School me on cabinets...

[Jack Clayton]

I've got a Princeton Reverb, and an 18w handbuilt mystery clone head (sounds fender-ish) and I'd like a cab that I could use for recording with both.

I already have a weber 12" 25w alnico speaker that sounds great. It's currently in a Seismic can that I bought for cheap on CL. I love the speaker, but the cab is a hideous yellow that clashes with all that is good and holy, and I can't help but wonder if it could sound better.

Here's my question: the speaker aside, what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

Does anyone have a make or model they'd recommend at a good price point? What should I be looking for?

 

[Dukex]

I'd just buy one of these and finish it myself: TRM Home (trmguitarcabs.com)

Hi quality wood and construction and not expensive. Several choices for a 12" speaker cab.

 

[J. Bonkosky]

I like my Orange PPC112. Nice sturdy build, made out of birch ply wood. $400 new or find a used deal. I got mine for $250 with a vintage 30 in it on CL.

 

[Bongoslade]

ya might try AVATAR SPEAKERS - i bought them as a bass player and they make nice speaker cabs.
i have three of them i think - great people to deal with as i remember.

 

[Telecasters84]

I use Avatar cabinets too...

 

[Telecasters84]

ya might try AVATAR SPEAKERS - i bought them as a bass player and they make nice speaker cabs.
i have three of them i think - great people to deal with as i remember.

+1

 

[drumtime]

IMO, it's not likely that anything else will sound sufficiently better than what you have. I know what you mean about the color though - I passed on buying one because of that.

I'd paint it.

 

[potsieweber]

I just got one of these from Eminence https://www.eminence.com/speakers/ext-cab-detail/?model=XTC112_BT

Very nicely made for the price. Can be used open or closed back. Not small or light, but serves my purpose to try out twelves with my small amps. I put in an old 60's CTS alnico and it sounds glorious with my Monoprice 5watt and my Orange Terror Stamp 20watt. I've yet to hook it up with my Princeton Reverb though.

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

The size of a cabinet makes a difference. Open vs closed back makes a difference. Closed back with a port will "tune" a cabinet to certain bass frequencies. Acoustic material inside a cabinet makes a difference. The wood makes a difference. The panel coverage and placement on the back of an open back cabinet can make a difference. A floating baffle makes a difference.

Since you will be using Fender-ish type amps with this cab, and since a Weber alnico 25W speaker will be utilized, I would suggest open back pine cab with a floating baffle. Kinda like the tweed or blackface era cabs.

 

[Jack Clayton]

The size of a cabinet makes a difference. Open vs closed back makes a difference. Closed back with a port will "tune" a cabinet to certain bass frequencies. Acoustic material inside a cabinet makes a difference. The wood makes a difference. The panel coverage and placement on the back of an open back cabinet can make a difference. A floating baffle makes a difference.

Since you will be using Fender-ish type amps with this cab, and since a Weber alnico 25W speaker will be utilized, I would suggest open back pine cab with a floating baffle. Kinda like the tweed or blackface era cabs.

This is probably a noob question, but what's a floating baffle?

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

This is probably a noob question, but what's a floating baffle?

noob questions are OK.
It is best illustrated by looking at a Fender Deluxe 5E3 or similar Tweed cabinet. The baffle is held in with four screws. The sides of the baffle are not secured to the cabinet at all. The baffle can move. On these tweed amps, the baffle is thin. Some as thin as 1/4 inch which is counterintuitive to most other speaker designs. IDK if it is true, but the baffle is said to vibrate and contribute to the sound.

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

Here is a 2 x 10 floating baffle design I built. Each baffle is only attached with four screws. The sides and middle are not fastened together. The floating baffle will only work with open back designs because air can get by the sides of the baffle.

 

[Wally]

Here is a 2 x 10 floating baffle design I built. Each baffle is only attached with four screws. The sides and middle are not fastened together. The floating baffle will only work with open back designs because air can get by the sides of the baffle.

View attachment 852455 View attachment 852456 View attachment 852457

I have to ask, lower, what effect does angling the speakers in on each other have?

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

what effect does angling the speakers in on each other have?

I was inspired by a similar design which sports a fixed baffle, and convertible, closed or open, back. The cabinet was said to give noticeably better sound dispersal on stage.

My design has floating baffles and open back. From limited unscientific listening tests of my cabinet, I hear no noticeable difference on stage. From the audience, the sound did not seem to beam like other cabinets. If one was not listening specifically for beaming, one would not notice.

I knew from the outset it breaks some speaker cabinet design rules but that puts me in good company with other guitar speaker cabinet designers. My main concern was comb filtering so I positioned the speakers close together to minimize that effect. All in all I hear nothing that I want to change.

The main thing I have noticed about the design is it is a conversation starter.

EDIT: I am sure the inspiration came from an early rendition of the XF cabinet by bill fitzmaurice. I was following along with his Jack 10 design several years ago. Thank you @wrathfuldeity for providing a link.

 

[wrathfuldeity]

Here is a 2 x 10 floating baffle design I built. Each baffle is only attached with four screws. The sides and middle are not fastened together. The floating baffle will only work with open back designs because air can get by the sides of the baffle.

View attachment 852455 View attachment 852456 View attachment 852457

I have to ask, lower, what effect does angling the speakers in on each other have?

It reminds me of a crossfire cab...something like below

XF Guitar Cabs (billfitzmaurice.info)

 

[wrathfuldeity]

I've got a Princeton Reverb, and an 18w handbuilt mystery clone head (sounds fender-ish) and I'd like a cab that I could use for recording with both.

I already have a weber 12" 25w alnico speaker that sounds great. It's currently in a Seismic can that I bought for cheap on CL. I love the speaker, but the cab is a hideous yellow that clashes with all that is good and holy, and I can't help but wonder if it could sound better.

Here's my question: the speaker aside, what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

Does anyone have a make or model they'd recommend at a good price point? What should I be looking for?

Its a rabbit hole, i.e., design, wood, construction. As for model and price point, its about economy and market. I'd think a forte' cab would work but unfortunately they are discontinued, but Avatar is making a Forte copy. Or as @Lowerfeftcoast build one, btw I'm upper left coast.

interesting cabinet design ideas... | Telecaster Guitar Forum (tdpri.com)

Cab Front

• wrathfuldeity
• May 3, 2020
• 1

The design drive was to have a guitar cab going for the vintage low watt tweed a 5f2a but with a...

 

[Ringo]

I've got a Princeton Reverb, and an 18w handbuilt mystery clone head (sounds fender-ish) and I'd like a cab that I could use for recording with both.

I already have a weber 12" 25w alnico speaker that sounds great. It's currently in a Seismic can that I bought for cheap on CL. I love the speaker, but the cab is a hideous yellow that clashes with all that is good and holy, and I can't help but wonder if it could sound better.

Here's my question: the speaker aside, what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

Does anyone have a make or model they'd recommend at a good price point? What should I be looking for?

Is the Sesmic cabinet closed back? If so is the back removeable? I'd try that first since you already have it, or port the back if it's not removeable.
If it's just the color, as has been mentioned, you can get some vinyl paint and change the color, Colorbond aerosol is good stuff and 1 can should do the job.

 

[studio1087]

I’m another Avatar fan.

 

[Dacious]

I've got a Princeton Reverb, and an 18w handbuilt mystery clone head (sounds fender-ish) and I'd like a cab that I could use for recording with both.

I already have a weber 12" 25w alnico speaker that sounds great. It's currently in a Seismic can that I bought for cheap on CL. I love the speaker, but the cab is a hideous yellow that clashes with all that is good and holy, and I can't help but wonder if it could sound better.

Here's my question: the speaker aside, what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

Does anyone have a make or model they'd recommend at a good price point? What should I be looking for?

If the cabinet is never going to move you just want the most solid inert cabinet you can get For the speaker to work against. MDF is actually OK. But it's heavy, larger and doesn't handle travel or damp well.

If the cabinet has to move for gigging ply is preferred for weight, size and durability. Most will be MDF baffles to provide a solid mounting for the speaker.

Leo used pine cabinets with thin ply baffles that are considered to have contributed to tone. That's possibly good for lower powered Tweed amps. Later he went to MDF baffles which ended up being glued in or dadoed - glued in a rebate..

Then you get into sealed vs unsealed.....

How many cans of worms do you want to open?

 

[radiocaster]

Here's my question: the speaker aside, what's the difference between a good cab and a great one? Wood? Construction? How much should I be willing to spend on one, and what will the audible difference be?

You're talking 2 different things:

Construction can make it more durable so it can take a beating when you move it around and accidentally hit it against various objects.

Sound is the best when it sounds good with your other gear and playing style.