any info on how to build a speaker cabinet?

[nero1985]

i wanna build me a 2x12 speaker cabinet but i cant find any info on how to build one, if u have any link to a page like that please let me know! thanks!

[milkwasabadchoice]

Well basicaly you just want to build a box about 32in wide, 16in tall, and 9 or so inches deep. You can build it out of 7ply cabinate birch from lowes or home depot, or MDF. MDF is going to be cheaper and easier to work with but birch might sound slightly better. MDF will sound darker. I like to use the 7ply birch because it sounds good and its pretty enough to stain. You can get really techy about demintions and woods, but most of the time its not as importamt as what is driving those speakers. Hope this helps.

Jason

[cd]

Use Google.

Start here:

http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/construction.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~etunstal/diy.htm

Post here, you'll get 1000x better responses than a pedal forum:

http://www.speakerbuilding.com

[rfoust]

You can also check over at geofex -- there's an article titled "Building Replicas of Vox Cabinets and Heads" that might give you some ideas. I'd post the link if I could figure out how  ???  but it's the third item in the list if you just go there and do a search on vox cabinets.

edit: I'm an idiot, but here's the link --
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/voxamp/voxcab.htm

and two other's for measurements and plans for the ac30 that you can use as an example --
www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/AC30/ac30dims.pdf
www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/AC30/ac30.pdf

[petemoore]

  Oversize 2x12'' cabinet has many advantages IMO
  Great bass response
  Made to fit easily in back seat or trunk
  This can be done by one person much easier than with 4x12'' cab
  fairly light for output
  The size and shape make it easy to maneuver.
  works great at clubs
  Doesnt scare soundmen
  you can use another one and only have to pick one at a time, but use a dolly
 

[Dave_B]

Well basicaly you just want to build a box about 32in wide, 16in tall, and 9 or so inches deep. You can build it out of 7ply cabinate birch from lowes or home depot, or MDF. MDF is going to be cheaper and easier to work with but birch might sound slightly better.

Another thing thing about MDF is that it's heavier than plywood and more fragile.  If you drop it on a corner you could be in trouble.  It's great for home speakers, though.  It's real easy to cut.  Also, I've never gotten MDF wet, but I'm guessing it can swell up like particle board if you spill liquid on the edges.

I'm building a pair of 2x12's thanks to a clearance sell at Carvin.  I decided to make mine 15" deep, though internally it's more like 12.5".  The first one I finished sounds great with my EL34 Bassman head. 

FWIW, I built the box first, then added 2x2's all the way around on the inside.  The speaker panel and back panel mount directly onto the 2x2's, so you'll need a set for the front and the back (if you're doing closed boxes).  It's probably over-engineered (the 2x2's are overkill) but I wanted them to last a good long time.  I'm wrapping up the last one as I type, so if there's any benefit to posting pics, feel free to ask.

[petemoore]

  I'd say go for something harder, that you can't dig a piece out of easily with your thumbnail, and has 0 voids.
  Weve glued and pinnailed these together, but I use the reinforcement strips to connect the soundboard to sides top and bottom, sides and bottom pieces to eachother, then run strips around inside the back and fit the back in and screw the back inside the sides and T/B boards.
  You will be best off using 1/2'', but 3/8's for the sides [maybe top and bottom] is probably enough. I get great soundboards from old console record player 'lift lids', you might want 5/8'' or even 3/4'' plywood for the soundboard.
  How well you do on the cuts makes all the difference, I like to start on 'this' side of the line, then adjust to final fence setting on a successive cut. The top bottom and sides can be ripped at a non exact fence set, but getting the inside and outside pieces to fit is the trick.
  I've been up down and sideways about comparing and building cabinets, oversize 2x12'' is where it's at, it gets the more than a smaller one does out of the two speakers, that's probably all you'll ever need.
  Fender 4x12'' cabinets fitted with 2x12'' speakers sound amazingly full...
  The drivers of course make alot of difference, what amp and details thereof...

[Dave_B]

  I'd say go for something harder, that you can't dig a piece out of easily with your thumbnail, and has 0 voids.

I forgot to mention that.  I'm using 3/4" plywood for the entire box, so it's still pretty heavy..  I can't recall the specifics on the plywood but it was reasonably void-free and about $30 a sheet at Home Depot.  I plan to cover them in automotive vinyl at some point.

Another thing I did to mine, I added a 3/4" trim strip around the inside-front.  Basically it makes them look a little more substantial, similar to a Marshall cab. 

[petemoore]

  How it's finished can add strength, I've been known to use glue to seal plywood end cuts, it seals and makes the end grain much harder to chip, I've been known to use wood glue as a finish anyway,  as applied by 'hand' EZ application, EZ cleanup, cheap, don't stink, strong and looks ok, clear wood glue soaked into the grain.

[petemoore]

  3/4'' makes good soundboard material, but it's rather heavy and won't tend to resonate [good?.bad?] and makes for what I call a 'brick' type cabinet...solid, heavy and very similar to...a less rigid cabinet...in terms of 'types'...not that much different sounding than a Marshall Cab. I have a vintage style Marshall cab, Bill has a 'brick' type [all 3/4'' plywood], both with greenbacks...there's a difference in these cabs sound, but not tht much.
  Too much resonance [thin wood] can be a problem OTOH...
  I like somewhat resonant cabinets for the record. We had 'Jensen' [old stereo cabs] that were made from 3/8'' 13 ply wood, these type cabs are quite resonant [nice] rare.
  IOW, non resonant cabs are much easier to figure out.
  Here's my take on that
  3/4'' or very solid, flat soundboard, a 'tight' 5/8'' is probably adequate though.
  Depending on the L/W dimensions of the back plate....thickness can vary, I've don'e backplates using 1/2'' but added 'damping/reinforcement boards too...a strut from the soundboard to the backplate [connecting them physically] centered through the middle of the cab substantially reduces/eliminates backboard overresonation.
  Because the sides 'span' less distance, and because theyr'e 'parallel' to the speaker vibration, their thickness requirement is 'less' than the soundboard or the back board. Top and bottom fall somewhere inbetween in the 'span/strength' thickness requirement.
  "Tight' 1/2'' plywood...I've done these too, more resonant.
  You can use thinner wood and damp the inside with ... foam, insulation etc.
  I've seen cabs with chicken wire behind the speaker frame to keep the insulation out of the speaker, then the rest of the cabinet 'stuffed'...
  Finally...very limited to somewhat resonant cabs are the most 'predictable' to build...highly resonant cabs take much more planning so that they resonate AMAP without resonating 'too much' on certain frequencies...AVLStory made short.

[nelson]

I have built a 1X15 bass cab. Had to be closed back, used ports....I tuned the cab dimensions with a program that gave you measurements. Cant remember the name of the program. I used a really old (70's?) celestion 15" speaker.
I covered it in carpet and used grill cloth for the front.


Needless to say it can move some air.

[KarbonHed]

There's a 2x12 plan on here -

http://www.award-session.com/award-session_projects.html

[petemoore]

  Contrary to 'marketer opinions' and shipping costs for mass shipping same size cabinets...
  'average' sized 2x12'' cabinets are 'small', IMO and would do 'better' being larger ['better means moves air more 'smoothly' and gets better bass definition AA Result, and has no high end or other loss].
  Small:
  Takes less wood
  Weighs less
  More cabs of same size can fit X size container
  power rating stays the same [for given components]
  appears to consumer comparing power rating to size to be 'smaller' for same power output [a misnomer to actual Sound output] but really it's power input...which is what the components power rating is.
   Larger: [up to a point]
  Gets 'more' from given set of components
  still fits in car
  is slightly heavier. and may require another plywood sheet?
  how deep you rip the sides, top and bottom can add or remove size from the cabinet without using an exact measurement.
   

[Mark Hammer]

Baffles can vary in thickness, and speakers can vary in their physical/mass properties.  The baffle on my old Bassman is ridicuously thin, compared to many, probably 1/2".  On the other hand, the speakers are P10R's, which have a stamped metal frame and smallish magnets, so they are light.  I can't imagine that a 4x12 or even 1x15, using cast frames with 1lb or larger magnets would have any benefit whatsoever from a lighter and more resonant baffle.  Indeed, it is easy to imagine that MDF might be more appropriate for some speakers than others.  For instance, were one making a bass cab with, say a pair of 15's, you'd want something that was acoustically inert and able to withstand the stress of speakers that likely weigh 12-15lbs each pumping out db's at very low frequencies.

I've raised it here before and we never really explored it much, but I'm intrigued by the idea of subwoofers in guitar amps as a way of getting some of the chest-thumping power in a smaller physical package.  For instance, imagine a 40W solid-state amp pushing a 6" or 8" downward-facing subwoofer and a dual EL84 or dual 6V6 class A amp pushing a single 10" speaker.  That could be a fairly powerful setup that could easily deliver most of the oomph of a 100W 2x12 at maybe half the size/weight.

[zeta55]

I have built a 1X15 bass cab. Had to be closed back, used ports....I tuned the cab dimensions with a program that gave you measurements. Cant remember the name of the program. I used a really old (70's?) celestion 15" speaker.
I covered it in carpet and used grill cloth for the front.


Needless to say it can move some air.

For programs, here's one to try.http://www.linearteam.dk/default.aspx?pageid=winisd

[Wimpy]

http://professional.celestion.com/guitar/features/drdecibel/index.asp
www.eminence.com

[Dave_B]

  3/4'' ... in terms of 'types'... [is] not that much different sounding than a Marshall Cab.

Excellent.  That's actually what I was going for.   

You can use thinner wood and damp the inside with ... foam, insulation etc.
  I've seen cabs with chicken wire behind the speaker frame to keep the insulation out of the speaker, then the rest of the cabinet 'stuffed'...

That's interesting.  I've read it both ways.  I've read that you can lose top-end if you insulate a guitar cab.  Have you noticed that?  I've not done an A/B comparison since I liked the sound of mine without it and I was already over-budget on the project. 

[geertjacobs]

Here are some Marshall cab dimensions.

I mixed the width of the 1922 with almost the depth of the 1936 and it turned out great.

[petemoore]

  You can do basically anything to a cab treatment.
  I stick with enclosures, I can 'see' if a peice is to thin and likely to cause a 'thinness' problem, generally recommending thicker as sure fire, thinner as 'desirable maybe'. I like cabs with resonance.
  Stuffing...I might 'line' the inside or part of the surface of the inside, overdamped isn't what I'd recommend.
  If you start with a 'normal' size, you'll never get the bass that an oversized one gets...you asked, [^so now I'm saying for the fifth and last time in this thread
  I like the soundboard recessed....[probably a nominal difference in sound], and should have reinforcement blocks for the T/B and side corners in front of it, because they become high stress / weak points.
  Corner protectors.
  Handle [for 2x12]
  Handles [for 4x12]
  All nice to have on there...I cut/bent corners from thin angle iron, not recommended...lol...looks ok and is stronger than necessary, heavy, alot of work.
  Finish...sanded and at least something to seal the grain, I like natural urethane or stain/ethane, black is fine...never liked carpeted stuff, cause it picks up odors...hairs, IMO looks cheesy when new [ouch...sorry] but like the 'easy to do ness', ruggedness and that it hides gouges pretty well. Never messed with but like tolex, seems like it might be a chore to do well....one 'off' cut and would need a new workpiece...
  Rounded corners with router...this reduces side chipping and bruising/gouging of flesh...worth doing for sure.