Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Just want to know what you folks think of this one !


Me and my lead-guitarist was playing with this idea last night !

* 10" sp. are great in 4x10 cabs, right ?
* 12" sp. are the most popular in valve amps, right ?
* 15" are great for more bottom end, like the Peavey Delta Blues, right ?



. . . so why not build a custom cab from solid pine with dove-tail joints (father is a retierd woodworker - will be a piece o'pi$$ for him), with a 15incher in the bottom, 12" just above it, and a 10" just above the 12" . . .

Weight-wise we are not too worried, as it will (we think) not be much heavier than a regular 4x12.
Size, no problem, we just wack it on the back of his pick-up !

Money wise, we will only have to pay for the speakers as my father has more than enough solid pine in the work-shop.
We also know a local guy that will cover the cab and add the front cloth for next to nothing !

Amp-wise, we can either use a Peavey Classic 30 or 50 . . .
(as we have one of each)



* What do you guys think of such a project ?

* Will it work ?

* Will the three diff' size speakers work well-together ? ie: will they compliment one another, AND will you still be able to hear the diff. strenghths (personalities) of each ?

* Any speaker recommendations for such a project ?



. . . or is this just a waste of time ?


Thanks to all !

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

It can certainly "work". What it would sound like...not sure there.

I'd use 16 ohm drivers and make sure they are very close in efficiency....within 1 dB. Wired in parallel that would give you a 5.33 ohm load. Then I'd set the tap on the amp for 4 ohms....close enough for rock-n-roll.

[ES350]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

It's gonna be big, heavy, and with one 10" speaker (the weakest link), the power handling is gonna be kinda low. There were some old Baldwin amps like this (the Exterminator) and you can't really hear the difference between the 10" and the 12". Maybe better off with 2x10" and a 15"...I use a 2x10 with a tweed Pro (1x15") sometimes and you can really hear the difference.

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

I don't know if it would work but it sounds cool!

[GuitarStv]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

If you're really on the ball, you could wire up a switching system with dummy speaker loads so that you can select just the 10'' for recording and all three (or combinations of them) for playing out . . . I like this idea . . .

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

My cousin works at one of the local guitar-shops, so i can pop in and have a chat with their new tech - looks like he is a real technical-geek.
He actually loves his job - seems to be on the ball !
I'm sure he can help with ther wire-side of things !?

Mmmmmm, also something to ponder about :

. . . 2x10's & a 15" - back to the drawing board !


Thanx guys

[frankfalbo]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

My full rig consists of a 2x10, 2x12, and 1x15. (In the old days I had two stacks like that! ) They're all in seperate cabinets, and I can create programs that focus on one group of speakers vs the other. So yeah I'm a fan & veteran of speaker combining.

Perhaps equally important as the speaker size is the cabinet size. The problem I see in loading them in the same cabinet is that they'll all be bouncing around at different rates, blowing different amounts of air forward and backward. Usually when you see a 2x10+15 bass cabinet, it's internally separated. That would be a good idea. Separate and front port the 15, perhaps rear vent the 12, in an "open back" fashion, and close off the 10. That might be a nice way to separate them. If they're open inside there, then the air blasts from the 15 will choke off or over-resonate various frequencies in the other two speakers, and vice versa. But the 15 is likely to "win" that battle because of it's cone size.

You might try using 2x10's, so the 10's sound is heard. The 12 and 15 will trump the 10 overall, which might be fine with you, too. Maybe you want the 10 for a little clarity, I don't know. You also might try a passive crossover on the 10's, at around 150-200hz. That way you can drive the whole cabinet nice and loud without distorting the 10 in the lower register.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

Thanx a lot, "frankfalbo".


I too thought of putting some kind os seperation in the cab so that the spealers have their own isolated area to breath in !
Ans yes, the main reason for the 10's are for some articulates clarity . . . kinda like tweeters in a car stereo set-up, but more in guitar terms (ok, that did not come out the way i wanted it to sound, but hopefully you know what i mean !)

I am also goog'ling some cab building sites as we speak !

[kmcguitars]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

It can certainly "work". What it would sound like...not sure there.

I'd use 16 ohm drivers and make sure they are very close in efficiency....within 1 dB. Wired in parallel that would give you a 5.33 ohm load. Then I'd set the tap on the amp for 4 ohms....close enough for rock-n-roll.

That was my 1st thought... It would be a Impedance nightmare. But This^ sounds like a plan. I was thinking you might as well incorporate a 8" speaker into the build. Now you have ALL the bases covered ,And no Impedance mismatch.

[Baltar]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

it all depends on the selection of the speakers.
it may work if you find the right ones,
but i wouldn't use three different sizes in one cab
without a crossover.

it will be difficult enough to mix two sizes and
get a senseful result.

i'd use two cabs: eg a 212 plus a 410

it's not necessary to use a 15" speaker for a
fat low end. there are 12" speakers, that are
able to do that too

[baritone]

Re: Homebuild "1x10/12/15" - can this work ?

The impedence and handling capacities of each speaker must be taken into consideration. But also very important: when trying to match 3 different model speakers, research the specs, and look for the sensitivity value. Of the 3 different speakers, the sensitivity should not vary more than 2 dB for best results. I am not sure if different manufacturers use a standardized method of measuring sensitivity, but if they don't, it would be advisable to select from the catalog of a single manufacturer.