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Old 26th Jun 2020, 12:43 pm   #1
Martin Bush
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Default Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Hello all

Hopefully this request is allowed. The speaker in question is being supplied by a forum member and it will be used to amplify a 30 year old guitar, the design of which dates back to the 50s... hopefully that's vintage enough

I plan to build a speaker cabinet to house a 12" speaker. It needs to be quite tight as I am doing all I can to save space.

I think I know how it can be constructed, but I would be interested in any particular designs forum members would recommend. My woodwork skills cover sawing, drilling, screwing and gluing - nothing fancy or beyond basic!

My main question relates to covering. Does anyone have recommendations for a good covering material? I envisage covering each side of the cabinet before screwing it together - that seems easiest to me. My skills in this area are limited to cutting and sticking so I want to keep it simple.

I want it to look vintage without going down the "relic" route (that's the practice of charging more to bash new gear up in the factory to make it look older than it is).

Martin
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Old 26th Jun 2020, 1:18 pm   #2
Paul JD
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Tolex is the most commonly used covering material (the vinyl type material as used on Marshall and Vox amps) or alternatively the tweed type of material as used on early Fender amps although that is a bit more challenging to get good results with so probably not the best choice for a first project. There is a selection of covering materials (and grille cloths) here https://www.allparts.uk.com/collecti...gs-grill-cloth or searching eBay for "tolex" should throw up a few results.

I would recommend covering the whole cabinet after putting it together for the best results, it's not particularly difficult once you get the hang of it and some metal corner protectors can hide a multitude of sins on the corners . Some good info on how to do it here http://guitarkitbuilder.com/how-appl...ifier-cabinet/
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Old 26th Jun 2020, 1:41 pm   #3
Martin Bush
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Thanks Paul.

Having looked at YouTube I've found what looks like a straightforward method for applying the covering. Of course they wouldn't post a video of them mucking it up would they
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Old 26th Jun 2020, 7:34 pm   #4
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Martin if you can try and practice covering before you do your final cabinet. Getting the corners etc right can be tricky, so the more you have a play around the better.
I didn’t bye any of the cabinet fittings so my cabinets never really ever look professional but they sounded good!
I used pvc wood glue and my first mistake was putting it on too thick, so spread it out thinly.
Good luck
John
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Old 26th Jun 2020, 10:27 pm   #5
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Oops, BUY not bye.
John
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Old 27th Jun 2020, 7:21 pm   #6
mark_in_manc
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Round here people dump worn / torn leather sofas on the street. I've skinned a couple for odds and ends of leather, out in the dead of night with a Stanley knife. I seem to remember you are doing this on a tight budget - might be fun to obtain your covering material that way, especially if you can find something outrageous in gold, or leopard-print, or (depressingly common in abandoned furnishings around here) white!

I once played a gig in a Sally Army hall where the house PA involved column arrays covered in heavily (think ski jacket) quilted metal-flake vinyl. Like, cosmic, man

(and speaker cloth - how about some retro curtains when the charity shops re-open? I have my Nan's (died about 1980) tucked away somewhere for just such a purpose...)
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Old 27th Jun 2020, 11:59 pm   #7
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Thanks chaps - all good advice.

Sadly round here you dont see much furniture dumped, although I've had some decent cables and electronics.

That said, I'm going to keep my eye out for other lower cost sources of materials for this project. Who knows what I will create
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Old 28th Jun 2020, 6:35 pm   #8
ColinTheAmpMan1
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

To be honest, I wouldn't use anything other than a proper grille-cloth for covering the the speaker baffle. Curtain material is likely to soak up too much of the treble frequencies from a guitar.
There are a few places to buy guitar-cabinet material from, but most of the ones I know of are in the USA and shipping will take so long that you forget what you bought it for. I am probably exaggerating as I think some shipping from the USA has got quite a bit speedier of late.
I have a feeling that the quilted metal-flake vinyl on the Sally Army PA might have meant that it was made by Kustom. They covered their stuff with a ski-jscket sort of material. However, it might just as easily been a copy of Kustom, as they were made in the USA and consequently rather expensive. They always reminded me of Robbie the Robot in the film "Forbidden Planet". I can't imagine the Sally Army being able to afford Kustom gear, what with all that saving of fallen women.
Colin.
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Old 29th Jun 2020, 10:30 am   #9
mark_in_manc
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Sally Army was 30 years ago, and the gear was old then. I liked their spending priorities, even then! Speaker cloth - 'how hard is it to blow through' is one way to look at it, as legitimated by Delany and Bazley's dodgy old curve fits:

https://www.math2market.com/Publicat...any-Bazley.pdf

But these days I can't be a***d - I'll hang nanna's curtains over a speaker and see what it sounds like!
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Old 30th Jun 2020, 12:57 pm   #10
Martin Bush
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

If any of you had heard my recordings you'd advise I use a piece of solid ply across the speaker
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Old 30th Jun 2020, 5:15 pm   #11
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

I'd recommend to watch this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxcLri3yn8Q he gives a very good guide about covering cabs. Alternatively you could just paint it black with a few rattle cans, use matt black if you do, easier to apply.

Regards fixing it together the simplest way is to use mdf, 3/4" is best if possible, cut to size remembering to include the thickness of the mdf in any measurements, then get some length's 1 1/2" x 3/4" ( I think) of roofing batten - dirt cheap, but make sure you get straight bits. Get the sides, back and front, screw and glue on two length's of batten whatever thickness of mdf your using down from the top (+ a smidgen so you can plane or sand any rough bits off the edges) & bottom etc so the top & bottom will pop in.

Use silicon to seal the joints inside and you'll probably need a box of filler. If you get plaster type filler, but mix it with PVA glue instead of water, it makes a good filler that is easy to sand off unlike some fillers in a tube. This is cheaper too.

If you want to be fancy use a router to round the edges off, you can borrow my bits if things are tight. Tips... if you have no fancy table saw, cut pieces slightly over then plane to the line, a plane works fine on mdf. Countersink screw holes + fill, paint a few coats of watered down emulsion wot you got in the shed or use watered down PVA, then paint. Doesn't look as good as a tolex covered one but it's quick and cheap.

Andy.

I'd advise setting the front baffle in a bit, say 1/2" for the grill if any. Personally I'd just get a grill to go over it. this place has lots of nifty parts for cab building - https://www.penn-elcom.com/ like T nuts to fix the speaker etc. Actually I think I still have a jar full of T nuts and allen bolts, I can let you have a few cheap, saves you buying 50 of each.
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Old 30th Jun 2020, 6:48 pm   #12
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Never heard of Tolex. I always thought it was Rexine.

Cheers

Aub
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Old 30th Jun 2020, 7:42 pm   #13
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aub View Post
Never heard of Tolex. I always thought it was Rexine
Rexine and Tolex are both actually trade names for two different products but generally speaking Rexine refers to a lighter duty artificial leather type material such as that often used on vintage radios and domestic products whereas Tolex refers to a much heavier duty vinyl type material that is often used on guitar amplifiers and professional audio equipment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexine
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Old 1st Jul 2020, 10:14 am   #14
ColinTheAmpMan1
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul JD View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aub View Post
Never heard of Tolex. I always thought it was Rexine
Rexine and Tolex are both actually trade names for two different products but generally speaking Rexine refers to a lighter duty artificial leather type material such as that often used on vintage radios and domestic products whereas Tolex refers to a much heavier duty vinyl type material that is often used on guitar amplifiers and professional audio equipment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexine
Having used both Rexine and Tolex, I thought that Rexine was the tougher and thicker product, after all, it was used to make car-seats and such (that's how I came by it, my father worked for BMC/British Leyland). It always had a fabric backing, whereas the Tolex backing seemed to be more like a paper product. My memory may be deceiving me, though.

Weber is a good source of both Tolex and grille-cloth (they don't stock Nanna's old curtains), but they are in the USA. The URL below may give you ideas and maybe get you salivating:

https://www.tedweber.com/cabinet-covering

Good Luck, Colin.

Last edited by ColinTheAmpMan1; 1st Jul 2020 at 10:15 am. Reason: Removal of repeat URL.
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Old 1st Jul 2020, 11:54 am   #15
Martin Bush
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Default Re: Speaker Cabinet build and covering

Cheers chaps.

The speaker has arrived from a fellow forum member and this may sound odd, but I am reassured by the size of the box it arrived in. All of a sudden it doesn't seem such a daunting prospect to make a cabinet.
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