What material is used to Build light cabs??

[otherclef]

Does anyone know what type of boards/composites are used to build the light weight cabs like MarkBass... etc.

[fdeck]

I used 1/2" Baltic birch plywood, and am pleased with the results. Composites seem like too much of a labor of love.

[OzzyGreg]

.

Does anyone know what type of boards/composites are used to build the light weight cabs like MarkBass... etc.

I'm pretty sure I read on their website somewhere what sort of plywood they use.
Go have a look there.

Greg

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by fdeck

I used 1/2" Baltic birch plywood, and am pleased with the results. Composites seem like too much of a labor of love.

BB is one of the heavier plywood varieties. Italian Poplar is considerably lighter, but much harder to find. Arauco radiata pine is in between the two in weight, and fairly common. As for thickness, if you use the right construction even 1/2" isn't required. I use 1/4 and 1/8 inch in my Jack Lites. I agree that composites are beyond the pale for the average builder.

[will33]

Ran across this stuff today but don't really know anything about price/availability yet. Everybody's closed today.

PanTim_USA Wood Products | Feather-ply, strong light weight plywood

http://www.inlandplywood.com/Feather...cal%20Info.pdf

[anonymous02282011]

Extreme Weight Reduction -

[Robby Hoinsky]

The only way to achieve extreme weight reduction is by using composites. We use XPS foam core with fiberglass cloth and epoxy skins, but you can also use XPS foam with 1/8" plywood skins with good results. You can make the boards yourself simply by using contact cement to laminate the boards to the foam.

Otherwise, Italian Poplar is the lightest option while still maintaining some semblance of stiffness.

Robby

[rpsands]

Using thinner but more thoroughly braced plywood is another option. 1/4 baltic birch is quite a bit lighter than 1/2" arauco for example, even after all is said and done with the bracing.

The downside is that it can be a big challenge to go that thin for some cab designs.

[Russell L]

Markbass says they use Italian popular.