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Author
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Topic: Fender 2x12" cab convert to 1x15"??
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Dave Van Allen
Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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posted 22 March 2004 12:26 PM
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I have an old speakerless Fender bassman/bandmaster 2x12 cabinet I "inherited". I want to replace the baffle and put a JBL d130 I have in it.from measurements I have taken the existing 2x12 baffle is .5" thick with .25" framing on the grill cloth/logo side. I ain't looking to do a tone ring or anything fancy. just center an apprx 13.5" diameter hole on a .75" thick board and mount the speaker over it. so what am I missing here-?? it doesn't seem like a really hard project (sans grill cloth)other than measuring twice to cut once... need I consider "porting"?
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 1998 Zumsteel U12 "Loafer" 8&6 :: 1973 ZB Custom D-10 8&5 :: Vintage Fender 'Tube' Amplification www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com
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Joe E
Member From: Plainfield,IL
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posted 22 March 2004 12:48 PM
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That's about it. As long as it is the cabinet WITHOUT the center bracing. You may consider a small port hole in the face too. Maybe a 3" diameter. This will help with the bass responce and I feel makes a fuller sounding cabinet.You can use 5/8" baffle if you want so it fits the cabinet a little better. Joe |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 22 March 2004 07:57 PM
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Here's another idea, Dave. Consider a Thiele cabinet design. I assume it is closed back cabinet. You leave about a 1 1/2" slot at one end of the speaker baffle. Inside you put a shelf flush with the inside edge of the slot and attached to the baffle and sides. Leave a 1 1/2" gap between the back of the shelf and the back of the cabinet. This reflex design kicks all the sound out the front and boosts the lows. It's very efficient. |
Dan Tyack
Member From: Seattle, WA USA
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posted 23 March 2004 12:13 AM
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I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I am a HUGE fan of using different types of 12" speakers in a 2X12" cab. Especially paring a JBL type (e120, d120, Black Widow) with another type (Celestion, Jenson, any sort of junk speaker). It can sound HUGE, with the crispness of a JBL, but with more warmth and smoothness (especially when the amp is cranked). IMHO, of course. But I would keep your 15" for another amp and maximize the potential of your 2X12" cab. In terms of making a Thiel cabinet, I know there are a lot of folks who love these things, but I have owned a couple of these (one with an EV and one with a JBL) and I simply never cared for the sound of it. I know they are efficient and produce a flat response, but I guess I just don't care for a flat response.... |
Dave Van Allen
Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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posted 23 March 2004 06:39 AM
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well thanks for the ideas guys...this project's parameters are controlled by poverty and what I currently own... an empty cabinet, and a JBL 15"; hence the desire to put said 15" in the currently useless cabinet. I think I am gonna try it initially without a port... the Theile seems a bit beyond my woodworking skills at this point.
I do have two other almost identical Loaded 2x12 cabinets, one with JBL's another with old blue back Fenders-- I might try Dan's plan with them- swap one of each kind into the other cabinet...
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David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 23 March 2004 06:39 AM
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Well, to each his own. I just don't care for the sound of 12" speakers, any of them, although I've never tried two different kinds together. 15s just sound better for pedal steel to me. It's not about how much air is moved, it's about the voice of the speaker. Maybe theoretically the right tone stack and EQ could make them sound the same. But in practice I can't get any 12s to sound as good as a 15. I say slap that 15 in there, Dave. You're tone sounds great with the ones you already have. |
Dave Van Allen
Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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posted 23 March 2004 11:32 AM
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to clarify, I am definitely putting the 15" in the currently empty cabinet.I might swap one speaker each twixt the other two loaded 2x12 cabs I have. |
Joe E
Member From: Plainfield,IL
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posted 23 March 2004 11:39 AM
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Dave,Sometimes we get more advice than what we really need. Build the baffle as described in your first post. All should work fine. If you find it lacks some bass/fullness use a hole saw and cut a port into it. Start off with maybe 1 two or three inch port. Add a second if needed. If you can use the old grill cloth, use the 3/4 inch plywood. Cut the hole in the center and load the speaker from the back. This way you can wrap the original grill cloth around the new baffle and all the old bends/creases and stains will match up. Paint the baffle black before puting the cloth on. Should not be any real problems and should be a quick project. Good luck, Joe |
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