Building cabinets?

T

tylerxxx

New member
This is something I've been wanting to do ever since I started playing guitar... have my own amps. I've built a few pedals now, and would like to venture into the world of cabinets.

Can any of you give me a link or two to push me in the right direction?

(ps, if all you're going to do is be negative and tell me it's a waste of time or tell me to just buy a cab, don't bother responding. this is something i'm 100% serious about doing, and will do either way, I'm just looking for some help)
 
I and a friend have ventured into a somewhat limited run of amp building,... have lots of photos of my end of it,.... and would be happy to share....

Eme, and I will send them, or I may have them posted at RP in the DIY, maybe,...

I'd have to go look to be sure...

Lemme know..


Steve :D
 
I built a two 12 cab based on the marshall 1960 4x12 cab i have. I just used the same specs as the marshall but sized it in half. I put 35 watt jensen mod 12 speakers in i and it has a bit more brightness that the marshall with celestion 75 watt speakers using a 50 watt tube amp.
 
Cabinets are fairly easy. The "critical" power tool on this kind of project is a table saw. You really need accurate 90 degree cuts and 90 degree blade-to-wood to get the corners right.

I've built several stereo speaker/sub cabs (sealed enclosure) and a couple of guitar speaker cabs. I'm on an open back cabinet now.

There's really no hard and fast rules aside from making it sturdy. But here are a few suggestions:

1. Use a plywood product (e.g. not MDF). I'm using a 13 ply baltic birch for my latest one - I got that from a wood working store (Rockler?).

2. Just go with basic butt joints. You can get real fancy with 45 degree edges, dove-tail joints, etc. But that's a major jump in woodworking competency.

3. Glue the joints on both peices of wood and then rub/work the glue in as you clamp. Most name-brand white/wood glues are fine. I clamp and use a pnuematic nailer - the nailer is really a god-send if you do much wood work - but not required.

4. Internal braces are generally a very good idea but not absolutely required if you have the sound board and some kind of cross boards in the back (like most open back combo cabs.

5. All the hardware, speaker cloth, etc. is really up to you...

If you have sander, router, patience, etc, then you can do some nice finish work. But again, not required. I personally like to finish my cabinets off as professionally looking at possible.. But that's just me.

I saw a few REALLY nice cabs on this site a couple of weeks ago. You might do a search and see what comes up.

Good luck! And remember to wear hearing protection when you're using power tools! ... along with safety glasses and hand/finger guards.
 
thanks a lot, fusion!

basically, should i just find a cab i like and "rip it off"?
i have my own 4x12, i guess i could clone it for my first project. do you know of any sites that have the FULL specs for cabs(what kind of wood, how thick the wood is, shows the inside, etc... kind of like www.generalguitargadgets.com but for cabs)?
 
Do what FusionSpace said and you'll have a sweet cabinet. I have a preference for wood screws though on all cabinetry over pneumatic nails. :) Especially something designed to vibrate.

Home Depot and Lowes generally carry maple and other plywood. There are several grades of wood defined by finish and grade of wood ply/voids.

You want shop-grade or better. ;)

Baltic birch is nice, and if you look around you can find oak. One local guy here has Tenn. aromatic cedar ply. Stuff is simply stunning.
 
Spend some time reading articles about speaker cabinet design, too. There are articles out there that should help you figure out how big to build it based on the size of the speaker, and should also help you figure out how big the port should be, how long the tube should be, etc. There's a lot more to getting good sound than making four square corners....
 
fusion is right, do it that way and you'll love it later.

Only things I did different were heavy brass cabinet screws instead of nails, and I use a lot of construction adhesive along with the wood glue. I glued everything, even the heavy corner braces inside. Clamp everything and let it cure. Use dado or rabbit joints if you know how, but butt joints will work fine if you cut well and you use inside corner bracing and lots of glue.

I thought the hardest part was getting the mounting board to fit right. I got lucky and did everything without a table saw, but I used a lot of jigs.

Dont use cheap plywood. Plywood voids will kill the cab, adding to vibration and resonance.

An electric stapler will be your best friend when you put your grill cloth on, and glue the concealed edges of the cloth so it wont unravel. I then covered mine with oak trim, and glued the trim on. The trim is all glued, but is the only thing I did not screw on.

Add heavy caster wheels to the bottom. You can get an amp handle or a heavy duty instrument case handle from most any instrument dealer. Make sure you mount it with nuts, washers and bolts, not just wood screws.

Use 16 or 14 gauge wire, black and white, and tape the center positive so you never forget which is which.

And the best advice I have for you???

Put 10 or 12 inch 100 watt Weber Michigans in it. You did say you would be playing a screamin tube amp, right?? :D
 
Here's a follow-up on my earlier post. I'm almost done with my little 12" open back cab - Here's the latest updates:

1. Finish - do all of this outside if you can: After sanding, I used truck bed liner "paint" with a textured roller. That encases the outside in a very durable textured coating (in case you need to scoop gravel with your cab). I didn't like the way it felt (sort of plastic-y) so I put a coat of spray rubber coating over that. I've use the spray rubber on another cab and a 19" rack case - seem to hold up well.

2. Today I went by St. Louis Music (because I live in St. Louis) and picked up the corners, feet and a cool retro handle (for an old AMPEG pendaflex). For the more frugal minded, check out www.partsexpress.com for these little items. That's who I would normally use.

After I get this thing up and running, I'll try to post some pics.

As far as design, draw everything out in DETAIL before you even get started or buy anything. If you have a CAD type program (like Visio) that'll save you a lot of time.

If you need some more details on measurements - use your existing cab to get some insight as to what the manufacturers do. So if the speaker opening on the sound board is 2" from the edge, then you might want to use that as your starting point for the rest of the box. E.g. A 12" speaker should be sufficently secure on a 16"x16" sound board (which is what I did).

When you cut the hole for the speaker, measure carefully. A 12" speaker will only have a hole that's about 11 1/4 or so. These things are pretty standard - again check against your existing cab.

Good luck!
 
Andy at mojomusicsupply is your man,...

www.mojotone.com


he has some surplus to practice with,.... a bit less expensive than the norm.....


go to the surplus at the right of the page,.... scroll down to the grill cloth, and tolex,.... you see the two I have been using...

Red, and Green...
 
something to consider- cabinet building isn't supposed to be easy. i work at a music shop, and my speaker/pro audio guy says its easier just to by a cabinet. supposadly there are some mathematics involved in routing out a cabinet, and even if you put some killer celestion greenbacks and a marshall tube amp through it, its going to sound cheesy... i asked him and he completely shut me down!
 
Nah, guitar cabs are pretty easy, really. All straight up stuff anyone with even basic skills can pull off with a little patience and attention. Square panels, straight cuts, no porting (mostly). Basically a box with speakers in it.
 
I had this idea since I have no serious wood working tools. I would design the cabinet a 4x12. I could craigslist for a person to cut the wood with fingerjoints from my design and pre drill and countersink screw holes. I would assemble as I would only need clamps, more clamps, and some clamps. And, I would cover the cab, install the electronics and speakers, and add the grill cloth. The genius part (maybe not) is the part where I don't have to have table routers, table saws, drill presses, and any other high dollar labor saving toys.
 
Holy crap! :D I need to stop reading these things! Now I am going to have to go to Home Depot this weekend and peruse the high end plywood and start yet another project that I will probably go over my budget on... :eek:


Eh, what the hell... :D
 
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