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DIY Lightweight Composite Cab Build

#381
pflail said:
]I may try experimenting with a T39 horn for our bass player instead of the bigger T48 to begin with.
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Rick, are these the Bill Fitzmaurice cabs? If so, those are subs. You'd need bi-amping and a crossover, plus another cab for mids.

I'm starting a build of one of Bill's Omni 15 Tallboy cabs. This should give me a full-range cab with huge sound, which I'll use for larger gigs and outdoor shows without PA support. (For smaller gigs, my pair of Eden D112XLTs does the job nicely.)

I'm leaving out the tweeter on the TB cabinet, because it isn't necessary for my style of playing. With just woof and mid, the cab's 3dB point is above 2KHz.
 
#382
zac2944 said:
... I noticed right away about the 210 was that it was more efficient than the 410...
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The Ampeg 410HLF is only rated at 98dB, so you're probably beating that efficiency. However, since there's no standard for how a manufacturer states efficiency, it's hard to tell. If you get a chance to run the RTA plot, run both cabs. Do it outdoors, of course, but you'll have to settle for half-space (on the ground). It's too difficult to put a 410 atop a ladder!

One bad thing I noticed is a slight buzz coming from the 210 somewhere.
Click to expand...

It may be an air leak. Eden cabs do this through unused input jacks; sometimes it's so strange that people think they have a torn speaker. Most 1/4" jacks, and even some Speakons, are not airtight.

On my BFM Omni15TB build, I'm going to seal behind the jackplate. A small wooden cigar box would be perfect for that.
 
#383
Rick Auricchio said:
For smaller gigs, my pair of Eden D112XLTs does the job nicely.
Click to expand...

How do you like the D112XLT? A local shop has a used on for $300. I'm thinking of picking it up to go with my Shuttle 6.0. I'd like a relatively small, light, inexpensive 1x12 that can do all right standalone (within acknowledged limits of a single 1x12) and handle a B string.

The D112XLT is reputed to be a bit bass shy and I think I'm all right with that. I'm planning on bringing in the Shuttle and test driving, but an experienced opinion with it would be appreciated.

If you were going to buy a 1x12 today would you buy the D112XLT all over again?

KO
 
#384
On topic, it'd be interesting to see the same composite building techniques applied to some superior drivers for a two-way or three-way using the Em 3015LF woofer and the 18 Sound 6ND410 midrange (and whatever HF components). The force a 3015LF can exert would demand more rigidity as well as larger panel sizes... should be a worthy challenge with mind-blowing results : }​
 
#387
greenboy said:
On topic, it'd be interesting to see the same composite building techniques applied to some superior drivers for a two-way or three-way using the Em 3015LF woofer and the 18 Sound 6ND410 midrange (and whatever HF components). The force a 3015LF can exert would demand more rigidity as well as larger panel sizes... should be a worthy challenge with mind-blowing results : }​
Click to expand...


Stay tuned. This is next on my list.​
 
#388
I'm making arrangements with some local TBers (dangnewt, AJ Brown, Chunk-O-Funk) to bring the ZacLite composite 210 down to the International GTG this weekend. Unfortunately I can't be there myself.

If anyone is interested in trying it out and is in the area (NYC) this would be a good opportunity.

I asked Dan (dangnewt) to have others try it out and gather some feedback for me. I'm looking forward to hearing what folks have to say and taking all that feedback into account for my next design.
 
#389
I was able to use the 210 at rehearsal again last night. This time I brought my Fender Jazz instead of the Metro P/J I usually play. I also brought in my GK1001-RBII instead of using the SVT head that is at my rehearsal space. I thought the Jazz/GK/210 was a much better combo than the P/J/SVT/210 I used last week. Tone was very punchy and articulate and volume was plenty. The low end could still be felt in the chest, but is was more tight and clear compared to the Ampeg 410 that I normally use.

One thing I noticed this time was just how much those 2510 drivers move. It must have been a combination of where I was standing and the lighting, but you could really see those things moving! Pretty cool, but a little unnerving. The GK1001 should be able to blow the 210 to pieces if cranked. I was careful not to push it too far. I only turned up to my normal level. A little bass boost from the GK really helped fill out the low end and the 210 didn't seem to mind it.

One thing that this cab lacks if that lo-mid punch that I get from my Schroeder 1212R. I designed the cab to have a smooth rolloff in the low end and no mid bass hump that you see when using smaller box volumes. I consider this a good thing. I've got some blues gigs coming up and the 210 should do a great job tone wise. The 1212R is a bit too in-your-face for those kind of gigs.

A couple more logos. I think I'm going to stick with ZacLite. As someone posted above, it is very searchable. I think they're less NASCAR. Any opinions? I'd like to create a logo plate for this cab before I send it down to the NYC GTG this weekend.

zaclitelogos10copy.gif
 
#391
For the logo, I suggest raising the height of the blue Z and the blue L a bit so the outline flows up and over those letters. Or maybe just the Z. Which ever looks more balanced. I think that will make it more easily recognizable.
 
#393
So, a semi-on-topic question for the engineers/physicists in the room: if one wanted to build a cab with plywood, but use thinner stock than the ubiquitous 3/4", could 'glassing the inside of the box provide all the bracing/stiffness required?

It would beat the hell out of cutting channels for wood braces. It could also open the door to more exotic-looking materials.
 
#394
takeout said:
So, a semi-on-topic question for the engineers/physicists in the room: if one wanted to build a cab with plywood, but use thinner stock than the ubiquitous 3/4", could 'glassing the inside of the box provide all the bracing/stiffness required?
Click to expand...

I would guess no. Most of the stiffness of a composite panel comes from having two planes of material held fixed at some distance apart. Having the glass on just one surface is far from ideal.

It would beat the hell out of cutting channels for wood braces. It could also open the door to more exotic-looking materials.
Click to expand...

Why cut channels? Why not just glue/screw them in place without channels?

Asad
 
#397
I was at the GTG. I can tell you that it is surprisingly light. I could have picked it up with one hand and held it over my head light. It was difficult to hear it b/c it was so noisy there but we could feel our pants flapping.
 
#400
So after putting the Zaclite through its paces, I'm happy to report back that all is well. I've been able to use the cab at rehearsals and small/medium (50-150 people) size bar gigs with good results. I still get a kick out of showing it to other musicians. I get the greatest reactions every time someone picks it up, usually followed by a "holy $hit!". My back is also very happy with the results. Lugging gear from car to bar can be quite a walk in Boston. Now I do it in one trip, without a dolly, and without breaking a sweat. Funny thing is that the cab is only slightly heavier than my GK head, and given its size it actually seems lighter.

I've received comments from other musicians that is a very bright cab, and I have to agree. I think this brightness is in the upper mid range though. I does not sound to me like a cab with a harsh tweeter. It just sounds very detailed. I've yet to confirm this with tests, but I'm guessing that this cab is lacking the hole in the mid range that many cabs are said to have. By putting those mids back in, the cab sounds bright in comparison.

All the TB talk about cab testing in the "Bass Gear Magazine - Speaker Cab Tests" got me excited to test out my own cabs. I don't have the proper gear or knowledge yet to do any very useful testing, but I did some experimenting the other day just to see what I could see.

I have a General Radio (GenRad) 1565-B Sound Level Meter pictured below. Here's a data sheet on the unit.

genrad1565-B1.gif


I'm not sure if this unit could be useful for any "AES" quality testing, but it is all I have at the moment so I figured I'd give it a go.

Here's what I did. I set up my ZacLite 210 cab and Schroeder 1212R in my small backyard. There are houses and wood fences all around me, so I'm pretty sure this setup is far from ideal. At least it was a quiet day in the neighborhood. I hooked up the ZacLite to a GK1001 amp first, and then I set the amp flat. I set up the SPL meter 3 feet away from the center of the cab's baffle, and set the meter to C-weighting. From what I was able to research this is the flattest setting. I then played a 35Hz tone via laptop computer signal generator and adjusted the amps output until I got a reading of 75dB. From here I took SPL readings at 28 different frequencies. From 35Hz-13kHz. I used 1.25x to get my next frequency for testing (35, 43.75, 54.5875, etc.). Once done with the ZacLite, I hooked up the 1212R in its place without making any adjustments to the amp and repeated the testing procedure. Then I plugged all the data into Excel and plotted a semi-log graph of the data. Here's what I got.

F3Actual.gif


I must say, I figured I'd see smoother looking graphs, but it is what it is. Them's the data. Could I be getting nodes from the boundary conditions? My backyard is about 12'x20' (city neighborhood) with 6' picket fence on three sides, and a house on the other. Then there's a concrete patio, a small block wall in one corner, etc. Not exactly an anechoic chamber.

In an effort to figure out what the F3​ and F10​ of the ZacLite might be I calculated an average SPL from 98Hz-909Hz of 88 SPL. From there I graphically found F3​ =57Hz and F10​ = 40Hz. This turns out to be pretty close to what WinISD predicted. Here's the WinISD plot:

F3Predicted.gif


Now here's my disclaimer. I'm not an audio engineer and don't claim to be one. Please don't flame me, educate me. What is presented here should not be compared to any other specs you've every seen anywhere. I won't be surprised to find out that what I did is 100% incorrect. I did this in my backyard and I don't really know what I'm doing. Please keep that in mind.

I didn't throw the 1212r in there to make output comparisons. The 1212R is a much louder cab. I was just hoping to see the something in the graphs that describes what I hear. I'm only trying to learn and figure some of you may be interested and/or able to help.

Now, if any of you experts or experienced DIYers out there have recommendation for how I can change my procedure to get more accurate and useful results please let me know. Also, if anyone feels that the data presented here is useful, please help me make sense of it. I plan on upgrading to a measurement mic and TrueRTA software at some point, but funds don't allow at the moment. Saving for winter heating oil takes priority.
 

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