Help.

[alterbridgefan]

I've been working on a 1x10 cab with a Celestion tube 10. This is my first project, and it's almost complete. I'm looking for someone who can make me a few logo plates for a reasonable price. I also want advice on my future cabs. Speakers, woods, what's best in your experience?

Edit: Sorry, to clarify, this is my first 1x10 build and I want to know about good 10 in. speakers.

 

[AutoBat]

Check out Ted Weber speakers (they sell cab & amp kits too) made in Kokomo, IN

 

[alterbridgefan]

Anyone else?

 

[tylereot]

..but I did have pretty good luck building a 1x12" cab out of solid (Home Depot) pine.  I had a Rivera Fandango from which I copied dimensions.  Covered with tolex, used plywood for a baffle.  I get lots of compliments on how it sounds, even if it looks pretty home made.
Never mind the little POS mashall on top of it.  That was a kind of joke.  Usually my Stiletto Ace sits on top of it.

 

[Cagey]

Why'd you get rid of the Fandango?

 

[alterbridgefan]

Mine are lucky. they get wicker grilles. :icon_biggrin: What speaker did you use?

 

[tylereot]

Well, I probably SHOULDNT have gotten rid of the Fandango, it had a really sweet clean sound.  I just couldn't connect with the other channel.  It was supposed to be 'Marshally', and all I got was sandy fuzz, not crunch.

Speaker: G12-T-85, made for Rivera.  Picked up on Ebay.  It was one of my experiments that just worked out.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[alterbridgefan]

I'm thinking of making an open/closed back 2x12 cab at some point with two separate chambers, one jack, and a 3 way mini tog. to switch between open, closed, and both. Thoughts?

 

[Cagey]

One of my brothers has a Fandango that he eventually learned to love, but that was a complaint he had, too. The channel that was supposed to sound "Marshally" really didn't. I'm not sure why anybody would expect it to - how is a 112 open-back combo ever going to sound like a JCM800/JCM900/Whatever plugged into an enclosed 412 bottom? It just ain't gonna happen, I don't care what tubes you put in it or how you adjust it.

He recently added a Venus 6, which is essentially the same amp but with a class A output stage vs. class AB, and he's having a hard time getting next to that (surprise!)

The guys on The Gear Page can be a little snotty sometimes, but one of the things many point out is "If you wanna sound like a Marshall, buy a Marshall!" No real mystery there. But, the search for the Holy Grail goes on. I keep telling him he needs an Axe FX, but he's a "knobs and switches" kind of guy, so that ain't gonna happen, either.

 

[Cagey]

I'm thinking of making an open/closed back 2x12 cab at some point with two separate chambers, one jack, and a 3 way mini tog. to switch between open, closed, and both. Thoughts?

I'm wondering if you know what the difference is between an open and closed back cabinet. It's not something you can get with a switch. It has to do with physical construction.

An open-back cabinet means the back is open. That is, it's not sealed. The speaker is exposed out the rear as much as the front. A closed-back cabinet is... enclosed. It's sealed up. The speaker isn't exposed at all.

Most combo amps are open-back cabinets. Most bottoms are closed-back. Of course, that's not 100% true, but it's true often enough that you can expect it.

Open-back cabinets have a more "open" sound, as you might expect. The speaker is pushing air out the back as much as the front, so you've got sound bouncing off the walls/ceiling/floor in ways you wouldn't get with a closed-back unit.

Closed-back cabinets usually have a little better bass response, although it's not flat or true at all. It's just "chunkier". They're also more directional.

 

[bagman67]

I think Altar's referring to a 2x12 where it's really two cabs in one, sorta - one speaker is mounted in half the cab, and it's sealed on all sides with a slab of plywood between the chambers, and the other speaker is in an open backed chamber.  Best of both worlds?  Well, that'd seem to be the theory, anyway.


Correct me if I'm wrong, Altar.

 

[alterbridgefan]

I think Altar's referring to a 2x12 where it's really two cabs in one, sorta - one speaker is mounted in half the cab, and it's sealed on all sides with a slab of plywood between the chambers, and the other speaker is in an open backed chamber.  Best of both worlds?  Well, that'd seem to be the theory, anyway.


Correct me if I'm wrong, Altar.

This is correct. two different speakers, something crunchy and dark in the closed, and something bright in the open. You can switch either off or leave them both on.

 

[JazzX]

Hey Ted Weber is my cousin!

(although all he's ever given me is a tee shirt) :toothy10:

 

[tylereot]

One of my brothers has a Fandango that he eventually learned to love, but that was a complaint he had, too. The channel that was supposed to sound "Marshally" really didn't. I'm not sure why anybody would expect it to - how is a 112 open-back combo ever going to sound like a JCM800/JCM900/Whatever plugged into an enclosed 412 bottom? It just ain't gonna happen, I don't care what tubes you put in it or how you adjust it.

He recently added a Venus 6, which is essentially the same amp but with a class A output stage vs. class AB, and he's having a hard time getting next to that (surprise!)

The guys on The Gear Page can be a little snotty sometimes, but one of the things many point out is "If you wanna sound like a Marshall, buy a Marshall!" No real mystery there. But, the search for the Holy Grail goes on. I keep telling him he needs an Axe FX, but he's a "knobs and switches" kind of guy, so that ain't gonna happen, either.

Yeah, but I'm NOT going to have as many amps and guitars as I have sounds.  I get Marshall/Orange out of that Mesa Stiletto Ace with the flip of a switch (I owned a '73 Orange half stack for more years than I'd admit, got myself zapped, arc'ed tubes, blown transformers.... all for that tone... the Mesa does it better).
Flip the switch again, and I can get Wes jazz cleans, or Stevie Ray crunch.  All with that homemade speaker cab.  No, it's not a 4x12, but I'm not toting one of those around anymore!!

 

[tylereot]

I think Altar's referring to a 2x12 where it's really two cabs in one, sorta - one speaker is mounted in half the cab, and it's sealed on all sides with a slab of plywood between the chambers, and the other speaker is in an open backed chamber.  Best of both worlds?  Well, that'd seem to be the theory, anyway.


Correct me if I'm wrong, Altar.

This is correct. two different speakers, something crunchy and dark in the closed, and something bright in the open. You can switch either off or leave them both on.

Mesa did that for a while, I think in the '90's.  Called a 2x12 (or 412) halfback cab.

 

[Cagey]

That could be. Seems like it'd be a pain in the shorts to drag around a 212 that does 112 duty, but maybe it's intended to be a piece of basement gear.

Seems like I remember somebody building something like what you describe, but I'm drawing a blank as to who it was.

Still, I think if it was me, I'd build two 112s. One open, and one closed. Easier to move around if you're in a situation where such a setup would work out well.

I built a couple enclosed 112s a couple/few years ago, and just put different speakers in them.

They sound pretty good, but at ~50lbs ea, they're heavier than I anticipated. Still, can't hurt 'em. That counts for something.

 

[alterbridgefan]

Last night I was planning a 1x8(I just keep going smaller) and by 1 in the morning it had strap buttons. A might have been a little tired.

I didn't know about the halfbacks. I'll have to see how mesa did that, I could use the inspiration.

 

[Cagey]

Mesa did that for a while, I think in the '90's.  Called a 2x12 (or 412) halfback cab.

That's the one I'm thinking of.

 

[alterbridgefan]

Mesa did that for a while, I think in the '90's.  Called a 2x12 (or 412) halfback cab.

That's the one I'm thinking of.

The one I've planned is smaller, though, and the chambers are side by side.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I think Altar's referring to a 2x12 where it's really two cabs in one, sorta - one speaker is mounted in half the cab, and it's sealed on all sides with a slab of plywood between the chambers, and the other speaker is in an open backed chamber.  Best of both worlds?  Well, that'd seem to be the theory, anyway.


Correct me if I'm wrong, Altar.

This is correct. two different speakers, something crunchy and dark in the closed, and something bright in the open. You can switch either off or leave them both on.

I'd just make the back removable.  A/B/Y changes the load impedance and you'd have to adjust the impedance switch on the head as well.  Many mini-toggles have a low amperage rating too.