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Alembic Club » Miscellaneous » Archive through November 11, 2010 » Archive: 2008 » Archive through February 14, 2008 » Speaker facade? « Previous Next »

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byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 969
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 7:29 pm:   Edit Post

So, I traded away my s15-xd for an acme low b-2. It sounds killer.

However, black carpeted speaker boxes are an eyesore (MHO, YMMV, HAND), and I'm looking to disguise them. I've thought about getting something like a Hammond tone cabinet (not a Leslie), gutting it, and stacking my cabs inside. I suspect that I'd need to mount the fronts in some sort of baffle, and I'd leave the rear open. (both cabs are rear-ported)

So basically it would be like this: speaker cabinets mounted in a baffle with grill cloth over it. Sides and top would likely be solid, with an open back.

What do y'all think? Will it alter the sound? I'm concerned that it will, and looking to mitigate that.

Bradley
dadabass2001
Senior Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 841
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 5:13 am:   Edit Post

Would you want the Acme to be removable or "permanently" mounted inside the baffle? I'd be concerned about mechanical coupling causing vibration (think a bar glaas dancing on top of your cab) and audible buzz.
Also, my goal over the last 5 years has been to reduce my load in at gigs. Of course I'm playing bar gigs where visual aesthetics (sic) are less important than stage floorspace economics.

Mike
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1796
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 5:31 am:   Edit Post

Are you sure aesthetics are that important? Anything added around the speaker box can only get in the way of projecting your sound.

Replacing or covering the carpeting or replacing the grill cloth should not make a huge difference, so that would be the preferred option.

One final thought: black is about the easiest colour to put next to any other colour - it never clashes.

(Message edited by adriaan on February 12, 2008)
dela217
Senior Member
Username: dela217

Post Number: 879
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 5:39 am:   Edit Post

Well I really cant stand the carpeted enclosures either. When I spoke with the maker of the Acme cabs, I enquired about an alternative covering. He was dead set against it. He told me that the covering on the cab is actually used to dampen the cabinet. Maybe he was just telling me that to keep from doing a custom job.

Michael
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1894
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 6:47 am:   Edit Post

i wouldnt worry about the look
just the sound
i love my b-2 also
2400wattman
Senior Member
Username: 2400wattman

Post Number: 507
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 11:14 am:   Edit Post

Hey Bradley, why don't you get a facade made like your sweater? hehehehe
All jokes aside, you could strip the carpet off the cab remove all speakers and xover and have it sprayed with truck bed liner material. It'sdurable and will last longer than the rug that's on it.
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 647
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 11:31 am:   Edit Post

Bradley-

How about building yourself a nice birch ply box to match the dimensions of what's currently used on the rat fur one? It works for Bag End...

I did the same thing with a Carvin PA cab I had a few years back. It got dropped on a corner and went all wonky on me. I built a cab to match. All I had to do was cut the 'box' (I used the internal bracing and structural supports out of the busted cab). I rubbed a couple coats of Danish Oil on it and had a beautiful looking cab.
bassjigga
Advanced Member
Username: bassjigga

Post Number: 302
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 11:50 am:   Edit Post

I wish everyone would use epoxy type coatings like Glockenklang. I was upset to find that they even used carpet on the US models (which I have). Not happy about that.
byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 970
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 12:03 pm:   Edit Post

For those of you worrying about my back, this is a (semi-)permanent installation.

As for aesthetics, it currently looks terrible (again, MHO), and I'd rather have something that looks less like a "speaker box" and more like a piece of furniture. I realize that not everyone identifies with that, but it *is* what I want.

So, the question is: can I mount the cab in a baffle? I'd be willing to weather-strip it or something to damp it. I'd be willing to Dyna-mat it and poly-fill it, for that matter.

I'm more worried about the technical end, the aesthetics are already well in hand :-).

Thoughts?
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1895
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 12:52 pm:   Edit Post

here you go
find a tall building.....
bring cab to top of tall building
drop cab from top of tall building
find tree...
cut down tree,,,
make new wood cabinet....
all fixed now....
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 1282
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 1:33 pm:   Edit Post

I don't know what it would do to the tone, but I understand the feeling. So many black boxes . . . it's just somehow not right that something as colorful as music always comes from black carpeted boxes.

I've always wished some maker could work with some first-class industrial designer to make some unique looking amps and cabs. Canon and Beretta have used Italian designers (NEVER a bad idea!). Yamaha even keeps an in-house design studio, like the car makers. In the old days, designers lent their touch to lots of 'everyday' products, from radios to locomotives to appliances. Still do today. Hard to see how the best the industry can do is black carpet and blackface reissues.

J o e y

J o e y
wideload
Intermediate Member
Username: wideload

Post Number: 120
Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 4:10 pm:   Edit Post

Let's get B&W to start making instrument speakers! That should cure to boring right out of you!
byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 973
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 5:00 pm:   Edit Post

Joey,

I don't even think you have to go all "italian design"... Even something old school like the Hammond Tone Cabinets and Leslies are great looking.

But I get black carpet. Boo!
hieronymous
Advanced Member
Username: hieronymous

Post Number: 260
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 5:26 pm:   Edit Post

A little off topic, but how about these guys?

ear candy cabs
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 2944
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 6:16 pm:   Edit Post

Here's the cab Earcandy did for me. Took a LONG time, but the work is very nice.

Bill, tgo
byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 974
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 7:21 am:   Edit Post

Those are some nice looking cabinets, definitely. However, it doesn't look like he makes anything but single and dual driver cabinets. I really like my three- way Acme.

I did find something on the interwebs from genelec about flush mounting, I'll update as I think about it some more.
matthew90046
Junior
Username: matthew90046

Post Number: 38
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 4:17 pm:   Edit Post

Have you considered simply tearing off the carpet and giving the cabs a nice finish?
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6212
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 6:10 pm:   Edit Post

Slightly on topic; here is one of my favorite rigs owned by a fellow club member. Apparently, the cabs were built by one company, and the speakers wiring, amp, etc. all done by another. I think it looks really nice.
byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 975
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 6:54 pm:   Edit Post

Dave,

That's nice looking, but not the vibe I'm after.

Matthew,

I don't think that the Acme would lend itself to that.

I'm still hoping against hope that there's someone here with the knowledge to guide me through the process of mounting in a baffle. I guess I could just try it.

Bradley
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 648
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 7:17 pm:   Edit Post

Bradley-

I'm not an engineer (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn).....

If all you want to do is mount the Acme inside a nicer looking box, I can't see why it would affect the sound of your cab. Seems like as long as you dampen things sufficiently (to eliminate vibration) then you should be golden.

I understand what you're shooting for- I hate the black carpet too.

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