• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New bass amp/speaker concept

You've got a lot of challenges to hurdle. As mentioned, you'll have to keep weight down while also providing a scratch resistant surface that is at least as durable as COVERED wood cabinets. Thats what musicians are using - cabs with either tolex, rat fur, or a truck liner material sprayed on. Bare wood cabinets look nice but aren't very common due to the impracticality of not being able to take them anywhere.

If you want to show the tubes glowing, you can put a viewing window on a head. Tubes don't light up a room though and many manufacturers even put a little led by the tubes to make them look like they're glowing bright. At least the ones trying to show off the tubes do.

You've got another problem you might not have considered: tone. Musicians are a fickle bunch and like what they like. You could design an amp that looks amazing and is affordable, but if people don't like the tone, it won't sell. And at the prices you are talking about, people don't just expect it to sound good, they expect it to sound amazing.

On the cheap side, you could use a regular imported mdf cab and just use clear cone drivers. Stick some leds in the cab, and you'd be all set.
 
IMHO this thread is a violation of the rules, he's not a supporting member: Terms of Service and Rules | TalkBass.com

also commercial user not registered? Commercial User Policy (CUP) | TalkBass.com
***Commercial User Policy ("CUP")***






As a commercial user utilizing the free public forums of TalkBass, please make every effort to follow these guidelines, in order to keep our forums unbiased and free of commercial motives, spam, and the appearance of such.


Definitions:

Commercial User:

Any registered TalkBass member who:

A) Owns or operates a music-related business.

B) Is an employee or on the payroll of a music-related business

C) Produces and sells music related merchandise.

You are NOT considered a commercial user if you are not described by points A and B above, and ALL of the following are true:
- You do not operate or advertise a commercial website
- You do not operate or advertise a physical storefront
- You do not individually produce or sell music-related products under a brand name or hold a business license

User-Title Disclosure:

You must fully disclose your affiliation via the "Disclosures" field located on your account's Personal Details page. This is a single line that will appear below your username on all of your posts.

Forum Participation Guildelines and Restrictions:

1) Commercial users must always post in a responsive manner with regards to any product or service they (or any business entity with which they have a current and direct relationship with) sell/manufacture/represent. (Hereafter referred to as "Product" and "Services"). Meaning, discussion contributed on the topic of Products & Services by the commercial user, must be limited to responses to specific questions from TalkBass members, or corrections of misinformation.

NON-Acceptable Posting Behavior:

Commercial users may not...

-- Create new threads about Product/Services
-- Post material referencing Product/Services in general question threads, such as "What is a good bass for me?"
-- Post material referencing Product/Services in general "what's new at..." threads
-- Comment on the products/services/character of competition (unless it is praise or recommendation). Doing so presents conflict-of-interest issues.
-- Post "generic" conversational non-answer posts regarding Product/Services that: praise Product; expand on Product features; are a self 'pat on the back'; are deemed to be part of a pattern of thread-bumping; otherwise contribute additional unsolicited Product information.
-- Post unsolicited photos of Product in the public forums, or submit promotional material (such as, but not limited to, press release text or promotional flyers) in the public forums (email PR to [email protected])
-- Post pricing information and other sales dialogue (must be confined to private conversations with TB users (PM or email)).



Acceptable Posting Behavior:

-- Commercial users may post an answer to a direct question asked about Product or Services.
-- Commercial users may post corrections of misinformation
-- Commercial users may post reasonable generic conversational-type posts, except when noted below under "Non-Acceptable Posting"
-- Commercial users may post freely in threads not about their own Product/Services, except when noted below


2) Commercial Users who operate as dealers of used equipment, where buying/selling is purely for profit, cannot use the TalkBass Classifieds to advertise items for sale and must instead purchase a subscription to the TalkBass Bazaar. There are no exceptions to this.

Commercial Users who are owners / employees of musical equipment manufacturers / distributors / retailers may not use the TalkBass Classifieds to advertise items for sale, unless prior permission is granted when one of the following is true:
1. You are a manufacturer of musical equipment, and the item in question is not made by your company or a subsidiary. For example, you work for Fender and are selling a Lakland bass.
2. You are a distributor / retailer of goods, and the item in question is not one your company / division usually handles. For example, you work for Guitar Center and are selling an early 80s Aria bass.

An occasional exception to this may be made for individual users (as long as permission is sought before posting in the classifieds, as stated below). For example, you work for a store that sells Fenders, but wish to sell a used Fender instrument personally owned by yourself, on a one-off basis.

These are guideline rules, and not a blanket authorization. Any Commercial User, or any member with a commercial affiliation in their profile disclosure field, must request prior permission for any thread they may wish to start from time to time in the Classifieds section, before posting. These requests will be dealt with on a case by case basis, and any Classifieds thread started by members in the Commercial User category without such permission may be deleted without notice.

To request permission, please contact TalkBass.

3) Please be honest when representing yourself on TalkBass.com. Using two or more user accounts concurrently is prohibited. If you operate duplicate user accounts on TalkBass and post as a shill, or post in a manner that hides your commercial affiliation, the entire posting history of all your accounts will be wiped from TalkBass, and the action will be made public. TalkBass.com reserves the right to check/verify all incoming internet IP addresses for verification.
Signatures:

--Commercial users may include a single link to their business in their signature. If the business is a storefront, a Supporting Membership is required post the single link. This link must be non-formatted (not bold, colored, or enlarged). Sales information, product advertisments, pricing information, or other 'sales pitch' is not allowed in signatures.

Exceptions

--Threads may be created in order to solicit user input and opinions regarding a product in development. Any abuse of this exception will not be tolerated.

--Users may include information and links which promote the sale ofl sound recordings in their profile signature.

--Luthiers/builders may post "build tutorial" threads in the Luthier's Corner forums. The luthier must limit each thread to a single build, from start to finish, and provide a detailed, multi-step tutorial of the build progress (more than wood shots and complete basses). The TalkBass " Builder's Showcase" forum is available for luthiers who simply want to post latest build pics, or progress pics (subscription required).

Advertising on TalkBass.com

If you are interested in advertising on TalkBass.com through graphical ads, opening a dedicated Sponsored Forum for your company, or would like more info, please contact [email protected] .

Please submit all PR & media to [email protected] for publication on TalkBass.com's homepage.

I am certain I am not breaching any terms and conditions as I am not a commercial user, nor am I advertising or planning to sell anything. I am currently doing a project in an area I am not familiar with and am looking for information/guidance on said product to produce a concept that has interest.
 
its only around 20kg. alot of people are worried about scratches, however a scratchproof finish could be applied, the cab could be wrapped in mesh etc. also precision engineering would mean no battons would be required
I am not a doubter at all and just curious as a non-builder, it is possible to engineer a square cab in a way to avoid a need for batting? How does that work?
.
 
Hey guys;
thanks for the post reports.
I'm in discussion with this gent. He's from the UK; so, not surprisingly, they have some different verbiage for things than we do. He seems to be a university student, researching a potential product to market for a business class. Which is ok enough to do here, if a bit unusual compared to what usually shows up here. Play along if you care to.
 
Hey,
I'm currently designing a concept valve amp/bass speaker for a uni project to take to market. its in early stages of development but will be constructed of plexi glass and lit with colour strips. I'm looking for market feedback regarding interest in the product.

I'm very interested in hearing about how you're going to overcome all the pricing and engineering obstacles, but in all honesty, not in the slightest as far as buying anything like that. Best of luck with your project in any case. Link Removed
 
As far as interest in a product like this, I personally have none.
I don't really see what it brings to the table that would draw me away from what I already have.

Best of luck with your school project though...
 
Is the intention for the lighting to respond to the sound energy in any way? I know of at least one bass player who'd buy.


Bootsy1.jpg
 
Hey,
Im currently designing a concept valve amp/bass speaker for a uni project to take to market. its in early stages of development but will be constructed of plexi glass and lit with colour strips. Im looking for market feedback regarding interest in the product.
The spec shows the sizes and dimensions, the angle on the face to project the sound and some possible options.
The speakers selected were Eminence, Fane, Celestion.
The unit will come with wheels and an extention to pull it (making it portable).
Costing of the products would be - 12" setup, around £600. 15" setup, around £700. 4 x 10" setup, around £1000.
I also attached a picture to show an example of how the design should look.
Hope to incorporate a silent recording feature aswell.

*NOTE* This university project is to design a product that is new or different that is marketable, it will be designed, business plan made, concept built. but it will never go to market. this is a new area for me, hence why i am on here to find out if there is interest in the product and what could be done to make it more appealing to the bassplayers, i have had focus groups with many bands and distributors but m still looking for more information.
Nothing wrong with coming up with an idea and business plan.

The photo of that guitar amp looks nice.
But for a bass cabinet, it would be easily susceptible to scratching to where it might not be a popular product to purchase. Maybe an amp head that is made with half-wood or half-metal, and then half-plexiglass where the front and back panels are clear. Who doesn't like to see glowing vacuum tubes.
 
Batting will be included in the final design, the shell is made from polycarbonate which is indestructible and stronger than acrylic or wood, but thanks for the reply

My apologies for not reading the thread fully, so some of my concerns may have been addressed, but I'm questioning the indestructibility of polycarbonate...

I'm far from a material expert, but it's been my experience that polycarb is softer than acrylic. It scratches easier (without appropriate coatings - might be expensive) & is less brittle, which makes it more shock resistant... It also has a bit of grey tint at the edges vs acrylics which can be clear or colourful (like green glass edge)... I don't like acryic or polycarb for any application that might require cleaning or frequent handling. Manufacturing will be much more expensive than wood, corner seams need to be near perfect to avoid unsightly air bubbles trapped in the thin layer of adhesive (and I think you only get one chance to glue it) - customers likely won't want to pay a premium for a clear head/cab.... But it's a cool idea for a display.

Cheers.
 
Little cameras inside the gear and WiFi streaming video so the audience can view what's going in inside the boxes in real time and up close. Maybe a doctor actor on stage with an endoscope that they shove into ports and cooling vents the broadcast this to the audience! :-)

Big projection screens behind the band to show the images.
CGI in something interesting

But the way things are going amps on stages, lighted or otherwise are needed. Put the money into a good PA and monitoring. A lighted clear box on stage doesn't actually have to work. It can just be a prop.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alaskaleftybass