Low Down Sound 15/6.5 Cab

[N. Kentucky Bass]

You don't like TOWERS? Who doesn't like TOWERS? Are you are only 4 feet tall? ; } ...You can cut the cubes up any way you want them, but my ears like things that are tall alone - and taller when two are used. After 5 feet of enclosure height the advantages diminish of course. Trading depth for better signal-to-ear also is a great way to arrange the cubes when one is transporting cabs in subcompacts that are also carrying other gear too. A lot of them don't have enough trunk clearance ferinstance, to deal with more than 16".

Ha ha - I'm six feet tall and trunk space is no problem for me --> like you, I live atop a remote mountain and use a 4-wheel drive pickup truck. PLENTY of space for cabs, but luckily this one does just fine!

BTW, thanks for your fine work on these cab designs. It's a big step forward in state of the art bass cabs. We all appreciate the sonic bliss!

 

[SMASH]

Hey SMASH

How's it goin' bro? I recently bought and re-sold this very cab (the actual cab pictured on the first page). I sold it mainly because it would not fit in my car properly.

Duuuude. Why didn't we get together at wail on it?

I'd have conisdered it, but at 8 Ohms I think I'd have passed.

The LDS 15/6 sounds truly beautiful. Huge blooming lows that just engulf the band.

"R" must have been well pleased !

I ran it with my LMII and while I think you could get away with the pairing for most pub gigs around here, it would be pushing it for sure. That said, your b1500 would do very well with it.

I sold it to a TBer / Vancouverite. I'll see if I can remember his name and perhaps you could check out his band and hear the cab for yourself. It certainly is a Light Loud and Low cab... and sounds very nice.

I'm keen to use the B1500, but would rather carry the Walkabout.

Let me know if you come up with that cat's name please, of if you get hold of more of these cabs.


Thanks to all who replied.

OT : Invalid Link Removed Highly recommended for fans of music, fashion, and (pseduo) documentaries. Lots of fun !!

 

[Chef]

smash, mine went to user BASSIST in vancouver bc...

i did not find the walkabout's 300 watts enough to make it really happy.

 

[T. Alan Smith]

Anybody ever consider a 2x15" version of this design? I would think it'd be pretty damn cool, and reasonably compact if you went with a tube ported design.

 

[greenboy]

Anybody ever consider a 2x15" version of this design? I would think it'd be pretty damn cool, and reasonably compact if you went with a tube ported design.

If you are willing to sacrifice port cross sectional area, that is. You need lots of cross-sectional port area for one of these if you take it to its potential output. You need scads of frontal area for two woofers of this type when they get pushed by mucho wattage to their full potential. It's not just about chuffing either.

With whimpy conventional woofers you don't need as much because they run out of gas considerably earlier - by farting a lot.

EDIT: there's no point to pushing compactness with such drivers past a certain point because you give up the benefits they can provide.

 

[Horny Toad]

+1...good move! I've been following greenboy's ideas for over two years, after realizing his ultimate cab goals basically match mine. So much thought has been put into all aspects of the design, from the midrange height (making it easier to hear from the player's perspective) to the "reasonable cost without compromise" factor. These details, from the largest to smallest, allows me to say, my next cab will definitely be a fEarful design.

BTW, make sure you pay attention to the critical crossover to ensure you have the best performance from these cabs. It almost seems like an afterthought in many other designs.

Just got off the phone with Don. As others have said, he is very reasonable and easy to work with. He has no problem sticking to the fEarful design. He prefers his lightweight 3/4" ply to 1/2", but he'll do basically anything you want. I made sure he was cool with those "small" details which aren't small at all - for instance, the placement of the mid driver within its chamber. He assured me those details would be taken care of, and that he understood why it was designed that way.

I feel much better now, knowing I'll be getting a fEarful design.


Ukiah Bass - just out of curiosity, what made you decide to go with a variation of the fEarful design?

 

[T. Alan Smith]

If you are willing to sacrifice port cross sectional area, that is. You need lots of cross-sectional port area for one of these if you take it to its potential output. You need scads of frontal area for two woofers of this type when they get pushed by mucho wattage to their full potential. It's not just about chuffing either.

With whimpy conventional woofers you don't need as much because they run out of gas considerably earlier - by farting a lot.

EDIT: there's no point to pushing compactness with such drivers past a certain point because you give up the benefits they can provide.

Ahhh...thanks.
So don't push the compactness issue too hard? Would this still make for a worthwile affair? I wonder how much larger/lighter it would be to other popular 2x15" designs(ie Big Bertha, etc).

 

[greenboy]

So don't push the compactness issue too hard? Would this still make for a worthwile affair? I wonder how much larger/lighter it would be to other popular 2x15" designs(ie Big Bertha, etc).

It's extremely worthwhile, because you end up with an enclosure that has good sensitivity over a broader bandwidth than any commercial 115 cabs, one that will provide more SPL per pound than any other direct radiator cab anywhere near its size, and all without excursion limiting. It just needs a grown-up amp to take it to its fullest potential.

 

[T. Alan Smith]

It's extremely worthwhile, because you end up with an enclosure that has good sensitivity over a broader bandwidth than any commercial 115 cabs, one that will provide more SPL per pound than any other direct radiator cab anywhere near its size, and all without excursion limiting. It just needs a grown-up amp to take it to its fullest potential.

That's kinda exciting to hear.

 

[svtb15]

I need to look into getting one of these. They look like exactly what i want for the long haul.
I like the taller config of the greenboy design too...

Off the top of my head, from looking at Ukiah Bass' cab and a few of the others in this thread, the things that outwardly stand out:

-Size/shape is different. This box looks to be much smaller than the fEarful 15/6 which is taller (putting the mid closer to the ear). Casually, they don't look to have the same interior volume.

-The porting is different. The fearful has a 'slot' port that's fairly different from the LDS design being discussed with tube ports.

-The wood stock appears to be 3/4" instead of the fEarful's 1/2".

-Its hard to tell what's going on inside, without taking a look, but the bracing in the Greenboy design is fairly specific as are the interior geometries, including the driver placement within the box and the mid-driver placement in its chamber...hard to say that the LDS follows that.

-Crossover design? Hrrrrmmmm. I know that people have requested Charlie's design in some cabs, but there's been discussion about whether it indeed is or not. I haven't heard that anyone's requested the newest GB crossover design...I built it, and yes it's a noticeable improvement.

By comparison, here's my 15/6:

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I know that LDS will do a Greenboy design on request though...

 

[svtb15]

Anyone know the cost of one of these from LDS?

 

[jnewmark]

Just got off the phone with Don. As others have said, he is very reasonable and easy to work with. He has no problem sticking to the fEarful design. He prefers his lightweight 3/4" ply to 1/2", but he'll do basically anything you want. I made sure he was cool with those "small" details which aren't small at all - for instance, the placement of the mid driver within its chamber. He assured me those details would be taken care of, and that he understood why it was designed that way.

I feel much better now, knowing I'll be getting a fEarful design.


Ukiah Bass - just out of curiosity, what made you decide to go with a variation of the fEarful design?

What are the advantages of using 1/2 " plywood over 3/4" plywood ?

 

[koobie]

What are the advantages of using 1/2 " plywood over 3/4" plywood ?

It's to keep the weight down. Some of these cabs are crazy light given their response & output.

 

[bassplayer7770]

Anyone know the cost of one of these from LDS?

It really depends on options, but my particular cab was in the upper $500s.

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[aborgman]

Anyone know the cost of one of these from LDS?

$579 for the "basic" model is what he quoted me... and the basic model basically includes most covering choices (other than the proprietary bedliner coating) and grill choices.

 

[Chef]

you want the bedliner. best in the biz.

 

[Horny Toad]

you want the bedliner. best in the biz.

Yep, definitely going for that option.

 

[aborgman]

you want the bedliner. best in the biz.

Yeah - I figure if I'm going to be dropping $600+ on a cab, I'm not going to cheap out over $50.

My add-ons look to be the bedliner ($50) and a latching front cover ($30) to protect the speakers/grill cloth.

Now I just need to come up with a couple hundred more bucks so my wife will let me place the order

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

If I only knew you might be interested...

Yeah, the 8 ohms is a bit of a bear. There are amps that would do with it but then you'd have to buy a new amp.

"R" pleased? Doubt it. He doesnt like too much low-end. He calls it boomy.

I may get a pair of this style of cab in a 112 configuration... I find a 112 stack meets my needs best.

Email sent regarding TBer who bought my cab.

Later Bro.

Duuuude. Why didn't we get together at wail on it?

I'd have conisdered it, but at 8 Ohms I think I'd have passed.




"R" must have been well pleased !





I'm keen to use the B1500, but would rather carry the Walkabout.

Let me know if you come up with that cat's name please, of if you get hold of more of these cabs.


Thanks to all who replied.

OT : Invalid Link Removed Highly recommended for fans of music, fashion, and (pseduo) documentaries. Lots of fun !!

 

[svtb15]

if it sounds as good as folks say it does.. and i do believe it when people say it sounds great too.. . that price is very reasonable IMO.

$579 for the "basic" model is what he quoted me... and the basic model basically includes most covering choices (other than the proprietary bedliner coating) and grill choices.