Building a cab

[Druw]

Hi,
Im no expert at wiring or anything, and I'm looking to build a cab for once I start gigging. Its for my guitar/s. I have a few questions.

What kind of speakers can I use, can I use some out of old speakers?
Are speakers (Celestion etc.) expensive?
Do I need wiring know-how?
What parts would I need?

Thanks alot for any help!

[Nigel Goodwin]

Guitar cabs are really pretty non-critical, but you should use specific guitar speakers - you mention Celestion, they make many such speakers and have been popular for decades.

You might look here where they have some specific guitar speaker projects and tips.

[karahara]

Eminence has also some interesting and less expensive speaker for that.

I would try any PA-Speaker with 10" or 12" diameter.
Link

[icurays1]

check out www.usspeaker.com
they stock a lot of guitar, bass and PA speakers, mostly eminence and jensen - but some less well known ones too.

you will not need to know a great deal of wiring..in fact..hardly any. it's just a speaker. if you use more than one speaker, parallel/ series rules apply - theres a thousand diagrams about different ways to wire online.

as far as cab material and size - dont worry too much about either, you're not trying to build a hifi speaker. just make it strong enough to jump on top of for a solo. you can get in the ball park by checking the dimensions of a cab you like on their website.

don't try to use home speaker type speakers - for the most part they're not designed for the loads an electric guitar puts out.

okay, so you need:
-speaker(s)
-box material (birch plywood is popular - but think about using pine or fir if you want a more resonant sound)
-covering material (tolex, or just a hard wood finish)
-metal corners (if you want)
-1/4 " speaker jack & speaker wire

have fun!

[icurays1]

oh, and no, speakers dont have to be expensive - usspeaker has some Jensen 12's for under $40, and they sound good enough - or eminence has some great ones for around 60 bones.

[karahara]

Take a look at this: PDF
It's in german but also lots of pictures.

Also think of the numbers of speakers you want to use.

[icurays1]

that's not a bad pdf (if you can deal with the german).

they're using butt joints and blocking (to put the box together) which is by far the easiest way to put together a box. There's a couple dozen other ways to join 2 pieces of wood at a corner, though - so think about your options. finger joints are great if you have a dado set for a table saw (or router jig).

what kind of experience and equipment do you have with wood working?


my first guitar cab was made from a cardboard box. it acctually sounded...good. so...fine cabinetry need not (nessecarily) apply.

[Druw]

hey guys,
thanks alot for all the help, what speakers would you reccomend out of this page, http://www.usspeaker.com/guitar-bass-1.htm .
I'm looking for a bluesy tone, a david gilmour kind of sound.
Thanks for the help.

[icurays1]

Having not played a majority of Eminence's speakers in person, i can't vouch for their particular sound - they have a "red white and blues" model in their patriot line that (i've heard) breaks up very nicely and has a nice low end for blues. If you're lookin to go real down and dirty, check out Big Ben - it's a 15" and it's full of blues.

Now, Gilmour used both a marshall jcm 800 cab with celestions, and a (forget brand name) with Fane Cressendos...but fanes are pricey.

So. My top 3 for you would be:
1. Eminence "governer" - its a darn close match to a Celestion Vintage 30, but cheaper
2. Eminence "red white and blues"
3. Eminence big ben
4. Eminence Ragin Cajun (oops, thats 4 but as i was writing, i read the harmony central review on it...it gets top marks)

Jensen's aren't bad but for just a little more $ you can get something nicer. (unless you go for a P12n or p15n...which are amazing speakers...but pricey)

harmonycentral.com has reviews on just about all the speakers on that site, check it out.