Where can I find cab designs and handles?

[fingerace]

A new house is being build for my family right now and the man who is going to make the kitchen cupboards is a nice guy..

So I decided to have one or two speaker cabs made for cheap!

I need dimentions and exact constructing methods. Is the cab just a box? I guess not, so I need to find out about that...

+ I need those side handles that 212 or 412 cabs have so that you can carry them...

Where can I find some quality (but cheap preferably) ones on line?

I don't know about the woods that I ll have the guy work with, I ll see about that...

Thanks a lot...

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

For handles check out mojotone.com. For wood use baltic birch 13 ply plywood, it's not very expensive and it's one of the best woods used for cabs. As for dimensions, if you want a 4x12 30x30x14 is the most common one used by marshall as well, if you want a 2x12 I could write down some of the dimensions the top manufactures are using.

 

[tubeman87]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

For handles check out mojotone.com. For wood use baltic birch 13 ply plywood, it's not very expensive and it's one of the best woods used for cabs. As for dimensions, if you want a 4x12 30x30x14 is the most common one used by marshall as well, if you want a 2x12 I could write down some of the dimensions the top manufactures are using.

+1 I was just going to suggest Mojotone.com. Great stuff.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

For handles check out mojotone.com. For wood use baltic birch 13 ply plywood, it's not very expensive and it's one of the best woods used for cabs. As for dimensions, if you want a 4x12 30x30x14 is the most common one used by marshall as well, if you want a 2x12 I could write down some of the dimensions the top manufactures are using.

Is there more to it than just a box? Anything between the speakers? Any other woods inside?

Thanks for the wood suggestion btw... I am checking mojotone right now...

Edit: hey great site!

They ship worldwide right?

BIG EDIT NOTE: I will be making my own "baffle" . The speakers are not mounted on the buffle are they? They are mounted directly to the cab right?

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

The baffle is the front panel of the cabinet, to which the speakers are mounted.

The grill might be a separate frame over which the grillcloth is stretched. Some cabinets have removable grills that get held on with velcro or some other fastener.

Marshall cabs do no have separate grills - the grillcloth it stretched directly over the baffle, with 1/2" spacers around the outside to hold the cloth away from the baffle board.

18Watt.com has a good drawing of a Marshall 1960 slant cab in their downloads section.

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

the joins are critical to the thing. Measure and copy a cab that impresses you sonically. Weber has a nice speakers n cabs Q&A which is very good reading. The bespoke classic cabs were designed in a non-science way. Don't stress about porting and such. (unless you're playing bass, which is another story)

You want a nice stiff, strong, durable, sensibly sized/weighted thing.
Don't compromise on the joints and baffle quality.

Populating a 4 x 12 cab with quality speakers is expensive. I'd say build a really nice 2x12 sealed back and put nice drivers in there. If you want to use Mr carpenter, then get him to make a nice 1 x 12 open back also.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Thanks for the info and sites. I appreciate your help...

So the baffle is actually the front side of the cab and not just a cover. I ll use a separate frame for the grill as Rich S suggested. What's another good way to mount the grill frame on the cab other than velctro?

I ll talk to the guy and tell him to use the "finger joins" (I think they are called) to join sides together. I ll order the handles and corner protectors from mojotone, maybe some rubber feet or casters as well... I ll think about that.

Can you guys tell me the wood that is the most aproppriate for the baffle and also the thickness of the baffle?

I have noticed that some baffles have a piece of wood between the two speakers. Is it necesary for stability?

Also MGTS, why do you suggest an additional open 112 to the sealed 212? I was thinking of making a 212 with a back which is fairly easy to remove so that I can select my tone easily.

I will definately have one 212 made, but I am also thinking for a 112 instead of another 212 since I may not have the money to for the 4th speaker...

 

[greco]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

You might get some more ideas from this thread.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=92724

My friend built 2 for me...they are great.

Dave

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Like I wrote down before, if you're going for a 2x12 here are some top manufactures dimensions:

Mills Acoustics:
32" Wide, 20" Tall, 14.75" Deep

Bogner:
29 3/4" Wide, 25 3/4" Tall, 11 7/8" Deep

Genz Benz:
30" Wide, 21" Tall, 14" Deep

Splawn:
29.5" Wide, 20" Tall, 14" Deep

Earcandy:
28" Wide, 18" Tall, 16" Deep


I've also been considering building a 2x12 cab for a while but now i'm thinking of buying an avatar cab which is pretty cheap and ppl say great things about them, but its dimensions are small compared to the other cabs I mentioned and I think it may sound not as big as the others because of that.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

You might get some more ideas from this thread.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=92724

My friend built 2 for me...they are great.

Dave

Great thread and plenty of detail! thanks A LOT greco!

What did you do with the grid cloth, streched it over the baffle or did you have another frame in front of the baffle?

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Like I wrote down before, if you're going for a 2x12 here are some top manufactures dimensions:

Mills Acoustics:
32" Wide, 20" Tall, 14.75" Deep

Bogner:
29 3/4" Wide, 25 3/4" Tall, 11 7/8" Deep

Genz Benz:
30" Wide, 21" Tall, 14" Deep

Splawn:
29.5" Wide, 20" Tall, 14" Deep

Earcandy:
28" Wide, 18" Tall, 16" Deep


I've also been considering building a 2x12 cab for a while but now i'm thinking of buying an avatar cab which is pretty cheap and ppl say great things about them, but its dimensions are small compared to the other cabs I mentioned.

Thanks a lot for the dimantions. Are those external or internal to the wood? Not that it makes a huge difference since the wood planks are not insanely thick...

btw: the more the air volume inside the cab the bigger the tone? Does the depth play the biggest role in this?

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

External of course. Bigger cabs sounds bigger and with more bottom end. Take the bogner oversized 2x12 for example, it's almost the size of a 4x12 and is one of the best sounding 2x12 cabs.
I don't think depth plays the biggest role I think you just need to find the best balance of all three dimensions. I myself would go for the splawn dimensions.
BTW there's more to the tone than dimensions and type of wood, since there are a lot of 4x12 out there which uses the same dimensions ,same wood and same speakers, and yet they sound different. What's the reason for that? Don't know maybe someone could enlighten us.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Other than open or closed back and speakers they have, I have no idea really...

I heard about casters VS rubber legs and about wood joint types, but I don't know if they would make such a big impact...

I am actually looking for these "unknown" factors since a cab cannot simply be a box with speakers. I am convinced that there must be just a bit more to it...

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Yeah, i suggested more than one cab, mainly to get good value from your craftstman. A 1x12 is a nice portable room-filling asset. Having a 2x12 "convertable" (sealed to open) is a cool idea. the Yellow cab guys are into the non-parallel interior thing.

The divider is partially to isolate the drivers, but also to stiffen the cab and prvent the baffle and back from travelling too far.

The grille raiser is just a half centimeter edge strip ontop of the baffle. Just to raise the cloth off.

Baffle material, try get a nice 1.5cm+, quality, dense plywood. Try the boating guys, they'll have super stuff called marine ply. Y'see the baffle is like part of the speaker once it starts vibing. AKA soundboard.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

MGTS thanks man... I am probably getting all the wood localy, so I ll try to find a very dense plywood for the baffle.

Ok I have four questions

1. If I am going to put this thing together with finger joints on ALL the edjes (except the back which is going to be screwed in), do I need to put something to strengthen the corners from the inside?

2. Do I HAVE to place a piece of wood in the middle of the baffle?

3. Is it proper to mount the baffle on the cab using finger joints?

4. The speaker holes on the baffle for the 12 inch speakers need to be 12 inches exactly, no more no less?

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

That piece of wood between the speakers is mainly used in 4x12 cabs not 2x12. And I think the baffle board is just glued insided the outer shell.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

Just glued? well, ok that makes things easier...

What do you mean by outer shell? A little step which is nailed onto the inside of the sides only a few cms inside??

 

[greco]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

You might want to consider a floating baffle which is only attached on two sides.

I wouldn't glue the baffle, personally. I used "t" nut fasteners to attach the baffle to the cab.

Finger joints are NOT essential and, although they are very strong (like a dovetail joint), they are a pain to make and are really only cosmetics for the most part.... especially if you cover the cab with Tolex.

Consider Russian or Baltic BIRCH plywood for the baffle (I used 1/2 inch thickness. (conversion is about 25 mm = 1 inch)

I used 3/4 inch pine for the cab ( i.e., not the baffle). The dimensions of the cab, types of wood/material used, closed/open back WILL all influence the tone. Pine is a soft wood, but is reported to give in a looser and "warmer" tone.
It is light in weight and and not expensive here. MDF board is another popular choice, as is Baltic /Russian birch plywood. And then there are the hardwoods...maple, oaks, etc ....heavy and much more expensive.

A 12 inch speaker uses a 10.25 +/- inch hole.

Scott_F of Celtic Amplifiers helped me with many cab related decisions & design ideas ....I want to thank him here once again.

Dave

 

[fingerace]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

What are "t" nut fasteners?? Are they usual in cabs? The baffle joint is something that I cannot find anywhere... What are the usual practices?

Thanks for the wood specifications. I ll use anything I can find, (which is of quality of course) for the cab, but I ll go all the way with the baffle. I may be able to get oak for cheap overhere so I might go for that on the cab. Then I have to find out where I can get BIRCH plywood...

What did you use instead of finger joints? and btw I won't tolex or dress the cab..

Scott is a great man for sure... I may have to shoot a PM to him myself...

but I think all of you brothers here already helped me out GREATLY!

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Where can I find cab designs and handles?

m'kay... pictures are worth many a word..

This is a 2x15inch fender showman cab. It's split, mostly i guess for extra strength, no essential, especially if your cab is a little less long.

Pine planks all round, except for the baffle (in which mr speaker is bolted)
Notice how if you took the baffle off, both sides would essentially be the same. The little strip of square woods create a nice home into which the baffle seats, likewise the back cover. Notice however that the baffle is screwed in via the interior, leaving the grille cloth nice. Notice too how the grille cloth is peeping in. It is stapled to the edge. Notice too that the baffle is secured with lotsa screws. Finally, see how the rear cover's screwholes are equally plentiful, even into the centre room-splitter.

Sealed and ready to rock

And next, as you might not have the machine/option to finger joint the corners, i'd say your wood guy can make a nice strong glue n square-dowel inside-to-screw-into substitute. As long as its strong, which it will be cause he makes kitchens. Maybe he'll use round dowels and round holes?

Notice how the cab isn't super deep. This makes it somewhat practicle, and sounds great. But the maths guys would shriek in horror, just like the archtop guys shrieked when fender put strings on a plank of cheap wood.

Finally.... don't stress tooo much about the baffle material and thickness. These famous blackface amps, they used chipboard baffles! But nice thickish ply, is an upgrade. Ads a bit more control/tightness to the sound, as the speaker has a nice stiff anchor off which to push. The mounted only on the edges is good, if done properly, and i'd imagine then just one speaker should be involved? Not sure.

In a sentence... Just copy Leo Fender, can't go wrong...


As for the speaker holes, measure thrice, cut once!

However, understand the strong points and weaknesses of sealed vs open cabs. Show your carpenter these pics, and the only thing to fear is that he might be insulted for being asked to build something so basic!