2019, 11:31 PM

Here is the before picture showing the horribly worn vinyl covering.

A couple of shots of the construction process:

**Skip Ellis** · 02-19-2019, 12:14 AM

Nice job!

**Gitpicker** · 02-19-2019, 05:33 AM

Very cool! Does it sound much different? It certainly looks nice.

**Woody Sound** · 02-19-2019, 10:05 AM

Doc, that is friggin awesome, what a cool look. What kind of finish/sealer did you use? Do you know how much it now weighs?

Hopefully you have a slip cover for it

**Greentone** · 02-19-2019, 10:26 AM

Well done

**BBGuitar** · 02-19-2019, 01:27 PM

I am curious. Why didn't you replace all the sawdust and glue with birch plywood?

I had considered replacing the box on my Mini until it quit and Fishman replaced it. The new covering is much better than the old one.

**Doctor Jeff** · 02-19-2019, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Gitpicker

Very cool! Does it sound much different? It certainly looks nice.

I have only just plugged it in to see if it stills works (it does :-/), but my initial impression is that it is a bit louder and brighter. Honestly I doubt if it will make a big difference, but plywood box vs particleboard...

Originally Posted by BBGuitar

I am curious. Why didn't you replace all the sawdust and glue with birch plywood?

I had considered replacing the box on my Mini until it quit and Fishman replaced it. The new covering is much better than the old one.

I replaced everything but the front wall that holds the speaker and the top that has the wiring pulled through. The wiring is glued in with sealant, so it would require a little effort to disassemble. It was less work to do this, while the cosmetic appearance would be the same.

Originally Posted by Woody Sound

Doc, that is friggin awesome, what a cool look. What kind of finish/sealer did you use? Do you know how much it now weighs?

Hopefully you have a slip cover for it

I don't have a slipcover yet but will probably get one. It's just 2 coats of Danish oil, then a coat of paste wax. Very open "breathable" finish that highlights the wood grain. It's easily repairable if I get a scratch or something. I haven't weighed it but I am pretty sure it's less than before by 2-3 lbs. The particleboard was at least 1/16" thicker than the plywood, if not more. Pretty heavy, dense stuff.

**Woody Sound** · 02-25-2019, 08:20 PM

What is it about these amps getting trashed? Here's another one that could use your services:

Fishman PRO-LBX-700 Loudbox Performer Acoustic Guitar Amplifier 605609106049 | eBay

**Doctor Jeff** · 02-25-2019, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Woody Sound

What is it about these amps getting trashed? Here's another one that could use your services:

Fishman PRO-LBX-700 Loudbox Performer Acoustic Guitar Amplifier 605609106049 | eBay

Sure could. They use a really cheap and very thin vinyl cloth covering for the particleboard. I don't know why they do this, as it wouldn't take much effort to use a quality vinyl or cloth. Plus I'm not crazy about the dark brown.

I will say the cabinet is very solidly built. While IMO quality plywood or solid wood is preferable for aesthetic reasons, it is well-constructed, with tongue-and-groove construction, heavy gluing, etc. I imagine it could take a 3-foot drop without too much damage.

In retrospect, knowing how much trouble it was to disassemble and create a new cab I think I would have chosen to cover with tweed or Tolex. Not that I'm dissatisfied with the result, just that it was more work than I anticipated--not to mention the costly table saw error!