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fEARful™ Part Twelve (12)

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#562
solarplexus said:
You think it's too heavy for Baltic Birch? I don't know. It is 1/2" and 9 plies (very light outer veneer though). I don't mind the weight at all, but having the option of having a 1212/6 for the SAME amount of weight is very, very tempting.
Click to expand...

The heavier of my 12/6 (tall, not cube) cabs weighs 39.4 lbs. It's built from generic pine plywood and has the the non-neo Alpha6 mid driver.
 
#565
Mike, fEARfuls are designed w/1/2" ply. Baltic Birch is probably the preferred material, arauco is acceptable.. Its a bit lighter, but prone to warpage. Locally I can get okoume. Its lighter than BB, stronger than arauco.. The downside? Expect to pay over $130 for a 4x8 sheet of it
 
#566
Rockin Mike said:
What are the best choices for lightweight building materials?
So far I have heard,
- omit corners and handles if the cab is for home use only
- use 1/2" ply instead of 3/4"

Do you lose an audible amount of rigidity going to 1/2" ply? What about 3/8"?

Is there a certain type of ply that has an optimal weight/rigidity ratio?
If I understand correctly, Baltic Birch is supposed to be the no-compromises most dense/rigid choice for best sound although not the lightest choice.

What about 3/8" Arauco ply with a fiberglass shell?
Click to expand...

check out Robby Hoinsky Art of Noise fEARful

Link Removed
 
#568
My personal fEARfuls are Arauco. I figure quality varies by plywood manufacturer, but these were void free with hard outer veneers, and once it's built nothing warps. There are other light ply choices around that'd do fine also, as long as it's void free and like any other ply, from a good vendor.

Here's a few figures, by no means a comprehensive list:

12mm ply
Code: 
species         lbs/ft²     relative to true BB

=======         ======      ===================

Baltic Birch     1.752          100.00%

Arauco           1.354           77.38%

Oukume           1.167           66.67%

Falcatta         1.028           58.75%

Italian Poplar   1.000           57.14%

Falcatta and Italian Poplar can be had with hard outer veneers, and I've seen mention of it for Oukume too. Finding suppliers in some parts of the country can be daunting though. Where there's a lot of serious marine building activity probably beats places with only big box or local home improvement retailers.
 
#569
greenboy said:
My personal fEARfuls are Arauco. I figure quality varies by plywood manufacturer, but these were void free with hard outer veneers, and once it's built nothing warps. There are other light ply choices around that'd do fine also, as long as it's void free and like any other ply, from a good vendor.

Here's a few figures, by no means a comprehensive list:

12mm ply
Code: 
species         lbs/ft²     relative to true BB

=======         ======      ===================

Baltic Birch     1.752          100.00%

Arauco           1.354           77.38%

Oukume           1.167           66.67%

Falcatta         1.028           58.75%

Italian Poplar   1.000           57.14%
Falcatta and Italian Poplar can be had with hard outer veneers, and I've seen mention of it for Oukume too. Finding suppliers in some parts of the country can be daunting though. Where there's a lot of serious marine building activity probably beats places with only big box or local home improvement retailers.
Click to expand...

Excellent info.
 
#570
So I did a search and I see anything related to my question:
Anyone using a pair of 12/6's with an Aguilar DB-750 and what do you think? I'm contemplating a pair to go with my Aggie.
Sorry if it's been covered but the thread is huge and I may have missed it.
Thanks for any feddback.
 
#571
Frankiebass59 said:
So I did a search and I see anything related to my question:
Anyone using a pair of 12/6's with an Aguilar DB-750 and what do you think? I'm contemplating a pair to go with my Aggie.
Sorry if it's been covered but the thread is huge and I may have missed it.
Thanks for any feddback.
Click to expand...

If you think this thread is huge, you should see the other eleven parts of it. LOL!

fEarfuls work well with any amp. They are studio monitors on serious, industrial-strength steroids (my opinion of them). 810 fridge has "a sound" people associate with them. 2x15 old-school cabs have "a sound" people associate with them. fEarfuls don't really have "a sound" of their own.

Before building mine, I was playing through an Avatar 212. I have had to completely redo my EQ settings (just as an example).

For that beast of an amp you have, a 15/6 would be the ticket. Unless you are modern jazz/soloist type of player, then a 15/6/1 would be more flexible. The 18Sound mid puts out PLENTY of high end. You asked about 12/6, sorry. I'd say a 12/6 with a 12sub would be a better option. A related note: 3012LFs are very difficult to find right now. If you're building in the next couple of months a 15/6 might be a better (and louder) option.
 
#573
Frankie: Are those 3012LFs? That's a vital detail. The 3012/3015 are very different drivers than their LF bretheren. The plain jane 3012/3015 will not work in a fEarful design. If they are LFs, then brother, you're in business! You need the cabs, mids, crossovers, handles/corners and grill.
 
#575
What would be the typical approx. weight of a 1212/6 enclosure with Baltic Birch? By calculation the drivers weight (without the horn), the drivers would add 22lbs. So let's say that a BB 1212/6 is at 40 lbs that would mean a 1212/6 in Eurolite (Italian Poplar) would be 57% less so approx. 22.8 lbs making the 1212/6 with drivers around 45lbs.

So... how much you guys think the weight with BB would be for a 1212/6?
 
#576
solarplexus said:
What would be the typical approx. weight of a 1212/6 enclosure with Baltic Birch? By calculation the drivers weight (without the horn), the drivers would add 22lbs. So let's say that a BB 1212/6 is at 40 lbs that would mean a 1212/6 in Eurolite (Italian Poplar) would be 57% less so approx. 22.8 lbs making the 1212/6 with drivers around 45lbs.

So... how much you guys think the weight with BB would be for a 1212/6?
Click to expand...

As a data point, my birch ply 1212/6 with tilt-back wheels and handle came in at 60.4 pounds.
 
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