DIY Lightweight Composite Cab Build

[Rick Auricchio]

It's nice to have the Nascar colors, but more subdued colors might be nicer. No sense putting a cheap-looking logo on an expensive product.

As for pricing, one good thing: Demographics. Usually the older players are looking for weight savings; that group generally has more money to spend. Younger players usually don't have any problems lugging heavier cabinets.

 

[lowendisthebest]

"We're not worthy, we're scum."
Koodos Zac

 

[bluerimedeyes]

Just to say, Nice job! Considering the costs of say, a Genz cab, or any others that are even close to fairly light, I'd say it would be fair to pay around a grand for one of these, assuming you could mass order your supplies and get your overhead down to the point that it made you a profit. Point is, regardless of whether you produce them for sale or not, very, very cool. Ironically, as I read through this thread, I was struck by how sharp it looked in white. I HATE white as a product color- cars, basses, etc. YUCK! But I was actually hoping you would leave it white, it was that sharp!! Enough of my babbling, good job. P.S.- I like the logo, though a different font might be cool. But whatever floats your boat.

 

[Petebass]

How's this for a slogan:-

"If you think only heavy cabs can sound good, then you don't know Zac!"

 

[Curtybob]

How's this for a slogan:-

"If you think only heavy cabs can sound good, then you don't know Zac!"

Or maybe "Worth 10x it's weight in tone."

Man... I oughtta charge for this.

 

[Stumbo]

How's this for a slogan:-

"If you think only heavy cabs can sound good, then you don't know Zac!"

How about "Heavy tone, light weight".

 

[Crockettnj]

Hmmm so lets say all that cost and labour comes up to 1,300, that is already more then twice the price of an Epifani 210! and thats not including your profit.
...

...

still these would be at least 1400$ cabs, for a 210,

...

and what if they do not sound as good as a normal ply wood cab. I mean if they sounded just as good then thats one thing but if not then all the buyer is doing is paying more for something that does not sound stellar albeit saving weight.
...

IMO you are paying for the extreme weight savings and sturdy construction. It WILL sound good. Good, of course, is subjective. Zac used top quality drivers aligned properly in an appropriate configuration. The cab is rigid (the technology is a known).

Anyway, IMO nickel and diming on high end purchases wont happen.

I venture to guess these will not be a high volume (I mean quantity... no pun meant!) item, and as such you could charge 1300, 1500 or 1700 and not see appreciable differnece in orders.

just my thought, I could be wrong, but once you get to a certain price range I dont think a few bucks matters.

 

[ehque]

I'm 180lbs, and I can stand on it while playing my bass.

Wow. Rocks.

If you start building these i'll take 2 2x10s, if we find a cost effective way of getting them transatlantic.

Bring your build time down by half, and charge about 1,200 - 1,400 for this, and i think you have a winner. And of course, the cloth-grill instead of the metal one.

 

[wagdog]

...I'm the one hauling my gear, and not some stage hand who takes out his aggression on someones bass cab.

Yup, that makes a big difference! Also, I agree with the notion that the lighter the cab is the less abuse it will receive. My old 2x15 got the snot beat out of it just because it was so darn heavy. (Ever try dragging 150 lbs. up the back of a car to drop it into the backseat of a convertible?) In my book lighter and smaller is better any day and I hope you go far with this!

 

[MoD_Scotty]

This thing is amazing. I'm surprised no one has done it already.

I think even at $1500 for a 2x10", and say $2000 for a 4x10", people will buy them. Not a LOT of people, but enough to make them worth building.

Unfortunately, I'd be the last person to buy one (I'm poor and Avatar stuff is just too cheap to pass up), but the people that are spending over $2000 on a bass would probably be able to do the same on a unique, ultra-light cab.

Congrats on getting the cab done, and I sincerely hope that you turn this into a business. Or at least sell your design to an amp manufacturer and make some $$!

 

[will33]

Helluva job man, how do you like the peizo array, sound clean?

 

[peaveyuser]

Albeit I think you could make an 810 worth it, seriously. The weight savings would be a lot the labour and material would be cheaper relative to the amount of speakers there would be too. Then comparing it to other 810 cabs the relative price gap would be less too, if you look some 810's go for 1500$, the ashdown neo goes for 2000$.

Moral of the story, possibly try an 810 build you could probably get some buyers.

 

[will33]

This thing does seem quite labor intensive, hence the costs involved. But hey, light is cool nowdays and some are willing to pay a premium for it.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Albeit I think you could make an 810 worth it, seriously.

I suspect that when the box gets that big it may need more bracing. That would add weight.

 

[peaveyuser]

I suspect that when the box gets that big it may need more bracing. That would add weight.

but so does a normal 810, and bracing could be made out of lightweight material also. Relatively the weight difference would still be worth it considering the bracing a normal 810 does have.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Perhaps. But you've also got to add more for the fiberglass fillet than for standard wood glue. Nonetheless, it may still be worth building.

Of course, those with cabs that big often have roadies, so why worry?

 

[will33]

I suspect that when the box gets that big it may need more bracing. That would add weight.

I asked the bigger box = more bracing question a couple/few pages ago. By making the filler thicker between the inner and outer fiberglass layers, the stiffness of the panel improves exponentially.

That much is from the builders mouth.


This is my non-fiberglass experienced wonders on the idea.

That would make something the size of a typical 410 or 212 quite feasable but something the size of an 810 might have extraordinarily thick walls which could decrease mobility as far as standard doorways, narrow stairwells, packing gear efficiently in a van or trailer etc. or ending up with something really light but really huge and cumbersome, etc. I don't know the "how much thicker/how much stronger" ratio.

 

[Petebass]

Of course, those with cabs that big often have roadies, so why worry?

I've got roadies. Until you've had them, you don't realise what a double-edged sword it is. Lets just say that my motto has saved me a lot of grief compared to my bandmates, namely "I don't make my roadies carry anything I wouldn't be happy to carry myself". It's partly to keep them happy, which results in more care for my equipment, and it's partly because I have to haul my own gear around on occasion.

 

[Stumbo]

With regards to requests for sound clips, many computers have hi-fi sounding sound cards and speakers (including mine) and many also have decently fast internet connections (mine is a 3mB dsl).

I listen to sound clips from many sites on the internet and can always tell the difference between low and high quality video/audio.

So if the OP can generate a high quality sound clip, many people will "get" the tone.

Thanks for a great post. For sure in the top ten for the year. Maybe #1.

 

[phoenix742]

+1 on the 810 idea. If Zac figures he could build one at about 80 lbs. it would weigh about 2/3 of what my 410 weighs! And giant cabs rock, but they suck to carry. If you figure that high end 810s cost 1200 & up, then I would pay extra to lose half the weight.