Looking great, Adbass! The matching SVT grill cloth is a really custom touch and looks great with your head. Bet it sounds as good as it looks. Congrats!
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fEARful Part Twelve (12)
- Thread starter greenboy
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thanks boss.
Good luck with the L pad thing.
95% of those kinds of issues is finding the culprit. Since you've done that already it should be a fairly easy fix.
...AND I'm back!
The fix was so easy, it's embarassing. The l-pad comes with two flat washers, one lock washer and one 1/2" nut. I left one flat washer on the inside end of the l-pad shaft thinking it would help seal the l-pad against the l-pad faceplate. Turns out that the washer doesn't get compressed very much no matter how much you torque down on the outside nut, leaving it free to rattle around on the shaft and drive me nuts. Five minutes later and the chiming sound is gone. Ah, the joy of DIY.
Back to practicing. 
The fix was so easy, it's embarassing. The l-pad comes with two flat washers, one lock washer and one 1/2" nut. I left one flat washer on the inside end of the l-pad shaft thinking it would help seal the l-pad against the l-pad faceplate. Turns out that the washer doesn't get compressed very much no matter how much you torque down on the outside nut, leaving it free to rattle around on the shaft and drive me nuts. Five minutes later and the chiming sound is gone. Ah, the joy of DIY.
Back to practicing. 
So...
Being the perfectionist I am, I decided to cover the grill of my 15/6 with some audio cloth grade black material. It looks much better. However, I had to remove all the (gasket?) tape as it is not friendly to removing the grill. It rips easily and creates a big mess. I had played the cab on a gig Friday night and was getting some grill buzz on the low notes. It wasnt horrible, but still not acceptable to me.
So I am thinking of using rubber washers for each screw that goes into the grill.
Screw > grill> rubber washer > cab.
Think that will work?
Being the perfectionist I am, I decided to cover the grill of my 15/6 with some audio cloth grade black material. It looks much better. However, I had to remove all the (gasket?) tape as it is not friendly to removing the grill. It rips easily and creates a big mess. I had played the cab on a gig Friday night and was getting some grill buzz on the low notes. It wasnt horrible, but still not acceptable to me.
So I am thinking of using rubber washers for each screw that goes into the grill.
Screw > grill> rubber washer > cab.
Think that will work?
Ha. Well I'd rather avoid the permanent glue type scenario. Down the line I might have to remove the grill again so I'd rather have a solution where I can take off the grill multiple times with no issues.
I guess I'll try the rubber washer solution.
I guess I'll try the rubber washer solution.
hey stumbo
what you're seeing is either bare wood or white polyester damping material.
i ran damping material all the way to the bottom of the cab. the port clearance still follows this rule:
"Never take EXTENSIONS any closer to the inner back panel than the height of the port + the thickness of the shelf (if port is 3" tall and shelf is 1/2" thick, that would be 3.5"). And if damping materials (open cell foam or polyfill batting) stick out too far close to that, they should be tapered down / mashed down with staples or spray adhesive to assure clear, unobstructed flow in the port area."
Thats from greenboy.
anyway, I'm going to paint the insides/backs of the ports with some black spray paint.
Thanks for the info.
Very nice rig. Seems like you could play pretty much anywhere with a rig like that.
...AND I'm back!
The fix was so easy, it's embarassing. The l-pad comes with two flat washers, one lock washer and one 1/2" nut. I left one flat washer on the inside end of the l-pad shaft thinking it would help seal the l-pad against the l-pad faceplate. Turns out that the washer doesn't get compressed very much no matter how much you torque down on the outside nut, leaving it free to rattle around on the shaft and drive me nuts. Five minutes later and the chiming sound is gone. Ah, the joy of DIY.
This is good to know. I'll check mine before installing. Thanks again, Mike, for cutting the path.
It's been a busy weekend with a sick baby at home that included an early morning trip to the ER (he is fine, has the croup but getting better). However, I did find time for a little cab work. More pics are here: Bardley - TalkBass Wiki
I have the finish on and hardware installed. I have also started the batting material on the inside and have the first layer done. I have also started wiring. Won't be long now.
I couldn't resist sitting the grill in place to get an idea of the finished product.
More to come soon!
I have the finish on and hardware installed. I have also started the batting material on the inside and have the first layer done. I have also started wiring. Won't be long now.
I couldn't resist sitting the grill in place to get an idea of the finished product.
More to come soon!
Dude! That looks awesome! Very impressive. You've got a one-of-a-kind cab.
I need to give you a heads-up on something must folks here don't know, b/c they didn't build a 15/6/1. Using the feet that come with the grill/kit, the grill will sit on top of the tweeter horn. I wound up with a little buzz, even though I torqued the grill down. I fixed this by using the gasket material that came with the PennElcom handles. That stuff is very useful! I made gaskets for my mid and tweet horn out of it too. For this fix, I cut strips 1/2"x 3" and put them on the tweet horn "bulges" that contacted the grill. They are invisible from more than a few feet away. Buzzing is gone.
Taller feet (grill mounts) would negate this problem. Or recessing the tweet horn into the baffle...but that's too much work. Taller feet is the way to go, IMO, with the 15/6/1.
So, heads-up!
I need to give you a heads-up on something must folks here don't know, b/c they didn't build a 15/6/1. Using the feet that come with the grill/kit, the grill will sit on top of the tweeter horn. I wound up with a little buzz, even though I torqued the grill down. I fixed this by using the gasket material that came with the PennElcom handles. That stuff is very useful! I made gaskets for my mid and tweet horn out of it too. For this fix, I cut strips 1/2"x 3" and put them on the tweet horn "bulges" that contacted the grill. They are invisible from more than a few feet away. Buzzing is gone.
Taller feet (grill mounts) would negate this problem. Or recessing the tweet horn into the baffle...but that's too much work. Taller feet is the way to go, IMO, with the 15/6/1.
So, heads-up!
Thanks again, Mike. I may not have that issue due to a clamping mistake on my baffle. The baffle is actually back just a bit on that side due to the biscuit falling out before I got the clamp set. I didn't notice it until the PL had already set. I actually glued a couple rubber washers onto the grill stand-offs on that side to level it up. It will work just fine. Hopefully it will clear the horn.
I am going to tackle me some fEarful cabs real soon.
To go along with them, my cousin moves home in three weeks and I'm trying to convince him to build a guitar cab for himself (a 6x12 to be specific). I asked him if he'd construct it so it would have a rack unit built in on top, but he thinks it's going to be too heavy as it is.
To go along with them, my cousin moves home in three weeks and I'm trying to convince him to build a guitar cab for himself (a 6x12 to be specific). I asked him if he'd construct it so it would have a rack unit built in on top, but he thinks it's going to be too heavy as it is.
Hi guys. I'm sure this kind of thing has been brought up in the past, but I haven't been following these threads. I hope this doesn't seem too stupid
Just recently I've become interested in fEARful cabs. But, I'm wondering if my general "style" might not be the best fit for cabs that make use of concepts that confuse and frighten me, such as "crossovers" and "midrange drivers".
To put it simply, I like fuzz. A LOT. Big, heavy, roaring, ripping fuzz. Noise music, heavy usage of weird effects, all that kind of stuff. But also "normal" playing too
. I have absolutely no interest in a hi-fi sound (not crapping on it, but it's just not what I'm into). My basses are all wired passively, some tuned BEAD, and I use an all-tube amp (Peavey VB-2)...my other amp is a Hartke HA3500, so I'm not running super high wattage with either one.
But I'm really interested in something like the 15/6tube and sub stack. The taller the better, I'm assuming, because I'm 6'7" myself.
I'm kinda drawn to these cabs because of the DIY aspect -- I like DIY, personalized guitars, that kind of thing. Not to mention the good reviews. But I don't know if these cabs are the best fit for that kind of sound.
I don't have a router or any tools like that, I mean I've never built anything. I can do some basic soldering and I DID both enjoy and learn a lot from refinishing my bass, which got me interested in more projects...
Thanks in advance.
Just recently I've become interested in fEARful cabs. But, I'm wondering if my general "style" might not be the best fit for cabs that make use of concepts that confuse and frighten me, such as "crossovers" and "midrange drivers".
To put it simply, I like fuzz. A LOT. Big, heavy, roaring, ripping fuzz. Noise music, heavy usage of weird effects, all that kind of stuff. But also "normal" playing too
. I have absolutely no interest in a hi-fi sound (not crapping on it, but it's just not what I'm into). My basses are all wired passively, some tuned BEAD, and I use an all-tube amp (Peavey VB-2)...my other amp is a Hartke HA3500, so I'm not running super high wattage with either one.But I'm really interested in something like the 15/6tube and sub stack. The taller the better, I'm assuming, because I'm 6'7" myself.
I'm kinda drawn to these cabs because of the DIY aspect -- I like DIY, personalized guitars, that kind of thing. Not to mention the good reviews. But I don't know if these cabs are the best fit for that kind of sound.
I don't have a router or any tools like that, I mean I've never built anything. I can do some basic soldering and I DID both enjoy and learn a lot from refinishing my bass, which got me interested in more projects...
Thanks in advance.
if you build a 15/6 i would suggest you DONT have a horn as well, they dont really work too well with distortion.
as for wierd effects, they should work just fine
BIG, Heavy, i assume you mean alot of lows? you get that with a fEARful for sure, especially with a 15 sub too
and they handle alot of watts.
a router would be handy but not essential, the DIY fEARful kits from DIY Speaker Kits - Speaker Hardware maybe the best way to go, check out Speaker Hardware - fEARful Flat Pack Assembly - YouTube
be a good idea to check out these too - Builds in progress or completed - TalkBass Wiki
since becoming aware of fEARful cabs ive seen only 1 for sale, because the owner wanted a 15/6 instead of a 12/6, speaks for itself really,
as for wierd effects, they should work just fine
BIG, Heavy, i assume you mean alot of lows? you get that with a fEARful for sure, especially with a 15 sub too
and they handle alot of watts.
a router would be handy but not essential, the DIY fEARful kits from DIY Speaker Kits - Speaker Hardware maybe the best way to go, check out Speaker Hardware - fEARful Flat Pack Assembly - YouTube
be a good idea to check out these too - Builds in progress or completed - TalkBass Wiki
since becoming aware of fEARful cabs ive seen only 1 for sale, because the owner wanted a 15/6 instead of a 12/6, speaks for itself really,
Yeah, I've been doing some research in the meanwhile. Thanks a bunch for your response -- the DIY kits seem to be the way to go. I have something new to GAS for.
It is my 12/6 that is for sale 
. I ordered a 15/6 driver kit and Okoume wood to build a super light cab. I will also add a 12sub. The 12/6 cube needs to go to cut the spending a little, otherwise I'd keep it.
. I ordered a 15/6 driver kit and Okoume wood to build a super light cab. I will also add a 12sub. The 12/6 cube needs to go to cut the spending a little, otherwise I'd keep it.
To put it simply, I like fuzz. A LOT. Big, heavy, roaring, ripping fuzz. Noise music, heavy usage of weird effects, all that kind of stuff. But also "normal" playing too
The beauty of the fEARful cabinets, as I understand them, is that whatever you put into them, you'll get out of them however distorted and otherwise effected the signal (within the limits of what is physically possible, of course). If you like your speakers to do some of your distorting for you, though, you might be out of luck -- in that regard, fEARfuls are about as hi-fi as they come.
good point GrowlerBox, i assumed with so many watts going into the "sound" that any distortion would be gain stage/preamp/effects distortion, thus the fEARful just reproducing what its being fed, OTOH driving a fEARful to speaker distort would not be a good thing
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