Magic Matt

I can't quite see how it would be less durable than the weight of the components hanging by their leads from a fibreglass board... I'll just have to take your word for it.

Looking closer at the pictures, I don't think it is conductive traces... I think it's just wire soldered to the components leads. I don't even thing the wires are in contact with the board - more likely slightly above it.

*double take* ... um ... Hi Bill...

Yes, you can use bulbs as fuses... they don't make very good fuses though, and it's cheaper and more efficient to just to buy a fuse..They do start to light up though, which can act as a visual warning. I only know this because that's how a pair of old HiFi speakers I used to have were working. I didn't realise bulbs were still used as compressors - I thought LEDs were generally employed in that capacity now. I know the optical compressor in my mic pre-amp is an LED based optical compressor. Seems to work well. I would think if the ply was damp enough to start conducting any current or voltage that would affect the operation of the crossover, then the speaker cones are probably buggered from the damp already. I'm not against sorting out wiring if I have to - I like electronics. Are we saying that doing using the wire-wrap method, then securing components with a small amount of potting compound into a mini enclosure would be better? I really like the idea of building something. It's got a lot of appeal, I'm just not sure I have the skills. I'm wondering if it might actually be smarter to save a bit more money, buy something second hand, and then do it up cosmetically. At the moment my issue is also not really knowing what I want to achieve. Mainly a reduction in weight from the Peavey, but without losing the nice deep sound it has... but the more I think about it, the more I think I want something a bit unique... a bit unusual... a bit more "me"... I'm a blues man at heart, but I like unusual things with character, and the big black boxes, as great as they sound, are just a bit boring looking...

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1382427047' post='2251873'] I'd honestly give this serious consideration. It will be very efficient at converting watts to sound, so it should go very loud if required, but do so cleanly as well. If I didn't have a Barefaced S12T already, I'd be looking at this. [/quote] Still worth it even though it's going to be around £45 in fuel to go and get it? I know nothing of how expensive they are to make...

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1382368562' post='2251299'] So just to state the obvious, you know that if it's designed for a 4 ohm minimum load, you'll only be able to run the extension cab and not the internal speaker (because the combined impedance would be 1.7 ohms) right? [/quote] No, the ext cab for it is in parallel, the amp is designed to happily drive 2 ohm loads apparently - the speakers that used to be available for it were 4 ohm and worked in parallel.. It may be a mute point. I'm being swayed in favour of not using it, and buying a second hand head at some point, as apparently it's tuned specifically to their cabs for the compact size, which I didn't appreciate. [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1382368562' post='2251299'] AFAIK the general consensus is not to mix different sizes of speaker, or you can get phase related issues which cause dispersion/phase-cancellation issues. So if using multiple speakers then they should be the same size of driver, vertically stacked for best results. [/quote] Ok... I must be missing something as I'd seen the combination of a Barefaced Midget and Compact being a lovely combination, and as far as I know that's a 12" and 15" respectively. Perhaps different because they're tuned to be able to work together though? [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1382368562' post='2251299'] If you want a natural finish, then you want top-quality void-free birch ply. I used 15mm in my cab, which helps keep the weight down a bit compared to 18mm, but it's only stocked by good/larger timber merchants. This sort of ply is good but expensive - I paid over £50 for an 8x4 sheet including vat and cutting. IME you'll be doing very well if you manage to build and cover the cab for £100 (wood, glue, fixings, finishing materials, grille, wiring, handle, corners, wadding, foam gasket, etc etc - it all adds up). That's before you start thinking about the driver - DIY cabs aren't a way to save money (but they are fun to build! ) [/quote] Hmm... hadn't considered all the extras! I've already got some stuff (handles, glue, screws, etc. but not things like a speaker grill). Thanks for the heads up! [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1382368562' post='2251299'] You may be interested in my build thread, and the thread linked where I got some great advice before starting out on a similar project: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/200152-1x12-diy-cab-build/"]http://basschat.co.u...-diy-cab-build/[/url] [/quote] Very much so, yes! I've been reading as many threads as I can find on the forum.

Ah, I didn't realise it would be tuned like that... the output from it to the desk is fairly flat, but I guess that's before any speaker EQ etc... Polytone ext cabs are as rare as hens teeth in the UK. [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]Wow - those cabs really do look unique! I like! Not sure I have the skills though....[/color][/font]

I'm not sure if I am going to build the speaker or not yet, but in order to cost things up I am trying to learn what I can and plan out what I might do. I currently play through a Peavey TKO 115 Sheffield, which is coincidentally also rated 75 watts, but into 8 ohm 15 inch speaker. No ext cab facility, and it's heavy!! Built like a tank - I like the sound, although it's nothing special. I've seen it described as a reliable solid tank for getting the job done with a good but not outstanding tone - seems like a fair description to me, I just don't like lugging it about. Hence I have acquired a Polytone Mini Brute which is a 75 watt into 4 ohm, that has a facility for an ext cab. which I've confirmed would also be 4 ohm. The amp itself actually contains a 3 ohm 12 inch speaker (weird!) but if it says it is designed to take a 4 ohm ext cab, that's probably the best thing to plug onto it! My aims are: 1 - Good efficiency. Low powered amp driving 4 ohms, so the more efficient the output the better. 2 - Tone - not sure. The polytone on its own is great at lower volumes, but when you start to crank it, the low end starts to vanish too much. The Peavey is nice, but a little muddy on the bottom end to me. I'm hoping that combining a 12" and 15" might give me what I want. 3 - Lightweight (ish). This is intended to be a nice easy carry, and should fit in the boot with the polytone, so no fridges. 4 - Not too worried about power - The Peavey is ok most of the time, though it's driven just over half full volume and gain. I expect I could DI into the PA if I had to, but I'd rather not. I figure two cones will be louder than one, so I shouldn't need to drive the amp as hard as I do currently to get the same volume. 5 - Looks - I want something that looks a bit different from the usual black box. I like the idea of putting the wood on show 6 - Cost - Low cost without being silly. I had in mind a figure of £100-£150 for cab and speaker. Hopefully I've not made any daft decisions so far. Cab will be a very basic vented model - I figure with my modest skills it should be achievable. Simple things out the way first - looks and construction. Does varnished ply look good? I actually wondered if I could stain it deep blue or something, and varnish that. I dare say it's been done before, but I like the idea. I figured perhaps making a frame from planed softwood then using screws and glue to attach the plywood, and sealing joints inside with decorators caulk. Stick foam to all the ply panels inside. Frame - Planed softwood, 32mm x 32mm I don't really understand ply... I think Marine is big and heavy, and might be overkill for the volumes I use. 18mm ply seems to be the most popular, but I don't understand the different types. I got the impression Baltic Birch is the material of choice, but I suspect this may be horribly expensive. Is there a cheaper alternative that would suit my needs? Am I right in thinking the standard ply in DIY stores is probably not up to the job? Speaker Torn between the Basslite 12" and 15"... I've put them together in WinISD and as far as I can tell the 15" has some advantages, even in a small cab... the main one being it's 4ohm rather than 6ohm, so is 3dB louder across most of the scale (see graph). Even in a small 100L cab, the 15" seems to be better on the graph to my uneducated eyes. What I can't understand is the drop off - is the 12" better or the 15"? Am I going to find that the low E has much less apparent volume compared to the rest of the notes, when compared to the 12" which will be quieter overall, but more even?

Way out of budget. I was originally thinking of replacing the Peavey TKO 115 for something around the £250-£300 mark... those cabs are almost double that, sadly.

Got the back off... it's full of fluffy spongy pink stuff! Wasn't sure what it was so I wore gloves. The speaker has no brand on it that I can see - it just has the following: 12601 67.8549 Putting my cheap multimeter across it measured at 3.1 ohms. I had a search on Google for the number and I did find mention of a Eminence 4ohm 12inch 50 watt RMS speaker #12601 I'm not sure if that's right as a small label on the amp doesn't make sense - it says it runs on 120 volts 60Hz, and has 135 watt, output 75 watt 4ohm The reason this doesn't make sense is that I'm in the UK and we have 240V 50Hz supply... the amp has run happily in the UK since the 80's so I can only think it was modified for the UK when sold to my Dad - Mum can remember buying it from a shop in London that ordered it in for him but doesn't know if it was modified or anything. So really I'm looking for a cabinet that also handles 50 watt and rated at 4ohm, in whatever size best suits the sound? I'd like a little more low-end and less top ideally... so if I can find a 15 inch 4ohm, would that be the best option? I'm not against making a cab if I need to... though I'd need some instructions! With a second cab, is this likely to compete with my Peavey TKO115 Sheffield? I had planned to replace it with something like the TC Electronic BG250 after recommendations on this forum, but this route seems like it may be considerably cheaper and I like the idea of having the flexibility of a rehearsal amp that I can just add a cab to for gigs.

Yeah, I'd love to set a pair up in stereo and have a blast with them, but finding another one the same in the UK is damn near impossible... or seems to be for me anyway!

I have an old Polytone Mini Brute, which was my Dad's, bought int he 80's. It's not got a model number other than just "Mini Brute" - I'm assuming this means it's one of the first, before the Mini Brute II etc. came out. I have no manual for it. If anyone has one, or a link to one, it would be much appreciated! There are two sockets on the back - one labelled "Ext Spkr" and one not labelled at all. I would like to know what impedence speakers I can use with it, as I think adding a second speaker would make it a really usable amp to gig with in the band. Also, what does the other socket do? Any help very much appreciated.

Wow, that TC Electronic is only 16kgs? That's almost practice amp weight! Brilliant! I'll try and find a local shop and give it a blast, thank you! Would I be right in thinking a 2nd hand Markbass setup is probably going to sound a lot better than the TC?

Well the figure I have in mind is probably around £250... maybe £300. If I need to spend more, then it just means it'll be longer before I can get it. If I had to push it up to £500 then I could, but I'd rather not spend more if I don't have to.

Hi everyone! I play in a blues/soul band and we mainly play small clubs and pubs. Currently I'm using a Fender Precision Lyte into a Peavey TKO 115S (Sheffield). This amp has served me well for at least 10 years, and it may well carry on as long as I do... but we're gigging a lot more than we used to, and I must be honest, lugging the thing around is not my favourite thing (weight is around 35kg). I've put wheels on it, and an extra carry handle, but I think I'd rather have a slightly nicer amp that's a bit lighter if possible. I think my favourite tone has to be the almost "waa" you get on some long notes, which to me sounds almost double-bass like. The amp is rated 75 watts as far as I know. Sound is ok - I'd like a little bit more punch to the sound, and a bit more definition, but I'm also on a limited budget, so as much as I'd like the top of the range stuff, I can't afford it. I'm not against saving up the gig money though - as far as I'm concerned this is in investment and I want it to last preferably as long as the Peavey has, if not longer. I'm not against the idea of separate cab and speaker - I've only ever had the Peavey combo though. What amps would be good to look at that might offer me a bit of an upgrade in sound quality, and a bit less weight?