Low-cost DIY practice/coffeehouse tweeterless 110 [long]

[mikeddd]

Looks great! The epitome of "small, portable cab." That MB200 is so small that I'd be tempted to try and add a pocket on the top/side of the cab, ala the Shuttle series cabs.

Congrats on being the first to get it done. I bought the same handle as you; I'm thinking about putting it on the side b/c I'm not sure if the feet on my Shuttle 6.0 will clear it. I'm thinking about skipping the batting in mine. Where I'm at, it's difficult stuff to find. The only thing I have on hand is 1.25" thick "memory foam" mattress topper. It's no good for batting as it's closed-cell and very dense. I do plan on breaking in the woofer's suspension by running a 30Hz tone at low volume through it for an hour or so before playing it. Should loosen it up a bit.

I'm wondering if it would be worth it to try and install a tilt-back leg of some kind? The cab is so short that it might not matter. I think putting up on a stool or riser of some kind would better serve the purpose.

 

[ChuckHubbert]

I am a rookie to the bass guitar, and need a home/practice set-up. I've just placed my order for parts to make this my first piece. Thanks so much for the information!

The speaker and the strap/handle that I chose were out of stock, but I'm not in a hurry anyway, so that's okay.

Now to choose a head...

Thanks again!

 

[MX21]

Looks great! The epitome of "small, portable cab." That MB200 is so small that I'd be tempted to try and add a pocket on the top/side of the cab, ala the Shuttle series cabs.

Congrats on being the first to get it done. I bought the same handle as you; I'm thinking about putting it on the side b/c I'm not sure if the feet on my Shuttle 6.0 will clear it. I'm thinking about skipping the batting in mine. Where I'm at, it's difficult stuff to find. The only thing I have on hand is 1.25" thick "memory foam" mattress topper. It's no good for batting as it's closed-cell and very dense. I do plan on breaking in the woofer's suspension by running a 30Hz tone at low volume through it for an hour or so before playing it. Should loosen it up a bit.

I'm wondering if it would be worth it to try and install a tilt-back leg of some kind? The cab is so short that it might not matter. I think putting up on a stool or riser of some kind would better serve the purpose.

I use this amp stand already:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Musician's-Gear-Deluxe-Amp-Stand?sku=451065

I lay the cab on it's side and use the front feet of the MB200 to hold it on the top. Works great. I'll snap a picture when I set it up Thursday.

MX

 

[mikeddd]

Well how'bout that? I have that same stand. For $20 (I think I paid more two years ago) it's the best deal going. Looking forward to the pics and the "after break in" report. Good luck.

 

[bherman]

With the GK MB200 hooked up. The feet on the MB200 are tall enough to clear the handle.

Looks great!

I added metal corner protectors to my order: Penn-Elcom C0670K Flat Corner - $3.84 for 8 of them - since I expect to be hauling this little guy around a fair bit!

 

[MX21]

...Free-air sinewave would be good for break-in, or in-box a sine wave well below the tuning frequency (like 20 Hz or so).

How much volume should I use for break-in? I can put in any frequency, although I'm not sure my amp doesn't have a 30Hz high pass, so it may have to be 30 or 40Hz.

MX

 

[DukeLeJeune]

How much volume should I use for break-in? I can put in any frequency, although I'm not sure my amp doesn't have a 30Hz high pass, so it may have to be 30 or 40Hz.

MX

In 30 Hz is better than 40 Hz for break-in once the woofer is in the box, because you'll be farther away from the port tuning and, combined with the longer excursions required by lower frequencies anyway, this will give you greater cone excursion with less wattage than you would get at higher frequencies. Not sure of the SPL you'd want, but look for visible cone movement not to exceed a 1/4" blur (and 1/8" is probably good). Note that sine waves will heat up voice coils and amplifiers faster than you expect, because this is much closer to continuous power than a normal bass note, and in this case lacks the loudness cues of the upper harmonics. I once cooked one channel of an amplifier breaking in a woofer, hence my caution to not turn it up too high.

 

[MX21]

In 30 Hz is better than 40 Hz for break-in once the woofer is in the box, because you'll be farther away from the port tuning and, combined with the longer excursions required by lower frequencies anyway, this will give you greater cone excursion with less wattage than you would get at higher frequencies. Not sure of the SPL you'd want, but look for visible cone movement not to exceed a 1/4" blur (and 1/8" is probably good). Note that sine waves will heat up voice coils and amplifiers faster than you expect, because it's much closer to continuous power than a normal bass note.

I'm just imagining me setting up a 30Hz hum rattling the walls and then leaving for work. I don't think my wife will appreciate hearing it all day.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

I'm just imagining me setting up a 30Hz hum rattling the walls and then leaving for work. I don't think my wife will appreciate hearing it all day.

Just turn it down to where it's unobtrusive. I don't think you'll be rattling the walls like a subwoofer; the cab will be something like minus 20 dB at 30 Hz.

Also, using your EQ to cut the upper mid/lower treble humpage will increase the relative level of the low end. It's not a "flat" speaker (couldn't find any flat ones that would work in this little box).

 

[Fine Cut]

man, i really wanna build this thing as a one-trip load-in/one cab solution to small shows and jams, but i'm not sure if it'll be enough...

if only i could afford to build two

 

[mikeddd]

Bump. I got one box from PE today; everything but the cab was in it. I'm amazed I got it this quickly. Here's hoping the box doesn't take another week to get here. BTW: I've never seen a S2010 in person before. Nice driver. Very light. Has front and rear rubber gaskets already on it. Cone is nice looking. Sexy, even. Can't wait to build mine!

 

[mikeddd]

man, i really wanna build this thing as a one-trip load-in/one cab solution to small shows and jams, but i'm not sure if it'll be enough...

if only i could afford to build two

Build one now; the parts will always be available. Just right now the cabinet is $6 cheaper. Not a biggie. You can always build another later.

 

[bherman]

I am a rookie to the bass guitar, and need a home/practice set-up. I've just placed my order for parts to make this my first piece. Thanks so much for the information!

The speaker and the strap/handle that I chose were out of stock, but I'm not in a hurry anyway, so that's okay.

Now to choose a head...

Thanks again!

If you can afford it, buy something that will give you some expansion capability. Look in the classifieds on this forum, a GenzBenz shuttle 6 or a Markbass II or III would be a good option. Both would run about $400 used, if you can afford that much

 

[Triad]

I have an MB200 too... and now it's time to build a cab for it!
Couple of questions: how much difference will the 4Ohm impedance make in real life? I mean: I could use a speaker that's 97db/250w/8Ohm and one that's 96db/4Ohm: which one is louder with the head?
One has 1db less (for example) but a lower impedance that will allow the head to pump 60w more into it. So how much difference does it make in the woofer choice?
I'd go for a 2x12" with Basslites but still not sure

 

[MX21]

I am a rookie to the bass guitar, and need a home/practice set-up. I've just placed my order for parts to make this my first piece. Thanks so much for the information!

The speaker and the strap/handle that I chose were out of stock, but I'm not in a hurry anyway, so that's okay.

Now to choose a head...

Thanks again!

The GK MB200 is sounding good and quite loud. And wattage-wise they match up pretty well. The MB200 is 140 watts at 8 ohms and the power handling for the S2010 speaker is limited to about 150 watts.

MX

 

[DukeLeJeune]

I have an MB200 too... and now it's time to build a cab for it!
Couple of questions: how much difference will the 4Ohm impedance make in real life? I mean: I could use a speaker that's 97db/250w/8Ohm and one that's 96db/4Ohm: which one is louder with the head?

The difference in loudness between 140 watts/8 ohms/97 dB and 200 watts/4 ohms/96 dB is negligible (less than 1/2 dB). Assuming neither speaker is significantly better in other areas, I'd go with the 8 ohm cab, thus leaving open the option of adding a second 8 ohm cab later.

 

[Triad]

Thanx Duke!
I'm not much into 1x10"s and down here those boxes cost $60 or more but this project sounds really cool!

 

[ChuckHubbert]

The GK MB200 is sounding good and quite loud. And wattage-wise they match up pretty well. The MB200 is 140 watts at 8 ohms and the power handling for the S2010 speaker is limited to about 150 watts.

MX

Thanks for this. I'm waiting for a sale somewhere now, and I'll pick up an MB200. It looks like a great amp for me right now.

Chuck

 

[mikeddd]

The cab came today! It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Of course, the dimensions are listed on PE's website but I didn't really look at them. I guess the box looks "big for a 10" b/c of the slot port at the bottom. Adds a few inches to the height. Don't know if I'll finish the cab tonight, but I'll start on it. And take pictures, of course.

 

[mikeddd]

I got a good amount done tonight and am very excited. It's turning out great so far.

Just to make references easy, here's my Parts Express shopping cart. The descriptions and part numbers will make it easy for anyone to order the same things I did. The total without shipping was $127.57, plus about another $5 for some parts I had to buy locally. If you have the correct mounting hardware for the various pieces laying around you can probably bring down the cost to about $120-ish.

QTY PartNumber Product Price Ext. Price
1 081-425 #8 x 1" Deep Thread Pan Head Screws Black 100 Pcs. $3.25 $3.25
1 260-340 Penn-Elcom G0727KIT Plastic Grill Clamp Kit $2.15 $2.15
1 260-373 10" Economy Speaker Grill $3.88 $3.88
1 260-702 Strap Type Handle $2.49 $2.49
4 260-773 Penn-Elcom F1633 Rubber Cabinet Foot 1-1/8" Dia. x 1/2" H $0.75 $3.00
1 262-360 Penn-Elcom G0727/NO Speaker Clamp Only 4 Pcs. $1.44 $1.44
1 081-435 #6 x 3/4" Deep Thread Pan Head Screws Black 100 Pcs. $2.90 $2.90
1 092-053 Neutrik NL4MP-ST Speakon 4 Pole Panel Mount $2.79 $2.79
1 262-036 Penn-Elcom D0949K Dish One Neutrik D Black 4" x 4-3/8" $4.06 $4.06
1 290-517 Eminence Basslite S2010 Neo 10" Bass Guitar Speaker $74.97 $74.97
1 260-628 Goldwood E-10SP 10" Single Vented Box $22.80 $22.80
8 269-211 Penn-Elcom C0670K Flat Corner $0.48 $3.84

Here's what's been done so far.

Mounted the Speakon to the dish. Not as easy as it looks. I only have access to metric-sized hardware. The holes in the Speakon and plate are 3mm in size (don't know what that is in inches). However the smallest bolts/nuts I could find locally were 4mm. Out came the 4mm drill bit and I carefully enlarged the holes in both the Speakons and the dish. The end result is only 1mm bigger in diameter but I was still very careful. I was afraid of snapping off the mounting ears on the Speakon. Everything went well. The bolts are 20mm long and I used a lockwasher and locknut on each bolt.

From the front side

Don't want any air leaks so I siliconed all around the Speakon/mounting bolts. When I mount the dish in the cab I will also silicone that mating surface as well.

Next came cutting the hole in the cab for the dish. The cutout needs to be 3"x3.5 inches. With the cab being carpeted already it wasn't easy to see what I was doing with the ruler but it turned out well. First I roughly measured 3x3.5" and cutout the carpet. No pic of that, sorry. Then I measured/marked well on the wood itself and cut the hole out. I drilled 1/4" holes all around the perimeter of the cut (sorry, no pic of that either...I was working fast) then, starting from the hole left by removing the stock terminal cup, I used a keyhole saw (small hand saw with pointy, triangular looking blade) to rough out the hole.

I used a Dremel with a sanding band on it to final shape/smooth the hole to its' final shape. Of all the tools I've bought over the years, some of them costing a few hundred dollars, the most useful tool ever is a Dremel or rotary tool. You can just do so much with it.

Here's what the final cutout looked like. Not perfect but the cup does fit perfectly.

Next came the corners and feet. I bought these cool, flat corners.

They work/look great on these corners like so:

But not so much here:

Oh, what to do? Mr. Dremel with a cutoff wheel to the rescue! Mark a neat line like so (you can see the line on one corner):

And you wind up with these (it's comical how you see my juicer through the dish cutout in the back...couldn't do that if I tried!):

Here's what the corners look like. They fit perfectly; very happy with them.

Final thing I got done tonight were the feet. Took the least amount of time by far, so I was grateful for that. Lined'em up, screwed'em down with 3/4" deep-thread screws.

So that's it for tonight. Tomorrow I will:

Mount the handle
Mount the dish on the back
Mount the driver
Mount the grill (This'll be a PITA b/c the grill mounting tabs assume the driver is flush mounted, which it's not in this application. Spacers will be necessary. I'll figure something out)
Break in the driver (30HZ tone at LOW volume for a couple of hours)

More pics to follow. Hope you guys are enjoying this project as much as I am.