A couple weeks ago I joined Talkbass and started a thread on upgrading an Ampeg BA-108 with an Eminence in hopes of getting advice from those who had (like Woodstockz).
I would like to thank Woodstockz and AstroSonic for their responses. In the end I chose Eminence over Faital because I wanted my amp to remain more "Ampeggy".
While I intend to follow up on my thread, Woodstockz appears to own the preeminent thread on ugpgrading the BA-108 with an Eminence S2010. Therefore, this seems to be the appropriate place to post my construction tips. Please note that many of these issues were addressed by Woodstockz in the previous pages of this thread. Also, I lean more towards "meticulous" than "get-er-done". It's up to you.
Take your time... measure twice, cut once, cut carefully. I mounted my speaker slightly higher, about 7/16" from the top, to stay clear of the port. But this caused problems with the grill, which you have to modify to clear the bigger speaker. I ended up adding some staples and used silicone seal on the grill cloth to prevent unravelling when I cut part of the grill frame away. Position the speaker at least 5/8" from the top to save extra work.
Mark and cut the speaker hole carefully so it fits tight and allows sufficient wood for the 8 T-nuts. I marked the circle on the speaker cabinet and used a piece of rigid foam insulation under the sabre saw to raise the saw enough to clear the edges of the cabinet. Whatever works for you.
Use the speaker to mark the 8 mounting holes. Allow room for the screw head to pass the speaker flange edge. I used the four existing screws and bought four more. They are likely metric. I drilled a 3/16" hole, which was slightly smaller than the t-nut, and used a C-clamp to pull each t-nut up into the hole. No problems with them falling out or needing glue.
For the port, Woodstockz cut a 4" hole and routed it with a quarter-round bit to fit the port flange to allow more wood for the screws. This means the port must assembled inside the cabinet since the inside bell of the port (about 5 1/4") is larger than the hole. Because, as a newbie, I want to experiment with port length, I chose a different approach. Using an aviation snips, utility knife, and file, I cut, trimmed, and smoothed the interior bell of the port approx 1/8" all around back to a casting mark. I cut a 5" hole in the cabinet and then used a utility knife to chamfer the edge about 3/16" so the outside bell would fit flush. This way, I can easily remove the port in one piece, add or subract from the length, re-assemble it with duct-tape, and test.
A great project. I only wish I still had a stock BA-108 for comparison...
I have pictures, but don't see the option to attach items as explained in the FAQs. Best wishes.
P.S. Woodstockz...A Z-3 coupe has lots of room for a big amp but the bass still has to sit in the passengers seat... from a Cold War facilities engineer.
I would like to thank Woodstockz and AstroSonic for their responses. In the end I chose Eminence over Faital because I wanted my amp to remain more "Ampeggy".
While I intend to follow up on my thread, Woodstockz appears to own the preeminent thread on ugpgrading the BA-108 with an Eminence S2010. Therefore, this seems to be the appropriate place to post my construction tips. Please note that many of these issues were addressed by Woodstockz in the previous pages of this thread. Also, I lean more towards "meticulous" than "get-er-done". It's up to you.
Take your time... measure twice, cut once, cut carefully. I mounted my speaker slightly higher, about 7/16" from the top, to stay clear of the port. But this caused problems with the grill, which you have to modify to clear the bigger speaker. I ended up adding some staples and used silicone seal on the grill cloth to prevent unravelling when I cut part of the grill frame away. Position the speaker at least 5/8" from the top to save extra work.
Mark and cut the speaker hole carefully so it fits tight and allows sufficient wood for the 8 T-nuts. I marked the circle on the speaker cabinet and used a piece of rigid foam insulation under the sabre saw to raise the saw enough to clear the edges of the cabinet. Whatever works for you.
Use the speaker to mark the 8 mounting holes. Allow room for the screw head to pass the speaker flange edge. I used the four existing screws and bought four more. They are likely metric. I drilled a 3/16" hole, which was slightly smaller than the t-nut, and used a C-clamp to pull each t-nut up into the hole. No problems with them falling out or needing glue.
For the port, Woodstockz cut a 4" hole and routed it with a quarter-round bit to fit the port flange to allow more wood for the screws. This means the port must assembled inside the cabinet since the inside bell of the port (about 5 1/4") is larger than the hole. Because, as a newbie, I want to experiment with port length, I chose a different approach. Using an aviation snips, utility knife, and file, I cut, trimmed, and smoothed the interior bell of the port approx 1/8" all around back to a casting mark. I cut a 5" hole in the cabinet and then used a utility knife to chamfer the edge about 3/16" so the outside bell would fit flush. This way, I can easily remove the port in one piece, add or subract from the length, re-assemble it with duct-tape, and test.
A great project. I only wish I still had a stock BA-108 for comparison...
I have pictures, but don't see the option to attach items as explained in the FAQs. Best wishes.
P.S. Woodstockz...A Z-3 coupe has lots of room for a big amp but the bass still has to sit in the passengers seat... from a Cold War facilities engineer.
Having said that, I'm not going to update either my BA108 or 110, and instead I'm opting for the BA112.
