Guitar Cab construction quality related to tone quality?

[whiskeyinthejar]

Hey guys, i've got a JCM 1 head on the way and I currently own a Marshall Haze 1x12. Im thinking of swapping the speaker to a v30 or a g12-65 but im wondering if the construction of the cab being played affects the tone coming out of the speaker?

Is it worth putting a nice speaker into an ok cab, or is it going to sound bad because it's chinese factory quality?

Based on my experiance with the cab, i've been very pleased with the sound when paired with my tiny terror, but im looking at just changing the speaker rather than spending a bunch of money on an entirely new 1x12.

Thoughts?

*As a sidenote, would a v30 or celestion g12-65 be a good idea for a low watt amp?

 

[Rhust]

if you don't feel the cab is well built, you can build one for well under $100, you can even use the dimensions from your current cab(probably MDF) and rebuild it in pine or birch, silicone all the interior seams... it might cost you an afternoon and a case of beer to have a friend help.

you can also try siliconing the seams of your current cab, and maybe some interior sound dampening.

 

[Pinkie]

if you don't feel the cab is well built, you can build one for well under $100, you can even use the dimensions from your current cab(probably mdf) and rebuild it in pine or birch, silicone all the interior seams... It might cost you an afternoon and a case of beer to have a friend help.

You can also try siliconing the seams of your current cab, and maybe some interior sound dampening.

+1

 

[hipofutura]

The fact that it's cheap and Chinese built doesn't necessarily mean it will sound bad. It may mean it looks like hell and will fall apart, but it still may sound OK.

There's much debate as to whether or not the type of wood will noticeably affect the tone. I'm one who believes it won't (MDF aside).

What will have the most impact on tone is the size of the cab and how it's dampened.

 

[pmonk]

I just got a custom built white pine cab and installed a Vintage 30, and the tone with a dual terror is just out of this world, so IMO the answer is yes!

It's worth spending the extra $$ to construct a proper cab to improve the tone.

 

[Justin_Case]

Size and design are the biggest factors. I love an oversized 2x12, but most won't lug one around. Open vs closed backed, convertible backed, angled,....

Build quality / durability are another subject.

 

[onioner]

There's much debate as to whether or not the type of wood will noticeably affect the tone. I'm one who believes it won't (MDF aside).

Really? In,my experience The difference between pine And say birch is definitely not subtle. I doubt there's much differen ce between birch And another hard, sturdy wood, but pine definitel y has its own thing goin on.

 

[hipofutura]

Really? In,my experience The difference between pine And say birch is definitely not subtle.

Not to my wooden ears!

I can't tell the difference between a solid pine and a plywood cab.

 

[ANEAS]

Not to my wooden ears!

I can't tell the difference between a solid pine and a plywood cab.

Don i have built both pine and birch ply ,is there a difference I don't perceive any the only thing I am concerned is how solid is it constructed with walls thick enough not to flex and resonate ...I do like a very stiff baffle to reduce driver from resonating any sound other than the speaker.....JIM

 

[exPFCWintergreen]

The most important aspect of a speaker cab is volume. Find the specs of your driver and use one of the many speaker volume calculators on the net to determine cabinet size. A sealed cab will seem large, but the sound quality will be considerably better than an open cab. 3/4 MDF is a good choice.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy]

avatarspeakers.com build your own cab for a really good price...


Yes, unfortunately, it all matters. Closed back, open back, and the type of wood all matters (the thickness too)...

 

[y3llo]

I've found that buying used, well made boutique amp manufacturer cabinets to be very easy. I'm assuming that most people don't buy new cabs very often because they seem to be really well priced... I scored a used (mint condition) Reason 1x12 cab for $240 shipped. I also have this guy on clist willing to trade me a 65 amps 2x12 cab for my SCXD. (it didn't have the original speakers) But that cabinet is $1000 new and I was asking $200 for my SCXD. I don't need the 2x12 right now, but still tempted.

 

[Syrus]

So let's forget about boutique and CHINA mass production for a sec and:

As far as physics go and all.

Take this in mind.

A speaker vibrates. This costs energy to get the coil moving, these vibrations will also present on the material its connected to. ( In this case the baffle, and in the whole cab)

In an Ideal situation a speaker will emit 100% of its energy to the air, meaning it moves a lot of air and makes it vibrate. ( In reality kinetic energy is turned to heat, friction, etc.)

So take this in mind and think about wether you would like a loose soft cab or a stiff cab.

THIS WILL MOST DEFINITELY affect your tone.

A stiff cab will dampen lesser vibrations then a loose cab.
As in
Solid wood like pine will actually dampen more
MDF is a very very tight construct, meaning its stiff and will project more energy in total.
Meaning more treble.

In my ears, I like warm tones. So I like a bit of dampening and its also one of the reasons I'm a big fan of Greenback speakers with a pine cab for example.


Try it out and see what I mean.

 

[ANEAS]

So let's forget about boutique and CHINA mass production for a sec and:

As far as physics go and all.

Take this in mind.

A speaker vibrates. This costs energy to get the coil moving, these vibrations will also present on the material its connected to. ( In this case the baffle, and in the whole cab)

In an Ideal situation a speaker will emit 100% of its energy to the air, meaning it moves a lot of air and makes it vibrate. ( In reality kinetic energy is turned to heat, friction, etc.)

So take this in mind and think about wether you would like a loose soft cab or a stiff cab.

THIS WILL MOST DEFINITELY affect your tone.

A stiff cab will dampen lesser vibrations then a loose cab.
As in
Solid wood like pine will actually dampen more
MDF is a very very tight construct, meaning its stiff and will project more energy in total.
Meaning more treble.

In my ears, I like warm tones. So I like a bit of dampening and its also one of the reasons I'm a big fan of Greenback speakers with a pine cab for example.


Try it out and see what I mean.

Sryus I agree with all you have said here ....I always ask the question do you want to here the music the speaker is producing or hear the cab vibrating along with the speaker ...to me this is a poor cab ..a cab should be solid ,rigid and dead you don't want to hear the cab just the speaker.....most of my cabs are 3/4" pine well braced with insulating on the inside.....JIM

 

[Shawn Lutz]

Yes cab construction does matter, just as speaker type does. You can have a poorly constructed cab and a well built cab with the exact same speakers and you'll hear the difference between the two...

 

[exPFCWintergreen]

Sryus I always ask the question do you want to here the music the speaker is producing or hear the cab vibrating along with the speaker ...to me this is a poor cab ..a cab should be solid ,rigid and dead you don't want to hear the cab just the speaker.....most of my cabs are 3/4" pine well braced with insulating on the inside.....JIM

Agreed. The cabinet should be as dead as possible. Why waste sound energy by turning it into cab vibrations?

 

[Hekim]

Why not try whatever speaker you choose in the cab you own and see if it suits your needs. If not, put the original speaker back in, sell it and build or buy a better cab.

Let your own ears tell you what you need.

 

[12watt]

It'll be fine. If it was okay before then I see no reason for that to change.

I've put better drivers in ropey cabs and the improvement was definitely noticeable.