New bass amp/speaker concept

[Bass_Pounder]

The fact that the cab is the same size for both the 12" or the 15", nor does it change for the brand driver selected, shows me NO engineering went into these cabs.

Add to that the "cheese factor" of a clear cab makes me strongly say - NO INTEREST !

 

[JACink]

The Internet is a wonderful thing.
Use this material and you have a winner!
Aluminium oxynitride - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When you get to the point of needing a bullet proof cab, I think you may be better changing the places you gig!

 

[will33]

I don't see any reason why crossbracing opposing panels couldn't be done with "sticks" of this same material. Would be cool for people to see what the inside of a well done cab looks like.

I also don't know how rigid this material is or how thick the panels would have to be to not need braces at all.

 

[tjontheroad]

I have no interest in a big heavy rig I can't hide behind when the drummer f's up.

 

[Caledonian_Enterprises]

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.

No problem, this is an area that is new to me as im an engineer. i am certain polycarbonate is indestructable and if engineered correctly it will be solid. as for the possibility of scratching.. perhaps a mesh covering would be ideal to address any concerns.
The product name will be" Tsunami"

 

[spaz21387]

44 pounds for a 4x10 with speakers??

 

[AdamR]

Not my cup of tea

 

[Martin Beer]

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.

Might I suggest that you get someone on board who is familiar with valve amp design and construction? Aside from the cabinet issues, what you are proposing for the amplifier in terms of size, wattage and cost just does not seem feasible.

 

[will33]

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?
.

There are some "golden ratios" for cab dimensions that help break up resonances without needing so much batting. I remember one of them being .6 to 1 to 1.6 but there are others.

Idea being asymetrical is better whereas multiples of the same dimension, like a perfect cube, or a cab measuring 12x12x24, will excite or null some particular frequency more.

Of course, there are plenty of square boxes people like the sound of too, and if for some reason your box is approaching a cube shape, more batting can help mitigate the response anomalies.

 

[Right_Butterscotch64]

Speakers in a box, little to no cab engineering. It's just like emperor cabs, but with clear plexi instead of stained wood.

 

[two fingers]

From a market standpoint I think you are going too big. Want to sell some lit up clear amps? Make them small, cheap practice amps. Make them about $100 to $200. A 1-10 model that will "chase" the music with different color lights at about 25W and only up to a couple hundred dollars would probably jump off the shelves. Every first-time bass player (and guitar player for that matter) would want one as a bedroom or small practice amp. Once you get up to the $1400 range, your customer base will be much more picky about tone, weight, practicality, etc. Shoot low and cheap and you'll sell a ton of them. Then you will have established a customer base on which to build. Ten years later those same kids will be open to the idea of a larger plexi amp.

Also, I could totally see this working as a small stage monitor for a church. Many have started using lights as part of their service. If you could tie the lights in the amp in with the rest of the system and control the color remotely, that would be pretty cool. In other words, if you go to mainly blue all over the stage and are able to make the bass amp blue as well.... They usually don't require great amounts of volume on church stages anyway. So resonance and other physics issues would be less of a problem.

Just spit balling here.

Good luck with it.

 

[PazzoBasso]

No problem, this is an area that is new to me as im an engineer. i am certain polycarbonate is indestructable and if engineered correctly it will be solid. as for the possibility of scratching.. perhaps a mesh covering would be ideal to address any concerns.
The product name will be" Tsunami"

I'd still be a little wary of using the term "indestructible" - like the Titanic was "unsinkable"... It can withstand a bullet (in certain applications) and is sometimes referred to as "bulletproof", which gives some people the impression that bullets will bounce off of it & leave no damage... (not quite the case)

I think the bigger concern is still the cost/performance ratio, although it might be a decent place to take cover in case of a gunfight @ a gig...

 

[Caledonian_Enterprises]

Thanks for all the replies so far, i have came to the right place and i can see the passion for bass amps. There seems to be mixedinterest in this concept. the idea is to try and keep the setup small enough to still be portable whilst having big power, something different from the normal, the poly carbonate is different and allows the valves glow to show. i have considered making this a combo instead of a cab/amp package.
Im looking for ways to make this concept marketable, how could it be ammended/added to appeal to more people whilst still being different, i do have two amateur musicians in the group and as i mentioned earlier i am an engineer by trade so all the input i am gettting here is helpful.

Thanks

 

[Steve Dallman]

Plexiglas/lexan versions of Bill Fitzmaurice cabs would be interesting. The designs protect the cones pretty much.

 

[ArtechnikA]

...the poly carbonate is different and allows the valves glow to show.

Transparent. Got it.
Falls into the category of style over substance, for which there certainly is a market. Or at least there is a certain market...
(I'm not in the market for _any_ valve amp, so I'm not in it for the glow.)

From a cab performance category, the issue is stiffness and damping.
Plywood (which we'd probably think more glamourous were it called "laminated cellulose composite") has those attributes in addition to being fairly inexpensive, easy to work, and lightweight for its stiffness.

Polycarbonate has high impact resistance but fairly low scratch resistance. IIRC it's weldable but doesn't bond as well acrylic. I expect it's much more flexible (i.e. less stiff) than, say, carbon fiber, of equivalent weight or thickness.

Even balsa is indestructable - in sufficient thickness ;-)

To gain adequate stiffness one typically adds bracing or additional thickness - both of which add weight and cost.
As comparison - both Hartke and GK produce 30 kg 4x10's in the 800-1000W range. And around $700

 

[Big Brother]

There are some "golden ratios" for cab dimensions that help break up resonances without needing so much batting. I remember one of them being .6 to 1 to 1.6 but there are others.

Idea being asymetrical is better whereas multiples of the same dimension, like a perfect cube, or a cab measuring 12x12x24, will excite or null some particular frequency more.

Of course, there are plenty of square boxes people like the sound of too, and if for some reason your box is approaching a cube shape, more batting can help mitigate the response anomalies.

Thank you, I am going to do some more reading on this

 

[/\/\3phist0]

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.

Thanks:
you... Unwashed, inbred, slope headed, slack jawed mouth breather.!

Sound like this thread might also be useful for social psychology research
get off my LAWN!

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Polycarbonate is NOT indestructible and it is NOT bulletproof. I used to sell it in the window and door industry. We NEVER EVER used the word bulletproof EVER! only bullet RESISTANT and the caliber of the bullet your trying to stop determins the thickness of the material. It IS easily scratched and coatings are only somewhat protective. Certainly not against the rigors of touring, padded cases would be necessary.

If I were you I would talk to the guys that do the cable show Tanked, a show that does outrageous fish tanks. Google them.

Not to be a wet blanket but I don't think personally this will ever be a viable business entity. If you are using this for your graduate thesis I would consider a change. The market for full size rigs made like this is infinitesimaly small, that said I think the above idea of small combos IS something that could gain some traction. Good luck.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I have no interest in a big heavy rig I can't hide behind when the drummer f's up.

now we just need to design a sealed cab that guitarists can get INSIDE of so they can hear themselves loud enough, yet acoustically damped to reasonable stage volume for the rest of the band

 

[tjontheroad]

now we just need to design a sealed cab that guitarists can get INSIDE of so they can hear themselves loud enough, yet acoustically damped to reasonable stage volume for the rest of the band

I'd buy that! Even for myself when I play guitar