stevie

The specs for the Genz Benz custom PR300 are available online for anyone interested in seeing what the difference is. Faital Pro is a quality brand and any bass cab fitted with their drivers is likely to be very good.

Yes, it would be interesting to know what the "design goals" were, how the driver was altered and why it was considered beneficial.

The PR300 is/was used in a number of well regarded bass cabs. Of the top of my head, I can think of the Bergantino CN 1x12 and 2x12 (which won the Essex bass cab shootout against serious competition some years ago), the Vanderkley EXT112 and the Genz-Benz Neox. As Phil says, the main difference between the PR300 and the PR320 is the length of the voice coil, which is one of the key factors in determining the driver's excursion capability, or xmax. This point alone makes the PR320 a much better choice for bass guitar. I've been working with much more expensive 12" drivers recently, using the PR320 as my reference point, and I have to admit that spending more money does not always buy you a better-sounding driver. I'd go so far as to say it's the best-bang-for-your-buck 12" bass guitar driver right now.

Please run that by me again, as I'm currently doing some routing work (as a complete novice) and am very attached to my fingers. Do you really need to keep tightening the router bit while you are working? It's a bit awkward with my particular router, as you lose the depth setting when you go in with a spanner.

You can't always compare manufacturers' power ratings directly. Some are more generous with their figures than others. The Ashdown is a sealed cab, which is a disadvantage in the "how loud will it go" stakes but often an advantage in the "lack of boom" stakes.

If I still lived in Edinburgh, I'd definitely be there. Love the band. It's a bit of a long drive nowadays though.

It's a while since I've been involved with pickups, but I do remember that the most common fault with those is a broken wire at the output. There are two output wires (obviously) - one is taken from the inside of the coil and the other from the outside. If the outside one is broken (it's not too difficult to check visually), it can be fixed without having to rewind the pickup: you just unwind one turn and re-solder. I've done it lots of times. Soldering those very thin wires takes a bit of practice, but it's not hard. If the break is at the beginning or inside of the coil, you will need a rewind. It might be worth inspecting the pickup before you send it off.

@Phil Starr built a small cab with a very cheap 6" driver and put the information here on the forum. A quick search should find it. That would be ideal. It sounded really nice when he demonstrated it to me. You're never going to be able to play Wembley with it, but for home use, it's ideal - and tiny.

Shame on you! 😄

Everybody knows where Airdrie is, don't they? I used to play the Airdrie Town Hall back in the day. And went to watch Airdrieonians every once in a while, even though they were rubbish.

I can maybe bring some prototypes for you to try.

Lots. 😃 Remember, PU glue is your friend - as is fibreglass filler. I speak from experience. They both cover a multitude of bodges. Finish with Tuffcab and nobody will know.

I've been working on a few ideas during lockdown. As I design first and foremost for my own use, I've been trying to push the boundaries of what's possible while still keeping the cabinets compact and relatively affordable - and trying to make them look great. Basically, I deserve the best (!) and that's what these will be. That's it for the moment. As I have a full-time job and a family to keep me busy, they'll be ready when they're ready. And I promise you lot will be the first to know.

That's often the problem with these self-build projects. The Beyma 12" driver originally recommended for our 12" cabinet is now out of production. The horn for the BC112 MkIII is more or less only available from Blue Aran and has been out of stock for months - and now this. For this 10" cab, I deliberately specified components that would be readily available anywhere because it's not always possible to use alternative parts with these custom designs. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't expect Celestion to be out of stock for long.