Guitar amp cab idea with 2 leftover RS-180

[oneplustwo]

Hi folks,

Getting back into electric guitars after a long hiatus and thought I would build my own amp/speaker cabinet now that I have this other hobby to leverage. I may end up getting one of those iRig/Apogee Jam interfaces as a sort of "pre-amp" and then feed either a dedicated guitar amp or just one of my other DIY amps to drive a couple Dayton RS-180s. This is where you come in.

Everything I've learned building nice speakers and amps seems to be less relevant in the electric guitar world where distortion and overdriving are desired vs. shunned. As such, I thought a quick and cheap project would be to take two leftover RS180 drivers (one of which has a bad wrinkle near the phase plug) and put them side by side in a small cabinet. They're not really full range drivers, but then, guitarists don't seem to care all that much about flat response.

So... questions are:
1. Should I leave it open backed or enclosed?
2. Wire in series or parallel (probably series to put less strain on the amp)
3. Any sort of passive crossover required/desired?
4. Will I just blow these drivers quickly as they're not designed for this application?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[JonMarsh]

dWell, while it's TRUE to say guitarists don't care for flat response, it's actually not true to say that they don't have some kind of tonal response curve in mind, generally. Now, different players of different genre's will have different tonal characteristics preferred- and even within one brand, different models have been designed for different characteristics.

For example, with Celestions, the classic G12M was very popular in the 60's and 70's, and used in a number of Marshall, HiWatt, and other models. The Celestion G12-T75 is a popular modern reincarnation of that model, with a bit more aggressive top end, but many prefer the G12M Greebacks, which are still produced. Mostly these drivers differ how they handle the presence region and roll off the very top end. The G12t-75 is used in Marshall 1960A/B model cabs and some Traynor models, that I know of.

OTOH, the RS180 has a lot of breakup modes and peaks in the high end where it will not be nice with a guitar, especially not a overdriven tube guitar amp, so I wouldn't really recommend going down this path... I just don't expect it will be a good sounding guitar speaker. While guitar is not my main thing, I've owned four Les Pauls since 1971, and currently am playing around with this Epiphone variant a bit, so I'm not a total newb in this area.



It's a pretty decent build for offshore, and is obviously much more of an impulse purchase than a Gibson Custom shop re-issue model. Could use some hotter pickups, but everything else is pretty decent.

[oneplustwo]

Nice! I picked up a used Epiphone LP myself. Mine is the traditional pro and it plays great after a little setup work.

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Thanks for the input. I'm tending to agree that this path doesn't make a lot of sense.

[JonMarsh]

Yeah, setup work is key to getting the most out of an Epiphone- for what they charge, they don't spend a lot of time on them at the factory, and I'm sure some previously owned ones may not have gotten the right attention from the original owner unless they took it to a luthier.

You might want to check out Sweetwater or Muscian's Friend for Celestions; you can get G10 Greenbacks for about $115 each. Good luck with whatever you do decide to build- what are you using for an amp?

[oneplustwo]

Not sure yet. Since I have a couple chip amps lying around doing nothing, I was thinking about using one of those fed by amplitube or some other iPad emulator. I also picked up a Fender Mustang with some canned effects that can serve as my preamp.

AND/OR... I would like to build a real tube amp. I saw some kits from AX84.com that look interesting. Any suggestions for any other tube kits?

[JonMarsh]

The Renegade and the LoWatt are interesting looking to me, on AX84- but frankly, I need to be spending my time practicing, not building more hardware!

But that leaves me in a bit of a quandary- figure I'll go with Amplitode or something similar in the near term, but after that is more of a question mark. A plexi Marshall re-issue or one of the DSL's makes sense on the surface, cost wise, but the gain structure and master volume of the JVM410 allows you to get a variety of foot switch selected tones and effects, with a very good overdrive sound at low volume- which makes buying a low power practice amp and higher power gigging amp redundant, at least on the surface. So, while I'd like to have a JTM45 head again (re-issue), it doesn't seem the most practical way to go.

[oneplustwo]

Well said. I have enough projects in the queue at the moment as well. Sounds like we may both have an Apogee JAM in our future. That one seems to be the best of the "iRig" options out there at the moment.

[JonMarsh]

No kidding- ordered one this morning shortly after I posted the above!

[oneplustwo]

Wow... I thought I was fast! What amp and speaker rig will you drive with it? Or will you just go into an iPad and headphones? Did you purchase the full version of Amplitube or some other app?

[JonMarsh]

I'm still trying to decide between AmpKit and Amplitude to start- iPad and headphones or Macbook. That will happen pretty quickly-

now, I'm still evaluating cabinet ideas and concepts, as well as heads; it really comes down to what you want to play and what kind of tone and how picky you are! I was a bit of a tone nerd even back in the 70's; if anything, my thoughts and preferences have grown even more specific.

For example, right now I'm researching what to really expect with a number of specific cabinet/speaker combos, but the trick is not just relying on 3rd party opinion, but trying to find valid tone samples, because it's often hard to find the gear to demo. Unfortunately, one of my possible favorites (the 1960AHW and BHW Marshalls) are discontinued, BUT, they are available from stock still at a number of online sources- but finding them by walk in at a Guitar Center probably isn't going to happen (though I'm going to try my San Jose and Concord stores). Now, if you go for the Celestion G12T-75 in the standard 1960A and 1960B, those aren't hard to find- and you can even find "budget" cabinet versions, like the Traynor, if you look online. But there is a significant difference in the tone- I suspect it's due to the mass of the voice coil required for the higher power handling. It changes/dampens the presence range response, and seems to result in a somewhat more tizzy very top end. So my preference leans towards the older cab/driver designs. Which means I'll have to make a decision in a reasonable time frame, lest there be no choice other than retrofitting a newer design cab with the older drivers.

But so far, my memory of the differences between the vintage and newer cabinets seems to be holding up when I find decently recorded YouTube video's documenting the differences with heads I have a little familiarity with- including the older Marshall Plexi's and the re-issues like the JTM45. The newer more complex (and more expensive!) heads do have a lot of flexibility in terms of getting a "pretty good" tone and sound at a wide range of volume levels, but preamp overdrive doesn't sound the same as overdrive of a power stage with a vacuum tube rectifier, and the changes that makes to the dynamics.

I'm not into metal (unlike my GF's son, who plays), but much more into a "classic" sort of tone and sound typified by a variety of things done in the late 60's through mid seventies. So my preferred sound reflects that musical preference- more progressive rock/blues. Much more a "Jeff Beck" kind of sensibility than, say, Eddie Van Halen. Just my subjective musical preference. Another guitarist who's tone and playing style I admire a lot is Eric Johnson. Which beggars the question why I play a triple pickup Gibson (SG in the past, Les Paul now), instead of a Strat? :W

On the budget end, a head something like a Traynor YCS15H might be a good choice, which is a 50W/15W amp that can be reconfigured for the preamp/tone stack architecture to either sound like classic "american amps" (i.e., Fender) or "British Amps" (Marshall, HiWatt), because of the difference in how the tone/preamp stack is put in series with each other. Those aren't easy to find, but it's got a lot of functionality for $799.

In an ideal world, though, with unlimited money, I suspect I'd like a JTM45, but a more modern one would make sense- like a JVM205 (multi-channel switching and effects loop; speaker emulated XLR output (all features in the Traynor!) with foot switchable master volume. For live gigging, that kind of control makes a lot of sense, and would reduce the need for external pedals. THAT is $1499, almost double the Traynor. I think you're getting a bit more than just the Marshall name for the difference in price, but by a spec sheet read, it's mostly the digital Reverb. OTOH, the 15W class A mode of the Traynor could be useful at times.

The main reason I even stay current on Traynor is because I had a 100/200 watt tube head back in the 70's that was substantially more reliable than my Marshall at that time, and was pretty awesome for a variety of tasks. With four KT88's, it was possible to do guitar leads that made it seem like the rest of the band's amplifiers had shut down... :B only done on a few occasions when my bandmates had gotten a bit out of control on some points, and to make a counter point.

Geez, I think I've rambled on a bit too long here.... but it's an interesting topic, not many folks around to chat about this kind of stuff.

[JonMarsh]

Downloaded AmpKit+ today- I'll let you know what I think after the Apogee Jam arrives!

[oneplustwo]

As usual, I'm learning a lot reading your posts. I'm still quite the beginner and have no visions of gigging in the short term so most of what I glean won't be applied anywhere. But learning is most of the fun anyway.

As it turns out, I'm learning that the little Fender Mustang amp I have is actually pretty full of modern features that were not even on the horizon when I had my first and last rig back in the early nineties. It has a number of canned emulations, ability to use software via USB to upload others' profiles, ability to use USB output to recording software, a headphone output, etc. I really don't need the apogee and amplitude software strictly speaking. But I don't really want to haul the amp upstairs every time I want to practice upstairs either, despite it being a small practice amp.

Instead, I can perhaps pick up an entirely new guitar for the cost of the apogee and the associated software. I've been eyeing one of these from rondo music:



Great guitars for the price from what I can tell. Perfect for a beginner like me. Might have to keep it at the office so the wife doesn't start asking why a beginner needs more than one guitar.

[oneplustwo]

Jeesh... couldn't resist this guy:



B-stock with a small scratch for $80 and includes a gig bag (which I assume is el cheapo, but better than nothing.)

It's less than the apogee jam! And cheap enough that I don't feel so guilty about becoming a guitar "collector."

[JonMarsh]

Hey, that's the way to go!

But you do realize you've taken a step towards a rather slippery slope, don't you? :W

I was looking online for reviews and comparisons of the Marshal AHW vintage style cabinet, (and did come across quite a few, including some good tone comparisons with the standard 1960A), but this sequence is revealing of what can happen-

This is a nice shot of the vintage re-issue Marshall cabinet with the older style celestions... and some zoom out of the guy's collection!

The last picture is an Epiphone SG Custom, three pickup version- I used to own a Gibson SG Custom that looked just like it; it was my gigging guitar between 71 and 75. Well, I didn't even know that Epiphone made this model, until the other night I thought to look at the brochure that came with my Les Paul. This morning I searched online, and pretty much no one has this- it's apparently been discontinued for a while. (Just like the vintage style Marshall cab - though those vintage style Marshall cabs are still available from a few online dealers with stock). BUT, I found online that the Harrisburg Guitar Center store had one new, and in the spirit of your recent purchase, as again, the price was right, and I have a real sentimental attachment to this body style, but NOT to the $4K that Gibson asks for it these days, I ordered it from my iPad this AM. Full disclosure to GF, as this all happened during breakfast, and I don't think I could hide that this well in my office, especially as I like to work from my home office as much as possible.

But good luck hiding your new acquisition at the office, if you need to! $80 shouldn't raise the ire of any reasonable wife, though, I think- that's what my GF would call a "Thrift Store class deal"! :B

[oneplustwo]

Wow, that's a nice collection. I'm definitely on that slippery slope. My coworker has seven and has also warned me of this "condition." He has nice stuff though. Gibson and Fender American made stuff compared to my clone Chinese made stuff. As well as a nice Fender Twin Reverb amp.

Congrats on the purchase. You have a thing for triple humbuckers I guess! I've never played one... but rondo has one for $250. =)

As you would expect with this kind of affliction, I'm already thinking about what the next purchase might be. I do want to try a semi-hollow body. Maybe a Gibson 355 clone. I also think the LP Jr looks cool. Or something with P90 pups. Or maybe a stratocaster although that style just doesn't really do it for me. Either way, I'll have to pace myself a little better! I'm a sucker for good B-stock stuff though so maybe I need to look into guitar storage solutions too!

And perhaps at some point I need to look into serious amps too. Ah, the never-ending journey!

[JonW]

Hey Guys,

This is a fun discussion. I’m no good at guitar, but I try to play a little. For calibration’s sake, I’m *much* better at building speakers than playing guitar. And no one ever accused me of being a good speaker builder.

My guess is that the RS180’s will not make for good guitar amp speakers. The metal cone breakup will, I’m guessing, sound unpleasant. (Unless you kill that with a filter.)

I made my own amp cabinet out of maple and cherry. It looks nice in the living room. Turns out to be too heavy to lug around. It’s a good thing that I’m not a good enough player to gig. Pics below.

I’ve got a paper coned Weber speaker in there. A nice thing about the paper cone is the smoother breakup compared to a metal coned speaker. For my current speaker project- a stereo speaker pair not a guitar speaker- I am trying out both metal coned speakers (Seas W16) and a reed/paper coned speaker (Seas ER15). When I take measurements of the raw drivers, the MLS pulse “phst” sound of all frequencies sounds very different. The metal W16 sounds tinny and metallic. The paper ER15 sounds richer and fuller. So I’d recommend avoiding metal cones for the guitar speaker unless you add a filter of some sort.

On the other hand, one of the cool things about guitar is all the experimenting. Heck, make an unconventional guitar speaker and you might well like it.

I’ve played some Fender Mustang amps in shops. Very high value. I’m impressed. If I could only have one, nice amp (I do, actually), it’s not what I’d want. But they do many things well and for versatility, are hard to beat. Then consider how cheap they are...

Jon- that black Epi triple humbucking guitar reminds me of what Peter Frampton played.

Last week I just ordered my first baritone guitar to noodle around on. Always have wanted one. Should be here in a few days.


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[JonMarsh]

Nice looking cabinet, Jon! I bet you and I have different notions of what is too heavy to lug around for gigs- my Marshall stack wasn't light, but the killer was the B3 organ. about 400 lb altogether, and that's without bass pedals!

Which Fender head is that- a Bassman? I can't read the writing from the picture...

It looks like you're having fun, and that's the main thing...

OnePlusTwo, that triple pickup Rondo looks interesting, certainly at the price, but what happened to the pickup selector, and how do you get by without that? Otherwise, it looks a lot like the Les Paul Custom.

Now, there's one other Epiphone I have a hankering for, and as inexpensive as it is, maybe I should have bought it before the SG Custom Epiphone. But the latter is nearly unobtainium, and I wanted to be sure I got one, so....


Now, because of the unique pickup combination and the low price, and the highly rated reviews from those who have bought one, I think an Epiphone Nighthawk is next.



Five position selector switch, you can get a range of tones out of this that even a three pickup Gibson doesn't do.

I can't really decide which color I like best, so maybe I'll have to get all four- at $399 USD, that almost seems plausible. Certainly more so than buying an SG Supra for $3499. :W

This is the closest thing you can get to having a good combinations of Strat tone in a basically gibson body.

Those are made in Indonesia, and reading a lot of online reviews, the workmanship seems to be quite high. Owners are generally very enthusiastic, particularly about the tonal flexibility.

This video review is instructive, and unlike so many of the online videos, the player is quite competent.

http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2011/Anderton-s-Music-Reviews-The-Epiphone-Nighthawk-Cu.aspx

[oneplustwo]

@JonMarsh: Hmm, good question! The other les paul style models have the selector switch as do all the other fender, etc. models as you'd expect! I didn't even notice. Maybe they expect you to tweak yourself based on the three volume knobs.

@JonW: Nice baritone. Interested in hearing your perceptions and when you would use that particular guitar. For a starter amp, I'm also pretty happy with the Mustang especially given I got it for practically nothing. Also, when I use the aux out and feed it to one of my Aleph X monoblocs feeding my Sunflower speaker, it sounds pretty good. Actually, it sounds a lot better than the one lowly 8" driver in the amp itself. I may get a mono y-splitter and get both channels going at once for my own pseudo wall of sound. So I sort of have another amp. But of course, that doesn't stop me from wanting to either build or buy a real serious dedicated amp.

Any suggestions that would be reasonably sized and priced for a relative newbie? My buddy has the Fender twin reverb which is really nice but much more amp than I need. I like to shop for used stuff on craigslist so older stuff is open game as well.

[oneplustwo]

Another few questions as I consider a potential build...

1. Why are guitar cabs like the 2x12 arranged horizontally? Doesn't that beg for lobing? Is it purely a practical matter of having a more stable fat and wide cabinet? Does the lobing matter?
2. For 2x12 cabinets, do people install switches to drive just one or both drivers? And if so, is another practical permutation using a stereo amp to drive one or both drivers? I have a hifi DIY Telos amp that's almost done that would fit nicely on top of a new cabinet. Each channel could drive one driver potentially. It's a bit underpowered for this application but would be fine for the time being until I built/bought a real head.
3. Given my value driven decision making, any concerns over potentially using two of these parts-express buyouts? They appear to be OEM drivers from Eminence and I can get two plus the raw materials for a cab for less than the price of one Greenback. They have a 16 ohm version that I could parallel if need be although most of my amps are stable to 4 ohm without any problems. Plus, the aluminum dust cap is kinda unique. I guess the analog I would make is to determine what would be the "Dayton RS" of the guitar driver world. Great performance AND value.

[JonW]

Nice looking cabinet, Jon! I bet you and I have different notions of what is too heavy to lug around for gigs- my Marshall stack wasn't light, but the killer was the B3 organ. about 400 lb altogether, and that's without bass pedals!

Which Fender head is that- a Bassman? I can't read the writing from the picture...

It looks like you're having fun, and that's the main thing...

Yeah, I’m having fun and it’s a good thing that’s the main thing. Because if anyone had to listen to my playing, they’d just get a headache.

It’s a ’65 Bandmaster head. I like it a lot. The best guitar sound ever is a Jazzmaster, both pickups -> Fender reverb tank -> Bandmaster. Mmmmm, sweet.

That Nighthawk looks interesting. Versatile is what I understand. And for what it’s worth, I’m finding the foreign made guitars that I have to be great. I have a Korean PRS SE and a couple made in Mexico Fenders. They are all wonderful. I’m not a great player and, for me, they are all I need. Except for some personal choice things like pickups, bridges, etc.

[JonW]

@JonW: Nice baritone. Interested in hearing your perceptions and when you would use that particular guitar. For a starter amp, I'm also pretty happy with the Mustang especially given I got it for practically nothing. Also, when I use the aux out and feed it to one of my Aleph X monoblocs feeding my Sunflower speaker, it sounds pretty good. Actually, it sounds a lot better than the one lowly 8" driver in the amp itself. I may get a mono y-splitter and get both channels going at once for my own pseudo wall of sound. So I sort of have another amp. But of course, that doesn't stop me from wanting to either build or buy a real serious dedicated amp.

Any suggestions that would be reasonably sized and priced for a relative newbie? My buddy has the Fender twin reverb which is really nice but much more amp than I need. I like to shop for used stuff on craigslist so older stuff is open game as well.

I’ll let you know how the baritone goes. I tend to like the sound of the lower notes on the guitar. So it’s just for something different. We’ll see.

Now, for what amp to get or build… We will all look at this one differently. And a nice thing about guitar amps and speakers, unlike stereo speakers here at htguide, experimenting and finding your own path is a very good thing.

I think that I’d recommend first trying to decide what sound you are after. Jon, it seems, likes humbuckers through Marshalls. I like single coils through Fenders. We all have a different sound in our head. And so what you are after will dictate what you do to get there.

If you are not sure what sound you want and are after versatility, at $300, the Fender Mustang III seems like an obvious choice to me. 12” speaker, sounds decent, lots and lots of sound choices with the electronics (not to mention the software), and a more complete interface on the amp without having to use a computer than what you have now. If you spend more for a prebuilt amp, it depends what you are after (e.g., Fender vesus Marshall).

If you want to build something on your own, do some thinking about what you want. The link to the PE speakers isn’t working. If you’re after guitar speakers, take a look at what Weber has to offer. They have 12” speakers as low as $42 and going up to $200+. They each have a different sound. So, again, it depends on what you are after.

For 2x12, I’d think that two speakers versus one will be less of an influence on the sound than which speaker you pick and other factors such as tubes versus solid state. It sounds like you have a low budget. In which case I might recommend going 1x12. But be careful with my recommendations. I’m not much of a guitar player.

[oneplustwo]

I think I want to build a 2x12 for no reason other than that's where I may end up later on. And given my history with speaker building, perhaps I should reduce the number of cabinets I end up with by anticipating where I'll end up. So perhaps I'll build the 2x12 with cheaper drivers for now and upgrade later on. That also allows me to separate the amplification options from the driver/cabinet options.

As for sound, it will take me a while to figure that out in the subtle detail that approaches what you and Jon know you like. For the moment, the flexibility in the mustang I already have is sure to cover the range I need. Perhaps it makes most sense to pick up a smaller used head like the Line 6 stuff with decent emulation. This one is available now on craigslist near by: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/msg/3750042556.html

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Or I may just use one of my hifi amps with a signal from my iPad via Apogee. Or even the headphone out from my mustang! That would be cheapest and allow me to figure out what I really like before committing to a particular dedicated amp. Lots of options... fun to consider them all.

[JonMarsh]

Line 6 are popular with a lot of guitarists; this looks like a pretty good price in this case.

Being an old school kind of guy, I have no experience with this kind of piece, but at this price it sounds intriguing. I'd research reviews of the models before biting.

A HiFi amp won't have the right voicing for guitar; guitarists tend to be picky about those details with different guitar amps depending on the type of music to be played.

What I'd really recommend is getting down to a local or nearby guitar center, perhaps with your own guitar, and try out a bunch of different amps and talk to the sales guys, just to get some ear time in, and be able to connect the gear to the kind of sound you think you want.

I wouldn't bill myself as any kind of expert, but I started playing professionally (I.e., for money- paying gigs, when I was 14, worked my way through school that way, and amassed a small next egg that I invested in an audio store I became a partner in, when I was 24. Last paying gig I played in was 1986, before moving to CA with Siemens; playing was only a hobby thing from 1976 to 1986. I sold my Les Paul Professional low impedance around then. Enough experience to have an opinion about a lot of thing, but pretty out of date in many areas!

[JonMarsh]

I think I want to build a 2x12 for no reason other than that's where I may end up later on. And given my history with speaker building, perhaps I should reduce the number of cabinets I end up with by anticipating where I'll end up. So perhaps I'll build the 2x12 with cheaper drivers for now and upgrade later on. That also allows me to separate the amplification options from the driver/cabinet options.

As for sound, it will take me a while to figure that out in the subtle detail that approaches what you and Jon know you like. For the moment, the flexibility in the mustang I already have is sure to cover the range I need. Perhaps it makes most sense to pick up a smaller used head like the Line 6 stuff with decent emulation. This one is available now on craigslist near by: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/msg/3750042556.html

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Or I may just use one of my hifi amps with a signal from my iPad via Apogee. Or even the headphone out from my mustang! That would be cheapest and allow me to figure out what I really like before committing to a particular dedicated amp. Lots of options... fun to consider them all.

Let me know if you're interested in this one- if so, I'll stay away- otherwise I may jump on it, based on the reviews I've read, and company reputation.

Check out the Wikipedia article on the Line 6 Fkextone for more background.

[oneplustwo]

I already emailed the seller... no response yet but seems like it could be a good entry point (and frankly, I may never want anything else) for the price. I'll let you know what happens.

I also may pick up some poplar or birch for a cabinet build. Not sure if I can get widths I need at HD/Lowes so I may end up looking at the nicer lumber yards instead. The cost/quality balance rears its head again. I think I may make a basic 2x12 with dovetail joints that can sit both vertically and horizontally and make sure the baffle will support swapping drivers later on without too much trouble.

[JonMarsh]

Sounds like a good plan.

Just been om the Line 6 site, and their new DT25 and DT50 look very interesting to me (no idea about price!) something to check out.

[oneplustwo]

Found some 12" red oak at Home Depot that's pretty good. Nice grain and reasonably flat. Not exactly cheap at $8/foot, but it's easier than going to the lumber yard. Thinking about something similar to this:

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or this:



Hoping red oak doesn't have tear out problems with the dovetail joints.

[JonW]

Those amps are very pretty. Be careful with the oak, though. My cabinet in the photos above is 3/4" thick maple with cherry trim. It's really heavy. If I were to build another one, I'd go for pine or maybe poplar. They are much lighter. I think that oak is a denser hardwood, more like maple than pine. You can probably find some typical densities online somewhere to figure it out. Although if, like me, the amp just stays home, then the weight is not an issue.

[oneplustwo]

I thought about pine but it was just not "nice" enough for my tastes. And I couldn't get over the green tint of poplar. So we'll see how it goes with the oak. This won't be moving much if at all either so I'm not terribly concerned. Another idea is to build two 1x12 cabinets and have different jacks to wire them either in parallel or in series with some patch cables.

For the record, here are a few densities:
- Red oak: 45 lb/ft^3
- Maple: 39 - 47 lb/ft^3
- White pine: 22 - 31 lb/ft^3
- Poplar: 22 - 31 lb/ft^3

So the red oak is definitely on the denser side. Like me! =)

Any suggestions about wiring? Not sure if it's worth the hassle of allowing for both parallel and series or if I should just parallel them and be done. But I don't need a lot of volume so maybe I'll just put them in series. Depends on the amp I end up with too I suppose.

@JonW: How did you do the grill? Looks like a plywood window with grill cloth stapled to the back and affixed to the 2x4 corner bracing with velcro?

[oneplustwo]

After doing some research on heads, it looks like the Fender Mustang V might be a good option as well. It's only $300 brand new and has plenty of power with good reviews on the flexibility and sound quality. The guy with the Line 6 head hasn't gotten back to me yet but I'm thinking this Fender Mustang might be a better option given it's new and also, for what it's worth, matches my little Mustang I. =) The super champ might be another option if I want to go with real tubes. Same price. Less versatile.

If I didn't want to build my own cabinet, I'd probably just get the Mustang III as I certainly don't need that much power/volume. But where's the fun in that.

Parts-express order done. Now just need to wait on my buddy to loan me his dovetail jig and it'll be time to make saw dust! It's been a while...

[oneplustwo]

Jeez... I need to spend some time away from the computer. Musician's friend has a 15% off any item more than $199 for another day. They didn't have it in stock but guitar center did so I had them price match. A few credit card digits later, and I have the Fender Mustang V v.2 on the way. I'll build my cabinet the same width so it will be a nice match!

[john trials]

If you are getting that Line 6 Flextone amp (or anything similar that has stereo output), you are going to want two speaker cabinets. True stereo chorus and other stereo effects sound AMAZING with two separate speaker cabinets. Just a little added info to get your snowball rolling a bit more

[oneplustwo]

I got the Fender Mustang V v.2 which has stereo output so I'm thinking I'll just wire the 2 drivers separately. This way, I can also just drive one in mono mode although more likely, just drive both in stereo most of the time since I can get the same sound at lower volumes. Thankfully, I was able to switch the drivers to 8 ohm versions instead of the 16 ohm before the order went out.

Talk about overkill... better start practicing!

[JonMarsh]

Jeez... I need to spend some time away from the computer. Musician's friend has a 15% off any item more than $199 for another day. They didn't have it in stock but guitar center did so I had them price match. A few credit card digits later, and I have the Fender Mustang V v.2 on the way. I'll build my cabinet the same width so it will be a nice match!

Congratulations on the amp! Was this the one you ordered, the Mustang V v.2 head?



Will this be going into the office, too, or is your wife onboard with this one? :W Jewelry often works in these kinds of situations, I hear...

When will you start a cab for it?

The worst thing for me I find is being at the iPad early in the AM before I've had my coffee and before a little common sense kicks in... after today I'm going to have to put the PayPal account on lockdown! I've been thinking about one other guitar for a while, to get some Fender type sounds while still basically being a Gibson, so I ordered a Nighthawk Epiphone- the price was too low to ignore, and every review online has been very positive, both 'zines and users. It's the pickups, and the five way selector that deliver the magic, reportedly.

The pictures are of the actual SN# guitar being shipped. I'm jazzed, needless to say.

That Fender you're getting does have a lot of tone modeling built in- it should be very fun to play with. I'm looking at the Line 6 DT-50 for similar reasons, lots of modeling, but with a tube power stage- which of course makes it a lot pricier. That will be a ways off- maybe a Christmas present for myself if the rest of the year goes well.

[oneplustwo]

Wow, that's pretty! Congrats on the purchase. Cool that they have pictures of the exact serial number you're getting! I'm thinking about a stratocaster as my next guitar sometime down the road as well. I have my LP with 2 humbuckers and the telecaster on the way. Another option is a gibson semi-hollow similar to the 335. But I need to finish these other projects first before the wife kills me.

Speaking of which, yes, that's the exact amp I bought. And it's going home, not in the office as I don't have a 'real' amp yet so it doesn't seem as extraneous as a second guitar. It's on backorder so it might be a couple weeks before I get it. No hurry as I still need to build the cabinet. I already ordered those Kustom Turbo 12" drivers (OEM Eminence) to try out. And I got some red oak as well. Just need to borrow my buddy's dovetail jig before making sawdust.

[JonMarsh]

You should be in business pretty soon! If you've got the wood and the tools, all you need is the time... which is sometimes the hardest part!

[JonW]

@JonW: How did you do the grill? Looks like a plywood window with grill cloth stapled to the back and affixed to the 2x4 corner bracing with velcro?

You nailed it. Overall, it’s OK. I just wanted something to protect the speaker and prevent a foot from kicking into it. And also be removable for whatever reason. I thought about some chicken wire or something, too, but skipped it. The plywood window warped soon after I cut out the middle section. It works. Not sure what I’d do differently next time. Rather than cheap plywood, maybe use higher quality birch ply and it would not warp? Not sure.

The Mustang head choice sounds great to me. I’m kind of amazed at how those things perform, especially when you see how cheap they are. Good design, cheap computers, and cheap foreign labor, I guess. It will be an especially good head for the cabinet you are building. You do not know exactly how it will sound and the Mustang has a lot of flexibility to adjust to your tastes. For me, I’d rather one great sound, which is a blackface tube amp. But the Mustang has my Bandmaster beat by a mile for versatility.

Jon-
That guitar looks nice! And your purchase and the photos in this thread would probably have weakened me to the point of buying a new guitar. Well, if I didn’t already have one on the way. Ahem.

[oneplustwo]

Got it. Looks like your baffle is glued in? Is there a dado there? Or is it more loosely affixed? I read about some people only affixing their baffles in the corners for semi-open/open enclosures for a different sound. That seems like rattling waiting to happen though. I'm considering a dado but that would mess up my dovetail joints unless I did a blind dado. I was also thinking about building a small internal frame to screw the baffle into to make driver swaps easier. That could serve double duty to secure the grill frame/cloth to as well.

Any other ideas? It will be nice not to have to worry about the chamfering and other things that we worry about in hifi cabinet designs.

[JonMarsh]

Jon-
That guitar looks nice! And your purchase and the photos in this thread would probably have weakened me to the point of buying a new guitar. Well, if I didn’t already have one on the way. Ahem.

Well, I'm glad I didn't lead you into temptation- you found it all by yourself! :W :B :T

So, what's on the way?

Today the postal gal brought me the Apogee Jam that I ordered, and I've already tried it out briefly, with Peavy emulator and JTM45 emulator, and tuned it with the build in tuner- works pretty dang nice for practice, so far. I've got my work cut out for me... fingers are pretty stiff, yet some moves are coming back as if from latent motor memory and past habits. Hopefully that's a good sign and will build as I spend time on it.

I also got the DVD set from England by Keith Appleton about playing Rock and Jazz on the B3, so I'll have plenty to keep my evenings busy...

[oneplustwo]

Nice! I'm going through Scotty West's videos. Having played violin and piano for many years and having dabbled in guitar years ago, much of it is review, but I figure it doesn't hurt to hear it again. Besides, there are some guitar specific nuggets in there that I didn't know. I also have a free month access to guitartips.com which has some good content for the beginner I am. A little better production value as well.

[oneplustwo]

Here's the dovetail jig.



Will be my first time trying dovetails so I'll need to make some test runs. I've always thought they looked cool though so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

[PMazz]

Wow! Haven't seen one of those in a long time. I think I may actually still have it. We used them for making drawer boxes, but now there are companies that supply them for what the raw wood costs me.

[oneplustwo]

Wow! Haven't seen one of those in a long time. I think I may actually still have it. We used them for making drawer boxes, but now there are companies that supply them for what the raw wood costs me.

Well send it to me then if you're not using it!

My new telecaster clone should be here Monday. The amp will be here Friday. Practicing my pentatonic blues scales and building up finger strength and flexibility for all the bends and other such machinations that I never had to do while playing violin. Hoping to make some rough cuts for the cabinet later this week.

[JonW]

oneplustwo-
It sounds like everything is progressing nicely. You have to post and keep up updated with photos of your progress.

Well, I'm glad I didn't lead you into temptation- you found it all by yourself! :W :B :T

So, what's on the way?

Well, the timing of this thread is kind of unfortunate. If the thread had started *before* I ordered the guitar, I could blame you and everyone else here. :P

Here is what I got:

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/14356/Danelectro-56-Reissue-Baritone-Electric-Guitar-Red/

A Danelectro baritone.
There are some sound samples here:

http://danguitars.com/Baritone.html

Isn't that a cool tone? It arrived yesterday and I only had a little time to play with it but I think that it's going to be a lot of fun.

[JonMarsh]

oneplustwo-
It sounds like everything is progressing nicely. You have to post and keep up updated with photos of your progress.




Well, the timing of this thread is kind of unfortunate. If the thread had started *before* I ordered the guitar, I could blame you and everyone else here. :P

Here is what I got:

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/14356/Danelectro-56-Reissue-Baritone-Electric-Guitar-Red/

A Danelectro baritone.
There are some sound samples here:

http://danguitars.com/Baritone.html

Isn't that a cool tone? It arrived yesterday and I only had a little time to play with it but I think that it's going to be a lot of fun.

Congratulations! ;b>

Hey, I used to have some friends playing Danelectro's back in the day- I mean, in the 60's! Had no idea they were still around! I think Sears sold those back in those days... that's stretching the memory banks a bit!

Well, I can chime in with your new arrivals- the Nighthawk arrived today! Coming from Sweetwater it was fully checked out and adjusted- they do give good service. It's a little off the beaten track guitar wise, but the neck feels great- it's a longer scale neck than a standard Gibson, too.