ampeg cabinet construction question..

eyeballkid · #1 09-29-2010, 08:52 PM

ok.. so Ive got 'hows this thing put together' question for you all who might know..

here's the situation..
Ive got an Ampeg 610hlf, its actually up for sale at the moment cos Ive been changing to really diggin on 215's...
anyway, I got to thinking that it would be the perfect size 215, and Ive got the speakers to do it...( i know, i know.. just go buy a 215 and all that... but if it was a 215 i would wanna keep it AND the matching head which wouldnt match any other 215 cab... )

So, HERES the question.. how is the front speaker board attached internally? is the front side attached to the rest of the cabinet by just some screws that could easily be removed and replaced? or is it a much more dovetailed interlocking kinda joint?

reason is, if the front face is rather easily removed I could make a new face and put in the 15's in an afternoon and have a kickass Ampeg 215 thats smaller than a fridge... OR is this a severely bad idea from a structural integrity point of view?

figured a few of you have some knowledge on this so i dont have to start rippin out speakers just to get a look-see.

thanks all.

rbonner · #2 09-29-2010, 09:02 PM

It's glued in there really permanent like. I've got a new 215 and a used 215... Be gad to fix you up with both of them. :-)

eyeballkid · #3 09-29-2010, 09:04 PM

thats what i was worried about.
yeah, the thing is i have always avoided the Ampeg 215s cos theyre Fridge sized, and thats just TOOO big.

Jerrold Tiers · #4 09-29-2010, 09:06 PM

Inside, there are two crosswise braces that fit between the baffle board, the sides, and back. The brace the whole cabinet, and are glued/pinned to baffle etc. They would be a problem for installing different speakers.

The baffle is also dadoed into the top, bottom, and sides. You won't get it out without nearly destroying the cab.

eyeballkid · #5 09-29-2010, 09:12 PM

thanks Jerrold. You were actually the guy i would hope would see this question cos i knew you would have the most informed answer and would unfortunately be able to explain in explicit detail exactly why i had SUCH a bad idea! lol

ps.. what does 'dadoed' mean?.. thats a new word!

Jim Campbell · #6 09-29-2010, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

ok.. so Ive got 'hows this thing put together' question for you all who might know..

here's the situation..
Ive got an Ampeg 610hlf, its actually up for sale at the moment cos Ive been changing to really diggin on 215's...
anyway, I got to thinking that it would be the perfect size 215, and Ive got the speakers to do it...( i know, i know.. just go buy a 215 and all that... but if it was a 215 i would wanna keep it AND the matching head which wouldnt match any other 215 cab... )

So, HERES the question.. how is the front speaker board attached internally? is the front side attached to the rest of the cabinet by just some screws that could easily be removed and replaced? or is it a much more dovetailed interlocking kinda joint?

reason is, if the front face is rather easily removed I could make a new face and put in the 15's in an afternoon and have a kickass Ampeg 215 thats smaller than a fridge... OR is this a severely bad idea from a structural integrity point of view?

figured a few of you have some knowledge on this so i dont have to start rippin out speakers just to get a look-see.

thanks all.

even if it were not dadoed,glued,etc,internal volumes are critical,and best designed for particular drivers from the ground up using proven techniques....dadoes are grooves routed into a board that accept the edge of the other board,in this case the baffle......they are very strong joints,and aside from demolishing the cab difficult to remove...

kranahan · #7 09-29-2010, 09:22 PM

I don't think your plan would work. The cab is designed for specific frequencies and speakers with certain characteristics.

On another note... I don't understand why you think there is such a huge size/weight difference between the 610hlf and 810e (2x15). It's 30lbs and 8 inches and the 2x15 is probably lighter. The 610hlf is a big cab already. Not much of a difference.

eyeballkid · #8 09-29-2010, 10:23 PM

one will fit in my car, one wont.

kranahan · #9 09-29-2010, 11:11 PM

Valid point. Maybe try a different company for a smaller 2x15.

GlennW · #10 09-29-2010, 11:36 PM

If you're determined to make it work, you might be able to cut out the existing baffle leaving about 2" around the perimeter (stays dadoed/glued to the sides, top and bottom). Then cut your 2x15 baffle and glue/screw it to the 2" strip from the inside of the cab. It's hard to say without seeing a picture, but if you need that size cab to fit in your car it might be something to think about.

Jim Campbell · #11 09-30-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennW

If you're determined to make it work, you might be able to cut out the existing baffle leaving about 2" around the perimeter (stays dadoed/glued to the sides, top and bottom). Then cut your 2x15 baffle and glue/screw it to the 2" strip from the inside of the cab. It's hard to say without seeing a picture, but if you need that size cab to fit in your car it might be something to think about.

or talk to bob bonner....

joshwilkesbooth · #12 09-30-2010, 12:20 PM

Get two of these.

hover · #13 09-30-2010, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennW

If you're determined to make it work, you might be able to cut out the existing baffle leaving about 2" around the perimeter (stays dadoed/glued to the sides, top and bottom). Then cut your 2x15 baffle and glue/screw it to the 2" strip from the inside of the cab. It's hard to say without seeing a picture, but if you need that size cab to fit in your car it might be something to think about.

you'd also have to remove the 2 horizontal partitions that are dadoes into the sides and back. So, no. Not to mention, as was already mentionned, the whole cab needs to be tuned properly thing. By this logic, I could throw two 15 inch speakers in a box, and just because they fit, it'll sound good. This is not the case.

GlennW · #14 09-30-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hover

you'd also have to remove the 2 horizontal partitions that are dadoes into the sides and back. So, no. Not to mention, as was already mentionned, the whole cab needs to be tuned properly thing. By this logic, I could throw two 15 inch speakers in a box, and just because they fit, it'll sound good. This is not the case.

That's what I love about the internet, you could say the sky is blue and it won't take long for someone to argue about it.

I guess this would be the first bass cab that wasn't properly tuned.

I suggested that the OP's cab (which fits in his car) might be able to be remodelled to a 2x15. If someone wants to be more precise, they could do the software thing with the internal volume and calculate the ports.

Jeez.

RickenBoogie · #15 09-30-2010, 05:15 PM

+1 get two 1x15's.

rbonner · #16 09-30-2010, 06:45 PM

I considered taking a router and routing a big chunk of the divider out of the 215 so instead of a pair of 4cf cabs it would be an 8cf single and install a pair of 3015LF's to use as subs...

BOB

Jerrold Tiers · #17 09-30-2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennW

That's what I love about the internet, you could say the sky is blue and it won't take long for someone to argue about it.

I guess this would be the first bass cab that wasn't properly tuned.

For sure it would not.... and some of the others were widely sold.......

But the problem is that if not decently tuned, you will probably get various forms of "speaker fart", "cone flap", etc, etc.

Everything might be kinda good except for the one spot in the lower range where teh speakers just "let go" and flap......

Or, just possibly, you might get lucky.......

I think there are several speaker cab design programs out and about, some of which are free IIRC, that will do a whole lot better than " stick em in a box and try it".... All you need are the parameters of the speakers, and box volume.

The nice thing about science and engineering is that mostly, it really works......