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Building a 2x18 Cab

#41
Ray Salamon said:
Gotcha. I don't know a lot (really, hardly anything) when it comes to mic'ing anything. That makes sense. Maybe I'll grab a couple of mics and make a few recordings in different places just to see what I hear too. Thanks for that :)
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On center is the brightest sound, doesn't lose any highs, etc. Highs for that 18 might be 800hz or something, not actual treble. Closer to the edges is darker sound, less treble. On guitar speakers, you'll usually see mics in between dustcap and edge. Balance of full sound without being too harsh. Depends on the speaker and what sound you're going for.
 
#43
johnk_10 said:
if you build it more along the lines of a larger Sunn 2-15 cab, i think that it would sound great and it could be massaged to be the size of an Ampeg 810, however, i wouldn't use a horn. my 1-18" Sunn cab has plenty of high end for me (up to about 4K) with it's original Vega in it. To me, horns and tweeters sound synthetic for bass.
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Ya those Cerwyn Vega 18s from the 70s and 80s had a great full range frequency response. So many 18s these days are really only woofers with no high end.
 
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#44
oinkbanana said:
there's this monstrocity! it has been built!
20090830-staind1.jpg


brusabass.com » Johnny April's rig (Staind)
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Wow nice rig ... but ... uhhh ... where are the chicken roasters?

:hiding:

Is that one of those fake facade rigs with a simple 4x10 behind it miked into the pa?
 
#46
staindbass said:
just note that only the 18's and 2 horns are running, the 8x10 are just there for looks, (although they are working cabs for back up) my band didnt want just the 18's because it looked too small compared to the guitars 4 fullstacks lol. my cabs are sealed.
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That was my guess, just didn't want to assume. :cool:

It does look fantastic, and using the backup cabs for looks makes some sense in your context, and the stage is big enough for it. (Speaking of that, I've often wondered how much of Slayer's "wall of marshalls" is actually active.)

It also got me thinking on how to build a mega-rig that would sound good while looking huge... a fun mental exercise. The picture in my head probably wouldn't fit in my house. :D
 
#47
Most 18's require a 12 cu ft enclosure. So, roughly that translates into a 2 ft wide, 2 ft deep, and 6 ft tall cabinet. You might want to build folded horn design instead. You'll get significantly more output and better sound. Only thing, you really shouldn't put 2 speakers into one cab. I run 2 18's in my folded horn, but it's MASSIVE.....but I love it.
 
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#48
Two questions...what are you powering these cabs with? Also are you looking for more low end...you said you like the 410/15 combo...but what do you like about it? Why not just get an 810 that has more of a low presence if that's what you're after. The 810E is a classic choice, but there are others out there that can go lower. What do you play? Reggae...classic rock...hardcore screamo...
 
#49
mrkreuzschlitz, I'm glad to see you pursue the use of 18's because they sound very nice especially when used simultaneously with other cabs with smaller drivers. I've played Rock n' Roll through 2x15's for many years and then I was seduced to play 4x10's but then I finally lived my dream (saved a lot of $) and bought a powered JBL 18" sub. My 4x10 Aguilar rig runs full tilt at the same time. There is nothing as nice as the sound waves coming out of an 18" cabinet. Respect to all of the 15" cab configurations out there. My sub is a JBL PRX 618s XLF. Love it.
 
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#51
makohund said:
That was my guess, just didn't want to assume. :cool:

It does look fantastic, and using the backup cabs for looks makes some sense in your context, and the stage is big enough for it. (Speaking of that, I've often wondered how much of Slayer's "wall of marshalls" is actually active.)

It also got me thinking on how to build a mega-rig that would sound good while looking huge... a fun mental exercise. The picture in my head probably wouldn't fit in my house. :D
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This thread is from 2008. I wonder if the guy ever got his 218.
 
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#55
Asperger67 said:
Are the cabinets 'ported' ? Also, are the Horns included in the cabinets or 'seperate' ? Can't really find it out from the pic. I plan to build a 2x18 (Celestion TE18500) toped with a 2x12 (B&C pe32).
Thanks guys
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The cabs in the pic appear to be custom enclosures that contain the horn and have openings into which the commercially made bass cabs -- either a pair of 118s or a pair of 410s -- are mounted. It IS hard to tell, but it does look like there are narrow vertical slot ports on both types of enclosures. The eighteen cabs would almost have to be ported to keep the size of those monstrosities manageable.

As for building a 218 cab, I hope you took to heart the information in this 10(+)-year-old post, that a 218 cab HAS to be pretty large. I've designed single and double-eighteen sub cabs for PA use and found 10-12 cubic feet to be the minimum for a 218 bass reflex enclosure. Don't waste additional enclosure volume putting a horn in the sub cab; one large-format horn driver would be plenty to balance a 218/212 combination. You, in fact, will have reinvented the classic 'stack' of PA gear used in typical club-band PAs: a 218 sub cab paired with a 212+2" mid/high cab on top of it. I see a fair amount of high-quality, older gear like this available locally in the used market; you might consider going that route if you think you just HAVE to have something like that.
 
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