I need help for my 1st project : a bass cabinet

[Sliver]

Hi, i'd like to build a cabinet for my bass guitar.
I already got a amp, its a Peavey Mark IV 400 BH putting 225W RMS @ 4ohms and 320w RMS @ 2ohms.

Being my my project i'd like something simple enough. I was thinking about maybe a Adire Tempest with a tweeter(is it really useful, for a bass?) in a ported box..

Im open to all suggestions but i have a fairly low budget, maybe 300-400$

Thanks in advance..

 

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Bass guitar speaker manufacturers spend a lot of time getting the speakers to sound like the bass guitar players want them to sound.

What you're planning on building won't sound the same - not even close.

 

[Sliver]

so what you're suggesting me is forgetting this DIY projet and just buy a cab?

You're sure that ill get a better sound if i buy a noname cab at 300-400$ than building one myself ?

The cabinets i saw in this price range seemed pretty crappy but if everyone say its MUCH better then ill look again...

 

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

No, what I'm say is that using an Adire Tempest and a tweeter is not going to give you the traditional bass guitar sound. Only a bass guitar driver will. Good bass drivers are available in the $100 to $150 range. Get two if you like.

There's no reason why you can't build a tasty enclosure for them though. Two bass drivers and material for an enclosure would be about $300-$400 - in your range.

 

[BrianGT]

Eminence makes some 10"-15" speakers for guitars (bass and normal) and has quite an extensive product line. The Tempest is actually manufactured by Eminence, but is designed with the idea of high output low frequency bass, not really capable of the fuller range of a bass guitar. I would research the Eminence product lines. There should be something that is a reasonable price that will match your application.

The EMINENCE LEGEND B158 15" BASS GUITAR SPEAKER 8 OHM looks like a great choice and Parts Express carries it (i noticed you are in Canada, but I think you can still get it from them..)

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=290-494&DID=7

If the above doesn't work, the part number is: #290-494

--
Brian

 

[Sliver]

Thanks a lot, i didnt know there was drivers made specially for guitars and bass...

Is there any other good brand that makes guitar driver? I'd like to compare prices and availability here in Quebec.

Another point that concerns me is the impedence of all these divers. Most of them seem to be 8ohm but my amps only deliver 130W at this impedence.

To get the most of my amp 320W i would need something at 2 ohms...
What would be the easiest way to get that? Drivers with 2ohm impedence seem kinda rare... 2 x 4ohms driver or 4 x 8 ohm drivers?

Is there a magic trick to change 8 ohm driver in 2 ohms ?

Im looking foward to your suggestions

 

[planet10]

2 x 4ohms driver or 4 x 8 ohm drivers?

exactly. Although you may find that your amp lasts longer if you only load it to 4 ohms.

dave

 

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Celestion makes good drivers.

You might want to check ebays auctions for better prices after you have decided on a brand. A friend of mine got 4 new Celestion lead drivers at $75 each. Retailers wanted $130 each.

 

[kelticwizard]

Bass guitar drivers are more sensitive, (play louder on any given power level), than deep bass drivers like the Tempest, but do not go as deep. Bass guitar drivers do not need to go below the lowest notes of the bass guitar, so they don't. Instead, they play louder than those deep bass drivers.

 

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Here's a useful link:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Bistro/3491/speaker.html

 

[Sliver]

Thanks a lot for all the sugestions and the link, it will be very useful when building the box.

Ive checked several 10, 12 and 15 inches drivers from celestion and eminence but still cant choose which driver to buy.

Will any guitar driver give me the right sound or i have to look for bass guitar drivers only?

Do you think my amp work only at 2ohm or 4ohm or 8ohm or its just points in a linear function and can work for example at 2.66ohm (3 X 8ohm in parallel) ?

I dont really want 2ohm cab bacause i agree that would be a little tough on the amp but id like at least 4 ohm. Is there any good 15" driver working at 4 ohm? Eminence and Celestion only make 8ohm models and since this is my 1st project only 1 speaker would be easier and cheaper, i could also follow the guideline of the link posted above.

Its not really related to diy but i have the possibility to buy a used Peavey 1810 cab with a Black Widow 18" and 2 10"scorpions for about 200$. What do you think of this cab, would a diy cab sound much better?

Thanks again for your great help

Manuel

 

[kelticwizard]

Just thought I would add that if you cannot find a 4 ohm 15" driver, two 10" 8 ohm drivers in parallel will give you the equivalent in surface area. Also, the sensitivity will be either 3 dB higher than a single 10", (if you measure by watts), or 6 dB higher, (if you measure by 2.83 volts driven into the speaker).

I will explain the last sentence if you need me to. It is somewhat involved. Suffice it to say, the sensitivity will go up.

 

[JohnR]

Hey, it looks like JBL is still selling M151 drivers for 70 bucks apiece including shipping. Check around, but these look like quite a deal...

http://www.jblpro.com/Tent_Sale/sale_items.htm

JohnR

(disclaimer: never used one myself, I'm not a bass player)

 

[RiverGambler]

Hi Sliver, Carvin.com has some good speakers 10, 12, 15, and tweeters. They also have crossovers. I built my bass cabnet using their PS12 speaker and I am very happy with it. I would suggest 2-10 or 2-12 with the PS1080 Tweeter and thier cross over. If you would like I can work out the cabinet plans for you when decide on the drivers.

 

[Sliver]

Ok, i've looked at all your suggestions...

Those JBL M151 look awesome but the deal is only good in the US! I emailed the distributor in Quebec to see if they have any in stock or possibility to order.

I think the more simple and cost-effective setup i can make is either a cab with 2 X 10" or 1 X 15" at 4ohm. I found a pretty cheap Carvin PS15C-4 on ebay and i think i could be a could be a good driver considering its 4ohm and those seem pretty rare. I was wondering if a horn or tweeter is really necessary? Whats the range of a bass, 41.2hz to 250 something? I agree the tweeter could add some definition in the harmonics and with slapping but im a student and im not very rich and wonder if its really worth it to spend an extra ~150$ for a crossover+horn.. What do you think?

I'll ask to try the used Peavey 1810 someone offered me but according to the reviews i saw on internet it get very muddy at high level... anyway i'll see.

If you know of some good deals or online dealers in canada i would be really grateful

Thanks again for all your great help!

Manuel

 

[Sliver]

I finaly made up my mind on the driver for my cab and bought a brand new Carvin PS15C-4! (ive got the T-S Parameter if you want)

Now its time for the cab!
Its gonna be a vented box for sure but i still have to decide on the volume and tuning frequency.
I played a bit with WinISP and i wonder what would give the best clean bass sound.
Should i look for a flat curve? What kind of F3? I suppose around 41hz... maybe lower?

RiverGambler : If you offer is still valid, i would love to get some help with the cab plans.
I'm probably going to build something similar to the cab in the link http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Bistro/3491/speaker.html but if somebody got different ideas or advices, i would really like to hear them.

Thanks a lot

Manuel