Speaker Cab

Since I've been a tad slack of late, and am waiting on some more stable weather to do more to the telecaster (TL-1) kit, I came across a great bargain and bought myself a dual terror amp head.. Its in as new condition and was just within my budget,er em well was just a tad more than I wanted to spend, but a hell of a lot cheaper than going to buy a brand newbie off the shelf. I went down the route of a full tube head on advice from my good friend Chris (57strummers I think is his forum name here)

Not sure if you guys will be interested in this but here goes:

with the above purchase, I now needed a speaker cab to try out the divorce maker material (the amp). I did a fair bit of research on what I thought I liked and had been advised on re speakers etc. Decision was made to go with an open backed cab as I just could not get my aging head around the tuned closed cab formula for tuning size holes/internal space / to what area you want to be highlighted in the response curves etc..(my brain started to hurt bad by then..lol)
I liked the idea of the early models of fender with the pine as it had a nice mellow effect on the tones.. I like the Marshal cabs as they look solid. Messa Bogie have a nice one also, and I have an orange amp head. All these cab are around the same external sizes for a single speaker cab, so in a nutshell, it's a "bitsa" of roughly the same proportions.

Parts list:
Bunnings:
2 x 295 x 18 dressed pine $17 each
4 x 30 x30 dressed pine $2.45 each
1 x 1200 x 12 ply $ 15
assortment of screws and some feet (going to get some rubber ones soon)

Jay-Car:
2 internal handles $4.50
1 locking jack $18.95
4 metal corner protectors $4.95
1 mt of 100 amp speaker cable multi core $3.00
2 snazzy looking guitar end jacks $3.00

AutoBarn:
1 mt of speaker cab carpet ~$17
1 can of carpet glue $20

Starlet Music:
1 Celestion G12 Vintage 30 (60 watt) speaker $120

approx cost of project: $250.40 plus some incidentals like solder and sandpaper etc if you don't have them already. So the making of a single cab is slightly cheaper than buying a commercially made one in tolex .... no room for any artistic flair with that method..or learning curves.
The other benefit is you can buy the stuff needed as funds allow..

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...6-DSCF1370.JPG

I did not take many pictures during the early stages of the wood butchery.. just cutting up and gluing etc
this is where I have completed the initial box stage and getting ready to go onto covering stages:
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...1-DSCF1356.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...p-DSCF1357.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...s-DSCF1359.JPG

looks really well built AJ, good effort, looks like a cabinet from a shop. Would it be possible for you to do a build diary to see whats involved ? Also would love to hear a sound demo video and post it on the video thread ! Thats if you got out of the naughty corner ! LOL !

With the back , I made it so the baffle can be removed for replacing the grill cloth when it is needing it, hence the small removable pieces in the support strip around the back. I purchased some material from spotlight that is remarkably like grill cloth but was only $10.. for a 1mt x 1200. Easy to change for me if it did not pan out how I liked. I glued the grill cloth to the back of the baffle board as I didn't want to use staples etc, and it is still held firmly in place with out vibrating on the baffle board.
I cut out the hole for the speaker and inset permanent mounting bolts, sprayed the areas where the major joints for the outside covering and also sprayed the inside of the cab to protect the wood
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...t-DSCF1362.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...m-DSCF1364.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...6-DSCF1365.JPG

wow cheers AJ, did you have to do much research on building speaker cabinets ? looks well built. Amazing what you can achieve when your not in the naughty corner !

Finalized the shaping of the corners so the edge protectors would sit flush, drilled holes etc then proceeded to cover the box with the the carpet.. I held my tongue at various angles to get the laying out and attachment correct as I could. There is a first time at trying something for every one, and this I thought may be my nemesis.
Not so, it went on fairly easily and without my pinkies getting stuck to what they shouldn't be stuck to..lol
After covering, I mounted the monster speaker, wired up the connections and give it a quick noise test at vol 1 .. yep it makes cool tones and will get the neighbors off side fairly quickly if turned up!
The son took a vid of me having a test .. is too embarrassing to put up here..maybe when I am thawed out and have learnt to hold a tune , maybe just then I might..

Now all I need to do is think of a goodish catch name for it and make up a nameplate and stick it on it to finish it off completely.. some how I don't think sticking a Marshal/ messa bogie / orange label on it would cut the ice .. so any help with a cool name for the cab would be of help for me :)
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...h-DSCF1367.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...4-DSCF1368.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...m-DSCF1369.JPG

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from wokkaboy on November 4, 2013, 13:41
wow cheers AJ, did you have to do much research on building speaker cabinets ? looks well built. Amazing what you can achieve when your not in the naughty corner !

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If you look at the open cabs, the need for a tuned area at the back of the speaker is not vital, and for 12 inch open cabs, the outside dimension from most makers are nearly all the same.. (did the research using the wifi in the naughty corner ... 8-)

glad you made good use of time and the wifi in the naughty corner AJ. Have you looked into building a combo amp ? The electronics must be pretty difficult but achieveable if a amp kit was available.

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from wokkaboy on November 4, 2013, 13:59
glad you made good use of time and the wifi in the naughty corner AJ. Have you looked into building a combo amp ? The electronics must be pretty difficult but achieveable if a amp kit was available.

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I was originally going to do 1 watt valve kit, many of them are available on the net and ebay, then that would make a nice combo valve amp, and an enjoyable time to put it all together. In the end, the dual terror head won out as it has more scope than the cheaper kits.
To do a combo version of what is above, is only a matter of extending the height dimension to allow for adequate room to house the electronics. If I were to sell this as a unit I would definitely go down that route next time. :) with a valve DIY kit for the electronics.

That looks cool. I'd love to do an amp someday, but I'm too scared of electricity and killing myself.

yes sounds interesting and fun AJ, something different to a guitar kit.
Wonder if Pit Bull would be interested selling a valve combo amp kit. I'll have a think of a name for your speaker cabinet. Have to be something catchy

Very cool AJ look forward to hearing a sound bite

That's excellent AJ, a very professional looking cab, well done.

rob

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from wokkaboy on November 4, 2013, 14:18
yes sounds interesting and fun AJ, something different to a guitar kit.
Wonder if Pit Bull would be interested selling a valve combo amp kit. I'll have a think of a name for your speaker cabinet. Have to be something catchy

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How about 'Norty Buoy Amps!'

Nice looking cabinet work AJ.

In terms of names...maybe you could go with something like "rAJe" (okay, sounds sort of like an old range of peavey amps with their Rage models).

Nice. That cab looks top notch A.J.

Excellent job on the covering. I made a 2 x 12 cab a few years ago, but never got around to covering it. (Look's kinda rough, but cool with just the raw pine look). I wasn't sure how my upholstery job would turn out. But after seeing and hearing about your efforts, I think I'll go back and give it the full treatment like you have done.

And yeah, we would all love to hear it. Even if it's just strumming a few chords.

How about Cab-AJ - cabbage! Certainly be a conversation starter!

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Brendan on November 4, 2013, 21:53
How about Cab-AJ - cabbage! Certainly be a conversation starter!

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That would make his rig an Orange Cabbage combo. Tasty.

Great looking cab AJ. I'm no woodworker at all so would never attempt something like that. However, I have been designing and building guitar amplifiers for decades (valve and solid state). The one I use consistently at home is a little 2 Watt valve job that I built into a Vox Pathfinder 10 combo. I ripped out the guts and used the chassis. In fact, it is the amp I used on my RC-1 demo.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...k3a6-image.jpg
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Dan, take a browse through YouTube for covering speaker cabs, there are some excellent how too's there especially good info on making seamless joints and corners.

Some cool names there guys.. not sure about the Orange cabbage but... lol

Lawry, that is so cool what you have done there. Do you do kits for the amps? Or ever thought about that? Would be nice to get a 20watt kit with the ability to reduce down to 1 - 5 watt with reverb /echo variable delays and self biasing valves. (the dual terror has the options of going to 1/2 power on the amp side with either 2/4 output valve effectively being able to go from 7 , 15(2 valve), 15(4 valve) and 30 Watts.)

Next dumb question.. how do I get the noise from the speaker into the computer?...

Hi Dan. Never thought of going into kits because there are heaps out there anyway. As for getting the 'noise' into the computer you can just plug a mic into the sound card or use a guitar USB interface. Just google them, they vary from cheap to ridiculous.

AJ, very nice work. I'd never thought of making my own amp or cab (or combo) - in the same way as I'd never thought of making my own guitar, and now, of course, the mind gears are turning and I'm trying to work out how I can get this past the Minister for War and Finance. My Squire Champ 10 has a speaker output jack labelled "8 ohm 15 watt" - I can probably get away with just making a speaker cab. Being slightly ignorant about such things, though, I don't really understand what limitations that would place on the cab it's plugged into. Any clues chaps?

Hi Glenn. If you're going to connect a cab into that output you just need to make sure the speaker impedance is 8 Ohms and it has a power rating not less than 15 Watts. You can plug in speakers of higher wattage but the impedance is important for valve amps in order to not damage the output transformer. I reckon you should lobby the minister and ask for a research grant to proceed ;-)

Ty Lawry, I do have a mike somewhere in the vault( the missus storage room and also have a USB cable for the guitar.. but that wont get the sound from the amp) Will do a recce into that room tomorrow...:)
And yes, Glenn go for the research grant!

Looks fantastic AJ - as for the name - it's a cab by AJ : CABBAJ Amp(say is like cabbage)

Hey AJ, I was planning on building my own amp, is the speaker cable the only thing connected to the speaker itself?

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/<\\/p>[/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/]<\\/p>/Quote from keloooe on November 8, 2013, 07:22
Hey AJ, I was planning on building my own amp, is the speaker cable the only thing connected to the speaker itself?

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yes , only the speaker connections. (+ and - connections to the amp head via cabling/ locking jack/plug), basically an extension cab..in a furry box..lol

*** Lawry is the Amp expert here. I'm a jack of all trades, master of none these days..

Ok cool, now to start designing my own handmade cab!

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from keloooe on November 8, 2013, 09:19
Ok cool, now to start designing my own handmade cab!

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Don't blow yourself up Pest!

haha good comments Gav. Yes Pest electricity needs the respect of dangerous power tools like routers and bandsaws. Might be worth doing a short course Pest about the electrical side of the amp, its not worth guessing what wire goes where ! Without the Pest who is going to welcome new forum members ?

Well the head of my custom amp is only a small practice amp, it runs off only 9-12 volts, I'm planning on chatting with an amp tech nearby to get a good understanding on the wiring!

I did see online last night , a bloke whom does a course for building your own valve amp.. in a weekend and you go away with a small valve amp after the weekend course. think it was the laminigton amp..Was a bit expensive, but he goes into the the basics of theory also.

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from AJ on November 8, 2013, 13:03
I did see online last night , a bloke whom does a course for building your own valve amp.. in a weekend and you go away with a small valve amp after the weekend course. think it was the laminigton amp..Was a bit expensive, but he goes into the the basics of theory also.

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The guy you're talking about is Grant Willis and he is a bit of a valve guru in OZ. Quite a few years ago I helped a mate build a lamington amp (we called it the 'Tramp' (short for tray amp cos we built it on a baking tray) and it sounded great. We bought nearly all the parts at Jaycar and ratted a few old computer power supplies for the high voltage capacitors. Only a few other bits needed special sourcing but I had most in my stash. It's a great way to build a basic (and LOUD) 15 watt valve amp but BEWARE... the voltages in it can KILL. That being said, have fun ;-)
Go here for the details http://www.valveheaven.com/The%20Lamington.html

Wait, Can't we just use a simple Mono jack (guitar use jack)?

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from keloooe on November 12, 2013, 04:54
Wait, Can't we just use a simple Mono jack (guitar use jack)?

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Not sure what you are asking here? Do you mean for the cabinet connection or have I missed something?

Like where the head connects to the cab, we can just use a simple switchcraft mono jack instead of a fancy locking jack

Gotcha. Yeah, you're spot on there Keloooe. 95% of cabs use a 6.5mm jack.
And I tend to make my connecting cables with common old garden variety 10 amp mains flex. It's tough, cheap and can handle high current (power-wise: around 2400 watts) but keep it as short as possible to avoid wasting power in the cable.

I'm taking part in a woodwork subject at school this semester, and were are building custom coffee tables, I'm planning to throw one or two speakers in mine for a nice addition, AJ, is it ok if I post my build diary of the table here?

hey Pest is back on the forum ! Good news Pest sounds like a cool idea. Sure Pest leave your build diary here as its non PBG gear.
I've overtaken you as having the 2nd highest forum posts Pest, so lift your game bro !

I would post more if I wasn't doing VCE Biology this year!

And I see ya have a web page, nice! None of the header links work on Google Chrome though...