Building a cab, help with speakers?

[TheCrimsonDawn]

Hey guys,
So I'm planning on building my own 1x12 cab, and here are the reasons why:

1)The current combo amp I'm using isn't giving me the volume I need, seeing as it's old and the speaker is garbage.
2) Ever since a semi-truck decided to change lanes into me, I can't lift like I used to. And I hate constantly asking my bandmates to carry my amp.
3) My budget is permanently tiny, and I've seen people make some great bass amps for a fraction of the cost of a commercially built one.

So I've been doing A LOT of research on the subject, about the relationship of wattage versus speaker sensitivity, the difference between ported and not, I've even looked into BFM and fEARless plans (I'm leaning towards the fEARless). I've been studying non stop for over a week, and it's just fascinating stuff.

But here is my problem; I had originally planned on buying the Eminence Basslite s2012 to use on my build, since it offered a nice frequency range, weight, sensitivity, and all for a nice price. But for the plans I'd like to use, the Kappalite 3012lf is recommend. On paper they seem very similar to me, but I've seen some comments on them that make them sound wildly different. Am I missing something? I like the basslite because it's in my price range, and from what I understand the Kappalite is best used with a tweeter, meaning even more money out my pocket. Can you guys help me figure this out?

If it helps at all, I'm planning on turning my old 60watt 4 ohm combo into a head to use with said cab.

 

[CL400Peavey]

Hey guys,
So I'm planning on building my own 1x12 cab, and here are the reasons why:

1)The current combo amp I'm using isn't giving me the volume I need, seeing as it's old and the speaker is garbage.
2) Ever since a semi-truck decided to change lanes into me, I can't lift like I used to. And I hate constantly asking my bandmates to carry my amp.
3) My budget is permanently tiny, and I've seen people make some great bass amps for a fraction of the cost of a commercially built one.

So I've been doing A LOT of research on the subject, about the relationship of wattage versus speaker sensitivity, the difference between ported and not, I've even looked into BFM and fEARless plans (I'm leaning towards the fEARless). I've been studying non stop for over a week, and it's just fascinating stuff.

But here is my problem; I had originally planned on buying the Eminence Basslite s2012 to use on my build, since it offered a nice frequency range, weight, sensitivity, and all for a nice price. But for the plans I'd like to use, the Kappalite 3012lf is recommend. On paper they seem very similar to me, but I've seen some comments on them that make them sound wildly different. Am I missing something? I like the basslite because it's in my price range, and from what I understand the Kappalite is best used with a tweeter, meaning even more money out my pocket. Can you guys help me figure this out?

If it helps at all, I'm planning on turning my old 60watt 4 ohm combo into a head to use with said cab.

Have you actually looked at the response of the 3012LF and the S2012? They are very different.

Considering your choice of 60w @ 4 Ohm amp, I suggest you look for highly sensitive 4 Ohm drivers, and start from there.

 

[TheCrimsonDawn]

I did look at their frequency responses and the were the same, hence my confusion. Maybe the info was wrong there though. I'll check some more sources.

Do you know any 4 ohm drivers I should look at? Because I can't find any except one Carvin.

 

[MarkA]

Hello! Welcome and good luck. Goodbye!

Kidding, though, seriously speaking, this isn't my area of expertise. More expert folks will, I hope, be along to help you, but a few things strike me right off:

If you dig the Greenboy stuff, there is a fEarful and a fEarless line. The first is available for DIY, the second is not. I don't think the first is necessarily cheap, if budget is a big priority, but a lot of folks like the results.

Sounds like you'd rather not use a tweeter. I myself dig the sound of a woofer and mid (no tweeter), but some single speaker cabs do sound very good with the right driver and a properly tuned box -- if you like that and aren't in search of very extended highs, that could be the way to go, and would save $ and weight.

If you're going to be running a 60W a 4 Ohm head, you will want an efficient speaker/box to play at respectable volume. You might look at some of the Bill Fitzmaurice stuff -- he has a new Simplexx line (regular ported cabs) or, if you've got your Tim the Tool Man channelled, you could build one of his horn-loaded designs (like the Jack). Those are super-efficient, but require a bit of EQ to get very bassy. I played through some of his 10s a few years back, though, and I was impressed.

60 W at 4 Ohms (assuming a solid-state head) will likely be 30 W at 8 Ohms, but you could add a second speaker if you wanted to, later. Two smallish speakers could make a nice, modular setup (but would cost more than one). Depending on what you feel comfortable schlepping and your volume needs, two 10s could work... or two 12s, or one 12.

A cheap cart can be helpful.

Manufacturers often provide specs, and sometimes even sample plans, for boxes they think will work well with their speakers.

That's all I can think of right now!

 

[MarkA]

1) What combo do you have now? That might influence whether it's worth keeping or selling to fund a cheap head (you could find several for $100-$200 used that would put out more than 60 watts).

2) Yeah, the 3012 LF is, by all accounts, not suitable as a stand-alone driver. The 3012 HO, maybe. If you are set on powering the thing with 60 watts, though, that opens up some less expensive possibilities.

I know a week of reading seems a lot, but there is a lot of info out there on this topic. Unless you're in a rush, I'd take my time and leisurely scan for more.

Make sure, for yourself, that you are clear on what you want the amp to do (how loud, in what setting), and what you are comfortable dealing with (weight, cost, complexity-wise) to get that. Sounds like you have a good start on that, but refining it will help with the decision process.

 

[CL400Peavey]

I did look at their frequency responses and the were the same, hence my confusion. Maybe the info was wrong there though. I'll check some more sources.

Do you know any 4 ohm drivers I should look at? Because I can't find any except one Carvin.

See how the 3012LF dies around 2 kHz?, and the S2012 has a huge spike, then takes a dump?

For single 4 Ohm drivers, I recommend you expand your search to 15's. More sensitivity.

 

[rogypop]

If you have just 60 watts Bill Fitzmaurice's jack 10 will to the trick, loud small and light. 3012 lf equipped cabs like fearful and fearless will dig deeper but without proper power behind them wont to the loud. Small, deep, loud (sensitive). Pick any two.

 

[will33]

Kappalite LF is waste of money with 60 watts IMO. I'd stick with the basslite. Do something similar to eminences "small vented" cab design. Maybe a little larger, say 1.75-2 cu.ft.

Don't know how loud you need to be, might need 2 of them. There is the 4ohm basslite 15 if you think you can get away with a single speaker. I'd do eminences "small vented" design for that one.

Loading either in a BFM Jack or Jacklite will give you a boost in loudness in the low to middle mids, though the low bass and highmid/treble response would still be the same as a single speaker regular cab.

 

[AstroSonic]

Small combo amps almost never double their power into 4 ohms relative to 8 ohms. Most likely your combo has something like 40w at 8 ohms. So, 60w will give you 1.8 db over 40w at 8 ohms. Point is that you will hardly notice the difference. To get useful loudness and low weight (cab) out of that amp you will need to sacrifice low bass. There is no way around it. A little bass peaking can go a fair way to making up for this (perceived tonal balance).

While neo drivers are lighter than ceramics, the weight of the cab is more important. You will need to use modern lightweight construction methods (as detailed in many Fearful build articles on this forum. Its pretty easy - you just have to know what to do (general ideas).

Your budget is limited, so the more expensive and capable neo drivers are out of reach - frankly, the Kappalite 3012 and 15 drivers offer no significant advantage over much less expensive drivers at the power levels you will be using. The drivers suggested below have enough power handling to allow a significant head/power upgrade.

The best compromise is using two Faital 10FE200-8 drivers ($50 each, 10 inch, 8 ohm) wired in parallel (4 ohm total), in a 2.5 cf sealed cab. Sensitivity will just break 100 db/w/m, and with an F3 of 66 Hz (F5 60 Hz). A mild 1.8 db of peaking will add some richness, while highs are well dispersed to about 5 kHz - there is some minor treble peaking, but less than most other drivers. The drivers are 5 lbs each, The cab should come in around 30-35 lbs total.

Alternatively, a pair of Eminence Beta 10a's ($75 each, 10 inch, 8 ohm) wired in parallel (4 ohm total) in a vented 2.5 cf box will have an F3 of 63 Hz (tuned to 58 Hz: two 3" dia x 2 3/8"long vents), with about 2.2 db of peaking - not at all excessive. This driver has a midband sensitivity of 95 db/w/m, so a pari should come close to 100 db/w/m (about a1 db less than the Faital). The driver has substantial peaking from about 1 kHz to around 3.8 kHz, lendinga fairly aggressive character to the upper mids and low treble, though les so off axis. Bass will be less tight than the Faital, but by no means soft or pillowy. Lots more 'character' built into the sound (relative to the Faital). The drivers weigh 6.8 lbs each so the cab will come in around 35-40 lbs.

More compact and lighter weight designs are possible with the Eminence S2012 ($145 each): 1.5 cf, vented (tuned to 52 Hz: one 4" dia x 5 1/2 inch long), yields an f3 of 63 Hz, with 2.2 db of peaking. This driver has fairly aggressive upper mids and low treble. This cab is smaller than the 210 designs and the driver is lighter (one 4.1 lb driver), so it should come in at 20-25lbs. Its drawback is in sensitivity: its native sensitivity is about 97 db/w/m, but it will be operating at 8 ohms, so will see about 40w max. The 210 designs will be somewhat louder.

A Eminence Beta 15a in 2.5 cf sealed yields an F3 of 55 Hz, with 2.8 db of peaking. This is balanced by moderately aggressive upper mids and low treble for a punchy, articulate tone. This will weigh about the same as the either of the 210 cabs cab, and will have about the same sensitivity as the S2012/112 cab.

These cabs (112, 115 or 210 designs) can be duplicated to produce a nice lightweight pair of cabs, allowing the use of one cab for less demanding gigs and the pair when more spl is needed.

The S2012/112 design is the lightest and most compact.

The Faital 210 will be the most articulate and least 'voiced' cab. Also, the loudest.

The Eminence Beta 10a/210 design is similar to the Faital, but with a 'vented' bass tone, and more character in the upper mids.

The Beta 15a/115 will have the most 'voiced' tone. It will sound 'bigger' than the others and its tone is very popular with players.

Choices...

 

[Rick James]

If you have just 60 watts Bill Fitzmaurice's jack 10 will to the trick, loud small and light. 3012 lf equipped cabs like fearful and fearless will dig deeper but without proper power behind them wont to the loud. Small, deep, loud (sensitive). Pick any two.

+1, with only 60 watts the 3012 or 3012LF would be money down the drain. Jack 12 (not Jack 10) is the one you want, the horn loading will make your 60 watts sound like 150. This comes from a Jack 12 owner.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

What is your lowest tuning? If you tune to low-E instead of low-B, that implies you can get away with a smaller and lighter box.

If you're going to be designing your own box, make it cart-friendly and easy to carry... like you might make it fairly shallow, with pocket handles in each side so that you can pull it in tight against your torso with both hands. Keeping its center of gravity close to your center of gravity will make it easier to carry. And if you're going to one-hand carry it, with a strap or bar handle of some kind (pocket handles won't work for that), think "suitcase" instead of "squarish box"... once again, the idea being to keep its center of gravity close to yours.

Hard to beat the Basslites as far as sound-per-pound for bass guitar, unless you go with a BFM Jack. I think you can build the Jack with the Deltalite 12. And very hard to beat the Faitals that Astrosonic mentioned for combined sound-per-pound and sound-per-dollar.

 

[MarkA]

I'm not the OP, but I'd like to thank you guys for your contributions.

 

[Rick James]

Hard to beat the Basslites as far as sound-per-pound for bass guitar, unless you go with a BFM Jack. I think you can build the Jack with the Deltalite 12.

The 2012 is a recommended speaker for the Jack 12, and the Jack Lite 12 too.

 

[rogypop]

What is your lowest tuning? If you tune to low-E instead of low-B, that implies you can get away with a smaller and lighter box.

If you're going to be designing your own box, make it cart-friendly and easy to carry... like you might make it fairly shallow, with pocket handles in each side so that you can pull it in tight against your torso with both hands. Keeping its center of gravity close to your center of gravity will make it easier to carry. And if you're going to one-hand carry it, with a strap or bar handle of some kind (pocket handles won't work for that), think "suitcase" instead of "squarish box"... once again, the idea being to keep its center of gravity close to yours.

Hard to beat the Basslites as far as sound-per-pound for bass guitar, unless you go with a BFM Jack. I think you can build the Jack with the Deltalite 12. And very hard to beat the Faitals that Astrosonic mentioned for combined sound-per-pound and sound-per-dollar.

per plans, he can load jack 12 with cheaper drivers, like beta 12 and basslite s2012. Tweeterless jack 12 loaded with beta 12 would come cheap and loud, probably louder than all the cabs Astrosonic mentioned.

 

[TheCrimsonDawn]

You have all been super helpful with your suggestions. Thanks so much guys! I'm not in a rush to build the cab, so I'm really trying to take my time so I do it right the first time. I'm glad I came to the forum for help.

 

[TheCrimsonDawn]

What is your lowest tuning? If you tune to low-E instead of low-B, that implies you can get away with a smaller and lighter box.

If you're going to be designing your own box, make it cart-friendly and easy to carry... like you might make it fairly shallow, with pocket handles in each side so that you can pull it in tight against your torso with both hands. Keeping its center of gravity close to your center of gravity will make it easier to carry. And if you're going to one-hand carry it, with a strap or bar handle of some kind (pocket handles won't work for that), think "suitcase" instead of "squarish box"... once again, the idea being to keep its center of gravity close to yours.

Hard to beat the Basslites as far as sound-per-pound for bass guitar, unless you go with a BFM Jack. I think you can build the Jack with the Deltalite 12. And very hard to beat the Faitals that Astrosonic mentioned for combined sound-per-pound and sound-per-dollar.

The lowest tuning I play in is Drop D, but I'm usually in standard. I don't forsee needing to tune any lower than that for the styles that I play, so what you're suggesting sounds on point.

 

[Jools4001]

If you're going to be running a 60W a 4 Ohm head, you will want an efficient speaker/box to play at respectable volume. You might look at some of the Bill Fitzmaurice stuff -- he has a new Simplexx line (regular ported cabs) or, if you've got your Tim the Tool Man channelled, you could build one of his horn-loaded designs (like the Jack). Those are super-efficient, but require a bit of EQ to get very bassy. I played through some of his 10s a few years back, though, and I was impressed.

I have a Barefaced Big One, which is a cab which shares some of the fEarful DNA and has an Eminence 3015LF woofer plus a 6.5 inch (Beyma, I think) mid driver. It sounds great but it's not hugely sensitive so it needs a lot of power to get it loud enough to compete with a loud drummer and guitars. I'm driving mine with 700 watts and run out of headroom sometimes.

I also built two Jack 12 Lites from Bill Fitzmaurice's plans. I built mine as PA mains so they have the full melded tweeter array specified as a choice of tweeters in that particular design. However, since I also have a really good EQ section on my preamp to tame excessive tweeteriness, and since they're billed as cabs which can also handle bass, I couldn't resist using them as bass cabs in our rehearsal space just to try them out. Mine have Eminence 3012HOs in them and as Mark A says, the combination of efficient speakers in an efficient cab design make them insanely loud...but they do need a hefty chunk of EQ boost at the bottom end to give them any real authority...I'm quite handy and managed a pro quality build, but the Jacks (especially the Lite version) are quite a lot of work.

So I've just ordered two Faital Pro 15PR400s, because I've been quite keen to try out a build like John_K's starliner, I could've easily gone with Eminence 3015s (the Non LF version), just that I've got quite a few Eminence powered cabs and wanted to try something different. I'm hoping that the combination of an efficient 15" driver with the ability to get up to 4K or so, in a simple well tuned reflex box will give me the sensitivity and headroom I need. I'd suggest OP that either one of these drivers would give you the option to construct a simple 1 x 15 (or a pair of them if need be) that would be sensitive enough for a 60 watt amp, give you enough bottom end without dollops of EQ and also be crisp enough at the top end not to need a tweet. Personally, I'd always go with the most 'premium' driver you can afford, there may be siren voices that say 60 watts wouldn't justify the expense but you may not always be using a small amp, and the drivers wouldn't need to be replaced if you decided on a bigger amp.

 

[AstroSonic]

per plans, he can load jack 12 with cheaper drivers, like beta 12 and basslite s2012. Tweeterless jack 12 loaded with beta 12 would come cheap and loud, probably louder than all the cabs Astrosonic mentioned.

I have never used a BFM Jack, so all I have is based on info provided on the BFM website, Youtube, and a few forum discussions. With respect to efficiency, the BFM Jack is horn loaded above around 250 Hz and reflex loaded (ported) in the low bass. Below the horn loaded range, the Jack would be the same efficiency as a ported, direct radiator design using the same driver. In the horn loaded band (about 250-2500 Hz?), the Jack's horn loading adds 5-7 db more output to the reflex direct radiator sensitivity, and so would be 5-7 db louder than a ported cab, but only in the horn loaded range. Essentially, the Jack is like a cab with a hot midrange driver, with the mid being 5-7 db louder than the woofer. The response can be evened out by boosting the range below the horn loading (or by shelving the horn loaded range down 5-7 db). Locating the Jack along a wall or in a corner could help achieve a lot of that EQ. Away from room boundaries, the Jack will need active EQ in the bass. Since this is also the range with the most power demand (for bass guitar), the only power advantage for the Jack over the ported, direct radiator is the power saved in the horn loaded range.

The horn loading of the Jack appears to add 5-7 db of output to the direct radiator output. Using the S2012, that would yield a horn loaded sensitivity in the range of 102-104 db/w/m, while the Faital 210 design would be around 101-102 db/w/m. Below the horn loading range (below around 250 Hz), the Jack's sensitivity is 97 db/w/m while the Faital 210 is 101-102 db/w/m down to the 0 db crossing at about 80 Hz, and 98 db/w/m at 66 Hz (-3 db). Beyond the sensitivity issue, these is a special articulate quality to horn loaded mids.

The Jack 12 is considerably larger (4.1 cf), and would likely weigh a fair amount more.

The Jack 12 is well worth consideration. If the OP is mainly interested in a mids centered tone the Jack 12 would without doubt move to the front of the line. Otherwise, the two 210 designs (Faital 10FE200-8 and EminenceBeta 10A) remain very strong contenders.

 

[rogypop]

I have never used a BFM Jack, so all I have is based on info provided on the BFM website, Youtube, and a few forum discussions. With respect to efficiency, the BFM Jack is horn loaded above around 250 Hz and reflex loaded (ported) in the low bass. Below the horn loaded range, the Jack would be the same efficiency as a ported, direct radiator design using the same driver. In the horn loaded band (about 250-2500 Hz?), the Jack's horn loading adds 5-7 db more output to the reflex direct radiator sensitivity, and so would be 5-7 db louder than a ported cab, but only in the horn loaded range. Essentially, the Jack is like a cab with a hot midrange driver, with the mid being 5-7 db louder than the woofer. The response can be evened out by boosting the range below the horn loading (or by shelving the horn loaded range down 5-7 db). Locating the Jack along a wall or in a corner could help achieve a lot of that EQ. Away from room boundaries, the Jack will need active EQ in the bass. Since this is also the range with the most power demand (for bass guitar), the only power advantage for the Jack over the ported, direct radiator is the power saved in the horn loaded range.

The horn loading of the Jack appears to add 5-7 db of output to the direct radiator output. Using the S2012, that would yield a horn loaded sensitivity in the range of 102-104 db/w/m, while the Faital 210 design would be around 101-102 db/w/m. Below the horn loading range (below around 250 Hz), the Jack's sensitivity is 97 db/w/m while the Faital 210 is 101-102 db/w/m down to the 0 db crossing at about 80 Hz, and 98 db/w/m at 66 Hz (-3 db). Beyond the sensitivity issue, these is a special articulate quality to horn loaded mids.

The Jack 12 is considerably larger (4.1 cf), and would likely weigh a fair amount more.

The Jack 12 is well worth consideration. If the OP is mainly interested in a mids centered tone the Jack 12 would without doubt move to the front of the line. Otherwise, the two 210 designs (Faital 10FE200-8 and EminenceBeta 10A) remain very strong contenders.

All true. I think it's pointless trying to obtain a flat curve out of the single Jack cab by eq-ing the heck out of it. If you cut the mids- you are hauling excess cab volume for nothing, if you are boosting too much bass to compensate you are approaching fart city. Single jack is great loud monitor, you will guaranteed be heard in the stage mix with modest power but wont mess with the FOH and cause phase issues down low.

Its like those old schroeders but having much broader bump, located further north so it sounds loud and clear, not loud and mushy like schros.
If i was building jacks i would build 2 1x10 because second cab even the response out considerably, or if i was going with single jack option
it would be Jack 15, longer horn path equals more db's starting at 100hz, area where meat and potatoes are.

*just to add, my next project are 2 1x15 eminence beta sealed in ~2cuft cab, made out of 1/2 ply. I have a feeling this could be quite potent, easy luggable old school stack

 

[Arturo+music]

My stereo bass rig I built myself in 1974-ish. The speakers that I bought are 4 x Altec 421 8H bass speakers. The design of cabinets had gone out of production
so I built my own. The bass amp was created by a port-graduate of Melbourne University living near Oxford. I dubbed the rig Tonehenge.
The speakers were amongst the best going at the time. Since you are considering 1 x 12", go for the best available and push the pennies a bit further.