XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

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Bill Fitzmaurice
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Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#31 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

Bbr6704 wrote: Anyway, any tip about putting acoustic foam on the back of the baffles?
It's not necessary, and might make the cab sound too dry.

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Bbr6704
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:04 pm
Location: Redon - Bretagne - France

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#32 Post by Bbr6704 »

Thank you guys, so I won't put more foam... The back is being made this afternoon, not ready yet, but on a good way...

I everything goes fine, the cab should be ready next weekend!

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Bbr6704
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Location: Redon - Bretagne - France

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#33 Post by Bbr6704 »

Ladies and Gentlemen... :hyper:

My cab is done, tested and working fine! (a bit harsh as the speakers are brand new, but that should be ok in a few hours).

Here are the last picture of this odyssey :

With the speakers in :

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What can they be???

Tada ! :

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They're Celestion G12m65 "Cream back", the new take on the greenbacks, that can handle 65watts, and deliver that pure brittish woody rock tone...

Wired and ready to rock :

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Now, the cab needs a back!

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A close look at the jack plate :

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And the "final touch", the grill cloth :

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And there it is with my amp for the first test :

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First impressions are very good, the tone is great, the sound seems allright. I'll be able to tell more after the first rehearsal with the band, but at home it was perfect.

So it was a lonfg run build, but everything went fine, some difficulties but no real issues with the build, so I'm satisfied. The cab is a bit heavier that I'd expect (I used 15mm ply instead of 12mm), but I can handle it with one hand, so I'm fine!

I now would like to find a logo to put on the grill cloth and a plate at the back to write impedance and max input power. That should come in the future...

More to come in a few days for a review. 8)

ctmullins
Posts: 195
Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 9:05 am
Location: MS Coast

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#34 Post by ctmullins »

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Looks nice, looking forward to a review with your band!

I'm gonna build one of these one day soon... :)
-todd

5 and 8 string bass | SansAmp | Crown | 2 x J110
2 x W8 panel-mount
2 x T39 24" 3012LF
4 x OT12 2512 melded (finally done!)

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Bbr6704
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:04 pm
Location: Redon - Bretagne - France

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#35 Post by Bbr6704 »

You enjoy your build Ctmullins!

Honestly, it's not very hard to do, the only technical difficulty I met was with the baffle, to have them perfectly adjusted and fit tight.

Maybe my ply was a little warped too (not sure, but the big sheet the parts were cut from may have bent a little), which didn't help me for the build.

Other thant taht, it's a relatively easy build, even if you use the swivel as I did.

What really took me some time was the finishing, qs I had no router at the time, and had to wait for someone to lend me his, and all the little "details" I wanted to add : the tv look of the front, the grillcloth, etc.

If you stick to a more standard finish (regular front, duratex finish, etc.), you should be faster than I was...

But IMO, seeing the cab now it's finished, it was worth the extra time!

madmallard
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Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:42 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#36 Post by madmallard »

you'll take a video of rehearsal, we hope~

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Bbr6704
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Location: Redon - Bretagne - France

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#37 Post by Bbr6704 »

Hey there,

I've been long to give you feedback about the Xf 212, but there it is!

In just a word : WOW!

It's not relly lightweight as it is "oversized" a bit comparing to the original one, and as I used 15mm ply instead of 12mm, but it's doable (I thinks it weight someting like 22/25 kg).

Anyway, it sounds awesome, in all ways, the sound is huge!

My goal was to have a lower sensitivity cabinet, to push the power section of my amp.

As I expected, I can push my amp really harder than with a 412 to get the same volume, so the EL34s break up nicely!

The only "downside" of the Celestion Creamback is that they are darker than the V30s I played on before, so I have to raise the trebbles, but nothing terrible, it's just a bit dark with my SG, but with my Heritage h150 (more original Les Paul than the Gibsons), it's allright!

The diffusion of the sound and the trebble are really improved, and I don't miss any "oomph" on palm mutes, so, IMO, it really sounds as good as a traditionnal 412, just better!

The sound and tone seem fuller, richer, I'm really happy with it, and I know without any doubt it will be perfect for gigs too, as I will be able to play at a reasonable volume without losing too much of my tone (that was my main problem with my 412, my amp was too low on volume to sound good, and I know I won't have this problem anymore!).

I'm a happy guitarist, really happy with my build, it was definitely worth the time and effort! Thank you Bill for providing such good plans, they're really perfect!

Enjoy your playing, rock on guys! 8)

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Tom Smit
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Location: Sarnia, Ont. Canada

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#38 Post by Tom Smit »

Woohoo!
TomS

ctmullins
Posts: 195
Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 9:05 am
Location: MS Coast

Re: XF 212 Guitar cab building odyssey

#39 Post by ctmullins »

:hyper: Fantastic! :clap:
-todd

5 and 8 string bass | SansAmp | Crown | 2 x J110
2 x W8 panel-mount
2 x T39 24" 3012LF
4 x OT12 2512 melded (finally done!)

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