fEARful™ Part Twelve (12)

[Robby Hoinsky]

Hey Torin,

I hope that trade works well for both you and the previous owner. You could probably cut a little more weight by using the CBG crossover instead of the mega-overkill one I built for that cab, but I'd only bother if you replace the whole cab first. The only reason I used that heavy 3/4" stock was because I had a few extra pieces kicking around after building a pair of 1-15s for an install that ended up not happening anyway. The extra pieces of bling trim wood were actually needed to get the right panel sizes, but I like how it came out.

That 12/6 was my all time favorite at home, but I tended to use either a bigger cab or a smaller one on most of my gigs. It's plenty loud enough for many types of gigs though...

I was going to ask what you used to end up with a 60 lbs 12/6. Looks great! Perfect for studio or practice space. When I know the cab isn't going to move, I go for heavy.

Robby

 

[Passinwind]

I was going to ask what you used to end up with a 60 lbs 12/6. Looks great! Perfect for studio or practice space. When I know the cab isn't going to move, I go for heavy.

Robby

Hey Robby,

It's Europly, 13 ply alternating alder and birch, with continuous maple veneer. It was supposed to be 20-25% lighter than Baltic Birch, but actually was probably within 10% of just as heavy. It's really nice to work with (low chemical issues, etc.), although it does have the "thin veneer" aspect working against that. The tiger maple accents came from the Home Depot dimensional lumber bin-- go figure!

I always intended to use this mostly as a practice cab, but it was also the test bed for one of the first dedicated fEARful crossovers.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Hey Torin,

I hope that trade works well for both you and the previous owner. You could probably cut a little more weight by using the CBG crossover instead of the mega-overkill one I built for that cab, but I'd only bother if you replace the whole cab first. The only reason I used that heavy 3/4" stock was because I had a few extra pieces kicking around after building a pair of 1-15s for an install that ended up not happening anyway. The extra pieces of bling trim wood were actually needed to get the right panel sizes, but I like how it came out.

That 12/6 was my all time favorite at home, but I tended to use either a bigger cab or a smaller one on most of my gigs. It's plenty loud enough for many types of gigs though...

Thanks Charlie!

How much heavier do you estimate your crossover is vs the CBG? If its only a pound or two its no big deal. But yeah, I'd love to get a box built of Italian Poplar or Auraco (sp?) to drop it by about 20LBS.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

That 12/6 was my all time favorite at home, but I tended to use either a bigger cab or a smaller one on most of my gigs. It's plenty loud enough for many types of gigs though...

Which cab did [do?] you use that is smaller? I use my 12/6 on 90% of gigs, and for many of those it can be way louder than needed. Trouble is, I've tried several 10" cabs and an Acme B-1, and none had the amazing tone of my 12/6. Seems like I've hit a sonic wall there. No compromise.

 

[mikeddd]

This is MHO/IME. The only things you absolutely NEED are clamps, a screwdriver and a terminal crimper to crimp wires/terminals for the crossovers and drivers. Add in a soldering iron and solder if you're building your own crossovers. Technically, you can assemble a fEarful with this bare-bones tool setup but it won't be quick or easy.

You should absolutely invest in some clamps. I have six clamps and it was enough. You can never have too many clamps though. Harbor freight has them very cheap. Also, a hot melt glue gun is a good investment. They are $10 at Home Depot/Lowes.

Unless you have a brad air nailer or electric nail gun (a very good investment that will pay for itself quickly) you will need to use screws to hold the wood together while the glue dries, UNLESS you want to wait for the glue to dry while the clamps hold things. That means 1 maybe 2 pieces per day assembly rate. Screws work but suck to use b/c you have to predrill every single hole. IOW, skip the screws.

You've probably heard the phrase "The right tool makes any job easy" or some variation on that and the phrase is true.

Building a fEarful is NOT HARD AT ALL, especially with the cut kit. But if you try to build one using only a glue stick and a pencil you will not be happy with the results. Here's my recommendation; invest in some tools.

6 clamps - about $40
glue gun - $10
small compressor and brad nailer - $175, roughly
soldering iron - $10

I'll assume you own screwdrivers/hammer/pliers.

If you don't want to invest $200-$300 in tools, I suggest paying that same money and having someone assemble it for you. A fEarful is a pro-grade speaker cab with some serious pressures going on inside. Sloppy/leaky construction will not end will for the drivers or your pocket. Not trying to scare you; just wanting to put some reality on the table.

I've been considering building a fEARful, but I'm not sure my skills are up to the task.

It seems most people here who have built one have SOME sort of wood working experience.

The only wood working experience I have was making a [crappy] bird house in high school.

Now, I'm good at assembling things. I played with legos and kinex and stuff as a kid, built model kits as a teen (the snap together kind, no glue or paint) and have put together a few things from Ikea (again, no glue or paint).

So, I'm not sure I'm ready to do a fEARful, but I think I could tackle a few smaller projects and work my way up to one.

What do you guys think? Should I go for it, or work my way up to it?

(keep in mind I don't have a shop, or know anyone with one, this would be just me in my garage, with my only tools being some screw drivers, a hammer, and one clamp).

 

[Robby Hoinsky]

This is MHO/IME. The only things you absolutely NEED are clamps, a screwdriver and a terminal crimper to crimp wires/terminals for the crossovers and drivers. Add in a soldering iron and solder if you're building your own crossovers. Technically, you can assemble a fEarful with this bare-bones tool setup but it won't be quick or easy.

You should absolutely invest in some clamps. I have six clamps and it was enough. You can never have too many clamps though. Harbor freight has them very cheap. Also, a hot melt glue gun is a good investment. They are $10 at Home Depot/Lowes.

Unless you have a brad air nailer or electric nail gun (a very good investment that will pay for itself quickly) you will need to use screws to hold the wood together while the glue dries, UNLESS you want to wait for the glue to dry while the clamps hold things. That means 1 maybe 2 pieces per day assembly rate. Screws work but suck to use b/c you have to predrill every single hole. IOW, skip the screws.

You've probably heard the phrase "The right tool makes any job easy" or some variation on that and the phrase is true.

Building a fEarful is NOT HARD AT ALL, especially with the cut kit. But if you try to build one using only a glue stick and a pencil you will not be happy with the results. Here's my recommendation; invest in some tools.

6 clamps - about $40
glue gun - $10
small compressor and brad nailer - $175, roughly
soldering iron - $10

I'll assume you own screwdrivers/hammer/pliers.

If you don't want to invest $200-$300 in tools, I suggest paying that same money and having someone assemble it for you. A fEarful is a pro-grade speaker cab with some serious pressures going on inside. Sloppy/leaky construction will not end will for the drivers or your pocket. Not trying to scare you; just wanting to put some reality on the table.

I'll agree with this that a moderate investment upfront makes DIYing in all respects much easier. I have good tools (duh) and a lot of them, so it is easy for me to forget how much of a pita everything was when I had just a jigsaw, a corded drill, and a milkcrate to put the wood while I cut it.

If this is the only cabinet you ever plan on making, then buying the necessary tools might not be worth it.

Robby

 

[KingRazor]

That's one of the reasons I've been considering having one built for me. I don't want it to be done sloppily, and I'm willing to pay the extra money to have it done right.

I'd like to invest in some tools in the future, though. I do see some wood work in the future possibly assembling and/or modding basses. But not any time soon.

 

[Passinwind]

Which cab did [do?] you use that is smaller? I use my 12/6 on 90% of gigs, and for many of those it can be way louder than needed. Trouble is, I've tried several 10" cabs and an Acme B-1, and none had the amazing tone of my 12/6. Seems like I've hit a sonic wall there. No compromise.

I gigged an EA CxL-112 for several years on my EUB gigs, which amount to nearly all of 'em these days. For me it was one of those cabs that never sounded that great at home, but always worked well on gigs.

I am now using one of Duke's Thunderchild cabs, which he gave me a really special deal on since I helped him along on a few things as he got his feet wet in the MI cab business. It's only a little smaller, but it's also 30 pounds lighter in my case. All the tonal differences/compromises compared to a fEARful cab work out really well in my case.

In all honesty though, otherwise I probably would've just had someone build me a much lighter 12/6 cab (I hate woodworking passionately) and added a tweeter, which I missed a bit on gigs even though the 18Sound mid driver goes high enough for many players. Both cabs sound great and I could easily cop the same sounds I need from either one if the 12/6 had a tweeter in it. I just don't have room in my house for both, or I would've kept the 12/6 for practice. It was probably the nicest piece of furniture in my place, really.

I also have a 15/6/1 15/15/6/1 or 15/15/6/1/6/1 rig, but I've only used that for one gig this year, I think.

 

[Balog]

Hey Torin,

I hope that trade works well for both you and the previous owner. You could probably cut a little more weight by using the CBG crossover instead of the mega-overkill one I built for that cab, but I'd only bother if you replace the whole cab first. The only reason I used that heavy 3/4" stock was because I had a few extra pieces kicking around after building a pair of 1-15s for an install that ended up not happening anyway. The extra pieces of bling trim wood were actually needed to get the right panel sizes, but I like how it came out.

That 12/6 was my all time favorite at home, but I tended to use either a bigger cab or a smaller one on most of my gigs. It's plenty loud enough for many types of gigs though...

Hi Charlie,

I was pretty sad to see it go, it's one of the prettiest and best sounding cabs I've ever seen. I think eventually I'm going to want more volume (based on running sound for a friend gigging it) and since Eminence seems to be stopping production on the 3015LF I thought I should grab it rather than wait and be unable to get a new one built. But yeah... just gorgeous.

Also, question on the nEARful I got... Looking at the Wiki, is it the 15/6tube version? I like how it's so much wider, when I'm carrying it the bottom is above my thighs so they got knock into it with every step.

I admit I was pretty nervous about going to an LDS version, as I know they aren't really to spec. But I was doing some searching and saw a thread where Passinwind said that he'd taken some liberties with the 12/6 build as well, so I was reassured.

 

[Passinwind]

But I was doing some searching and saw a thread where Passinwind said that he'd taken some liberties with the 12/6 build as well, so I was reassured.

Mine was one of the very first ones built, and greenboy later changed a few dimensions based on my feedback and (more so) his own desire for perfection. I too would have preferred the wider format, but those designs came a bit later. The liberties I took were mostly leaving out certain braces, but I discussed that extensively with greenboy to make sure we'd stay on the same page with crossover design. I was very happy to see him take on crossover design himself, it's just a huge PITA.

My cab build is mainly a shin banger because you need two hands to carry it. I just used a dolly most of the times it left my house. A lighter 12/6 should be a one-hander for many, I assume?

 

[makohund]

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

As another, my birch ply 1212/6/1 with similar hardware is right at 81lbs. (According to FedEx.) 20lbs heavier.

Everything that could possibly account for some (however small) difference:
- different grille
- HF parts, crossover, wiring, etc. (minus the wood cut to make the hole)
- different model wheels
- Line-X coat instead of duratex
- different lining, etc

I suppose it goes to show that the weight can vary a lot, even with the same materials and similar design choices. Looking at it, the only obvious differences are the inclusion of HF, and the different grille.

Differences can add up fast.

 

[mikeddd]

I agree, makohund. I have a 15/6/1 and the compression driver alone must weigh 1.5 pounds at least.I need to weigh my 15/6/1 tonight. Curious how it will compare to my Avatar 212 which shorter, not as deep but made of 3/4" ply.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Hi Charlie,

I was pretty sad to see it go, it's one of the prettiest and best sounding cabs I've ever seen. I think eventually I'm going to want more volume (based on running sound for a friend gigging it) and since Eminence seems to be stopping production on the 3015LF I thought I should grab it rather than wait and be unable to get a new one built. But yeah... just gorgeous.

Also, question on the nEARful I got... Looking at the Wiki, is it the 15/6tube version? I like how it's so much wider, when I'm carrying it the bottom is above my thighs so they got knock into it with every step.

I admit I was pretty nervous about going to an LDS version, as I know they aren't really to spec. But I was doing some searching and saw a thread where Passinwind said that he'd taken some liberties with the 12/6 build as well, so I was reassured.

While the LDS is not a fEARful it is a very capable cab in its own right, in my experience. It was never lacking in volume in any gig I played it on including this place...

In a place like that you definitely need a lot of lows from a cab just to have enough lows given no walls, room, or PA reinforcement. Naturally, we only needed to cover the beer garden area and not the entire venue.

 

[zaubertuba]

Maybe a loose wire in the crossover going to the low end? It could be when it starts moving air or vibrating in there it makes and breaks a connection. Just a guess.

Plausible. I'll pull the woofer and check the wiring.

How many watts is the amp putting in? One of the downsides to the Eminence LF woofers is that you won't get any warning before you toast em. I think this is due to the voice coil length. If you're boosting lows and running a kilowatt I'd be wary.

The Crown puts out 600W bridged, but the XO is tweeter-protected and only rated up to 400W. I kind of figured my XO would tend to die before the driver if I was overloading it.

Kind of makes me wonder if it is the crossover--it's supposed to go into input limiting at 250W. Perhaps the tungstun filaments are hosed or something.

Maybe it's time to swap out to Greenboys x-over so you no longer have any worries and the cab is running optimally.

I know, I know. Unfortunately my time's at a premium these days...

 

[Balog]

Very cool. Nice bass in the second pic, is that the Stambaugh listed in your sig?

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Yup.

 

[RamesesNiblick3]

PM me your mailing address and what length you're looking for and I'll mail you some 10-32 SAE screws. Flat head, I'm assuming? (bottom part that will contact case is flat vs. v-shaped). I probably have what you need in my little parts case.

I lived overseas for quite awhile and understand what it's like to not be able to buy the simplest little things. I could've ordered them online, but who wants to pay $30 for two little bolts? I feel your pain. I'll hook you up.

Thanks mate, I owe you one. PM incoming.

 

[Bardley]

I went ahead and labeled my jack plate last night. It has a Blade Runner vibe to it. They are just Brother P-Touch labels. The camera flash shows all the imperfections but they look better in person and you don't see all the clear around the letters as much. I know my "Tweeter Level" sticker is a bit crooked. It was tough to get it straight with such a small sticker down in that gap. Also, if I could have made Greenboy actually green I would have.

 

[mikeddd]

Hey, how'd you get your P-touch to print like that? I think all mine does is "normal font." Maybe I need to RTFM? Looks great!

 

[mikeddd]

Thanks mate, I owe you one. PM incoming.

You are very welcome. Happy to help a fellow TBer. Should be in the mail over the next couple of days.