• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Custom DIY 2x15 cab build

#541
I just put in an order for the faital to use in an ashdown mag 300 evo ii combo. This should make very good use of it's 300watts since I ordered a 4ohm version. I'll probably line the inside of the combo with some foam so that I have the option of using it sealed as well.
 
#543
Has anyone compared johns 2x15's/Dually cabs to any of the bergantino nv cabs? I Love my nv610 and now the nv412 that I just got from eyeballkid but, was curious if a 2x15 loaded with 15pr400 drivers could have as much tight punch, sealed or ported?
 
#544
I got a 4 ohm 15pr400 yesterday and put some low frequency noise to it for about 4 hours to break it in. Then, while it was outside of a cab I played my bass through it. What a really nice, round, even character it has. And, it really responded to eq well. Today I will be recieving an ashdown mag 300-115 evo II combo which will be lined with mattress topper and then loaded with the faital. I will try it with the stock ports as well as blocking the ports and expect good results. I lined up at least 15 acoustic gigs for the summer and wanted a convenient little combo to gig with. I have owned an liked the ashdown gear in the past and thought that getting the full wattage with a 4 ohm, better qaulity driver was a no brainer. Of course, I may end up changing the ports but, it's no big deal. Thanks for for posting all those clips John, I never would have given a 15" a second thought full range.
 
#546
I may as well. I may actually try to build myself this time but, will probably use more ports. On winisd two ports had a mach of 0.1 which should be fine but, there must be a good reason why greenboy uses four. We'll see.
 
#547
I'm going to try to build one of these in the next month or so. I noticed on the US Speaker site that the Faital is about $40 less than the 3015. So, that may be the final deciding factor.

I stopped by Home Depot yesterday to check out the Birch panels and found that they're not that straight. Not completely warped but I've seen better.
 
#548
I was thinking about building one but, last night I played at a festival where I played through a ported 2x15 and new from note #1 why I play sealed cabs. Not that this cab would compare to this one at all. I still will build a cab but, I think that Im going to build a small sealed cab built around a pair of faitals. 117 liters should do it. I really like the sound of the faitals.
 
#549
kringle77 said:
I was thinking about building one but, last night I played at a festival where I played through a ported 2x15 and new from note #1 why I play sealed cabs. Not that this cab would compare to this one at all. I still will build a cab but, I think that Im going to build a small sealed cab built around a pair of faitals. 117 liters should do it. I really like the sound of the faitals.
Click to expand...

You could still build this and just not put in the ports. John did try it out with the ports blocked.
 
#550
Yup. The appropriate volume for a sealed cab on winisd is 117 liters for a pair of the faitals which, is about 4.1 cubic feet. I think John's cab is roughly 5.6 cubic feet. So, I can get the result I want and make the cab alot smaller. It would be roughly 18" wide, 34" tall and 15" deep. Pretty easy to hall, even easier to roll.
 
#553
kringle77 said:
Yup. The appropriate volume for a sealed cab on winisd is 117 liters for a pair of the faitals which, is about 4.1 cubic feet. I think John's cab is roughly 5.6 cubic feet. So, I can get the result I want and make the cab alot smaller. It would be roughly 18" wide, 34" tall and 15" deep. Pretty easy to hall, even easier to roll.
Click to expand...

I get the same results on winisd. Even though you can plug ports to get more of a sealed cab sound, the ported cab volume is substantially larger which reduces the excursion limited power. From what I gather, if you want that sealed cab sound and you're going to push it hard during a gig, you're better off with a properly designed sealed cab. A pair of Legend CA154s, which is ideal for sealed 15 cabs, can handle more power below 77 Hz than the 15PR400's but they are not quite as efficient so it seems to even things out. Max SPL is pretty close between these two drivers in sealed cabs with the Faitals having about a 1dB edge. (HPF in the Genz Benz STM900 and SM9.2 is good for sealed cabs by allowing plenty of drive without causing the drivers to piston.) Advantage to the Faital driver also for being able to run it full range while you need a mid driver and crossover with the CA154's. Any thoughts on one large chamber versus two sub chambers? I'd be inclined toward 2 sub chambers because of better bracing and easier containment of the stuffing with less settling. I'll bet a composite sealed cab with a pair of Faital 15PR400 might weigh under 35#. Crazy huh?
 
#554
I really like to use mattress topper to stuff cab and it stays in place. Not sure about one or two chambers, as long as it's well braced, it may not make a difference. Im not sure about that one. These faitals do sound good fullrange which is the only reason Im pursuing this cab. The one different thing I may do is tilt the entire front baffle back 10 degrees or so to direct the sound closer to peoples ears since I play in small clubs that tend to get packed. The peoples body's in front of my cab really ruins the sound and even though I love my other cabs, I do feel like they are just shooting the sound straight ahead and into my feet up to just alittle over my waiste. Mud city. This slight angle would really help and since it is only a slight angle, I wouldn't be firing the mids and highs over peoples heads unless they were very far away. In which case I'd be using the pa as well. Slanting the whole baffle would have to be superior to just tilting the top speaker. I'd love to get opinions on this.
 
#556
I'll say it again. If I do a tilt, it will be the entire baffle, both drivers tilted up. I think that if I tilt the baffle too much, I will be sending more sound towards the ceilling (at a distance) than I would want too. I'll have to experiment at home alittle. Slanting both drivers eliminates the phasing issue's you would get with only angling one. And, since the bottome of the cab is still sitting flat on the floor, unlike when you just prop the cab back to tilt the whole thing, I won't lose any of the coupling to the floor. I probably should stop here as I do not want to dilute John's thread too much.
 
#557
I keep going back and forth with my design. I really would like the low mid punch from the 3015 that john mentioned but I want the top end and mids from the 15pr400. I was thinking about porting the 3015 on the bottom and sealing the 15pr400 on the top but I don't want and phase issues in the low end. I could probably make the cab into two seperately ported chambers and mix the two drivers that way because the faital would be up in the air where you can actually hear it's character and th eminence would be on the floor which is ok because it's darker sounding and has more low mids which should be near the ground anyway. Any opinions. Two seperate chambers ported to accomodate the different drivers.
 
#558
while both are excellent drivers, IME, the Faital is so much more efficient than the 3015, you'll have a hard time telling that the 3015 is on, (hearing it), with the 15PR400 running with it. when i ran my two cabs side by side simultaneously, all i could hear is the faital cab unless i put my ear right up to the 3015 cab.
 
#559
Hmmm. What a pickle. Im thinking that the 3015's would be too dark on their own and the faitals may not be low-mid punchy enough on their own. Thats whats tough about living where I do. Nobody uses good gear that I can make comparisons with.
 
#560
John, You eventually chose the 3015's over the Faital loaded cab. Just wondering how the tone was different?

Did the Faital loaded cab have too much highs and high mids?

I'm just trying to decide which to get. I'm planning on building one of these cabs in the next month or so.

Also, have you tried either cab with the Fender Super Twin head?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back