New BassChat 8"Cab design

[rwillett]

One advantage of having a speaker with mounting points is that other things can be attached.

 

I've put two side panels on the Mod Dwarf, they just slip on and off, so nothing permanent, so that sits on the top and the Gnome on the back of the cabinet

 

It's all quite secure and I'm a little surprised how neat and tidy it is.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

6 hours ago, rwillett said:

If anybody is interested in a grab handle for their cabinet, I brought two of these from Blue Arran but decided to use side handles instead.

 

https://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=ADH3424

 

They were only £2 each so its not worth trying to sell them. If anybody wants them I'll post for free.

 

Rob

 

I bought a new handle for the case I use for my Performer about ten years ago. I finally fitted it a few months ago ...

[Stub Mandrel]

5 hours ago, rwillett said:

One advantage of having a speaker with mounting points is that other things can be attached.

 

I've put two side panels on the Mod Dwarf, they just slip on and off, so nothing permanent, so that sits on the top and the Gnome on the back of the cabinet

 

It's all quite secure and I'm a little surprised how neat and tidy it is.

 

 

In six month's time the 'super portable' rig will be the size of an Ampeg stack with all the add-ons...

[rwillett]

2 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

In six month's time the 'super portable' rig will be the size of an Ampeg stack with all the add-ons...

If only...

[Obrienp]

On 09/01/2026 at 13:26, rwillett said:

Perhaps somebody on Basschat is local to you who can help with the cutting? My knowledge of the East Anglia area is zilch so can't comment.

 

One option might be to clamp or screw down a length of straight wood on the inside of where the cut should be and to slowly cut through with a hand saw. That's how it used to be done anyway. If you go off the edge, at least it's on the waste side of the wood. That's one of the most difficult bits, the others (to me anyway) are cutting the large hole for the speaker and the port hole. I used a cheap trim router, but it could be done using a small hand saw. I am very happy to print you off the port pipe for nothing and post it down. If you are concerned about making a mess the speaker hole, I can also print you a little cover for the edges to hide any mistakes, that's the thing below. Its amazing what you can hide if you try hard enough

 

There may be other options that people can suggest. If you were closer, you;d be welcome to come round and do it here or take some tools off to try.

Rob

Thank you very much for the offer. Would the port pipe for a 12” cab be the same size as an 8” cab? 
 

I hope to be getting round to the build in about a month. I have a mate who has an impressive workshop full of woodworking machinery. He is pressing me to have finger jointed panels instead of using batons (he has a machine for that). He is also suggesting solid wood rather than ply. I’m not convinced, especially regarding weight. 
 

[rwillett]

I can't comment on port sizes for a 12" as I haven't a clue 😊

 

Other people have commented before on the wood and construction method. Your friend seems to want to make things unduly complicated and heavy but I will defer to people who know more about this. 

 

Rob

[Mottlefeeder]

31 minutes ago, rwillett said:

...

Other people have commented before on the wood and construction method. Your friend seems to want to make things unduly complicated and heavy but I will defer to people who know more about this. 

 

Rob

Finger joints and dovetail joints instead of battens along the edge should make a stronger, lighter joint, but makes each panel larger before machining and therefore more expensive.

Using solid wood instead of ply would probably not be as stiff, and possibly prone to cracking as the tenperature/humidity changed.

David

[LawrenceH]

I've never built cabs from solid timber (though I have built plenty of other stuff), but for a given density/type of timber, solid is actually noticeably stiffer than ply. Weight would depend on the timber species (and individual planks) chosen but ought to be roughly equivalent to the same species as ply.

Machine-cut finger joints would look cool IMO. Functionally they'd work very well and no screws necessary. The extra cost in timber is insignificant if jointing solid planks together to make a sheet manually - it only matters if working from standardised sheet material where a design has been tightly optimised to fit the sheet with absolute minimal wastage. Sensible timber choice and splitting shouldn't be an issue, especially when you've got a protective finish on. Plenty of 100+ year old furniture without splits.

[Obrienp]

Thanks for the feedback folks.
 

Said friend has built a few guitar combos this way. He does reproductions of a Selmer combo he liked when younger, including building the valve amp. They are heavy for their size but I think that is down to the valve amp. The finger joints do look very cool (he just varnishes the combos). I think he has just used pine but at least 15mm, possibly 20. I’m a bit wary about pine TBH. All the stuff I’ve seen in the usual outlets is very green and I’m sure would be subject to shrinkage, cracking and possibly warping on drying out. I guess I could source furniture quality from somewhere to avoid this.

[Rosie C]

13 hours ago, Obrienp said:

I have a mate who has an impressive workshop full of woodworking machinery. He is pressing me to have finger jointed panels instead of using batons (he has a machine for that). He is also suggesting solid wood rather than ply. I’m not convinced, especially regarding weight. 
 

 

I do like that idea. If I had such a friend prepared to do the machining I would be staining the side panels in a contrast colour before assembly, to make a real feature of the finger joints. 

[Mottlefeeder]

7 hours ago, Rosie C said:

 

I do like that idea. If I had such a friend prepared to do the machining I would be staining the side panels in a contrast colour before assembly, to make a real feature of the finger joints. 

The change of grain direction from 'in-line' to 'end grain' on a rounded edge would ensure a non even take up of finish. I doubt that you would need a contrasting colour.

David

[LawrenceH]

On 12/01/2026 at 10:53, Obrienp said:

I think he has just used pine but at least 15mm, possibly 20. I’m a bit wary about pine TBH. All the stuff I’ve seen in the usual outlets is very green and I’m sure would be subject to shrinkage, cracking and possibly warping on drying out. I guess I could source furniture quality from somewhere to avoid this.

Decent knot-free joinery-grade redwood pine is easily obtained from timber merchants or, tbh, most builders merchants - places like Buildbase and (though I hate their attitude towards small traders) Travis Perkins and Jewsons usually carry very good stuff. Your local independents probably do too, and are more likely to give you a fair price. You can also find good furniture-board. Go for ~21mm thick finished stuff and it ought to be strong yet pretty light. It just dents more easily than oak, beech or birch. It shouldn't split if it has been properly kiln dried and you don't start forcing unpiloted screws in next to cross-cuts.

[Phil Starr]

On 11/01/2026 at 21:09, Obrienp said:

Thank you very much for the offer. Would the port pipe for a 12” cab be the same size as an 8” cab? 
 

I hope to be getting round to the build in about a month. I have a mate who has an impressive workshop full of woodworking machinery. He is pressing me to have finger jointed panels instead of using batons (he has a machine for that). He is also suggesting solid wood rather than ply. I’m not convinced, especially regarding weight. 
 

Finger joints are great if you have the machinery. They more than double the glued area and they help hold the cab together and square, just like the reinforced butt joints used in the 'easy build' method. Many commercial cabs use finger joints which are a lot quicker to fabricate than a reinforced joint. You will be changing the volume by removing the battens from my design so you would be best to calculate the volume of the wood you are missing and reduce the cab size by an equvalent volume.

 

"If you have a hammer everything looks like a nail" For a keen woodworker wood is all, and plywood the devil's invention. He's probably envisaging using something with a lovely grain and making a feature of the beautiful finger joints. He's possibly seeing your cab as a furniture making project. I suspect that if you asked him about the Young's modulus, density and internal damping properties of the wood he won't know. Engineered woods are the best material for speaker cabs, tough, stable, easy to finish and the best combination of physical properties. 

 

It's kind of your friend to help and it is possible to build a solid wood cab. Some exotic hi fi goes this route and you could end up with something beautiful. I'm not saying dont do it but there are potential issues to think about and if you want the most practical cab then insist on using ply, MDF or high density Chipboard, probably in that order unless you are completely on board with the beauty of wood. As a woodworker I know the allure of a lovely bit of timber but it needs a bit of thought and planning. If this is going to be used for gigging then ply is best if it is going to sit at home then the right wood is going to look stunning.

 

I really wouldn't use pine. I've struggled to get decent knot free dry timber from any of the builders merchants and only by being prepared to go in and personally select timbers. I've not found ayone at Jewsons, Travis Perkins and the like who know anything about timber and frequently it is poorly stored, left out in the rain before stacking and mauled by builders who don't know redwood frome white wood. I make doors and windows and sourcing genuinely joinery grade timber needs a great timber merchant. Your friend may have those skills of course but I think I'd go hardwood for something like this, but what a waste, I'd be looking at that timber and thinking it would make a great body for  bass.

Edited 3 hours ago by Phil Starr

[rwillett]

I am assuming that the 8" port is not suitable for the 12" cab?

 

My offer to print me still stands but I have no idea of the diameter and length. 

[Phil Starr]

8 minutes ago, rwillett said:

I am assuming that the 8" port is not suitable for the 12" cab?

 

My offer to print me still stands but I have no idea of the diameter and length. 

Correct, it's part of a tuned system and the dimensions have to be calculated

[Richard R]

On 12/01/2026 at 11:00, Rosie C said:

 

 If I had such a friend prepared to do the machining I would be staining the side panels in a contrast colour before assembly, to make a real feature of the finger joints. 

 

And to compensate him for the fact that ply isn't interestingly figured, suggest some lightly routed patterns he can show off with on the sides and front? All sorts of wild possibilities spring to mind!

[rwillett]

4 minutes ago, Richard R said:

 

And to compensate him for the fact that ply isn't interestingly figured, suggest some lightly routed patterns he can show off with on the sides and front? All sorts of wild possibilities spring to mind!

I think that's an excellent idea, I look forward to @Richard R showing off his designs and his work on the finished cabinet 😁

[LawrenceH]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

I really wouldn't use pine. I've struggled to get decent knot free dry timber from any of the builders merchants and only by being prepared to go in and personally select timbers. I've not found ayone at Jewsons, Travis Perkins and the like who know anything about timber and frequently it is poorly stored, left out in the rain before stacking and mauled by builders who don't know redwood frome white wood. I make doors and windows and sourcing genuinely joinery grade timber needs a great timber merchant. Your friend may have those skills of course but I think I'd go hardwood for something like this, but what a waste, I'd be looking at that timber and thinking it would make a great body for  bass.

Phil this doesn't tally with my experience, other than the caveat that you have to select it yourself, but Robbins, Buildbase, Travis in Bristol all carry good enough redwood pine, largely knot free and straight grained, and store it racked indoors. Selco usually have good enough stuff too, and Timbersource carry good enough low knot-count furniture board.

 

For a bass cabinet IMO you're not going to need the flawless quartersawn lengths you would want for a full-size, free-hanging door. It's going to be 21-22mm and I'd wager it's at least as stiff as most 18mm plywood, despite being lighter. Might be worth having a cross-grain brace on each panel I suppose if the panels are deeper, but I can't see any problems with using it for a wee little cab provided the builder knows what he's doing. I wouldn't use it for a heavy gigging cab just because it dents easily but unless you're gigging underwater it's not going to fall apart. I'm not sure what is meant by 'stability' but I've never had problems with splitting, and warping (of free-hanging cupboard doors) has been rare and probably similar to what I've had with plywood where presumably there are occasional manufacturing flaws. In any case a cab constrained by construction method isn't going to move.

 

By contrast the only plywood I can get that is decent is from Sydenhams (or Robbins but they're even more £££), formerly Avon Plywood, and recently I was paying over £100 per sheet for B/BB.

[Richard R]

1 hour ago, rwillett said:

I think that's an excellent idea, I look forward to @Richard R showing off his designs and his work on the finished cabinet 😁

 

Be prepared for a looooooooooong wait. There is my 35" headless travel bass with hex pickup to build first!  🤣

 

As a complete aside, I've had occasional access to a MakerSpace over the past 18 months, close to the client site where I have been working away, and have been dabbling with laser engraving & 3D printing, relearning parametric CAD and some IOT stuff. Sadly the client is choosing to end the engagement early this month so I won't get to grips with the X-carve CC router.  However I know I want one in my retirement workshop! 

 

 

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, LawrenceH said:

Phil this doesn't tally with my experience, other than the caveat that you have to select it yourself, but Robbins, Buildbase, Travis in Bristol all carry good enough redwood pine, largely knot free and straight grained, and store it racked indoors. Selco usually have good enough stuff too, and Timbersource carry good enough low knot-count furniture board.

My experience is that it is really variable and depends upon who is in charge in individual yards. To be fair the main issues are now in how the wood is grown, slow grown softwood is becoming rare and the species planted have changed. I noticed a steady downhill slope in the 30+ years I was restoring houses and I've a barn full of reclaimed Victorian timber 'just in case'. When I was doing this more regularly I used to check out the timber whenever I was in a yard and bought up the good pieces when I saw them which saved a lot of time compared with having to drive round looking to see who had the best stocks half way through a job. 

 

I'm such an old curmudgeon