Tolex is a trade name for a flexible, waterproof, vinyl material used as a cover material for books, upholstery, guitar amplifiers, cases, and other products.[1]
Tolex was filed as a trademark on August 30, 1945 by the General Tire, and was registered as "a plastic sheet and film material for book binding and case covering for speakers and amplifiers". General Tire was disconglomerated, and the trademark expired in 2005.[2][3]
TOLEX is a Canadian trademark and brand of OMNOVA Solutions, Fairlawn, Ohio, now part of Synthomer.[4]
Usage
It has been used in Henney-Packard hearses and ambulances of the 1950s, Fender amplifiers, the Fender Rhodes electric piano, and guitar cases from various manufacturers. Tolex was also used in Packard automobiles, hearses, and ambulances, and in marine applications, such as Chris-Craft boats and other watercraft.
Musicians sometimes use "Tolex" as a generic description for any vinyl type covering on an amplifier or guitar case, but most are not actually Tolex brand, except for Fender- and Rickenbacker-related products. Fender, today, uses textured vinyl, not Tolex.[5]
References
- ^ "Tolex or Not Tolex: That is the Question". Mission Engineering. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Tolex". Stagecraft Gear. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "TOLEX, A Canada Trademark of OMNOVA Solutions Inc.(an Ohio Corporation). Application Number: 182382". Trademark Elite. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Laminates, Vinyl Coated Fabrics, Performance Films". OMNOVA. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Tweed, Tolex, Two-Tone: A Guide to Amp Coverings". fender.com. Retrieved 28 August 2022.