Basschat easy-build lockdown cab project

[djk]

I appreciate I'm a little late to this party, but I've decided to use this design (appreciated) to build 2 1x10 cabs.

 

I'm my 7th decade and have only recently, in the last two years, got back into playing bass. I played semi professionally many years ago.

 

My playing now is mainly jam sessions and the occasional open mic with a friend, hopefully more in the future.

 

I've noticed that many venues, I live in Essex in the UK so it's usually pub's and small bars, don't like a bass directly into their PA, which I can understand. So I have a small 30W Laney bass combo that I lug around, but it's not really that good. OK in a small jam session, but gets lost on volume and sound quality, as it would, anywhere else. I also have Laney RB8 and RB5 combo's but at my age these are also too heavy to lug around for a 3 number open mic.

 

So I decided I needed to do something about this, hence the plan to build 1x10's, which will get used with a TC Electronic BQ250 Bass Head.

 

Looking round for speakers, being retired I'm on a tight budget here, I recently came across an Ashdown 2x10 with good speakers, but the cabinet covering had seen better days, for £35. so the plan is to pull the speakers, crossover, etc. and sell the cabinet on.

 

After a bit of a long winded introduction, now to the point of the post.

 

Wanting to have the minimum of wastage when buying the plywood, I used an online tool called OptiCutter,https://www.opticutter.com/, to work this  out. It looks like I can get both cabinets out of one half sheet of play and one quarter sheet. I've attached a copy of the cutting layout in case anyone is interested.

 

If it helps I'll update this post as I go along with the build. 

 

Once again apologies for the long post.

 

David

 

10 in speaker cabinet cutting list for two cabinets.pdf

Edited Thursday at 21:18 by djk

[Phil Starr]

Hi David welcome to the party. I see you live in Exeter, not too far from me and I've played in Exeter a lot over the years, including many of the open mic venues. You'll find the 1x10 to be remakably able and it's all I'd ever take to open mic's or jam sessions. In fact I take a much smaller 1x6 to most open mics. I've done dozens of gigs with just a single 1x10. I ended up with the prototype and didn't expect to use it but though I have more expensive cabs it is still my go to cab. Two of them would be seriously good gigging set up.  That's with the Celestion drivers though, the Ashdown drivers might not work quite so well. The crossovers are designed for that particular combination of drivers too so you could end up with a mis-matched cab and a miss-matched crosssover.

 

I don't want to be too pessimistic though, most drivers cluster around a fairly similar performance level and for all I know Ashdown may have used re-badged Celestion drivers. That cab would suit a range of drivers and you might be lucky. the crossover was optimised for the 110T but it's a very simple thing so it would kind of work and I've seen much worse in commercial cabs. I'm not trying to put you off but if you are aware of the limits of your plan then at £35 you don't have an awful lot to lose and a reasonable chance of success. 

[Jolltax]

I still practice on mine most days (sorry about the dust and dog hair in my shed, lol) - awesome!

@djk Although cosmetically mine is a bit primitive I deliberately made it quite beefy so its not that light, if you going for lightweight suggest you think carefully about construction with that as a priority, I am sure other more experienced builders can advise here.

 

J

 

[djk]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

Hi David welcome to the party. I see you live in Exeter, not too far from me and I've played in Exeter a lot over the years, including many of the open mic venues. You'll find the 1x10 to be remakably able and it's all I'd ever take to open mic's or jam sessions. In fact I take a much smaller 1x6 to most open mics. I've done dozens of gigs with just a single 1x10. I ended up with the prototype and didn't expect to use it but though I have more expensive cabs it is still my go to cab. Two of them would be seriously good gigging set up.  That's with the Celestion drivers though, the Ashdown drivers might not work quite so well. The crossovers are designed for that particular combination of drivers too so you could end up with a mis-matched cab and a miss-matched crosssover.

 

I don't want to be too pessimistic though, most drivers cluster around a fairly similar performance level and for all I know Ashdown may have used re-badged Celestion drivers. That cab would suit a range of drivers and you might be lucky. the crossover was optimised for the 110T but it's a very simple thing so it would kind of work and I've seen much worse in commercial cabs. I'm not trying to put you off but if you are aware of the limits of your plan then at £35 you don't have an awful lot to lose and a reasonable chance of success. 

 

[djk]

Phil, 

 

Many thanks for the reply. 

 

If I need to change the drivers for Celestion ones I can do that once the cabs are built. My plan is to first off use the cross over from the Ashdown cab and see how that goes.

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

 

[Chienmortbb]

As far as I know? Ashdown use Sica drivers, sometimes rebadged as Ashdown. Sometimes left with the Sica branding. 
 

 

[djk]

1 hour ago, Jolltax said:

I still practice on mine most days (sorry about the dust and dog hair in my shed, lol) - awesome!

@djk Although cosmetically mine is a bit primitive I deliberately made it quite beefy so its not that light, if you going for lightweight suggest you think carefully about construction with that as a priority, I am sure other more experienced builders can advise here.

 

J

 

 

[Phil Starr]

3 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

As far as I know? Ashdown use Sica drivers, sometimes rebadged as Ashdown. Sometimes left with the Sica branding. 
 

 

Thanks John I've no knowledge of which drivers they've used over the years though I do know one enquiry a few years back for TS parameters yielded the answer that they didn't know what they were which was a little bit of a surprise

[Phil Starr]

10 minutes ago, djk said:

Phil, 

 

Many thanks for the reply. 

 

If I need to change the drivers for Celestion ones I can do that once the cabs are built. My plan is to first off use the cross over from the Ashdown cab and see how that goes.

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

 

That sounds like a plan  Good Luck

[djk]

When I retired I joined the local Men's Shed where we have a range of professional and semi professional woodworking equipment and a decent workshop, which is where I'll be putting them together.

 

I also have a local timber merchant that will cut the ply to plan, they charge 60p a cut. Just hat the quote for all the ply for two cabinets, 12mm, cut to size at around £45. At least I know the panels will be square and it will all fit in the boot of the car.

 

Not sure yet if I'm going to spray the finished cabs with a textured paint or cover with van carpet, fittings will be from AliExpress as I used for the 1x12 I made.

 

All up I expect the cabs to come in at around £50 each, all up. So not too bad. 

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, djk said:

When I retired I joined the local Men's Shed where we have a range of professional and semi professional woodworking equipment and a decent workshop, which is where I'll be putting them together.

 

I also have a local timber merchant that will cut the ply to plan, they charge 60p a cut. Just hat the quote for all the ply for two cabinets, 12mm, cut to size at around £45. At least I know the panels will be square and it will all fit in the boot of the car.

 

Not sure yet if I'm going to spray the finished cabs with a textured paint or cover with van carpet, fittings will be from AliExpress as I used for the 1x12 I made.

 

All up I expect the cabs to come in at around £50 each, all up. So not too bad. 

Look up Tuff Cab paint from Blue Aran applied by roller it gives a fantastic professional finish and is genuinely tough as you'll find out if you ever have to sand it off. It'll also be ideal for renvating your 2x10 and a can will probably do all three cabs.