Anyone build their own cabs?

Recommend you do a search for "cabinet design" here at Talkbass. Lots of threads on the issue, which will certainly give you the information you need to point you in the right direction.

Best of luck!

 

There's some software out there that will help you to design the right cab/port for a given driver(s) called WinISD. I don't know if anyone else has used it or if its accurate but the equations are well known and not exclusive to this program. It will give you a full frequency response graph, port air velocity, impedance curve etc. Very nicely done.

- Andrew

 

+1 for WinISD, depends if you're using Eminence drivers!

I built two cabs recently, there are a few great sites for it;

http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/spkr_wiring.html
http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/spkr_design.html
http://www.duncanamps.com/technical/speaker_cab.html

In general;

Buy speakers for outright sensitivity (SPL) across the whole sensitivity curve - not just the MAX. Study the curves, from 20Hz all the way up, and make sure you get ones with a "SPL or Sensitivity" of at least 95dB, but the higher the better. 100dB is great! Usually the "Usable Bandwidth" or "Usable Frequency Range" is a good indication. The size of the enclosure will influence this also. (Bigger = More Lows)

I found Celestion speakers to be poorly lacking for the lower frequencies when I compared them to the Eminence, even thought the stated SPL was similar, the curve stated different..

And don't cheap out on wood selection - besides the drivers, its the second most important thing.

Good Luck
smo

 

check before asking: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166257
(see the 'sticky' threads, there is lots more info in there)

 

Building them isn't that hard, designing them is. Something simple like a 2x10 isn't worth doing yourself, you can buy one cheaper from Avatar or Steelsound. Building something that will blow the doors off a Whappo Jr for a quarter the price is what you want to do, but unless you've got few years to invest in engineering school you're better off using a professionally designed project, like Fitz's Omni12 which I have built and which does blow away a Whappo jr for a quarter the price.

 

I guess its all about your own ability to build things.
And Joey's right - if you're gonna build one, go all out for something POWERFUL, otherwise it'll end up costing you roughly the same as buying a cheapy.

If you have (or can borrow) a few tools, like a router and a jigsaw and drill you can borrow, it doesn't take you all that long.
Use the WinISD program, to give you a port diameter and length, size of enclosure (volume) and the old golden rule ratio of getting rid of standing waves = 1.6 H x 1 W x 0.6 Depth.
(this isn't really all that crucial if you use lots of acoustic wadding) and you should be okay.
And make sure the ports are no bigger in diameter than the radius of the speaker.

Sure - you will invest a fair bit of time doing all this, but I found it to be worth it.
Good Luck.

 

In terms of whether you save money, a lot depends on what compromises you are willing to make. A speaker with all of the trappings of a commercial speaker will cost as much as a commercial speaker, assuming that you have access to all of the tools. In my case, I asked a number of questions:

1. Will I ever really need more than 300 W of amp power? No. This allowed me to use an inexpensive woofer.

2. Will my speaker be subjected to a lot of abuse? No. Goodbye corners, tolex, metal grille, etc. The only hardware I needed to buy was the tee-nuts and an output jack.

3. Can I choose a box shape that allows me to use the scrap plywood in my garage? Yes. Likewise for the left-over varnish from another project, and a piece of black fiberglass mosquito screen for the grille.

The project cost me less than $100.

 

Glad to hear it turned out so well!

I should have mine finished this weekend!