Building suitcase combo, speaker suggestions?

[Ripper75]

I have an old fairly large suitcase I want to turn into a combo amp/cab. I have a 200 watt Ashdown Ant pedal amp I was thinking of putting in it if I can find a speaker that would work well for it. I realize that amp is probably too powerful so might need to get a lower wattage amp but what is a good speaker for this type thing..? I think a 12” would fit in there, possibly a 15” but I’ve never built a cab so I dont know much, btw I’m not looking to make anything too loud, I’m just playing bass in small practice type situations possibly a very small gig with acoustic guitars and fiddle, bluegrass old country kinda stuff. Oh and should I put a hole in the suitcase so it has a port for air to escape..? Thanks

 

[abarson]

You can get away with a random suitcase and speaker for guitar, but not for bass.
At minimum you need to use the suitcase dimensions and find a speaker that will be happy with that space. Even whether to use a port and what size it should be needs to be calculated.
I personally don’t think that a suitcase is rigid enough to sound good for bass.

 

[Ripper75]

Ok thanks maybe I will make it for guitar then, let me know if anyone has suggestions on a speaker to use and whether that 200 watt Ant amp would work, seems like overkill for guitar so I might try n find a lower watt amp especially if its gonna be for guitar, still not sure if a port-hole/opening is helpful either. Appreciate the feedback and input

 

[lark_z]

You could start here after measuring the suitcase dimensions and trying to find a driver that'll perform in that space. Personally, my head would explode after an hour, as this is not a trivial project if you want a decent sound.

Bass Guitar

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Hmmmm. Kind of makes me wonder if the whole suitcase would act like an extension of the speaker?
In that case would it even matter what the suitcase dimensions were?
Seems to me to be a great idea (suitcase combo) but one that turns out to be the crapshoot of all crapshoots.
I think it would be better to build a suitcase sized cab out of material that is substantial enough to do the job.
Though it does take me back to the sixties when Silvertone built amps into guitar cases. NOT!

 

[agedhorse]

The suitcase won't be anywhere near rigid enough for a bass speaker. Might be "ok" for a guitar speaker though.

 

[beans-on-toast]

If a cab can be fitted into your suitcase, it would work. As a reference, for a small sized cab, see what Phil Jones Bass offers, they have what is called a suitcase line. Also look at studio speakers.

 

[Ripper75]

Ok thanks for clarifying, I’m starting to understand why bass cabs are built and weigh like refrigerators

 

[agedhorse]

Ok thanks for clarifying, I’m starting to understand why bass cabs are built and weigh like refrigerators

They don’t have to “weigh like refrigerators”, but are built with materials and methods to insure stiffness and rigidity.

 

[singlemalt]

You could just grab a Roland cube.

Or call this an art project and not worry about the sound so much.

At very low volumes…

This reminds me of the YouTube shipping container to home conversions. Sure, you can do it. But why?

 

[bherman]

Your idea is a good one, but as others more experienced/knowledgeable than me have stated, not so much when it comes to implementation. Perhaps think of the suitcase as a “carrier” and mount a small bass cab in there with a small amp (maybe even a small combo). On second thought, what this really sounds like is a combo amp - ie, speaker cab with built in amp and a handle on top. Maybe just go with a small combo and call it “my suitcase amp”????

 

[Rolling Thunder]

The suitcase won't be anywhere near rigid enough for a bass speaker. Might be "ok" for a guitar speaker though.

You might be able to pull off some Sunn O))) riffs, right?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I was in the Army with a guy that built a guitar speaker out of a cardboard box and some spray paint. It sounded like a guitar amp.

 

[Engle]

27160510[/URL], member: 33169"]I was in the Army with a guy that built a guitar speaker out of a cardboard box and some spray paint. It sounded like a guitar amp.

My first bass rig had a CTS 15 in a milk crate. I figured out pretty quickly that I needed a cabinet. Surprisingly I didn’t kill the speaker!

 

[lark_z]

Some wisdom here and it's a great read.....

Low-cost DIY practice/coffeehouse tweeterless 110 [long]

 

[singlemalt]

^^^
This one! Duke is the real deal, and this is a solid project.

I know the siren song of DIY. It usually hits mid winter. I feel the need to clean the garage, unearth the table saw and tools, and build a cab. Maybe the coffee house 10, maybe another fEarful cube.

I’ve been wanting a center console storage and sound upgrade for the surf van….a sunny day and temps in the high forties….

 

[DJ Bebop]

^^^
This one! Duke is the real deal, and this is a solid project.

I know the siren song of DIY. It usually hits mid winter. I feel the need to clean the garage, unearth the table saw and tools, and build a cab. Maybe the coffee house 10, maybe another fEarful cube.

I’ve been wanting a center console storage and sound upgrade for the surf van….a sunny day and temps in the high forties….

Took my surfing grandbaby to the Gorge to watch wind surfing to see what he thought of it.
He's response was Nope, too cold!

 

[DJ Bebop]

Maybe out of this, with the right amount of bracing but that would go against the portability aspect.

 

[daveman50]

My dad's WWII footlocker is about the right size for a small bass cabinet ... but it would just be wrong.

 

[singlemalt]

Water temp is almost up to 40F. Almost…