Making Custom Cab

[gabrielstigmatic]

So after looking at many custom cabinet sites and drooling over a lot of them. I talked to my friend about several of them and he told me he had some really nice wood. After realizing he has all kinds of wood with 1 inch in thickness, we discussed designing a 4x12 cab. We're thinking we'll put Eminence Red Coats in this beast and silver soldering the joints/connections. This is going to be much cheaper than getting say an Emperor cab, yet my friend is a much better carpenter and has all kinds of wood.

This is going to be a really fun project to say the least. It's interesting that Eminence Reds are like $84 or something, yet Celestion Vintage 30s are $145! Talk about a difference in price. Not to mention the Eminence speakers have a 103dB freq. response, as opposed to the 100 dB freq. response of the V30'S.

\V/ For those who aren't familiar with the dB scale. \V/

[strat87]

cool! sounds like a great plan, looking forward to the results

[Y0UNGBL00D]

The decibel measurements aren't comparable. The ratings for the speakers are efficiency ratings whereas the chart is sound pressure levels.

But keep us posted on the cab! Wanted to build one for a long time

[Nork]

nice! this'll be a fun thread to watch...what sorts of wood are you thinking?

[gabrielstigmatic]

Well, sound pressure level does have a good amount to do with speaker efficiency. But my point wasn't to specifically to put a chart up about speaker efficiency. It was rather to show how much of a difference there is between 100dB to 103dB to those who might not know. I do see your point and I know that speaker efficiency does not equal SPL.

With that cleared up, we're thinking of using ash wood. Apparently it has little purple streaks in it! I'm going to make a new amp sleeve for the AD30 as well with the same wood to get a matching vibe. I much prefer natural look to tolexed plywood on my gear. But I do love the sound of the AD30, so I feel it's worth slipping into another sleeve for continuity's sake. The wood will be finished over to give it a nice shine, so I'll keep you guys updated on it.

[Nork]

hmm. i've wanted a head cab for my TT for a while - really liked the libtech ones, but he stopped making them when i finally had the cash. they were a little more accurate to the orange spec. would you consider making TT head cabs? there might be a market if you did it for the right price....?

ash with purple streaks, eh? sounds lovely...

[myboss57]

Whoa man, I'll be really really stoked to see the final results! Good luck with it.

[irish_admiral]

Good luck buddy.

Just a few things...

Ash isn't the toughest wood around, and the main reason people use tolex & birch ply is because (a) it's cheap, and (b) you can kick it around a bunch. So the ash will look pretty, but might get roughed up fast unless you keep it at home.

For the speakers, you guys have the Eminences made in the US, no? The Celestions are made in the far east (or the UK), so it probably costs a bit more by the time you've got them over.

From personal preference, when I was picking new speakers for my Matamp cab, I tried a bunch of the Celestions and didn't like any of them. Nearly all of the Celestions were better... so that may be another reason. Try before you buy!

[gabrielstigmatic]

Thanks everyone! Actually, this is a test run of sorts. Depending on final cost and what not, we may start making cabs for people to buy. Ashwood is not the only option at all, it's just what we're choosing to use. The wood will be free for me because my buddy already has a bunch of it. I understand that plywood is sturdy, but I'm pretty careful with all of my gear and when toured with it will be put in a case.

I've heard V-30's many a time now at a local guitar shop and I've also just recently heard the Eminence Man O Wars and Wizards. The cab will be half Man O Wars and half Wizards. We're gonna take the dimensions of my AD30 this weekend and I'll mention the Tiny Terrors. I was telling him there would be a market for nice solid wood for not only cabs but amp sleeves, we will most definitely discuss it. Thanks for the encouragement everyone, I'll try to get pics of the wood this weekend.

[Randy Bass]

So after looking at many custom cabinet sites and drooling over a lot of them. I talked to my friend about several of them and he told me he had some really nice wood...

I'd be careful around someone who tells you that they have really nice wood .

...This is going to be much cheaper than getting say an Emperor cab, yet my friend is a much better carpenter and has all kinds of wood...

The most important thing is the ability to make finger-joints at the corners. If you don't have the ability to do that, the cab will not be very sturdy and the sound might suffer a little as well. I think Ash would be a good choice for solid boards because it is relatively dense.

Have you thought about making it half open-back and half closed? That would really give you the best tonal range and dispersion. I'd put the Wizards in the top with a closed back and put the Man-O-Wars in the bottom with an open back. If you wire them with separate jacks, you can get a lot of versatility with different amps as well. A lower-wattage tube amp would sound great through just the two Wizards in the top, for example. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[gabrielstigmatic]

I'd be careful around someone who tells you that they have really nice wood

I knew someone would get all Beavis & Butthead on that.

I am going to use the 30 watt to power all 4 speakers. Eventually I'm going to design a bigger amp to power it, but I much prefer the 4x12 to the 2x12. Even though some say the 2x12 "breaks up better", it's all a matter of preference. I'm going to do a mix of both speakers on the top and the bottom. Though were are still deciding whether or not we're going to do half open have closed... I'm thinking closed because I got so tired of my open back combo amp.

He's already had experience making speakers before. We were talking about doing the dovetail in the corners. The finger joint is really simple and we're going for a quality product using advanced techniques. In so many words, this is going to be a carpenter's cab.

[gabrielstigmatic]

If you are skeptical that this is for real... Check this out.

[gabrielstigmatic]

Finished product of one of his speaker designs.

[Randy Bass]

Wow! I'm really impressed with your friend's wood.

I'd at least make a two-piece back panel to give you the open-back option.

[Neiloler]

That's some lovely grain on those pieces! Does your amigo kiln-dry these things so they don't warp or split as they age?

Also, why silver solder? It's a bit overkill, unless you have access to a supply that someone else has, because it'll take honestly like 2 ft of solder, and you'll have to buy a whole roll, which isn't cheap (and the whole "silver sounds better" thing is fairly full of snake oil as well).