Question:
After taking a look at these speakers I suddenly have an extreemly strong urge to build my own speaker cabs for a guitar amp. Does anyone have a link to a good sight on the basics? I want to do something artistic(Like build them in model jet engine cowlings) with the cab, so I want something technical.
Answer:
http://dafguitars.com/
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He built a very nice looking cab there!
Unfortunantly, they are not shaped like jet engines.
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Ok, so Ive figured some stuff out. I have a skeleton diagram for a jet engine cowling and a source for Polyeurathane. I am going to build a larger scale version of the engine cowling cut out of ploly E and mount the speaker right behind the front opening of the jet.
Im just stuck with three major questions.
#1 - What material to use to cover the cowling? It has to be paintable.
#2 - Is there a plastic variation on pop rivets? I would like to use rivits to secure the external covering, mainly for the appearance.
#3 - Am I going to have a huge sound wave problem in the rear part of the jet engine cowling? This could be the biggest problem.
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Creative? Sure. Toneful? Don't count on it. Why are so many professional grade cabinets made with high density woods? Because they project. Because they retain bass frequencies well. Some are even tuned (30 hertz?) for bottom end.
If I'm reading you correctly, you're wanting to construct this with a plastic shell? I'd be willing to bet money on the simple fact that Polyurethane won't stand a chance on baltic birch. This isn't meant to be a deterrant...but your cab is important. It's the final step in what you/your audience hears. A pro level rig through a plastic cab may render the whole thing useless. I guess I'm just trying to say that it's obviously unconventional, I honestly have no idea how it may turn out. Just don't expect too much. Just so you're aware...
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Originally Posted by omensixaxe Creative? Sure. Toneful? Don't count on it. Why are so many professional grade cabinets made with high density woods? Because they project. Because they retain bass frequencies well. Some are even tuned (30 hertz?) for bottom end.
If I'm reading you correctly, you're wanting to construct this with a plastic shell? I'd be willing to bet money on the simple fact that Polyurethane won't stand a chance on baltic birch. This isn't meant to be a deterrant...but your cab is important. It's the final step in what you/your audience hears. A pro level rig through a plastic cab may rend the whole thing useless. I guess I'm just trying to say that it's obviously unconventional, I honestly have no idea how it may turn out. Just don't expect too much. Just so you're aware... However, acrylic would be very interesting... expensive, but interesting.
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i replied to this once, but deleted my message... umm... you really wanna use mdf or birch covered plywood because it resonates better... i don't know about acrylic... another thing did you decide to go with an open or closed back? that affects a lot, the creativity here is immense, so i gots a few questions you may want to consider... you are doing a jet engine, i'm no expert but every one i've ever seen is round, are you gonna build a base so it doesn't roll...? and if you are going for great appearance are you willing to sacrifice sound?.. consider what kind of music you are playing when deciding on this, because a round enclosure will throw the basss WAAAAAAAY farther than the higher frequencies, so do you use a lot of highs or mids? i'm not trying to cut you down, i'm just saying there are things to consider... i'd love to see a finished product, i think it would be cool... one last thought, just occurred to me, will this affect your portability? that's really important...
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I intend to mount the speaker in the very front of the jet shaped cowling. So any projection due to the shape will come out of the rear. I have put some thought into building a seperate funnel inside the artistic shape to handle the rearward sound.
Secondly I intended on using Poly eurathane simply for ease of use. The high density stuff, much like a cutting board. Some of you recommended acrylic, why? Is there some advantage to one plastic over another?
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I wouldn't think that it would make a whole lot of difference. You're asking for advantages that don't really exist. The fact remains that synthetic materials won't resonate. They aren't really intended for that, regardless of density. I would truly love to see this come around. It would undoubtedly be one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. It's just that the acoustics of the cylindrical shape+cab material+open back=good probability of a tonal headache. Just ask yourself if it's really worth putting the money into something that's going to act like a jet intake shaped paperweight...just $.02.
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maybe if the cowlings were speaker covers... i mean, i've looked up cowlings, and seen some stuff like that but it was part of a speaker box on an old stereo system, and it was just for the woofers, and it was just on the fron for looks, and it had a plexiglass cover (which would rock like granite if these were bass cabs)... maybe then... idk... i mean as interesting and cool as that would look, it would equally suck for sound... honestly... and like he said synthetic matierials just don't resonate... the only use i've ever seen for any with speaker us is plexiglass covers at least 2-4 inches from the speaker and it made those subs hit like Hank Aaron... but that's for bass...
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I built my own cab a few months ago. I'll upload a picture and the schematics later.