Custom Cab Speaker? HELP

Neiljames92 · #1 08-19-2010, 11:18 AM

Im looking to make myself a Bass cab to go with a new Head im looking at.

Really liking the Orange Terror Bass!
and im looking to making myself a Custom cab, however i have no idea where to start looking for good quality bass speakers to go into the cab! i live in UK but if they post the location isnt much of a problem. any help where to find good speakers to go into a custom cab would be great thanks (:

JMac4strngr · #2 08-19-2010, 11:33 AM

First I would start with a good cab design, in which you can find on the net, then you would need to match it with suitable speaker that would work well with the type of cab you are building. There are some great designs out there that have already had all of the mathwork done. The main drawback to building your own is that you dont really save a lot of dough, as compared to the commercially available cabs. The only time I think the DIY route is good is if you are going to build something that isn't commercially available. Even then, You still need to do your homework to come up with, or find a good design that will sound right for your application. You wouldn't want to spend the money for some good speakers and put them in a box that isn't properly sized or vented, which would not sound so great.

Neiljames92 · #3 08-19-2010, 11:43 AM

well i have 2 Biiggish PA system speakers that were fixed up to a mixer that my local pub were throwing out. wich alreayd housed 15" speakers! tho 1 of them is duff, so i was hoping to try out using one of them as the housing for the speaker. any thoughts on that idea? thanks for the reply btw (:

kesslari · #4 08-19-2010, 11:48 AM

"Find a cabinet, stuff a speaker in it" usually works out to a poor-sounding cabinet.
"Find a cabinet, figure out its internal dimensions and porting, and find a speaker that will work well in it" is better but fairly complex.

Building a cabinet from scratch is not at all difficult (I'm a woodworking newbie and have built 2 great sounding cabinets from plans off the Bill Fitzmaurice website). It's also not costly in dollars - plywood, even good plywood, is cheap.

The advantage (to me) of building your own cabinet is that you can get a much better (better built, better sounding) cab than you can buy for a similar price. I think that's a Good Thing.

If the question is "how can I get a great cab with somewhat limited resources" then "build it yourself" is a great answer.
If the question is "what's the cheapest way I can get a decent cab" then "build it yourself is not a great answer, and "take a random cab and put a speaker in it" is an even worse answer. The best answer to that particular question (IMO) is to shop carefully on the used market for a good sounding bass cab.

JoeVictim · #5 08-19-2010, 11:54 AM

I wouldn't use a pa cab for a bass speaker. PA cabs usually do not have enough internal volume to help the bass speaker be efficient.

Are you looking for a sealed cab or ported? Thinking about a 1-15", probably ported?

JMac4strngr · #6 08-19-2010, 11:57 AM

I have been brainstorming building a custom cab for quite some time, however thanks to the other guys here I didn't pull the trigger on some awesome speakers, and put them into the wrong box. I have been researching the subject off and on and learning what I can but there are some really sharp guys on here when it comes to cabs and speakers. Hopefully one of them will jump in here soon. I would think that being a PA cab it may work, however a guitar cab will not work as it is not designed for the proper tonal range that a bass needs to sound good. The PA cab could also have a huge high range horn that may not sound so great with a bass guitar...... I could be wrong so don't hold me to that.

Crockettnj · #7 08-19-2010, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesslari

...
"Find a cabinet, figure out its internal dimensions and porting, and find a speaker that will work well in it" is better...

You can easily determine if this will be a worthwhile route. In many cases you'll have a box that will have a relatively standard tuning of 45-60 hz and 2.5 or so cubic feet of space with inadequate bracing.

Remove some stuff, brace it, and find a driver online that is suitable ("fits") its dimensions. Despite what you hear about things having to be perfectly perfect, some of the new drivers are incredibly forgiving of dimensions.

The little bit you will learn and the VERY little $ you will expend- not to mention the likelihood of entirely adequate outcome- will pay off in future DIY ventures.

mcrracer · #8 08-19-2010, 12:10 PM

Do a search for BFM (Bill Fitzmaurice speakers) and fEarful speakers Both have good proven designs that work. Plans for both are available.

Jc575 · #9 03-31-2011, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcrracer

Do a search for BFM (Bill Fitzmaurice speakers) and fEarful speakers Both have good proven designs that work. Plans for both are available.

+1 for the fearful!!!!! It's truly an amazing cabinet!