Das Earschplittenloudenboomers

[drmcclainphd]

It was suggested that I offer some of my expertise gathered from 50 years of building loud stuff Now, I grew up waiting for solid state amps to become common and built my own tubers out of such as Teac reel to reel decks with built in amps. I can't say I'm much inclined to discuss tube vs. tube. But now, when it comes to designing and building speakers for a given area/power situation, then I got things to say that I, at least, think might be helpful. If you see anything that sparks your
plug, and makes you want to glue wood and solder wire, give a shout.

For my main guitar amps I own two Fender Frontman 65R's. The amp is adequate. But the box is quite the hack. The single 12" driver (part # 0062679000) is the most efficient driver I've ever used (est. SPL 104dB 1w/1m). I suspect Fender thought it was maybe too good and wouldn't sell the driver except as a replacement part. Then they cancelled the 65R, again, I suspect because it was too good in comparison to the other amps, at least in terms of volume. You can buy these through a Fender dealer. Make sure you're getting the part number above. Price is $57.99 MSRP. If they want more they're selling you the wrong thing or ripping you off. I built two extension cabs for my Frontmen, one of these in each. The two 65R's could fill a concert hall. With the cabs on them, they can fill a stadium. These are my most preferred instrument drivers. Get them while they're still available.

Now for some of the large scale stuff I've built recently. Here's the main towers for my PA. Detuned port ("open back" facing front) design twelve (2 x 6) Sony "dynamic bass" low/mid driversplus two piezo tweeters (4kHz to 27kHz). 250 w handling, each.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/tower1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/tower2.jpg

Center unit, a "Sweet 16" (4 x 4) array of the same Sony's, plus two piezos. The rear panel in this 2 foot cube holds four 10" woofers with response down to 39 Hz, effectively subs. 600 w handling.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/16top.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/16side.jpg

Not enough bass? This multiply folded horn is a 2 foot cube with 2 10" SAS Bazooka subs, an effective
length of 6 feet with a 10:1 expansion. 400 w handling.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/Cubebass.jpg

Alternate towers are my pair of "Peavish" stacks. One Peavey Pro 12" low range, four Peavey 8" Blue Marvels, two piezos and an RCA heavy duty 4" full range. 350 w handling.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/tower-PV.jpg

Now, put together these make for a PA of 1500 to 1700 w capacity. If you think that's impressive, someone has sold you on simplistic specs. All the drivers and designs were chosen for maximum efficiency -- the most decibel bang per watt. I push these with 400 - 600 w of amp. I'll stack (ahem) them against a 1000 watt system from any commercial manufacturer.

They were also chosen for cost. The Sweet 16 and Peavish towers cost less than $150 every other unit cost less than $100. That's drivers, MDF, glue, sealant, wire, screws, and paint.

I also experiment with different speaker designs. One of my favorites is the Karlson. As regular cabs, they are typically single driver boxes with am inverted parabola opening (shaped like the Eiffel Tower).
These are frequency dependent acoustic lenses. They focus the lower freqs and add some phase shifting to the upper, making these highly localized and therefore exceptoinal for stereo imaging and projection.
An alternate design is the K-tube, essentially the same, built into a cylinder matching the driver's diameter and a length about 6 times that. This waveguide design is widely used in microwave transmission,
and is the bsis of the ability of the B2 bomber to fly right up to you unheard, even at 100 feet, until directly over you. As speakers, these are essentially sonic cannons. Here's a 3 way system with a woofer,
three mids and a tweeter. The output tested to be 11 to 14 dB greater than the drivers alone. Just from some cardboard tubes cut in a certain way.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/cannon%20built.JPG

One of the drivers shown is not a K-tube. It's a De Laval nozzle, basically the "bell" of a rocket engine serving much the same purpose as the K-tube. It produces twice the amplification of the K-tube.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/overthruster.JPG

And, to feed my tube based beast, a Gretsch Electromatic, I built a reversable cab. I put a baffle down the center to cut it in two. One one side I put four TA Weber signature series (two 6", two 8")
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/Webers.JPG

On the other I put two Wurlitzer organ full range instrument drivers (and a little cone tweeter for luck)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/Wurlitzers.JPG

Lastly, my Pignose needed a bit more mouth. This extension cab has eight 2" square full range drivers, like they put in large flat planel TVs with real good sound, plus a 4" metal cone woofer that will scare the
neighbors. Built in an old clarinet case, weighs less than 5 pounds, and is almost wasted on the Piggy because it has a 100 w capacity. The most expensive item on this page, in dollars per decibel, but sometimes
cool is far more important than cost.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52918987/Piggy%20Too.JPG

[andyfromdenver]

Thanks for sharing! The Pignose is pretty unique :). Very DIY

[brookdalebill]

Steppenwolf had a song with the title "Earschplittenloudenboomer".
There, I feel better after sharing that!

[winny pooh]

I am guessing you don't gig this stuff. Amusing but totally impractical. Is this continuing from the " know you're a redneck thread"? Lol

[printer2]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

I am guessing you don't gig this stuff. Amusing but totally impractical. Is this continuing from the " know you're a redneck thread"? Lol

+1

[burninwordz]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

I am guessing you don't gig this stuff. Amusing but totally impractical. Is this continuing from the " know you're a redneck thread"? Lol

+2

[drmcclainphd]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

I am guessing you don't gig this stuff. Amusing but totally impractical. Is this continuing from the " know you're a redneck thread"? Lol

You're guessing wrong, but at this size we tend to call them concerts instead of gigs. The PA also rents out to large (1000 - 2000 people) service meetings, some music but mostly spoken. Only the Sweet 16 weighs more than 50 pounds. I move it all myself.

The tubes, that was strictly an experiment to test the theory. I'm a scientist -- that's what I do. It worked. I don't gig with these but I do with the quarter-fold Karlson vent woofer box I designed based on this. I don't gig with the tubes. But Ted Nugent does. He has two 2" tweeter K-tubes on his guitar rig. The focus gives him a lot of control over feedback.

With the Pignose? No gigs, just studio work. I've used it on recordings on all 3 of my albums. Frank Zappa did the same, often. One of his favorite personal sounds was a Piggy with a wah wah pedal kept all or most of the way down.

As for the other, I'm in Appalachia. We're hillbillies, not rednecks. Rednecks are usually from a bit farther south. Some are from way on down south, London town.

[charisjapan]

Originally Posted by drmcclainphd

You're guessing wrong, but at this size we tend to call them concerts instead of gigs. The PA also rents out to large (1000 - 2000 people) service meetings, some music but mostly spoken. Only the Sweet 16 weighs more than 50 pounds. I move it all myself.

The tubes, that was strictly an experiment to test the theory. I'm a scientist -- that's what I do. It worked. I don't gig with these but I do with the quarter-fold Karlson vent woofer box I designed based on this. I don't gig with the tubes. But Ted Nugent does. He has two 2" tweeter K-tubes on his guitar rig. The focus gives him a lot of control over feedback.

With the Pignose? No gigs, just studio work. I've used it on recordings on all 3 of my albums. Frank Zappa did the same, often. One of his favorite personal sounds was a Piggy with a wah wah pedal kept all or most of the way down.

As for the other, I'm in Appalachia. We're hillbillies, not rednecks. Rednecks are usually from a bit farther south. Some are from way on down south, London town.

Good for you, PHD!

Where I live, your equipment would be either wasted or just plain dangerous!! One of the largest gig-spots in Tokyo seats only about 200 people, and your bazooka subs would probably punch holes in the wall! My 5E3 build would be just about perfect for just about anything but the Budokan or the stadium venues.

[charisjapan]

Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about Steppenwolf's song, went back for a listen... WoW! That 'wild, crazy, noisy, screaming' music of my youth sounds so tame compared to modern 'sense-assaut' mindlessly loud noise.

[printer2]

I used to be a rocket scientist myself.

[drmcclainphd]

Originally Posted by charisjapan

Good for you, PHD!

Where I live, your equipment would be either wasted or just plain dangerous!! One of the largest gig-spots in Tokyo seats only about 200 people, and your bazooka subs would probably punch holes in the wall! My 5E3 build would be just about perfect for just about anything but the Budokan or the stadium venues.

Most of my favorite gig sites are that size. I had to put together a small amp and speaker system because just one of the Fender Frontman 65Rs was too loud for it, set between 1 and 2. I put the amp/top of a Roland/Boss MG-10 practice amp in the top/tuner section of a 1930's Philco AM/SW floor standing radio, and one of the 3 way, 100 watt speakers from an old Pioneer stereo in the bottom. Talk about retro looking. At least I could keep it tame enough for the venue.

[drmcclainphd]

Originally Posted by printer2

I used to be a rocket scientist myself.

Of what nature? I'm always glad to pick up bits of history and pass them along to Encyclopedia Astronautica is possible.

At my level of prototyping vs my experience in neuro-stuff, I was more rocket surgeon and brain scientist.

Got a bit of history headed northwards back home soon. One of the two AVRO aircars had been sitting out in the weather at a museum at Ft. Eustis, Virginia for years, and was badly rusted. They took it inside to "store". With no funds to refurbish it, we know what that would mean. I got ahold of the guy who wrote the book AVRO history and he helped me find folks up there who were willing and able to arrange transportation (no mean feat) and refurbish it when it got there. Not sure what stage it's at now, but I believe it'll end up at museum near the Winnipeg airport.

Poor John Frost at AVRO was so disappointed in the thrust loss due to recycling exhaust back into the intake that he refused to listen when the team told him to wrap a tarp around it to block the exhaust. Would have broken the pretty, saucer shape lines. He could have had the patent for the first practical turbine hovercraft.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by drmcclainphd

Of what nature? I'm always glad to pick up bits of history and pass them along to Encyclopedia Astronautica is possible.

At my level of prototyping vs my experience in neuro-stuff, I was more rocket surgeon and brain scientist.

Got a bit of history headed northwards back home soon. One of the two AVRO aircars had been sitting out in the weather at a museum at Ft. Eustis, Virginia for years, and was badly rusted. They took it inside to "store". With no funds to refurbish it, we know what that would mean. I got ahold of the guy who wrote the book AVRO history and he helped me find folks up there who were willing and able to arrange transportation (no mean feat) and refurbish it when it got there. Not sure what stage it's at now, but I believe it'll end up at museum near the Winnipeg airport.

Poor John Frost at AVRO was so disappointed in the thrust loss due to recycling exhaust back into the intake that he refused to listen when the team told him to wrap a tarp around it to block the exhaust. Would have broken the pretty, saucer shape lines. He could have had the patent for the first practical turbine hovercraft.

Just a bit of things that go boom stuff, basically MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464 related, nothing to pass on.

[binkydognose]

[drmcclainphd]

Originally Posted by printer2

Just a bit of things that go boom stuff, basically MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464 related, nothing to pass on.

Ack. I checked up on integrity of that sort on some items at SAC bases mid 70's. My lab partner at NIH was a Ukranian that, back while I was making sure the mail got through, he was tasked with keeping an eye out for the postman. He helped me write and arrange a duet of English and Russian lyrics of the Scorpions' "Winds Of Change". Closure is good.

[burninwordz]

Hmm,Seems that someone blew a S.h capacitor(sense of humor)


From what i've been reading it seems that your a smart man and there's no intention in offeending your intelectual capacity, but you need to work on your buiding skills which takes time and practice, also be open to criticism because we don't know it all and let others with years of experience help us build beautiful amps and cabs

[Paul in Colorado]

That cab with all the speakers reminds me of the "Vocal Cluster" for the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound. They just a bunch of 5" JBL Speakers along with little EV tweaters. A friend of mine was in a band with home-made monitors with K-120's and the 5" JBL speaker the Dead used. They were the best sounding stage monitors I've ever heard.

I always like to see people come up with solutions for live audio that doesn't follow the norm. I still think there's a way to excite air with lasers to create sound. Of course, I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV.

[firemedic]

This is one of the best threads I've ever seen. It really pushes my nerd button. But as we all know, nerds make the best rock 'n' roll!