# Building a speaker cabinet



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

How hard would it be to build a 2x12 speaker cab? Anyone ever see anything like this on the net?


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

Cant remember the link but try google and you should find the specs for a 2-12 fender cabinet.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Bandmaster-or-Showman-Speaker-Cabinet-Plans_W0QQitemZ220001092846QQihZ012QQcategoryZ38074QQcmdZViewItem

you can take a look at the pics for ideas


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## bischbd (Mar 14, 2006)

Here's a link I found on wiring when I was thinking of building a cabinet a while back:

http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/2x12wiring.html


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## Tarbender (Apr 7, 2006)

Here's another good site for cabinet info:

http://www.18watt.com/index.php


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## Imported_goods (Mar 4, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> How hard would it be to build a 2x12 speaker cab? Anyone ever see anything like this on the net?


I recently hand-built my 1x12 closed-back speaker cab. I guess the degree of difficulty lies in your woodworking skills and how exactly you plan to build it...

I made mine of solid 3/4" pine, with a 3/4" birch plywood baffle. Making the fingerjoints took the longest (even with a router template), and since I wanted to leave the wood bare (no tolex), finishing was quite long as well (sealer + stain + sanding + 4 coats of hand-rubbed Danish oil).

Finding all the necessary hardware (feet, handle, speaker input jack) was just a matter of shopping and ordering over the internet (got my stuff from Mojo amps).

Tools I used (needed) =
Table saw.
Router (for fingerjointing) and rounding edges.
Rotary tool (like a Dremel, for cutting out the circular hole in the baffle for mounting the speaker).
Electric Drill.

All in all, took me around 2 months, working just a few hours on the project on weekends only. It was fun and hugely rewarding.

Here are pics:
















:rockon:


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

Imported_goods said:


> I recently hand-built my 1x12 closed-back speaker cab. I guess the degree of difficulty lies in your woodworking skills and how exactly you plan to build it...
> 
> I made mine of solid 3/4" pine, with a 3/4" birch plywood baffle. Making the fingerjoints took the longest (even with a router template), and since I wanted to leave the wood bare (no tolex), finishing was quite long as well (sealer + stain + sanding + 4 coats of hand-rubbed Danish oil).
> 
> ...



exellent job :rockon:


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Nice job imported !! Those joints probably were a bit of a pain to do. This info is all great. Appreciate the feedback.


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## Tarbender (Apr 7, 2006)

WOW! Guess what I'm doing this weekend. That looks gorgeous. I was in the market for a 1 X 12 and now I'm inspired!:rockon2:


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## Yerffej (Feb 7, 2006)

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141936

not meaning to plug another forum, but the information is there.


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## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

Here's my 4 x 12 I built for my Randall head.










It's 11 ply void free birch.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Huff, that's frickin nice man, will you build me a 2x12?


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## Imported_goods (Mar 4, 2006)

Just saw this on Weber's website:

https://weberspeakerscom.secure.powweb.com/store/wccabs.htm

Looks to me like a really reasonable price for a 2x12 extension cab, plus you can pop in any speaker you want...


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## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Huff, that's frickin nice man, will you build me a 2x12?



Thanks man. It was my first one. I plan on building another one for my Marshall 18 watt TMB clone. It's going to be a deep 4 x 10. In other words, instead of 14" deep like your standard 4 x 12, it will be 16" deep (front to back) and approx. 25" wide, and 28" high. I'm loading it with 2 Eminence Ramrod, and 2 Ragin Cajuns. Here's a pic of the head.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Fabulous Huff, can't wait to see the new one. Nice work :rockon2:


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## SinCron (Mar 2, 2006)

I like the look of that cab. How much did it cost you to make it?


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## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

SinCron said:


> I like the look of that cab. How much did it cost you to make it?


Um, let's see here.

1 sheet 11 ply void free birch - $50
4 yards purple lizardskin tolex - $80
corners, wheels, handles - $75

So unloaded, it cost me around $205

That was a a couple of years ago. I could probably do it for less these days with the good exchange rate, and the parts seem to be easier to get too.

The speakers are the real hit, when you consider that on average, you pay around $100 each for Celestions. I used Madison G12K85s which are supposed to be an exact copy of the Celestion G12K85. They certainly sound very similar. The good thing is, they cost me $60 US for all four.


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## Xanadu (Feb 3, 2006)

I Huff Paint said:


> Here's my 4 x 12 I built for my Randall head.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks really pro. Nice job:food-smiley-004:


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## elcabong (Mar 6, 2006)

Nice work Huff! The heads look great too!

Where did you get the white welt cord (the small 3/32" string) for your 18w head? I have been looking around for a while on the net and in local upholstery shops and I can't find anything close!


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## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

elcabong said:


> Nice work Huff! The heads look great too!
> 
> Where did you get the white welt cord (the small 3/32" string) for your 18w head? I have been looking around for a while on the net and in local upholstery shops and I can't find anything close!


Here's the story on the 18 watt TMB. A friend on the JCF forum mentioned that he wanted to try one of the Weber amp kits. He's built his own amps from scratch before, and figured sourcing parts is the biggest pain in the ass when building an amp, so the kit would be a much easier place to start. I was the first to step up to the plate, and for the cost of the kit ($400 at the time) plus a couple hundred for the build, and some mods, he built me this. The headshell is actually part of the kit, and comes from Weber, ready to put the chassis in. They offer a great selection of tolex colours, and even some solid wood finish options. I opted for the cream tolex because I think it looks super classy and vintage, which goes right along with the character of this amp. Unfortunately, they offer 2 types of cream tolex, and I somehow ended up with the wrong one. They have the smooth Mesa type tolex, and the bumpier levant type. I wanted the smooth, but they sent me the levant. Not a big deal really, I can certainly live with it. 

The amp sounds killer. It has 2 separate channels, one with the volume, Treble, Mid, and Bass controls (hence the TMB), and the other with just volume and tone. The channels have separate inputs, and are therefore not footswitchable. You could use a A/B splitter box though and use it to switch channels if you wanted. For all intents and purposes, this is a pretty damn close replica of a real Marshall 18 watt TMB. Of course, due to parts availability, and cost, many of the components used are the modern equivalents, instead of ludicrously expensive NOS parts, but you get the idea. It has also been modded in several ways to make it more versatile. The tone stacks have been altered to improve the overall tonal range, and gain has been bumped quite a bit. There is also built in attenuation on the volume/tone channel. 

Now, back to your original question. The piping is usually available on Ebay. I've seen it many times. If you can't find it there, get in touch with Ted Weber. I'm sure he can either sell you some, or point you in the right direction.


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## elcabong (Mar 6, 2006)

I Huff Paint said:


> Here's the story on the 18 watt TMB. A friend on the JCF forum mentioned that he wanted to try one of the Weber amp kits. He's built his own amps from scratch before, and figured sourcing parts is the biggest pain in the ass when building an amp, so the kit would be a much easier place to start.


I know too well about sourcing parts problems. I did built an 18 watt Tremolo from scratch and it was a long journey. But it was fun and I learned a lot along the way.




> Now, back to your original question. The piping is usually available on Ebay. I've seen it many times. If you can't find it there, get in touch with Ted Weber. I'm sure he can either sell you some, or point you in the right direction.


Thanks for the tip!


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