RichardH

You plug in the parameters of the driver/s you are intending to use, and it spits out a recommended cabinet size, response curve etc.

Thumper (previously of this parish) has moved from a LittleMark to a Nemesis head, and seems to love the Eden. Must say I'm very happy with my LittleMark 250 - loud enough for my needs, and sounds better (to my ears) than the Musicman 130 valve/hybrid amp I had before.

That seems to be a feature of several websites I know - I think they all use osCommerce. However, look at their "Rockinsbetter" basses (wonder how long they'll be available for!!!) - they have big pics for the enlarge - so looks like they've got round that issue.

I made a little 5W valve amp (mainly for guitar), and hunting out the parts was fun, to say the least. I think it's more economic to find a kit - this guy does a couple - [url="http://www.ampmaker.com/index.asp"]http://www.ampmaker.com/index.asp[/url] - but he's currently not taking orders due to ill health, unfortunately. If he'd have been doing those kits when I made my amp I'd have jumped on it. As I understand it, to get an amp with decent volume means you will need to spend a fair bit on transformers (as well as lots of power amp valves, of course). Maybe a valve preamp might be worth consaidering as a first project? There was a thread either here on maybe on basstalk where someone had built a preamp froma kit that seemed very reasonable in price. www.ax84.com and www.18watt.com are good resources - there is discussion of bass amps on the ax84 forum. Finally, don't do it to save money (IMO). A secondhand valve amp will probably keep it's value should you resell - a DIY amp will certainly not sell for the price of the build.

[quote name='nash' post='7989' date='May 28 2007, 10:56 AM']i'd just go for all ply.[/quote] I would look in to the relative weights of different ply, too. IIRC spruce ply is lighter than birch. You could consider adding some internal bracing to stiffen things up if you're worried about lightweight ply flapping around a bit.

This forum is a mine of information - [url="http://www.reranch.com/reranch/"]http://www.reranch.com/reranch/[/url] - have a poke around in there!

Just followed that link to the H4 review, and it appears there's going to be a smaller, simpler (and cheaper) version coming out - [url="http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1916&brandID=4"]the H2[/url]. Interesting!

Well here's a couple of pics of my finished 15" cab. After having the ply sat around doing nothing for about a year or so, a fortuitous email led to progress. I had offered to make a power supply for a fellow forum member (not on this forum - an audio one). He then offered his CNC machine skills in recompense. To cut a long story short he took my ply, cut it all to size, biscuit jointed it and assembled it. If you look at the first pic, you'll see - no need to any internal braces. The other lovely thing is that the holes for the speaker bolts were all spot on, with threaded inserts all in place. I had intended to tolex the cab, but after the balls up I made of the 1x12", and with the lovely finish this cab had, I decided to varnish it. Here it is with driver in place and optional port cover: Rear view: Making a grill for it - my lovely CNC man also made me the frames for the grills. The square pads on the front of the baffle are there to lift the grill off from the baffle to give the drive unit some breathing space, and hopefully avoid blocking the port. The nice thing about the Fender style cloth is that it is plastic based, and you can fit it fairly loose, then carefully waft a heat gun over it to tighten it all up. The black flaps are gaffa tape ears to allow me to remove e grill - still need velcro patches to hold grill in place. And here it is complete, with obligatory dog content - she seems to like it! Finally, a pic of the complete rig - goes nicely with the fretless, doesn't it - that and the G&L are almost mirror images of each other!

There were a few discussions of these back in the old place, and I'm not sure if this forum is the right one to raise the subject again - mods feel free to find a more suitable home for this! Having bought a shiny new laptop with Vista installed, I was hoping to get a soundcard to go with it - either USB2 or Firewire. From previous threads, these cards have been mentioned: MOTU 828 [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=67154"]Edirol UA-25[/url] [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/12089"]Line6 Toneport[/url] [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/5406"]Edirol FA-66[/url] [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/7768"]Presonus Inspire 1394[/url] tascam us122 Various M-Audio stuff. I had been all set on the Presonus one, but I see they don't have Vista drivers avaialble yet - though I'm sure they will. Can anyone comment/add more suggestions?

[b]Moo[/b] Here at last are the pics of my DIY cabs. The 2x12 is still naked for now, until I decided what clothes to put her in. I think purple paint on the front to match the cones in the 2x10 would be nice, but I can't decide between carpet or rihno on the outside. I was going to put neos in the 2x12, but my local car HiFi shop is selling Kenwood 12" subs for £20 each and I couldnt resist giving them a try. Suprisingly they sound fantastic. Plenty of trouser flapping rumbliness, and still musical and punchy. I like lots of internal bracing! ------------------------------ [b]bigBadBob[/b] That's some sexy bracing Moo... "got tools - will use 'em!" I'm planning a 210 to go with my 212... thing is, as both will handle 600W RMS, I'm going to HAVE to get a 1500W power amp to run them both.. shame! -------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] Here's a little something I've been working on (off and on) for a while. It was intended as a birthday present for a guitarist friend, but he went off and bought himself an old 100W Marshall, so is as valved up as he needs to be. However, it works very nicely for bass as a practice amp (I'd guess it's around 7-10W), and makes a lot of noise with a 15" Eminence Gamma. The cab it's sat on is my first attempt at Tolexing, and actually contains a keyboard/PA type speaker. I'll be making a guitar speaker cab next (now I've had a bit of practice) to go with the baby head, and then I'll be finishing off a 12" bass EV cab (as per Fretless Eric), and also doing a 15" one to house my Eminence Gamma. Just realised there's not much sense of scale on this pic - the head is around 13" wide and 7" high, so it's a tiddler. [url="http://hallman.ndo.co.uk/p1"]Full gory details here[/url] ------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] OK any advice on adding a high frequency unit into my 1x15 cab (built earlier in thread), I was thinking of some sort of tweeter / horn unit? I am looking to maintain the 8 ohm rating and the power handling, as I still want to build a 2x10 cab to go with it in the future. Oh and by the way I think I will probably need to wire in a tweeter control for fine tuning the sound balance. ------------------------------ [b]BeLow[/b] I gave all my knowledge out earlier in the thread - mostly around saving time by getting the wood accurately cut to size - also did not use the tolex as I wanted to varnish the cab. If you are going to be using a covering would suggest wrapping round to the front and obscuring the loose bits by hiding them behind the grill. Ply was 18mm birch from B&Q megastore. ---------------------------- [size=4]THE END[/size] ...for now! Can I thank all the original contributors to this thread, and apologies if I have omitted anything pertinent - I have selected the main juice rather than some of the sidetracks threads such as these always gain. If anyone is uncomfortable about their contributions being shown here, then please PM me and I will edit/delete as appropriate. I have finally got my 1x12" EV cab up and running, and am nearly complete with the 15" version - pics to follow shortly. The 1x12" sounds really great, and has startled a couple of bassists who've used it in partnership with a LittleMark 250.

[b]BeLow[/b] Fox that rig looks very purposful, tower of power is a classic format (it looks weird to me that way up - but I am very conventional like that), dual trolleys is vey practical though, and who wants to go lifting a 4x10 about? Photos are always interesting - the hifi (?) speakers look substantial as well, and is the curtain hiding some other mega rig which you wheel out to scare off unruly house guests, and how tall is that EUB? Thanks for the comments on the 4x10, if I go for a 2x10 I think it will be using Eminence gammas, which have more top end that the deltas (according to the charts), otherwise it will be a single 12" twin cone to get the top end and a slightly more compact full range cab. Have still not had a chance to try the rig out (new amp and speaker) in band situation, and that may decide it for me. Having said all that I can see me ending up with 3 cabs and playing around with variations in a theme (hope my wife never starts reading Bassworld). ........ New amp and cab duly tested at rehearsal tonight, sounds very solid, clean and warm - a real quality sound. As I thought I need a cab to give more mid / top bite, and to scare the guitarists into total submission - master volume on 2, easy peasy, bass has real authority, a 2x10 or 1x12 twin cone will add even more 'authority' to the sound, but the cab is coping on its own without any worries. Cab has been a success. ------------------------------------------ [b]moo[/b] I would like to make a 2x12 Neo Cab. Has anyone tried doing a cabinet volume calculation for the emminence Deltalite 12" cones? I have done some wiith a couple of online calculators, but they keep coming up with arround 200Litre boxes. This is the same size as an average 4x10 of 1x15 which seems to defeat the object of using Neo Drivers. I have estimated the volume of commertialy available Neo cabs and they average arround 60L. I suspect that Neo cones behave differently to conventional cones, and that conventional volume calculators do not work with them. Or the Deltalite cones are engineered to be a replacement for conventional cones in thier larger enclosures. I tried to e-mail emminence to the address on thier website, and got an unregognised address failure notice. Anyone out there have more info on this? Yours Confused Moo. ........ I have calculated an average volume of 2x12s from 7 sets of manufacturers dimensions. I have decided to build a 100L cab, tune the port to 40hz and hope for the best. It is anoying that I can't get an accurate figure for the volume though. I have band practice on tuesday evening, and will post pics and report if I get it finished by then. Moo ---------------------------------------- [b]bigBadBob[/b] Just seen this site, it's naughty! I made my DIY 212 cabinet over 2 years ago 'cos I wanted cheap, fairly good quality sound. Got some Eminence 300W, 8 Ohm, cast chassis jobs (95lb magnets on them!) from evilbay, and constructed a plywood box. They were few years old when I got them – before the newer range Delta, Gamma, Kappa etc. Used T/S params to get a box size and port size estimate, and that was about it. Using a head unit from my Ashdown MAG 115 combo to power it. 250W into 4 Ohms (4 Ohm cab) is okay for most things. It can handle abuse though... It’s punchy, and is pretty good at reproducing a flat response for 4 string basses. Tuned to about 45Hz (Although I forgot about the grille when doing my calcs, so it’s probably a bit vague) There is a bit of peak at about D on the E, doesn’t bother me too much though. Downside – it’s monstrously heavy – mainly due to the massive chunks of metal that are the magnets! Might have to put some castors on it… Also thinking of doing another one (now I’ve seen this site, it’s re-kindled my DIYness), thinking of a 410 in the same size box. Will HAVE to get a power amp though… .... I sprayed my bass myself - I stole a Zakk Wylde design. Bass is a very cheap, very cheerful.. wait for it... Yamaha BB404. Oh yeah! Bottom of the range - BUT, it's solid, the neck is bloody good for a cheap bass. I've upgraded the bridge, cos the last one was truly horrific – absolutely shocking. I’m also thinking of upgrading my pickups... but I might get a ‘proper’ bass instead. Cab covering and grille were from www.allangordon.co.uk, I much prefer it to the round ones that Maplin (et al) do. [RichardH note - allangordon are now sadly not trading - I understand retirement was the reason] .... As far as I can remember, I compared basic hand calcs with some numbers that a program turned out from the web - can't remember what though... Plug in no. of drivers, diver size, their TS params, box size (vol), required no. of ports - and hey pesto! Went with the programs numbers as they were most sensible. Kept diameter constant (easily available ports) and changed no. of ports and port lenth. Was going to have a vent, but wanted to keep box size (front area) down, and to avoid "chuffing".. hehehe - great word! Different densities of wadding changes things (relative speed of sound, hence virtual box vol.), as well as errors/variations in driver TS numbers. So, it's an estimate all round - unless you work out the TS numbers for the drivers yourself! Argghh!! ---------------------------------- [b]Fretless Eric[/b] [quote name='Moo']I would like to make a 2x12 Neo Cab. Has anyone tried doing a cabinet volume calculation for the emminence Deltalite 12\" cones?[/quote] Moo, don't do it, see earlier in the thread; the Deltalite 12 definitely didn't work. I think they may have now withdrawn it ready for a redesign. I can't give you an email address for Eminence that I used as it is currently on another computer.

[b]FunkMachine3000[/b] Nice cab BeLow, I love the plain finish . Thanks for the plans Eric, just gotta decide between the 606 or the fane now . How much has everyone payed for all the materials needed? ----------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] FM3000 - that is the sad part, in all honesty I reckon I could have bought a 2nd hand Ashdown MAG 1x15 for about £30 - 50 less than I bought the materials for. I don't really want to do the sums but about £30 for the wood (enough to make another cab), £75 for bits / speaker from CPC. Wood glue and screws £10 - 15 (I think), bits of wood and varnish that were lying around in the garage, £5 for loft insulation for accoustic wadding, £17 on set of routers because I did not have the right size of rounding over bit. Still to get a steel mesh for the front made up £15 - 20 and I skipped on the covering material which would probably have set me back about £10 -15. Couple of quid on Speakon connector. So about £150 - 170 I suppose. You can do it cheaper (MDF not Birch Ply for example) and in fact the power handling of my cab is more than the Ashdown mentioned. Whether I have got a superior product time will tell. Resale value will probably be rubbish - have I talked you out of it yet? It was interesting doing it, and became a labour of love. Also I have to say you learn a heck of a lot doing something like this. If I do it again it will be quicker / cheaper and simpler, if I don't do another one I will know a lot more about the type of cab I will buy off the shelf. My advice - for a simple life check ebay out for unfilled cabs if you see something cheap there you could get yourself a bargain. If you enjoy a challenge, find some redundant or bargain quality speakers / wood, or have old bits and pieces hanging about to be used - go for it. ----------------------------------------------------------- [b]Fretless Eric[/b] Well put BeLow, cost isn't everything but I know mine will still be in one piece after a fair bit of gigging. I also tried a few speakers and intend doing a few more, the Fane neo is enticing, but not cheap and I think the neo market is still finding it's feet - watch this space, as they say. With my two 1x12"s there was nothing in competition. I have two cabs each rated at 450W and that sound great for my use. I tried a few "nearly" cabs, including the Ashdown mini 15" and I believe I have a better sound. Before you go the route of MDF though, consider the pros and cons - it has good acoustic damping properties [nice to have] but it is not a light material [how's your arms?], 'nuff said. Still I might be going the MAG combo route if the adverts are true ------------------------------------ [b]herr satz[/b] Came across these links which are pretty useful.. [url="http://www.avatarspeakers.com/wiring%20diagrams.htm"]http://www.avatarspeakers.com/wiring%20diagrams.htm[/url] Hopefully it will help those looking to wire up their speakers. [second link now dead so removed] ------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] My reasons were mainly the fun aspect of DIY. But I am hopefully building some monster DIY HiFi speakers for a second home so I wanted to start logically with something for my bass(es). With ~130 screws per cab I used a torque drill. I drilled a guide hole, injected a blob of wood glue into the hole and then drilled that sucker in(using a pozi-drive bit). I got a faster and firmer fit than any screwdriver plus its a blistered palm-free zone. Wear ear-defenders or plugs if you are drilling inside the cab (as you will be for the inside battens/bracings). Drilling the screws in also digs deep into the batten countersinking the head, careful not to screw thorough to the other side! If your screws are external (i.e. visible screw heads) -- as mine are for the baffle plates I'd use a countersink bit. I just spent 10 days in San Francisco so my 2nd cab project took a back seat but as I was jet-lagged and needed to stay awake I worked on the sub cab's cutting, spraying and bolting-in the 15-inch Eminence Beta. I also wanted mine to visibly match the 4 x 10-inch unit. Fortunately its a 133 liter box which places it smack in the middle of Eminence's recommended min/max volume. All that needs to be done is apply carpet, wire hookup and mebbe wheelz, mebbe stub-feet and a pair of grilles. Then I test and tweak. ------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Grill project is now underway as I traded in my Ashdown combo and got Little Mark II head. Can't use the new set up until the speaker is protected. Cab gives off some very solid low end - gets pushed pretty hard by the head which is 300w into 8 ohms, so now need to balance it up with some mid top end speakers.. Going to see a guy who makes speakers who reckons he can do something for me. --------------------------------------- [b]onebassplayer[/b] For Speaker grills try B&Q Warehouse they have sheets of mesh in different paterns and colours for use as radiator box covers but make great speaker mesh covers. --------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Onebassplayer - I think I have seen the stuff you mention - my dilemma was whether I should buy the raw material and possibly be able to make two grills myself, or to get one cut to size and ready to fit - I think I am just feeling a bit lazy now and so I will go down the route of having it made. Also I was temporarily distracted by trying to be 'creative' with a rusty old fireguard, which would have worked, but my wife suggested taking a short cut at the last minute might undermine the worh I had done on the cab so far. By the way my contact seems to be able to access actual speaker grill (not sure what the difference is) and can supply the raw material cheaper than BandQ and you can buy via ebay, but I think it is very expensive to ship - when it's made up and I have seen what he can do I will post the pics. I am slightly embarassed that in the time it has taken me to sort out the grill the Good Doctor would have not only made a complete cab, but would also have sourced most of the materials for free and provided a running commentary. But it keeps me out of trouble (mostly). ......... Finished at last - grill added - at the moment it is a push fit - but I may have to secure positively - see how it goes at rehearsals. Bought this locally, grill was folded to shape while I waited then sent off for powder coating - think it looks pretty professional. If anyone wants info on Mark the chap made it for me I can send details if you PM me. The grill is reasonably solid 1.5 mm steel, and has more perforation area than you would ordinarily get from the B&Q material and is quite a bit cheaper - this was £20 all in. ----------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] Hi there BeLow, sorry I didn't reply to your grille question earlier -- must say that looks sweet indeed). Home stretch for me; I've been meaning to finish off but a mixture of work and also the NS Design Bass calls my name whenever I walk past it! Like a siren calling me, pulling me in! I must be spending 2 hours a day simply riffing on it, learning its ways even scales and arpeggios are fun again -- but thats for another part for the forum. Well, The cabinet is built and wadded and carpeted! I'm using an old H/H Bass Amp to voice the thing now. Interestingly enough the sealed box was fine and reacted as expected. The Bass sub was more problematic. Putting it bluntly it honks at a semitone above low B. Opening up (and copping a feel) I found this was the resonant frequency of the ports themselves. The solution was to use a dynamat-like absorbtion layer physically on the port. (Dynamat is the stuff they use in cars to control vibrations and quieten the driver's cab, make the doors sound more solid etc)... After that it was just nailing odd errant frequencies with an in-car Bass Frequency Test that caused me some issues. Fluttering sound due to a cable poorly fixed to the caninet (screwed into place internally with silicon loaded P Clips), some more dynamat loaded onto the bass cabinet basket itself and internally the entire inner wall of the cab lined with the same thing. This is about the polar opposite of many people's approach which is to calculate and predict beforehand. Mine is to build and then adapt. I'm not finished yet. The solo rig will not use a singe rack FX unit. I'm going to attempt something different using (I hope) a 'puter and a Metric Halo +DSP unit. Plus a rag tag bag of software. For the Punk Band its growly bass geeetarr mebbe a big muff. Progress... Slow progress at the moment. [quote name='BeLow']Finally what does the the 4x10 sound like, I am contemplating a 2x10 project next and wondered if you thought about porting for it?[/quote] It sounds chunky but is does not have extreme low end -- hence the sub. I don't think porting will help there either. The 4 x 10 was easier to make in terms of voicing. It was made, it was sealed it just works™. It also didn't need porting due to the driver's Q rating. I think because of the frequencies below that are more problematic from a cabinet point of view I was wise to not try and attempt an unported 15-inch Bass Sub however if I was to choose between one or t'other I'd take the 15-inch ported box. Together they cover everything for me sound-wise. From deep bass Dub to JJ Burnell-stylee Crunch/Twang and there is what I can best describe as a "wholeness" to the sound I don't get without the other. I can still fit a flared 50W horn for when I get the Gallien Kreuger RB700II later on.

[b]nedsbeds[/b] I have been following this thread, and now really want to make my own. I have a few questions though. I would ideally like to build a 2x12 cab that I can use on its own. I am meant to be getting a 5 string soon so it will need to handle that. I have read somewhere that for the B string you need a response down to about 30hz. I am using WinIsd to do the calculations and so far getting anything with that kind of response requires a HUGE enclosure. So do you really need this response. I notice most cabs don't actually get down there! I would be looking to do a ported cab with 2 12" eminence drivers in it. Thanks for any advice. ---------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] Half of the parts arrived today -- everything except cabinet wadding, more mottled grey carpet and the bloody 15-inch Eminence woofer itself! Grrrr. That's on its way tomorrow -- the upshot is I got a refund on the postage charges. Go me. So today I did what I could. As before the handle wells are cut out and handle units mounted -- as are the two 70mm ports Even a small hole I was able to cut right with a jigsaw. There's a lot of air moved with a 15-inch bass driver so to be sure no "whistling" occurs, I put in two -- looks better too. ...and here's the back end of the cab showing the recessed connection plates. The plan here is to put one speakon and one older XLR-type plug -- you just never know when XLR will come in useful in case an amp blows and the replacement doesn't use one of them newfangled connectors. XLRs are not airtight so for the sealed 4 x 10" cabinet I shall bury it in silicone sealant. See if I don't! [i]EDIT: As the RB700 Mk II has a 50W crossover and tweeter option I could echew the XLR idea totally and just about squeeze a small 50W horn flare in the middle of the quad of 4 x 4's and run a second speakon to the tweeter. Might work. [/i] Our usual canine model is having a sleep somewhere (sleeping off her xmas pressie) so hereeees the other (younger) one! ----------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Fox - you don't hang about - well impressed. I've now got all the bits to finish off my cab (except the grill), but work has gone a bit banannas, and I have just come back from a week away so I am hoping to get onto things again maybe at the weekend, garage re-build permitting. Ned there is a design for a 1x12 which could probably be adapted earlier in the thread - but you are right not many cabs go don't to 30 hz. I would guess that you can get away with a 2x12, same as a 2x10 for a 5 string, but the bias of the tone will be more mid range. That's why I have gone for a 1x15 which I will use with a 2x10 combo initially. Have a look at these. [url="http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/pages/misc2/cabinets.htm"]http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/...c2/cabinets.htm[/url] The plans shown include a 1x18 cab which I must have ignored originally and then forgotten - which might be useful for Bonzo's project - goes down to 35hz which will cover 5 string range I am sure. ------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] initially considered an 18-incher for the sub cab but after having a look at the various frequency charts and chatting to some people who build HiFi speakers and another mate who builds studio bass reinforcement weaponry (I'm not doing this project without asking lots of questions first) -- even the best drivers in the 18" region have a tendency to sound flabby -- that's a lot of surface area to drive and you need a gutsy, ballsy amp with loads of dynamic headroom on tap to make that driver carry a halfway decent excursion. The Eminence Kilomax I looked at -- for example -- is also more expensive for a modest 5Hz extension (the Eminence Beta 15 I am using goes to 35dB minus several dB but the Delta only goes to 40Hz). I am told the 18" unit really needs a 750W+ amp to make it work. For Home Theatre and Home Studio subwoofer duties, yeah sure, I bet it'll be fine but for a full frequency speaker that covers low B and up through the bass guitar octaves (plus high harmonics), I was told its best to divide the duties between slightly smaller speakers but paralelled. This is why I decided on 4 x 10" sealed box and 1 x 15" dual-ported. Another idea might be to explore what are called transmission-line speakers where the port is a chamber that wraps itself inside the cabinet. This is how BOSE's lifestyle products achieve such exceptional bass from such small boxes, but I'll warn you, building a TL cabinet isn't quite as simple or as straightforward as a sealed or vented box and for a first project I thought I'd not overreach myself. ---------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] [on the question of weight] Thought it was going to weigh a ton, but that was when it had no lifting handles, weight is not bad with proper handles - but is a two handed lift. Sound wise, seems reasonably loud, the Gamma speaker which seems a quite a good match for a cab of this size is also quite a flat response, and has not got the 2-4k response peak of some of the other eminence speakers. If I was using on its own I would probably miss a bit of top end sparkle, but it will be teamed with a 2x10 so that is no problem. So fairly typical 1x15 really. The cab design has cover plate option to seal off the central part of the port (hard to see where this goes as this is painted black in the picture) - this is supposed to 'tighten' the bottom end up, but also slightly restricts the lower range. I may do some experiments later, but for the meantime I need to see how it is in a gigging situation properly cranked up. Certainly not a disaster! ........ in fact I have just finished trying the cab with my series 6 TE1215 combo, and what a difference that made. The TE has always sounded like the inbuilt 15" speaker needed larger cab to work in, and with the extenson cab it sounds warmer, cleaner and louder - a good sound. Not sure how the varnished finish is going to hold up but I can always cover at a later stage if I need to. Dark fittings and light wood remind a bit of the old Marshall Jubilee amp look. Results with the Ashdown 2x10 less encouraging, louder but not quite the tone I am after. I really want to go for a Markbass head now. I think in many ways MB are the succesors to Trace, but with a slightly clearer voice, a couple of Trace users seem to be going that way. Thanks by the way for the plans and other advice from all the people contributing on this thread and others. Got there in the end. ...... I would recommend the timber merchant doing as many of the cuts as possble. The sequence I followed was to assemble top and bottom to the back of the cab. The sides were cut slightly oversize. Get the best straight edge lined up with the front of the top and bottom, and assemble them to the rest. This leaves you with some wood to trim down flat to the top/bottom/back. If you can get a router bit with straight blade and with a ball bearing race at the bottom (follower bit), this runs round and cleans it up nicely. I finished planed at that stage (but I might be a bit anally retentive there). Router makes light work of the rounding over of the edges and can be used to cut the hole aperture for the speaker, also you can recess fittings like I did the speakon connector to keep them protected. Routers have come down in price - good for guitar bulding as well - but watch out as they need to be treated with respect. I would recommend getting bits / speakers from CPC / Blue Arran as they are cheaper and/or a mostly one stop shop which cuts down on hassle. Tip I was given on this thread, and better than Maplins I found. Any other questions just ask I can probably tell you how I got stuff wrong - my cabinet maker friend would be appauled at how much glue was used just to fill up the poor joints (luckily they are mostly on the inside!)

Thanks for that BeLow. More: [b]fox[/b] I see DIY cab building is popular (big hi to Fretless Eric from another PFMer). I started on my Bass Cab project over the holidays after I calculated the area required. Got the MDF cut for free at Homebase and had all the other tools I needed on hand. Screws every 4 inches or so... there is so much glue under those butt-joints its unreal! I calculated the cab internal volume for 4 x 10-inch Eminence Delta drivers. If this cabinet is successful then I shall be adding an identical ported 15-inch drive unit as well. The locking wheels (on a removeable plate) are from Ikea, Grab handles and carpet from Maplins. Wood from Homebase. Everything is bolted and sealant mastic applied to joints and edges where air might escape. This is going to be as air tight as I can get it. This is one heavy mofo so the wheels will in all likelyhood stay [i]Cutouts for the grab handles [/i] [i]Trying the grab handles for size... yep all fits... [/i] [i]No speakers yet so creatively filled in space provided... Plus obligatory dog.[/i] -------------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Fox Looks like a substantial undertaking there - certainly looks neat in the pics. I am finding it hard going as I have to tidy all my tools away and getting them out again each session - sometimes twice a day! Carpet job looks neat - how did you do the seams - removable back panel was one option that I had considered? I have actually used some floor varnish now as I am running out of patience having to buy specialist stuff - it has been hard wearing on other projects and I had plenty left? Not sure the woody look will be everyone's taste but it fits in well with our Ikea furniture! --------------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] Used a staplegun. Started at the bottom and wrapped it round. Folded fabric to the bracing fronts and trimmed the back so the only visible seams are the back side edges (I'll cover that with cabinet edging). Airtight cab seemed best for Eminence ?Qr so removeable anything (other than the speakers) is a no no. Woody FX is cool If I'd used wood I'd have varnished also. Carpet covers up a multitude of sins but it deadens the cab nicely... -------------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] Last Night I decided to go for the final push. A foxy with too much time on his hands is a very bad thing. So seeing as I had four new Eminence Delta 10 Loudspeaker drive units arrive the other day for my bass speaker rig I decided to start the long haul to finishing this Bass Cabinet. Exactly one half of my planned sound-system. There's a Ported 15-inch monster as well... Step 1. Involved laying out on the floor. Getting them square and central to my measurements -- note: the diagonal lines pass through each of the perimeter holes perfick-like. Hah! Step 2. Employ use of my partner's tall cake tin (which was a perfect fit BTW) to draw the inner hole through which the speaker will go. Drill hole into each inner hole for the Jigsaw to go into. Step 3. Cut the holes and clean it and then {breathes in anticipation} -- yes damnit they fit! Hah! Step 4: Drill holes into the 8 x hole spaces per loudspeaker. Clean and then spray MDF board in regulation black (there will be a grille to go in front to protect the speakers). Sand gently and then spray again and again... and again one last time. This stuff is dry enough to work with in minutes. I threaded through a bolt into each hole and fitted washers and nuts etc. Not hooked up the speakers with hookup wire yet. I need to scope the best wiring arrangement for an 8 Ohm 4 x 10" Cab... I never done this before! I know some guitar cabs are daisy chained... Dunno. Will Google and ask. Anyway. All joints sealed with silicone sealant. Pushed baffle into place and tapped 4 screws for now in each corner. More will go in on the final hookup -- plus more sealant when it finally gets... squished and screwed into place. Lay Bass on top (for scale). [snap] There! That'll do for tonight! Hmmmmmm it looks familiar! Hell yeah! If you're an old punk like me... -------------------------------------------------- [b]fox[/b] I'd asked about and a fellow forum-goer showed me a rear-ass shot of a 4 x 10 Marshall Cab which I boiled down to this wiring diagram (I have put it up here as it might be useful for others reading this thread to be tempted to DIY). The reason for doing it this way is thus: [quote]Driving two chassis in parallel (splitting the + wires and - wires) halves the impedance the amp sees. Then putting a second set of parallel-driven chassis in series brings the impedance back up to the original value, i.e. to the amp, the impedance more or less looks like it has to drive a single chassis.[/quote] So there you have it. More as it happens. Anyone else had any progress? The carpet is] bog-standard grey Maplins carpet. I had a look at the vinyl covering and went "Ewwwww" (and immediately thought of "Warm leatherette"). They only had enuff of the Grey Mottled Carpet so that was that. Looks allright really. Link here. Heavy-duty staples staplegunned every inch or so (on the lip behind the baffle plate and underneath behind the wheel-plate). I drop off the "bass bitz in a shopping bag" project next week for routing out neck and pickup wells and pick up a NS Design CR4M next week then I go off to try out new strings and bows. all coming together fast now....

[b]BeLow[/b] I'm thinking about building one of these cabs - had a look at Fretless Eric' s EV Cab designs, but I liked the look of this Fane 125L compact design on this link. [url="http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/...c2/cabinets.htm"]http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/...c2/cabinets.htm[/url] However not sure on the driver to put in - Fane are good in my experience but are expensive and harder to get locally than Eminence. The Cab is an extension cab for my 210 MAG combo - so it is a 'bottom' end speaker. Also I was thinking I might buy a cheaper speaker first, then maybe go for a Neo later. Wondered if anyone had any thoughts on these units? Budget solution would be [url="http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...ers/alpha15.htm"]http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...ers/alpha15.htm[/url] Slightly dearer [url="http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...end/legcb15.htm"]http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...end/legcb15.htm[/url] Up market lightweight Expensive [url="http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...neo/neo2515.htm"]http://www.eminence.com/eminence/pages/pro...neo/neo2515.htm[/url] --------------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] The Alpha looks like it would work - it is specced to work in a cab between 106-177l, so a 125l cab should work OK. The Legend doesn't mention a recommended cab vol, and the Deltalite states 70l (so opportunity for an even more compact cab!) P.S. I found [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/"]http://www.bluearan.co.uk/[/url] cheapest for Eminence stuff - just looked and they don't list the Alpha 15 though - the Gamma or Beta look like they'd go in a 125l cab though. P.P.S. the Electrovoice 15" cab is 3.2 cubic feet, which works out at 90 litres. The 12" cab is 1.3 cubic feet, which comes to 36 litres. --------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Richard Given that I need to get some good bass sounds, and that I already have a compact 1x15 combo which struggles struggles when at volume - so I need to go for a good low frequency response, so the Fane design cab is probably the better one to go. The Beta looks good for this cab - and does not weigh as much as the legend. Just in case I change my mind have you found an Emminence that would suit the EV cab? --------------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] I already have a Gamma 15 in a slap together DIY cab, with takes 82-139l, so just in range - when I get back into DIY mode I'll be using that. --------------------------------------- [b]mottlefeeder[/b] An alternative to tolex is a rollered- or sprayed-on textured coating. It is sold in USA as truck bed liner, and one UK stockist is [url="http://www.paco-systems.co.uk/bedliner.html"]http://www.paco-systems.co.uk/bedliner.html[/url] I have to say that I filed it for future reference, and have not used it myself. --------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Plywood purchased from B&Q today (should have been on holiday in NYC but plan got blown out by wife's grandma's funeral so diverting myself). 18mm Birch ply in an 8'x4' sheet was just under £32, but they do 4 cuts by machine for free - so I now have enough planks to cut to size for top/bottom/sides and front and rear panels (saves time). Next job is to cut to length and true up edges with a plane prior to gluing - have to pick kids up from school soon so maybe that is job for another day. Any ideas on where I can get cabinet corners, speaker grill and a connector plate - Maplins look a bit dear to me? What are the views on best sort of speaker leads - will go for jacks for ease of interchangeability unless someone tells me that is daft. Going for the Gamma speaker as it seems to match the cabinet volume but anyone know how it would compare with the Beta? Beta needs a slightly larger cabinet (but has slightly higher power handling and bass response and is a tad lighter and cheaper) - probably won't change my mind but I have enough wood left to build second cabinet I reckon. ----------------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] Be interested to see how you get on finishing the cab. Are you tolexing it? I can't visualise how to deal with the front edges - I think the only way would be to wrap it round into the front recess and then make a full sized grill frame to sit into the recess, which would hide the tolex wrapping round. If you see what I mean! --------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Had thought of that approach - still a bit undecided - I have a Trace rig and an Ashdown - odd tolex style covering or carpet. Unusually I have thought rather than be precious about it, I might try the paint on stuff mentioned earlier in the thread. My long term plan is to have a good cab - as an extension to the Trace / Ashdown then sell one or both to finance a Markbass amp / combo - which possibly be carpet covered. Then I may have to make another cab (2x10?) - also if I do go down the markbbass combo route I may paint the front panel around the speaker to match the colour of a markbass speaker - or is that just naff? I have sort of resigned myself to having a mix and match finishes for a while. Want to build and see what it sounds like first - things will slow down for a bit as Christmas approaches and I have a gig for first time in years. I was due to do a 6 hour drive to Sheffield in the snow on Sunday so I could pickup 2 basses from Jon Shuker - but only one is ready apparently (sighs) so that is coming up in a week or two. Haven't ordered the speaker - it may be orderd after Christmas for cash flow reasons! --------------------------------------- [b]BeLow[/b] Cab construction underway - not making a superb job of it but I am sure it will be OK. Bit of advice needed - I am in the process of ordering the bits (from CPC who seem to have most of the parts) for it - I have not been able to find a speaker grill anyone got any ideas. I really want something to go across the entire front of the cabinet rather than just on the speaker. ----------------------------------------- [b]Fretless Eric[/b] When I finally finish mine I will be using a wooden frame with a cloth covering. This should only be considered if you take on board that it is not as strong as some metal grille, possibly from your local metal merchant/B&Q/Homebase, etc. My cabs look a bit naff at the moment both being incomplete but needs must when you have gigs and want to use them. I must try to finish them and post pics now I have a new ISP, but life gets in the way... Before you go too far in the construction it is worth considering making the back panel removeable. This will allow covering all panels, with Tolex or whatever, and making a nice job of it. Trying to achieve a good looking join on a one piece cabinet is difficult. Good luck, Eric. Edit - PS they still sound great with the Kappa 12s and ABM300 [still working]

This thread was a long running one in our previous incarnation, and re-reading it I thought there were some good bits that are worth keeping, so here goes. Hope the original contributors don't mind me repeating their outpourings. Later in the thread, Eric found a link to all the plans for the Electrovoice cabinets, so I thought I'd post that right at the top to save hunting: [url="http://archives.telex.com/archives/EV/Builders%20Plans/"][size=3][b]Electrovoice cabinet plans[/b][/size][/url]. Please note that this thread is not exclusively about the EV cabs - watch out for much cool cabinet making! Now read on... ================================ [b]Fretless Eric[/b] Having seen DIY suggestions raised in the "Ickle cabs" thread I thought that it might be a good idea to have a separate "DIY cabs" thread to keep information together for future reference and also to stop hijacking the thread. Some of this will be familiar but it sets the scene. To summarize my situation; Requirements:- 1. portability - to give my back an easier job. 2. quality sound - I don't want to compromise sound in a way that you have to with practice amps. 3. versatility - I can use a combination of cabinets depending on the situation. I don't think I am unique in wanting these things and so this thread may be of interest to others. I currently use an Ashdown ABM300 driving an ElectroVoice EVM15B in a TL606 cabinet [EV designed for EVM15, I have a “pdf” data sheet if anyone is interested]. This has only recently taken over from a Trace Elliot SMX1215 combo which has been my mainstay since new used with the EVM15 as an extension for bigger gigs. Whilst sounding great and recommendable, the 15" EV is still on the heavy side for lugging up and down stairs. A while ago I read on now defunct "The Bottom Line" website a guy named Paul Mitchell using an Electrovoice TL806 cabinet with a Fane Studio 12. As I had a couple of spare EVM12Ls(!) I considered using them in this cabinet, either singly or as a pair [I have a pdf of this as well as the 606]. I already had a couple of these made up in heavy MDF but I intended just rebuilding in ply. Unfortunately this driver is not suitable for bass. I built one plywood TL806 to try out different 12" drivers. I tried out an Eminence Kappa 12 last week with the band which showed that it was entirely suitable. I have bought an Eminence Deltalite 12 (Neodymium magnet) to try because it is so light. Based on the Kappa, I will certainly be building a second cabinet with the intention of using one for practicing and two for gigs. If I need more I will drag out the 15" and use alone or with a 12". I have sourced most of my hardware from Adam Hall Supplies but I’m after some vinyl covering with a closer match to the stuff Ashdown use. If anybody can help on this, I would be very pleased to hear? Cheers, Eric. --------------------------------- If you do make a cab, a good idea is to cut the central pieces from a single "plank" cut from the 8'x4' sheet, this ensures the central part of the cabinet is made of parts all the same width and the sides will fit flush without any planing I think I still have a cutting plan somewhere to get three TL806s from one 8'x4' sheet, I'll look for it. The two Eminence dat sheets say that the drivers I have bought are suitable for this size cabinet and, so far, I have avoided the "less controlled" response; if the port needs different tuning then I'll play with blanking plates but the Kappa sounded entirely suited . I have yet to try the Neo magnet DeltaLite. --------------------------------- Well the Neo... I was really looking forward to trying this out as the amp [ABM 300 Evo II] now weighs more than the cab with Neo! As I expected it didn't have a "traditional" character to the sound but I suppose because of it's "neutral", clear presentation it sounded great for slapping, although there isn't much call for that in the current main band. In combination with the Kappa, it could be a really nice set up. Not for "metal" type volumes, but then again, I don't need them. I played for most of the evening and I got used to it but still the weight aspect was the biggest plus. towards the end of the rehearsal I turned the snares of the snare drum so I could hear it on it's own :shock: The lower notes were not clean and were giving me a "puffy" type sound below about an open "A" string. On checking, there are descrepancies on Eminence's data sheets about useable frequency range and I have asked BK to investigate. So unfortunately I can't recommend the DeltaLite 12" although the 15" might be fine. Rishard, thanks for the links. Kept me amused for ages. I'm waiting for samples to arrive, I really fancy a couple of Wine Red cabs Cheers, Eric. --------------------------------- Next contender is a Celestion K12S. Its only a 100W speaker but should be enough for me for practice [as opposed to rehearsing] or maybe with the second cabinet. Its a spare I just took out of my guitar amp now I've put an EV12 back in it. Sounds good indoors at low level, we'll see how long it lasts. --------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] Eric - are you rejecting the Eminence Kappa 12" then because of weight? --------------------------------- [b]Fretless Eric[/b] That's definitely going in the "bottom" cabinet of the pair, this instinctively sounded right when I plugged it in. I'm still trying others out for the "top" cab. and I can say that although the DeltaLite puffs at the bottom it doesn't sound out of control and, along with a drum kit, etc. making a row I could use it. In fact I did last week, but I don't have that leave-it-in-the-cabinet feeling that the Kappa gave me. It is extremely light though and could yet sway it with both cabs together. I'm still waiting for BK to give me some back-up on this speaker, I was told that there are three different data sheets for the same model :shock: --------------------------------- [b]any fule kno that[/b] how much did the wood cost cut and everything? I'm going to make another cabinet for a 15" speaker i'v got because the guy who made it c*cked it up and while i'm at it im tempted to make a 2*10 if i can get some cheap drivers of ebay... --------------------------------- [b]RichardH[/b] Well a sheet of decent 8x4 ply will cost around £25, and you may find yourself paying around 50p per cut - depending on where you go. Eric has a cutlist for 3 of the EV 12" cabs from 1 8x4 sheet, and I've worked out a cutlist for an EV 12" and EV 15" cab from one sheet (adjusting the 12" cab so the height is the same width as the 15" so they'll stack easily). --------------------------------- [b]CrazyKiwi[/b] Anyone tried the celestion neo cones yet? --------------------------------- [b]Fretless Eric[/b] I think we paid more for our ply as we went for the absolute best quality Nordic Birch we could get, the guitarist has stained and waxed his! and we didn't go B&Q as we wanted to get as accurate cuts as we could to minimise reworking. I used Evostick "Timebond" its called, which gives a bit of time before it sets hard. Even this wasn't quite enough for Monday's heat and I noticed last night a couple of edges on the back need regluing. This is the best kind of contact adhesive, don't get instant. I put the silver corners on last night and, together with the black leather handle, the first cab is looking very nice indeed. I am planning to use Fender style silver grille for now and maybe wicker [to match my hardwood Boogie] at a later date. I haven't tried the Celestian but last time I looked the low frequency wasn't any good. I spotted the Fane "N"lite the other day though and the NL12 MB400 looks promising. [url="http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/...LITE_SERIES.PDF"]http://www.fane-acoustics.com/public_html/...LITE_SERIES.PDF[/url] Might give it a go later.