Building a cab

How hard would it be to build my own cab? I am looking at a couple of eminence speakers and I would like to expand my 112 to a 212 with an external cab, I figure this will work better If i want to start jamming with people and maybe even play a few small gigs.

Would it be possible to build a "scalable" cab where I could add more (2) speakers as I get the money for them? or would this be useless, Im asking because I really have no idea what the future has in store for me expect very little money for the remaining years of college. So I am trying to head off future costs as much as possible.

Any ways are there things I need to consider like shape, size and angle? I like a really tight heavey bottom end so should it be a closed back? if it is just a 212 would there be any advantage to stacking the speakers rather than placing them side by side. Kinda like half a slanted 4x12 cab?

You have to look at what wood you want to use... good wood cost a pretty penny.... You have to look at what speakers you want... good speakers cost a decent amount... You're right in saying that you'll want a closed back if you want a good bottom... Closed back cabs will require you to have some port holes...

I guess for me... If I put myself in your situation. I would weigh the time and money it's going to cost me to build a cab versus the ease of making a good one time investment. If I were you I would just look for a decent cab that's already out there. The one time investment would be more useful and time saving for me... i don't have the time to invest in building something like that right now... I don't know how you feel about just buying a cab for 400 bucks versus spending 300 bucks building one.

Well I already have a great deal on two practically new speakers and they have come highly recommended by several people, including a few from this site.

Saving a hundred bucks is a huge deal and I think it would end up being much less than that. good wood doesn't cost as much as the people who build stuff out of it want you to think. I have access to a state of the art wood shop and people who know how do all the electrical stuff. I have already weighed the pro and cons of building it and decided that the amount of time would definitely be worth it, especially because its not an urgent thing I can take my time in making it. I'm looking at this as more of a project that will take me a while, particularly because of school. I may not be hooking the speakers up to it until march but I will have a good time building it I think.


My questions where more about design and such.

Originally Posted by: Drew77

My questions where more about design and such.

Just makin sure that you thought it all through... A lot of times people come on here and throw ideas around when there is an easier solution...

As far as design goes... A speaker cab with a horizontal speaker configuration would probably be what you'll want since you like a tight bottom end. Having the speakers lower to the ground and resting on the ground give the box a more solid resonance where as elevated speakers or cabs with speakers in a verticle configuration tend to get a little more treble and lose some of that bottom... So a horizantal, closed back, ported 2x12 inch speaker cab it would be... Then into mounting the speakers... there are tons of sites that will give you a lot more info than I can... But my personal preference would be to offest the speakers in the cab (one slightly higher than the other)... For one, this allows you to place the speakers a little closer together. This will help in that bottom end giving the amp a more centered point of sound conveyance. And two... it will give your cab a bit more edge in the top end... It will balance the cab so you're not bottom heavy on the EQ... As far as wht types of wood to use I'm not too certain on that. I think most decent cabs are made of birch... But I could be wrong. The finish of the wood can also play a part in the tone of the wood as well.... tolex or a hardened finish will make the wood respond differently than a tweed or soft type covering... There should be a few good sites out on the web that can explain all that in a little more detail.

http://www.humanspeakers.com/diy/cabinets.htm

Speaking from personal experience. I have built cabs before. Always 4x12's though. It is a very simple thing to do...IF you have good tools. My first cabinet I built out of MDF (medium density fiberboard). Turned out pretty good, it was 3/4" made solid, internal bracing etc. BUT....about 4 months after I built it, it accidentally fell off the back of a truck onto my driveway. Needless to say the fiber board cracked. I took the same speakers out of this cabinet and made a 2nd one. I made this one out of 3/4" plywood and doubled its thickness. Although the cabinet is very heavy, its a tank. Closed back non ported. I do not beleive you absoulutly have to port the cabinet. In recent years I have made side money from building car/home speaker cabinets. I do not port them either unless asked. Porting them makes them seem "boomy" to me. Unported enclosures have a tighter sound to me. Guitar or music cabinets. I have used Celestions/Pyle/Eminence prodominetly over the years. If you build the cabine yourself. Make SURE of your measurements before cutting, use woodscrews and glue to put together. Bare minimum you will need a circular saw, jig-jaw and electric screw gun. I have access to a full blown woodshop so I use table saws, jointers, routers etc. Also figure out what kind of covering to use on the finished cabinet. I had a local metal fabrication shop make a metal grill for the cabinets I built in the past. My next project will have a plexi-glass front on the cabinet with neon light inside so you can see the speakers etc. ....yeah i know, I got too much time on my hands!!!.....

EDIT: Depending on what your budget is for materials. Decent 3/4" plywood is not that expensive. Just use regular plywood, not cabinet grade.