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should i build my own cabs?

mrniceguy715

mrniceguy715

Supporting Member
May 2, 2006
1,670
91
oklahoma
www.myspace.com
#1
It seems it will be more for my buck. My girlfriends dad has a workshop and I have the knowledge. Years ago I used to build car audio enclosures. So the math is no prob. Just different materials and bracing. Not sure if I want to build my own crossovers or buy them. Have not picked drivers yet. Thinking 8 ohms each a 15 with no tweet and the a 2 12 and not sure what to use as the highs yet. Finish would be line x and not sure on the grill yet.
 
#3
The drivers have certain values. The things on the card. With with this you can use simple formulas to come up with things like needed volume and port diameter and lenth. I am posting from my blackberry right now but I can give links to info on it and there are programs too. The I will take that info and my very limited cad knowledge to design them then gather my woods and get ready for the headaches of a home brew job lol. I always used carpet or fiberglass and paint to finish my car stuff so I'm worried about if they will be pretty lol
 
#4
My suggestion is to go quick and dirty on the first cab, as it will be a "learning experience" with respect to how it sounds. You can always lay down a pro-quality finish on top of poly varnish if the speaker turns out to be a keeper.

Oh, and don't lose that girlfriend until you get a chance to build your second cab.
 
#5
Lol. She's a keeper lol. What materials would be better I see a lot are 13 ply birch and such. My experience is with mdf. Wich is good for the cars. Wonderful. But I am sure it wouldn't be my 1st choice for a gig worthy cab I think try a few woods. I could always change drivers and sell them as .pa speakers to local djs lol
 
#6
Use birch or any other quality void free ply; do not use mdf. Brace the panels extensively mid panel.

Best bang for the buck driver is the Eminence 3015LF in 4 cf (115 litres) tuned to 40Hz as per the cab suggested in the Eminence datasheet. Will actually reach Xmax before hitting it's thermal limits. Cross it to a nice 6" or 8" driver somewhere above 500Hz.
 
#7
I have used the regular 1/2 inch birch-veneered plywood from Home Depot. Yes, there is better plywood. I have to dig through the panels at the store to find a decent piece. Getting it cut in half (or some other ratio depending on your design) at the store is free, and makes it more manageable to take home. I use the same stuff for home projects.

One of the big-box home improvement stores in my locale now carries the void free Balkan birch.
 
#8
IMO...definitely, with some caveats...

If you know what you are doing, what you are looking for in a cab...and you can't find exactly that in a commercial cab that meets your budget.

After years of messing around with my own cabs, I finally built some lightweight neo 115's that are simply the best cabs I've ever owned and use them exclusively for all my gigs. They only weigh 29 lbs. each, very mid-voiced and are loud as hell with my Superfly head (each cab being 4 ohm).

But, I knew exactly what I wanted, and any other commercial cab that came close to what I was looking for were either 8 ohm only, or way more expensive than I wanted to spend.

Good luck. No matter what, it's a fun adventure.
 
#15
My only comment on this is that you must be prepared to fail. Having built more cabs than I care to think about, if some thing doesn't work out you have a pile of worthless junk. I echo Fdeck in saying test the box throughly before putting a large effort into the finish. Personally I think 1/2" ply is way too thin with 3/4" being about the right weight/stiffness ratio. Again I'll agree with A9X that void free Birch ply is worth the extra money.

You should cost out the entire project before you do anything. What Ogrossman says is very true. Sometimes building something costs the same or sometimes more than you can buy a similar item ready built. As an example I built a pair of 2x10" cabinets for my PA. They worked beautifuly but were a little heavy for me to lift onto their stands. They cost me more than $400 to build plus hours and hours of work. When I sold them I got $230 for the pair in new condition as no one wass interested in "home made" cabinets. They did not seem to understand "Hand Made"! The buyer was delighted but I was quite unhappy at the loss.

If you do try the build may I wish you luck with it.

Paul
 
#16
BassmanPaul said:
Personally I think 1/2" ply is way too thin with 3/4" being about the right weight/stiffness ratio. Again I'll agree with A9X that void free Birch ply is worth the extra money.

You should cost out the entire project before you do anything. What Ogrossman says is very true. Sometimes building something costs the same or sometimes more than you can buy a similar item ready built. As an example I built a pair of 2x10" cabinets for my PA. They worked beautifuly but were a little heavy for me to lift onto their stands. They cost me more than $400 to build plus hours and hours of work. When I sold them I got $230 for the pair in new condition as no one wass interested in "home made" cabinets. They did not seem to understand "Hand Made"! The buyer was delighted but I was quite unhappy at the loss.

If you do try the build may I wish you luck with it.

Paul
Click to expand...

Yeah, sometimes it's a wash and usually you build a few "practice" cabs to get the hang of it. I built quite a few before I got what I wanted (but it was a labor of love too and I do use my other cabs still for various things like practice, etc.).

I do agree that no matter how great your cabs turn out, they will be almost worthless retail.

I built my 115 cabs out of 1/2" ply and braced it. With the Eminence Neo Basslite C2515's I put in them, each cab only weighs 29 lbs. and there are no vibrational issues with the cabs.

The total cost for both cabs (speakers, materials...everything) was less than $300 (for both).

With my 10 lb. Superfly head, my entire rig (that handles all gigs) weighs in at 68 lbs. (a 500 watt, 215 rig that is easily carried).

Link Removed

Best of luck. It can turn out great for you with a lot of planning.
 
#17
Sundogue said:
Yeah, sometimes it's a wash and usually you build a few "practice" cabs to get the hang of it.
Click to expand...
I don't agree with this if you're already experienced with woodwork and can do the mechanical part of it. I'd suggest using the cab plan suggestions on the Eminence site to get the volumes and porting correct for the driver chosen (and to help select one).

In the US you have a huge supply of manufacturers that can make the cabs cheaply and the secondhand market is vast. In other parts of the world this may not be the case. The Carvin LS1503 that's in the two long threads here is actually more expensive to buy here than the parts and timber for two of the updgraded versions, with parts at retail. May be able to secure them at trade for less. So a day's effort and I can have two cabs to either stack or use as PA cabs to hire.
 

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