Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

[Phantasmagoria]

Needed something light to lug around for practice & always wanted a 1x12 for recording as well, so I got a 12" Emi Legend GB128 & built a cab for it. It's 13mm MDF (HDF) with a ply baffle & semi-open back. Had a bit of a problem with the tolexing my first time around... in that, the glue I used would'nt dry & the whole thing bubbled like crazy so I had to rip it all off a week later,scrape/sand & re-do it with 3M spray-on glue. That worked like a charm.

Apart from a few minor ****-ups (handle was put on the wrong way, exposed seam upward & then epoxied from the rear so I can't switch it around..piping is a bit wiggly/not super straight etc..) I finally got it all finished a couple of days ago & it looks pretty cool/sounds freakin' awesome! Can't say enough good stuff about the GB128..I really love it with all my amps.

The one it really compliments though is my Cicognani Brutus...makes it sing like you would'nt believe. That amp was always a fun amp to play but tended to be a bit buzzy/grainy at lower volumes. Not anymore..It absolutely screams now, nice juicy mids, fat tight lows & the top end sounds ultra sweet/3D..the buzz has completely disappeared!

Anyway..couple of pics...









I'll get some clips up when I have the time..

[Demanic]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Sound clips please.
Looks good.
I have found that a closed back front ported cab is even more lively. Just in case you want to consider such for your next project.

[Darg1911]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Well done. Looks great. Curious though, why MDF? I have a no real bias against MDF from a tone perspective, especially with a ply baffle. But just seems that it would have been even lighter and more durable for lugging around if built of all ply. Just interested in why you chose mdf over ply.

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Thanks guys! Demanic, yeah...if I ever do find the need to make another cabinet, I might experiment with ported designs..just wanted to keep it as simple as possible for my first try
I'll definitely get some clips up, but it might take a while..my cranky neighbours have been even more touchy off late since the old dude had a stroke or something

@Darg: I like MDF cabs. I think they sound as good as/better than ply..marketing ploys & snakeoil claims aside

There's two ways to go about things..either use a hardwood like pine where there's sympathetic resonance/vibration & (hopefully pleasant) coloring of your speaker sound or a dead enclosure for pure speaker sound ..the deader the better. That's where MDF comes in (3xtimes the damping factor of ply) ..also the reason why most-hifi cabs are made with it & why a lot of people stuff their cabs with damping material. The Ply baffle is something I read about that helps. I forget the reason for it now, but it seemed like a good idea when I read about it

Weight-wise a 4'x8' sheet of baltic birch (true baltic birch) weighs 95lbs vs 90lbs for MDF....if your ply cab does'nt weigh a ton it's NOT baltic birch

[Darg1911]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Dont agree on the weight differences but regardless, like your cab. Hope you enjoy it.

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Thank you

Well, I've heard/read all kinds of things regarding weight too & never actually weighed the two myself. I do know that their weight fluctuates quite a bit from grade to grade etc.. You may be right. I've got/used/lugged around both types of 4x12 cabs and I don't really find a huge difference between them, sound or weight-wise. I mean if you're going to be lugging a 4x12 around..it'll be a huge PIA anyway whether it's MDF or ply

This cab is'nt overly light I'll say that...but it's a hell of a lot lighter than my 4x12's. I was mostly concerned with the sound since being a 1x12 weight was'nt really going to be an issue..

[DankStar]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Very cool - interesting note on the glue, I’m gonna keep that in mind

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Yeah..I highly reccommend the 3M stuff over the tin/brush on stuff...it's also way less messy

I just recorded some repetitive aimless noodling ..terrible sloppy stuff sorry haha, have'nt been playing much. No time to get a proper clips w/backing track done right now ..but hopefully it's good enough for a general idea of the way it sounds..

These are just raw/totally unprocessed tracks with my mic going straight into my interface. No effects in front or in the loop. It was recorded at quiet (conversation) levels too...could'nt crank things up.

The first one's on the "Lead 1" setting/Channel (I switched to the "mid boost" mode @ 3:46) & the second clip is on "Lead 2". Did'nt change the EQ though I probably should have 'cause I wanted to keep my 'Lead 1' settings untouched..that's the channel I use mostly.


Lead 1:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2dxi4lf3lq0cnj3/New_1x12_Brutus_A_Lead_1.wav?dl=0

Lead 2:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/68a9tul13s90c75/New_1x12_Brutus_B_Lead_2.wav?dl=0

I could've maybe dialled the bass back a bit..but otherwise..no buzz at all anymore & it sounds pretty sweet (to me)

[devastone]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Nice job on the cab, and I agree, use the material that works best for you! There have been high end cabs made of MDF. As far as weigh, 4-12s are heavy, what's 5 lbs either way.

.either use a hardwood like pine

I would never consider pine to be a hardwood, it's definitely a soft wood.

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

Thanks

Yes, pine is a soft wood. I guess I used the wrong term.. I just meant real/solid wood (not ply) by that. You'd have to use a softer wood or at least thinner sheets for that approach (sympathetic resonance/vibration) to work..

[Demanic]

Re: Finally finished building my DIY 1x12..

It's not that you necessarily want to kill all vibration. You want to kill the unpleasant frequencies and accentuate the pleasant.
Given that these concepts are subjective, it's no wonder some love MDF and others can't be satisfied by anything less than dovetailed, kiln dryed, California redwood.

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