How about a lighter cab?

Gilette

Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
Montserrat

Posted on Sep 21 2018 07:56 AM

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Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:17:17

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tahitijack

Joined: Nov 03, 2006
Posts: 690
San Clemente, CA
United States

Posted on Sep 21 2018 09:51 AM

Are you thinking carbon fiber, similar to the material use for Rainsong guitars?

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simoncoil

Joined: Sep 28, 2012
Posts: 897
Berlin, Germany
1 News Pin

Posted on Sep 21 2018 10:28 AM

Tym Guitars in Australia built very light cabinets of foam for some time, which seemed to have work quite well:
http://www.guitarnerd.com.au/2010/08/tym-famp-foam-amp/

However, they seem to have stopped making them for whatever reason.

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Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin)
"Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms!
"Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records!

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edwardsand

Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 661

Posted on Sep 21 2018 03:25 PM

There are probably a lot of people out there who will say that you have to make a cabinet out of the same thickness and type of wood that's been used for ages, else it won't sound as good. But I think it's worth experimenting and see if you like the results. If you go for it, you can report back here so we can know how it turns out.

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SixStringSurfer

Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1350
Memphis, TN
United States

Posted on Sep 21 2018 09:55 PM

Please do it and let us know how it turns out.

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RobbieReverb

Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2252
San Jose, Ca.
3 News Pins

Posted on Sep 21 2018 11:05 PM

I was just reading a really good article in Premier Guitar magazine about cabinets. Solid wood used in cabinets, typically pine, is considerably lighter than the plywood and particleboard used in most cabinets today. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, some that I never would have guessed. Check it out:
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/27445-anatomy-of-an-amp-cab

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Bob

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Gilette

Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
Montserrat

Posted on Sep 22 2018 02:32 AM

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Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:11:43

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ColtsSurf

Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 477
United States

Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:00 AM

Frank,
Milkman Sound builds excellent lightweight cabs out of pine. I have several of them and they sound great. Tim is really into high quality, is a great guy to work with and has European dealers. Here is a link:
https://milkmansound.com/collections/accessories/products/speaker-cabinet-1

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Paul

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tahitijack

Joined: Nov 03, 2006
Posts: 690
San Clemente, CA
United States

Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:12 AM

What about MDF? Pros/cons.

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Happy Sunsets!

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CrazyAces

Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4052
Nashville, TN.
3 News Pins

Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:34 AM

tahitijack wrote:

What about MDF? Pros/cons.

MDF's density/weight make it a heavier material compared to solid pine or thin birch ply.

I've experimented quite a bit with light weight cabs in the last few years, some I built and some I bought.
These were not for Bass, they were/are being used for guitar.

I've found some surprises from a scientific, audio related standpoint. Just mentioning this since standing waves and resonant peaks were mentioned.

One surprise set of cabs are vintage, open back cabs for 12" speakers that have very thin side walls and very shallow depth (6.7 inches).
Each cab projects really well and sounds quite full, they sound surprisingly good.

1/2" thick Birch ply is not heavy at all and if you brace your inside corners with some 3/4 x 3/4 pine the cab will be vert sturdy and still quite light weight.
I'd use the same material for the baffle.
A cabinet built using this construction would still most likely end up under 10 pounds before the speaker was added.

Birch will be a little more punchy and possibly transmit more bass.
Solid Pine will be a little "broader" sounding, frequency wise, a little softer attack and generally less directional.

Solid Pine can be light weight. I've built a few cabs based on tweed era amps and they are full sounding and "airy".
Ever pick up a vintage Fender Tweed cabinet without the chassis installed?
They are very, very light weight.

I wouldn't sweat the dimensions. It could help to pick the dimensions of an existing cabinet and just copy that using these materials. Combine that with a Neo speaker and off you go.

Neo magnet speakers will be your friend for a project like this.

Just some suggestions and observations from my experiences. Sorry for the gear based, sonic adjectives.

Cheers,
Jeff

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http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

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CrazyAces

Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4052
Nashville, TN.
3 News Pins

Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:47 AM

Oh, and...

If you are going with or for a smaller cab look into a high efficiency speaker. It will be louder, when needed than a comparable size/type with lower efficiency.

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http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

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Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Sep 21 2018 07:56 AM - Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:17:17 Top
tahitijack Joined: Nov 03, 2006 Posts: 690 San Clemente, CA	Posted on Sep 21 2018 09:51 AM Are you thinking carbon fiber, similar to the material use for Rainsong guitars? — Happy Sunsets! Top
simoncoil Joined: Sep 28, 2012 Posts: 897 Berlin, Germany	Posted on Sep 21 2018 10:28 AM Tym Guitars in Australia built very light cabinets of foam for some time, which seemed to have work quite well: http://www.guitarnerd.com.au/2010/08/tym-famp-foam-amp/ However, they seem to have stopped making them for whatever reason. — Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin) "Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms! "Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records! Top
edwardsand Joined: Jun 29, 2018 Posts: 661	Posted on Sep 21 2018 03:25 PM There are probably a lot of people out there who will say that you have to make a cabinet out of the same thickness and type of wood that's been used for ages, else it won't sound as good. But I think it's worth experimenting and see if you like the results. If you go for it, you can report back here so we can know how it turns out. Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1350 Memphis, TN	Posted on Sep 21 2018 09:55 PM Please do it and let us know how it turns out. — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. Top
RobbieReverb Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 2252 San Jose, Ca.	Posted on Sep 21 2018 11:05 PM I was just reading a really good article in Premier Guitar magazine about cabinets. Solid wood used in cabinets, typically pine, is considerably lighter than the plywood and particleboard used in most cabinets today. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, some that I never would have guessed. Check it out: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/27445-anatomy-of-an-amp-cab — Bob Top
Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Sep 22 2018 02:32 AM - Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:11:43 Top
ColtsSurf Joined: Apr 03, 2008 Posts: 477	Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:00 AM Frank, Milkman Sound builds excellent lightweight cabs out of pine. I have several of them and they sound great. Tim is really into high quality, is a great guy to work with and has European dealers. Here is a link: https://milkmansound.com/collections/accessories/products/speaker-cabinet-1 — Paul Top
tahitijack Joined: Nov 03, 2006 Posts: 690 San Clemente, CA	Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:12 AM What about MDF? Pros/cons. — Happy Sunsets! Top
CrazyAces Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4052 Nashville, TN.	Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:34 AM tahitijack wrote: What about MDF? Pros/cons. MDF's density/weight make it a heavier material compared to solid pine or thin birch ply. I've experimented quite a bit with light weight cabs in the last few years, some I built and some I bought. These were not for Bass, they were/are being used for guitar. I've found some surprises from a scientific, audio related standpoint. Just mentioning this since standing waves and resonant peaks were mentioned. One surprise set of cabs are vintage, open back cabs for 12" speakers that have very thin side walls and very shallow depth (6.7 inches). Each cab projects really well and sounds quite full, they sound surprisingly good. 1/2" thick Birch ply is not heavy at all and if you brace your inside corners with some 3/4 x 3/4 pine the cab will be vert sturdy and still quite light weight. I'd use the same material for the baffle. A cabinet built using this construction would still most likely end up under 10 pounds before the speaker was added. Birch will be a little more punchy and possibly transmit more bass. Solid Pine will be a little "broader" sounding, frequency wise, a little softer attack and generally less directional. Solid Pine can be light weight. I've built a few cabs based on tweed era amps and they are full sounding and "airy". Ever pick up a vintage Fender Tweed cabinet without the chassis installed? They are very, very light weight. I wouldn't sweat the dimensions. It could help to pick the dimensions of an existing cabinet and just copy that using these materials. Combine that with a Neo speaker and off you go. Neo magnet speakers will be your friend for a project like this. Just some suggestions and observations from my experiences. Sorry for the gear based, sonic adjectives. Cheers, Jeff — http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic Top
CrazyAces Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4052 Nashville, TN.	Posted on Sep 22 2018 10:47 AM Oh, and... If you are going with or for a smaller cab look into a high efficiency speaker. It will be louder, when needed than a comparable size/type with lower efficiency. — http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic Top

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How about a lighter cab?