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another DIY 2x15 build on the cheap

#21
kbakerde said:
That is a really nice clean looking cab. I am curious as to how it will turn out and how it will sound. Hoping good things for you.

How do you like the Legend's? I have an old 215 cab I am wanting new drivers in and I am debating on the Legends vs the Beta 15A vs the Delta 15A. My amp only drives 135w, but the stock speakers fart out do early.
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I really like the legend... only downside is they're a little dark compared to other drivers in the class but I run a 10 band EQ and it was very easy to get nice top end with a little tweaking.

dDaddybass said:
PVC pipe for the ports?
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Yep. Ends will get treated with the roundover bit on the router.
 
#22
Alright, it's all together and the glue is dry enough to do a test run in the jam room.

I'm still tinkering with EQ, but I love this thing. It's a BEAST. Tone is about what I expected, a best of both worlds from my old 115 cab. On the floor it had great lows but not enough upper end clarity and note definition (with the band). In a chair it was sparkling clear but gave up some bottom end. This thing does both in spades. Cant wait to try it out and rehearsal tonight. :D
 

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#23
The finish will be Herculiner- it's a roll on truck bed liner. I'll seal the cab first with regular old Elmer's wood glue mixed 50/50 with water and brushed on. I will also add some wood to the outer lip to add some thickness there, and build the handle for the bottom.

I cant decide if I want to leave the grill one piece or build a divider across the middle (same thickness as the outer lip will be) and have 2 grills. Open for opinions. ???
 
#28
All ive bought so far was one driver ($130), a sheet of birch ($40), polyfill ($10) and the grill was around $50 IIRC. Ive got some leftover herculiner and am making the bottom handle out of scrap steel I have laying around so it'll come in under $250 total cost once im done.
 
#29
45acp said:
All ive bought so far was one driver ($130), a sheet of birch ($40), polyfill ($10) and the grill was around $50 IIRC. Ive got some leftover herculiner and am making the bottom handle out of scrap steel I have laying around so it'll come in under $250 total cost once im done.
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Fantastic value. Any idea what it weighs?
 
#30
jlepre said:
Weight?
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Not too bad, scale is showing 88lbs.

I could have went with 1/4" and a tad more bracing instead of 1/2" and saved a few pounds, but without some neo drivers I didn't really see the point. This is a gigging cab and I wanted it pretty bullet-proof. Toss it out of the trailer, stand on it, push it off the side of the stage and have it still push air. That's what im after.

And compared to our 2-18 sub, and our amps/fx rack this thing will be a dream to move around. :p
 
#31
Well, it's finished. Covered in 3 coats of Herculiner, the grills were painted with silver Rustoleum hammer spraypaint. The only thing I have left to do is built the smaller handle for the bottom, and take the side handles back off and flip them over.

It turned out a lot nicer than I had planned so I trashed it up a little with an emblem I had laying around in the garage. :D
 

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#33
Very nice work! I think I might wind up using the Legend for a 215 build, myself. I've been wanting to do a build for AGES now, and have been agonizing over which 15's to use, but I think the Legends will do very well for my first attempt. I can use the fancier stuff once I have a better idea of what I'm doing :)
 
#35
majortoby said:
Very nice work! I think I might wind up using the Legend for a 215 build, myself. I've been wanting to do a build for AGES now, and have been agonizing over which 15's to use, but I think the Legends will do very well for my first attempt. I can use the fancier stuff once I have a better idea of what I'm doing :)
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Those Legends are just great classic sounding bass speakers, man. Really good for DIY builds. You really have to get a ways into the $200+ range before you run into neos that perform any better. They're also fairly forgiving if you happen to fudge a measurement and your box doesn't come out exactly as planned. They'll still sound good and run plenty loud. A pair will run beyond the level where the whole band really should be in the PA, or fill a pretty good sized room if you're just running vocals and some drums in the PA with no subs.
 
#36
will33 said:
Those Legends are just great classic sounding bass speakers, man. Really good for DIY builds. You really have to get a ways into the $200+ range before you run into neos that perform any better. They're also fairly forgiving if you happen to fudge a measurement and your box doesn't come out exactly as planned. They'll still sound good and run plenty loud. A pair will run beyond the level where the whole band really should be in the PA, or fill a pretty good sized room if you're just running vocals and some drums in the PA with no subs.
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All of those points agree with my experience. I built a 1X15 with a Legend CB158. Sounds good. Plenty loud enough for the smaller gigs and practice sessions I use it for. Pairs well with a PF-350 amp. Also sounds surprisingly good with my lead guitar. I sometimes run both the bass guitar and the lead guitar through a POD X3 Live, then to the PF-350, to the Legend. Both instruments sound good.
 
#39
Nice work.

Don't worry about the loss of lows from sitting at chair height. There is no actual loss of lows, only gains to mids and highs from being heard better translated by your brain into less lows. On a stage the audience gets the same sound as on the floor.

Possibly your chair is out from the wall behind, that can kill lows.
 
#40
Downunderwonder said:
Nice work.

Don't worry about the loss of lows from sitting at chair height. There is no actual loss of lows, only gains to mids and highs from being heard better translated by your brain into less lows. On a stage the audience gets the same sound as on the floor.

Possibly your chair is out from the wall behind, that can kill lows.
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I'm pretty sure that was it, due to small odd shaped stage I had the cab about 5 feet from the wall
 

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