On smaller speakers...

[rpjazzguitar]

I played 12" speakers for decades and I was happy with the sound. Ampeg Reverberocket, Mesa Boogie Mark III and an old Yamaha something.

I then heard a JC55 that a vibes player was using and liked the sound. I don't recall why I assumed it would be good for guitar, but it was pretty good (maybe a little icy). I didn't focus on the speaker size (two 8"). Tried an original Lunchbox and hated it. Got the Little Jazz and love it. Tried the Compact 12 and didn't prefer it to the LB although it was ok.

I sometimes use an SRM350, 10" low frequency driver. Or a Yamaha Stagepas300, 8" low f. Also I tried a Bose S1 (6 inch low f). They all sound good to me.

So, with the Lunchbox as an outlier, I don't seem to have a preference for speaker size.

[Herbie]

I like Quilter Tone Block 202 amps. I have two of them in DIY cabinets. One is in Tweed Deluxe size combo cabin with a 12" Jensen Blackbird 100 speaker. I like it for rock guitar but somehow it ain't perfect for classic jazz sounds.

I have made two or three combo cabins with a 10" speaker, but all have been disappointing. So some years ago I thought that "how small combo I could do around the TB202"?

Here is the answer: 10" x 10" x 10" combo with an 8" speaker (Eminence Beta 8A). 200W, 7,56 kg.







I have read about the science behind speaker cabinet design but have never dwelled into it. This sounds nice, the bass player of my band admires how balanced it sounds and in smaller gigs I don't need pa. That's enough for me.

I raise it to a chair (I rise all my amps, my ankles don't hear perfectly anymore!) and bought a bag for it. I could not dream of easier and better sounding amplification. And making it by myself from pine it was cheap as well.

I don't know if this helps You, Your needs are a bit different, but maybe I could encourage You just to start to do the cabin that helps You. Maybe the first one is not the perfect one, but finally You'll find it!

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Here is the answer: 10" x 10" x 10" combo with an 8" speaker (Eminence Beta 8A). 200W, 7,56 kg.

That’s wonderful - I want to try one myself. Could you please show us the back? Is the speaker chamber sealed? Is the speaker front mounted or rear? Thanks!

[Herbie]

That’s wonderful - I want to try one myself. Could you please show us the back? Is the speaker chamber sealed? Is the speaker front mounted or rear? Thanks!

Thanks! Anytime! When You are around here in Finland next time?

It is closed and sealed cabinet. I thought about ports etc but decided first try it in a simple way.

Here is the back. The Quilter's connections had to be connected to the back.



And here is pic from the speaker mounting. It is mounted from front, the cabin is so small that rear mounting is not an option!

[Hammertone]

What’s old is new again.
11” x 11 1/2” x 10 3/4”

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Thanks! Anytime! When You are around here in Finland next time?

It is closed and sealed cabinet. I thought about ports etc but decided first try it in a simple way.

Here is the back. The Quilter's connections had to be connected to the back.

We visited the Gitterbugs in July ‘23 and had a wonderful time in your delightful country. We hope to get back, but there are still new places on our list. We hope to visit Edinburgh and meet Rob McKillop in late summer or early fall if we can manage a second trip abroad this year (we went to Romania in April).

I’m thinking about splitting the back panel & using Dzus fasteners for quick removal of the top section to place & remove the head. I’m also a little concerned about cooling. After Saturday night’s gig, my OD202 was only slightly warm in the BD 12HD, where it’s exposed to airflow. I have to wonder if blocking all airflow from it could raise its operating temp enough to cause any problems in reliability or longevity. I’ll put an opening in the back panel to expose all but about 1/4” of the periphery and use a foam rectangle to seal it against the top, to keep the cabinet closed. I assume you used some kind of gasket where the back meets the cabinet.

If you don’t know them, Dzus fasteners are a mainstay in metal fabrication (I use them on race cars). They come in many depths and turn easily with a dime.

[jads57]

So the Eminence 8” Beta or Alpha was the one I tried in my Quilter Aviator 1x8” Combo. As well as some other brands, I can’t remember that had high wattage.
None of them sounded very good in the Quilter closed back cab. The Celestion not only sounded better but also sounded Cleaner as well.


I’m not sure of the technical reasons why this occurs? But after several attempts and losing several hundred dollars,Lol! I ended up just going back with the tried and true Celestion.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

So the Eminence 8” Beta or Alpha was the one I tried in my Quilter Aviator 1x8” Combo. As well as some other brands, I can’t remember that had high wattage.
None of them sounded very good in the Quilter closed back cab. The Celestion not only sounded better but also sounded Cleaner as well. I’m not sure of the technical reasons why this occurs?

It’s probably a combination of internal cabinet volume, cabinet shape, and sealing. IIRC, the Aviator 8 is about 8” deep. So it probably has about 80% of the internal volume of Herbie’s box, and it’s well sealed.

From the pictures, I can’t tell how well Herbie’s cabinet is sealed. If the baffle and back are not gasketed, it’s not air tight and the openings serve as “vents” that affect the speaker’s frequency response curve and resonances.

These may seem like minor differences, but it’s amazing how a seemingly small change can affect a speaker’s sound.

[Herbie]

We visited the Gitterbugs in July ‘23 and had a wonderful time in your delightful country. We hope to get back, but there are still new places on our list. We hope to visit Edinburgh and meet Rob McKillop in late summer or early fall if we can manage a second trip abroad this year (we went to Romania in April).

I’m thinking about splitting the back panel & using Dzus fasteners for quick removal of the top section to place & remove the head. I’m also a little concerned about cooling. After Saturday night’s gig, my OD202 was only slightly warm in the BD 12HD, where it’s exposed to airflow. I have to wonder if blocking all airflow from it could raise its operating temp enough to cause any problems in reliability or longevity. I’ll put an opening in the back panel to expose all but about 1/4” of the periphery and use a foam rectangle to seal it against the top, to keep the cabinet closed. I assume you used some kind of gasket where the back meets the cabinet.

If you don’t know them, Dzus fasteners are a mainstay in metal fabrication (I use them on race cars). They come in many depths and turn easily with a dime.

Oh, You are a veteran Finland visitor! That's great!

Edinburgh is great town, bon voyage for Your trip!

With my previous builds with 10" speaker I tried the open/closed thing. I came to a conclusion that with rock amps I like open back, but different speakers too. I guess the word is "more fenderish". With my jazz amp I like closed back cabinet and more Polytoneish speakers, like Emi Beta A-series.

The lesson I learned was that I can't combine those parameters in one amp. I need at least two.

It’s probably a combination of internal cabinet volume, cabinet shape, and sealing. IIRC, the Aviator 8 is about 8” deep. So it probably has about 80% of the internal volume of Herbie’s box, and it’s well sealed.

From the pictures, I can’t tell how well Herbie’s cabinet is sealed. If the baffle and back are not gasketed, it’s not air tight and the openings serve as “vents” that affect the speaker’s frequency response curve and resonances.

These may seem like minor differences, but it’s amazing how a seemingly small change can affect a speaker’s sound.

My Tone Block cube is not gasketed, so there is a bit leaking. The construction is so tight and there is cover tolex in the sides making the seams tighter so I guess the leaking is minimal. But who knows if a drop of silicone here and there would make my jazz sound even more perfect!

[twtunes]

I love the Eminence Beta 8A for its smooth frequency response. I have a single-8" version in a Flite cube cabinet and a twin-8" cabinet I built out of solid 3/8" walnut and a solid 3/8" maple baffle board. It has a single forward port, and I braced it front to back. Gets seriously loud driven by my Elf or GK MB200.