GlamBass74 Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I bought the plans for the Omni 15 TB ages ago. I then cut the wood at the beginning of this year and promptly moved onto another project. (basschat mk3) I finally pulled my finger out and finished the "wheelie bin" this weekend. I loaded it with 2 x Beyma SM212 drivers, an Alpha 6CBMR and an APT80 I couldn't decide on a finish, so ended up with good old decoupage. I've done a few cabs like this now. I knew I kept all my Beano comics for a reason. Fitted wheels and handles on the side to ease transportation along with sprung handles on the side. The crossovers were the hardest part for me, but I eventually cracked it (thanks Stevie for supplying me with the necessary parts) So - How does it sound? Good - very good. I started with some pre-recorded tunes and was really impressed with the balance of the 3 "sections" of the cab. The bass is deep and full without sounding boomy, honky or muddy. The mids cut through really nicely. The closed back alpha sounds great. The APT80 adds plenty of sizzle if required. Great for slappers or if using as a PA cab. I tried it with my TC Electronics BH550 and with the EQ flat the cab sounded really "equal" - nothing seemed too harsh, too loud or too quiet. It doesn't seem to need many watts at all to reach respectable levels. I would imagine a 30-50 watt all valve amp would thunder through this. The build was fairly straightforward. The mid range horn construction is probably the most challenging part of the woodwork. I found that building the cab in 1-2 hour sessions was beneficial. Reading the plans plenty of times before getting started really helped too. I'm yet to use it in a rehearsal or gigging situation, but I will report back once I have. Positives Self built - Great sense of achievement and finish can be customised Can be built with different user options / drivers. Info listed in the plans. Big, full sound Negatives Heavy - but.....you can't have everything can you? Not sure of total cost - I got the parts together over a long period of time, so it doesn't seem as painful on the old wallet. I had the Beymas already, so that helped. Fairly easy to load into vehicles thanks to the wheels. Stairs are the only issue i've found so far It's probably overkill for most of the gigs I play, but I imagine that larger events or outdoor bookings without PA support would be right up this cab's street I've tried it with a P Bass and a Jazz and it really does sound very good indeed. Every nuance of your playing is there for all to hear! (is that a good thing?) My fab missus made me a retro denim patch cover for it too. Groovy! I will update this post once the cab has a few gigs under it's belt. Cheers Jon 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 That is bloody awesome, great work fella! I've always fancied building a Tallboy 12 at some point. If it ends up half as good as that I'll be delighted! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyc Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 (edited) You've got a real skill @GlamBass74 that looks amazing! I'm going to be making a BC112T eventually, then probably a Jack 12. Like @eude says if either of mine turns out half as good as yours that'd suit me fine. Love the cover as well. May have to steal that idea! Thanks Mrs GlamBass74! Edited October 16, 2022 by chyc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 The Beano decoupage looks really good. Many years ago I built an Omni 15 widebody. Totally agree that the midrange horn was the hardest part to construct. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minininjarob Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 That looks amazing!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlamBass74 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 Decoupage isn't that hard to do. Quite theraputic actually. It's VERY time consuming, but I just sat watching tripe on TV whilst cutting out the individual bits. I used MOD PODGE glue. Not cheap, but works very well. Paste it onto the back of the snippet liberally and then stick on. Then cover the "good" face of the snipped with plenty of glue. Don't paste an area and then whack them on - I did this and it ended up "lumpy" with air bubbles. The glue darkens the paper to begin with, but lightens as it dries. Once covered, I then applied a couple of coats of the glue to really seal it well. It's easily repairable, individual and you get to peel the glue bogeys off your fingers when you've finished 😁 I did a pair of jack 10's a few years ago along with a rack mount sleeve. I think that's where I got the bug 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) Fantastic job looks absolutely great. Any chance of a picture of the front baffle without the front cover? Edited October 17, 2022 by JohnDaBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlamBass74 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 34 minutes ago, JohnDaBass said: Fantastic job looks absolutely great. Any chance of a picture of the front baffle without the front cover? Here you go @JohnDaBass I wasn't particularly proud of my build. It was a bit messy, but I managed to correct and salvage as I went along. Driver is an old delta 12lf in the pic 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Awesome, thanks for sharing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Great job. The sense of achievement from a self-build must be a great motivator for future projects! Well done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlamBass74 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 It is when they work 😁 Recently completed a shelf ported cab that looked the business but sounded like a wet fart through a tea towel. Most disappointing The carcass of the beast is now residing in a skip at my local recycling centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 28 minutes ago, GlamBass74 said: sounded like a wet fart through a tea towel. Now that would make a very interesting A/B test. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassybert Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 This cab looks amazing!!! Unique styling and love the DIY cover too. Now where did I put those Dandy comics... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlamBass74 Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 Just a quick update for those interested. No rehearsals or big enough gigs for the thunderbox to be wheeled out yet.... But I've been playing around at home. I use a crown XLS2002 rack mount power amp and TC Spectradrive. Or a TC BH550/800 It's hard to explain, but the bass is really "there", but without being as in your face as other cabs i've tried. Its like the engine room. It's all going on very nicely, but nobody's shouting about it. I'd expect an enclosure of this size to be quite boomy if driven hard, but it isn't. The 2 SM212's just punt out a really nice foundation for the mid and high to work with. The real star of the show for me is that midrange horn (hardest part to make and install - the rest is pretty straightforward) and Alpha 6 CBMR. Turning the low or high mids on the preamp pedal really does sculpt your sound nicely. Increased, it really punches its way through. Cut back gives a really smooth, full, dubby tone. I can't wait to hear this in a decent venue. The bar handles I fitted are a bit poo. Looks like the component parts are possibly lazer cut and folded and there are some gaps. When driving the cab a bit more, I heard air and sure enough there are a few leaks from those darn handles. I plan to remove them and coat the holey areas with some silicon. Not pretty, but you won't see it. I'm glad I fitted bar handles and wheels however. Moving this cab without and alone would be a bit of a chore. Am I glad I built it? Yes. Am I looking forward to transporting it? No (I used to haul a Hammond and Leslie around East Anglia in my 20's, so i'm sure i'll cope) Would I recommend it? Yes - If you are playing the type of gigs that demand a cab of this size and power and you have an understanding/brilliant partner and room to store it 😁 This cab is currently living in our lounge next to my 4 x 10 trace combo..... Yep, Mrs Glambass74 is very tolerant. I'll shut up for now. Will write more once the thunderbox has been unleashed on an unsuspecting band/crowd Jon 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 That looks class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 2 hours ago, GlamBass74 said: I'd expect an enclosure of this size to be quite boomy if driven hard, but it isn't. Boom isn't caused by cabs that are big, it's caused by cabs that are too small for the drivers within. One common shortcoming of commercial cabs is that they are too small, a marketplace concession to the desire of players to have a smaller rig to haul. But just as our instrument necks are long and our strings are fat our cabs need to be large if one wants to go deep and loud without boom. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 7 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said: Boom isn't caused by cabs that are big, it's caused by cabs that are too small for the drivers within. One common shortcoming of commercial cabs is that they are too small, a marketplace concession to the desire of players to have a smaller rig to haul. But just as our instrument necks are long and our strings are fat our cabs need to be large if one wants to go deep and loud without boom. My hearing is too compromised to get excited about loud any more. But deep is The Bomb. I had an ACME 12" which was appreciably bigger than the "standard" 12" cabs. It went beatifully deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 11 minutes ago, Owen said: My hearing is too compromised to get excited about loud any more. But deep is The Bomb. I had an ACME 12" which was appreciably bigger than the "standard" 12" cabs. It went beautifully deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 2 hours ago, Owen said: My hearing is too compromised to get excited about loud any more. But deep is The Bomb. I had an ACME 12" which was appreciably bigger than the "standard" 12" cabs. It went beatifully deep. The reason I said deep and loud is that one can make a small cab that goes deep without boom. But doing so one sacrifices sensitivity, so while it's an option for home hi-fi and auto sound it's not for electric bass. The sensitivity issue can be offset by having a lot of power, and a driver that has both the electrical and mechanical ability to use it, but that sacrifices midrange response. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Yep, I was just mourning the fact that my loud days were too LOUD and that I can no longer do those. But I can still do deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 The build, the finish and especially the cover all look great. Have a 'like' on me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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