ok so im broke but i was wondering......

s_mcsleazy · #1 08-12-2010, 04:05 PM

how hard is it to build your own cab.

this is coming from someone who has never held a soldering iron without setting somthing alight (so my friend will be doing the soldering while i make the cab) is it worth it or is it going to be a big headach

for example. id like a 6x10 how would i go about wiring them so the cab runs at 8ohms

im just curious.

rpsands · #2 08-12-2010, 04:14 PM

6x10's require custom drivers to get an 8 ohm load without risking blowing two of them. 5.3ohms is the only real option with off the shelf drivers, or 2.7ohms maybe if you could find the right drivers.

I'd recommend you build a vertical 4x10 instead and use four Basslite S2010s wired in series/parallel for 8 ohms. Easy build.

I'd aim for a gross volume of 2 cubic feet per driver and tune to 45hz. With 1.6 cubic feet net per driver, ballpark, you'll want two 5" round ports 4.5" deep.

orrrrr...go get an established design

That'd be a lot better. At 6x10 sensitivity and max output I'd look for a 2x12 with 3012HOs using the Eminence design:
http://eminence.com/pdf/cab-kappalite-3012ho.pdf

s_mcsleazy · #3 08-12-2010, 04:17 PM

this is gonna sound odd but if i do decide i want to do this and find time. could you kinda give me step by step instructions.

p.s would a 8x10 be easyer

rpsands · #4 08-12-2010, 04:19 PM

Stay away from any cabinet with side by side drivers. Just wastes potential. Sure some sound good but it's just dumb. Any cabinet with that kinda design would sound better with the drivers vertically arrayed

rpsands · #5 08-12-2010, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

this is gonna sound odd but if i do decide i want to do this and find time. could you kinda give me step by step instructions.

Not really no, I work for a living

BurningSkies · #6 08-12-2010, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

this is gonna sound odd but if i do decide i want to do this and find time. could you kinda give me step by step instructions.

p.s would a 8x10 be easyer

There are a number of DIY speaker projects posted on TB. Rather than being brand new to building and trying to design your own cab, why don't you follow one of those projects...all the details are already down and ready to read.

RickenBoogie · #7 08-12-2010, 05:29 PM

In the long run, it would probably be cheaper to buy a good used cab. There's alot more to building a bass cab than buying speakers and building a box for them. Look for a used cab on CraigsList, or right here on TB.

T-Bird · #8 08-13-2010, 12:39 PM

Hi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

In the long run, it would probably be cheaper to buy a good used cab.

In the short run as well, IMHO.

A generic design (bass) cab DIY just isn't feasible, at all. Financially that is. However, if the goal is the project itself, any kind of DIY is highly rewarding.

Most DIYers want to combine the satisfaction with savings though, and unfortunately the far east manufacturers have made that impossible with MI cabs.

Go BFM or fEarful way if You want to save money with DIY.

Regards
Sam

gregoire1 · #9 08-13-2010, 01:22 PM

DIY is definatley the way to go if your broke! But I do recomend using proven designs like BFM, fEarful, or something off the Eminence website. Let someone else do the boring design work so you can get to the contruction without all trial and error.

If you can afford 6 new 10inch drivers, your not entirely broke and probably pick up a good used cab for less.

Rick Auricchio · #10 08-13-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregoire1

Let someone else do the boring design work...

It may seem boring, but that design work is essential if one wants a cab that sounds and performs well.

It's fairly easy to build a cabinet, but designing one takes knowledge. That learning takes time.

GregDunn · #11 08-13-2010, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

It may seem boring, but that design work is essential if one wants a cab that sounds and performs well.

It's fairly easy to build a cabinet, but designing one takes knowledge. That learning takes time.

+1000 I did my thesis on speaker/cabinet design, and the number of options is bewildering. Even if you stick to a specific driver and volume, the Thiele-Small parameters give you a lot of choices - most of them inappropriate.

If you haven't designed a cabinet before, that first time is daunting even for an EE.

BassmanPaul · #12 08-13-2010, 02:50 PM

It's a general rule of thumb that pretty much any DIY project, if done right, will cost more than you could buy a similar item. The DIY will be better but certainly no cheaper.

Paul

rpsands · #13 08-13-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

It's a general rule of thumb that pretty much any DIY project, if done right, will cost more than you could buy a similar item. The DIY will be better but certainly no cheaper.

Paul

If you want a vertically aligned 2x12 or 4x10, it's absolutely cheaper to do it yourself, as long as you count your labor as free

Parts cost for a 3012HO with 2x12s is around 300 dollars with Duratex covering.