Has anyone built their own cab?

[tazthewonderdog]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so if it's in the wrong thread, you may move it.

Alright, so my brother and I were contemplating something.
We're both decent at making wood and electronic things, so... instead of buying a $400 bass cab, why not just get $200 worth of subwoofers (or even bass cab speakers), wire them up (please read that as "correctly wire, taking into account impendence, power... not getting electrocuted etc."), get $30 of plywood, and build them into a decent 4x10 cab?

I mean, I know we can make it LOOK good... but I'm not going to do this-- I repeat, I will NOT do this-- unless I know someone else has first...
So the real point of this thread is, has anyone else done this?

Chances are I'm not going to do this. If I do, it'd be a for-Ritz™-brand-crackers-and-giggles sort of project. I just want to know your opinions on this and if anyone's done it.

Thanks!

[Passinwind]

This belongs in the Amps Forum -- I'll ask a mod to move it for you. Check out the many threads on DIY cab building here.

[tazthewonderdog]

Thanks!
I did some searching and didn't find what i needed, that should help

[cableguy]

Look at the fEARful cabs. Great sounding cabs with lots of options.

[JonahTheAmazing]

I have been using a home made cab with an Eden Nemesis head recently. From the exterior, it's just a speaker housed in plywood. Haven't seen it dissected yet, but it looks pretty simple. If you're wondering if anyone has ever done this, the answer is yes.

[tazthewonderdog]

Jonah, who made it?

[Avezzano]

DIY 2X6,5"

DIY 2X8

Cool little "Yellow Cab" (DIY 6 + 10)

I am DEFINITELY not an expert and those above are my very first attempts but I am absolutely happy with how all three came out!!!!! Now, if I could do it, then you can definitely, too!!! Just start doing some reading here and there, download the WinISD program to calculate / verify the cab volume / port size matching and so on... pretty easy and lots of fun...

(Is this the "encouragement" you were looking for?)

[MuzikMan]

There are lots of poeple on this forum who have built their own cabs. I am one of those people . Your budget for wood is short if you are going to use the void free baltic birch that is commonly used. Your grocery list is a little short. You forgot to include hardware such as jack plate, corner protecters, grille, covering material. All in all, you probably won't save any money over the commercial offerings if you are going for a basic sealed or ported design. Where DIY becomes advantageous is in the more labor intensive designs, such as folded horns.

Do it because you want to do it, not to try to save a couple of bucks. (.........and don't use subwoofers for hockey's sake)

[parapentep70]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

There are lots of poeple on this forum who have built their own cabs. I am one of those people . Your budget for wood is short if you are going to use the void free baltic birch that is commonly used. Your grocery list is a little short. You forgot to include hardware such as jack plate, corner protecters, grille, covering material. All in all, you probably won't save any money over the commercial offerings if you are going for a basic sealed or ported design. Where DIY becomes advantageous is in the more labor intensive designs, such as folded horns.

Do it because you want to do it, not to try to save a couple of bucks. (.........and don't use subwoofers for hockey's sake)

Same exact experience. You can build a high end cab for less than a high end commercial cab. If you add headaches, resale value and working time (even at a really low rate), they the high end commercial cab could be a better option.

If we are speaking of a VERY high end cab (lile fEARfulls), then it is interesting because sometimes you cannot find such high end cabs in any store. It's fun. Not specially complicated. You can get an equivalent to a boutique cab (sometimes better) at lower cost. I had fun doing so with good results. But not specially cheap! And then, again resale value will be close to zero.

For budget cabs, I'd forget it. There are many sales and second hand offers at a price below just the worst drivers and lowest quality wood you can get. You cannot get cheap drivers or wood as cheap as some of those manufacturers. And some low price cabs (or combos) are really usable.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by tazthewonderdog

So the real point of this thread is, has anyone else done this?

Sure. But to do so successfully requires a skill set that few possess. When you understand most of what's here you're ready to roll your own:
The Speaker Building Bible - Techtalk Speaker Building, Audio, Video, and Electronics Customer Discussion Forum From Parts-Express.com

And when that's the case the last thing you'll consider building is a 4x10.

[chubrocker]

I would HIGHLY recommend the link Bill posted above here ^^ But don't let it overwhelm you. There are MANY threads here with examples that you can copy. Just spend some time with the search function. I've yet to build my own, but plan to start in January with a simple build and then work my way up to a BFM design. Don't go into thinking you'll save money.....as you WON'T. ;-)

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by chubrocker

Don't go into thinking you'll save money.....as you WON'T. ;-)

Compared to a $600 or less commercial cab, true. Compared to a $1k or more commercial cab you save a lot with DIY. But it won't be a cookie cutter 4x10.

[Queg]

Just to clarify the issue:
Plenty of us have BUILT our own cabs, but that doesn't mean we DESIGNED our own cabs.
Designing a cab requires a completely different knowledge base, tool-set, and skill-set than the basic woodworking and soldering skills required for building a cab.

As with cooking, if you don't have years of experience combining ingredients and spices, you'll get better results if you follow an existing, proven recipe.

Check out designs for the DIY cab builder by BFM, fEarful, or speaker manufacturer designs such as EV's TL-606.

[Gord_oh]

fEARful

[BobaFret]

I just finished a BFM Jack 210 with passive tweeter array ( switchable on and off ). The plans are affordable and pretty easy to make ( for me at least ).