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Show your Bill Fitzmaurice cab

#641
5StringPocket said:
I enjoy seeing the cabs people are building and reading the gig reports. I recently put a PA system together so we'd have something to play out with. Trying to scrounge up a PA for every gig got old fast. I wanted something that was powerful with good fidelity but reasonably light and easy to move. It also had to fit in my GMC Yukon with my bass rig. After a lot of comparative shopping and hearing a few systems, I ended up at the BFM website and decided on a pair of 22" wide Titan39's loaded with Eminence 3012LF woofers and a pair of OTop12's loaded with the Eminence 3012HO and NSD2005 drivers. The Titan39's have top-rear cutout handles and heavy duty 3" castors for transport and bottom-front cutout handles for 2-man carry up and down stairs. I highly recommend both. The OTop12's have top hats for pole mounting.

With my schedule the way it is, my wife wasn't too keen about me taking on a large woodworking project so I contacted BFM builder Mike Roam in Austin, TX. We worked out the details and I put 50% down to start the build with the remaining 50% due upon delivery. I live outside of Houston, TX and Austin is about a 3.5 hour drive. This was key because I wanted to test the cabs with my gear before taking them home and shipping would have been a deal killer for a system of this size. Build time was about 7-weeks; pretty impressive for a project this size but I caught him at a relatively slow time and he knocked it out. The pictures below are of Mike in his shop at system checkout and the finished stack right before I loaded them up.
MikeRoamBFM.jpg

BFMTitan39OTop12.jpg

I run my BFM system with a dbx Driverack PA+ and Crest CA9 amp. This setup seems to have the right balance and works very well together. The Driverack PA+ provides a 24db/octave LR crossover set at 120 Hz for the subs and tops with limiter at 50volts for speaker protection. I'm a musician but not an expert sound man so I find the auto EQ wizard with 28-Band Real Time Analyzer for tuning the system very helpful. http://www.dbxpro.com/PA+/

This system has very good fidelity and dispersion and is very powerful. We've used it indoors and out and have yet to turn it up more than half way. Mids and highs are detailed and the bass just envelopes you. I'm very pleased with this system and can't see needing anything more.
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Great looking (and I'm sure sounding) system.

How are the mics setup? Which mixer do you use?

Any pics of your band in action with the PA?
 
#642
How crazy am I that I started building my Omni 15 last night and am almost finished? The only building left is to install the bracing and the mid back panel. It was me and two friends and we glued, cut, and tacked wood last night until it was all just some sort of sugar induced zombie laugh-a-thon. We are 7 hours into it. Getting excited.
 
#645
JoeVictim said:
Fatboy. My goal is to have two eventually, but for now it's just one. Having a hard time figuring out where to mount handles.
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I am building a Fatboy - still waiting for the birch ply at the moment - and I have read something about where to locate the handles.

You will have to search for the exact details. However, the jist is that you balance the cab on a broom handle. You have the broom laid end to end on the flloor and use it as a roller to find the centre of gravity. You would then locate the bottom screws for the surface mounted handles at that point.
 
#646
thefruitfarmer said:
I am building a Fatboy - still waiting for the birch ply at the moment - and I have read something about where to locate the handles.

You will have to search for the exact details. However, the jist is that you balance the cab on a broom handle. You have the broom laid end to end on the flloor and use it as a roller to find the centre of gravity. You would then locate the bottom screws for the surface mounted handles at that point.
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My hadles aren't surface mount. The problem I am having is that I was told that the mid horn from the tall boy is actually better and that I should place it in the same place but in the fat boy design. now it's so close to the side of the cab I have no where to put handles. I'll figure it out but it may be awkward to carry.
 
#647
JoeVictim said:
My hadles aren't surface mount. The problem I am having is that I was told that the mid horn from the tall boy is actually better and that I should place it in the same place but in the fat boy design. now it's so close to the side of the cab I have no where to put handles. I'll figure it out but it may be awkward to carry.
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You might do well to ask about this on the BFM forum.
 
#648
JoeVictim said:
My hadles aren't surface mount. The problem I am having is that I was told that the mid horn from the tall boy is actually better and that I should place it in the same place but in the fat boy design. now it's so close to the side of the cab I have no where to put handles. I'll figure it out but it may be awkward to carry.
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Wha do you mean by better? Omni Full Range models sound the same whether they are Tallboy or Fatboy.

If you are going to use it as a bass rig you will be able to hear the Tallboy better because it is closer to your ears rather than your knees.
 
#651
I'll post a pic once I get all the cosmetics finished, but my cab is done. Just had my first practice with it. My Omni 15 is killer. The only dowside is going up and down stairs, which I may just buy an old uhaul appliance dolly. In a band/live mix, the cab loves my Jazz bass. It was pretty much plug and play. Made sure the bass and treble was flat, boosted mids just a hair, and let the cab do the rest. I am sure I could find a usable tone for my P+J SX, but for now, the Jazz is again my number 1 after being neglected for the last few months. This may also change once I get a head with some better EQ. My band absolutely loved the tone. My guitarist said, damn that cab is like a punch in the face. I agree. My 2-12" MSC cab just sounded so blah in comparison. I now can see what all the hype is about. I thought I had a decent tone before. This Omni makes me realize I didn't. Around here you always hear people say that it's the player, not the bass. For the first time, I feel like that applies to me. My MIM Squier Jazz sounds so hot. I feel like my playing level just shot through the roof.. I can't imagine what I would sound like with an actual higher end jazz bass. I sound like I have been playing the 13 or so years I have been playing.

The cab doesn't seem to take well with my SX P+J. Maybe the flaws of the bass are just starting to be noticeable. I can't explain it, it just sounds off.
 
#654
BillyB_from_LZ said:
JoeVictim's profile says a Peavey Nitrobass...
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+1. Now I can't decide If I want to go pre/power or just get a different head. The Peavey works for now so I'll keep on using it. I would like to try out the Carvin BX1500 and B2000. I would also like to try out a Genz shuttle 9.0 as well as a BBE pre to power setup. The problem is there are so many ways to go, I get distracted by all the options.
 
#655
pearcey said:
It was this thread that gave me the idea to build one. Just finished my O15TB; really pleased with it. Clear, precise sound with well-defined bass, mid and treble. Great match with the tube amp.

Fits in the back of a hatchback, with a reasonably big amp and full hardcase.

O15TB.jpg


Not the best picture, but well... Hopefully get a live picture at some point.
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Atleast I am not the only one who put the corners on wrong... I am waiting to build the grill frame before I post my "finished pic".
 
#656
JoeVictim said:
Atleast I am not the only one who put the corners on wrong... I am waiting to build the grill frame before I post my "finished pic".
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Don't be too hard on yourself as wrong is a relative term. In the photo that was in the post that you quoted, I'd argue that they're on correctly as they'd protect the cabinet better when sliding it in and out of the car. The only time they're best the more traditional way is if you're stacking cabinets so that the chevrons lock into one another.
 

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