Omni 10, first build ever! Advice?

[bthiemann80]

Hey guys, just thought i'd drop a line about my first cabinet building endeavor. I have absolutely no cabinet or wood working experience to speak of. However, my brother in law has extensive wood working knowledge and experience and a decent shop to work in. He has basically given me the green light to use his shop and will be available for assistance. I already have the plans to build an Omni 10 along with the panel jig plans. I've been reading them over and i'm pretty confident in my ability to make this a good cabinet. I play bass and will be using a QSC GX3 to power it for use with smaller, more acoustic based groups. The cabinet will probably host the Eminence BP102's for their increased bass response on the low end and taper off at the high end where the peizo's pick up and wear a deep dark redish wood stain with clear epoxy finishing coats. Since this is my first build ever, I would GREATLY appreciate any advice! It will probably be a while before I start the build but hopefully will remember to post some status reports along the way or at least some photo's of the end product. Wish me luck!

[Tim A]

my brother in law has extensive wood working knowledge and experience and a decent shop to work in...and will be available for assistance...I would GREATLY appreciate any advice!

Welcome aboard!

The best advice anyone can possibly give you is to follow the plans. Most guys with extensive woodworking experience know many ways to get something done, and may provide a well-meaning nudge that sends you down the wrong path. That could be something as simple as changing adhesives, which may seem like an innocuous deviation, but it isn't.

So, follow the plans, ask questions here, and let your Bro-in-law show you the right way to make cuts.

I won't wish you luck, you won't need it. I will tell you to make sure you have fun!

BTW, you're doomed. If you think this will be your only build you're sadly mistaken. May as well tell the family you'll be in the shop for the rest of your life...

[SoundInMotionDJ]

BTW, you're doomed. If you think this will be your only build you're sadly mistaken. May as well tell the family you'll be in the shop for the rest of your life...

+1000000

But please don't tell SWMBO...

--Stan Graves

[bthiemann80]

HAH! I know what you mean, actually i've already been kicking around the idea of building another omni 10 if this one goes well and using the two combined for all my live gigs! I appreciate the advice guys, I will defiantely make it a point to stick with the plans. I imagine it will be pretty fun to build this cabinet, I REALLY cant wait to see and hear it after the build though. I've heard many good things about BFM designed cabs and they're just plain wild looking.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The cabinet will probably host the Eminence BP102's

Not recommended. They don't have adequate midrange response.

[bthiemann80]

Awesome, I appreciate the heads up Bill. I've been re-thinking the whole driver thing and i'm leaning more towards the MCM 55-1740's. Would those work better for the cab's design than the BP102's?

[Tim A]

Awesome, I appreciate the heads up Bill. I've been re-thinking the whole driver thing and i'm leaning more towards the MCM 55-1740's. Would those work better for the cab's design than the BP102's?

You said you had the plans. Is the MCM driver listed in them as an acceptable driver? If not, the critical T/S paramaters are included in the plans. Do the MCM T/S paramaters match or come close? If the answer to those questions is 'no', then it's not acceptable.

Again, go back to my first post.

Follow the plans.

Acceptable drivers are listed. Anyone new to this should adhere to the list. Someone who knows a bit more about drivers can use the T/S parameters to look for another driver if they wish.

[bthiemann80]

It does have the specs for a suitable speaker in the plans. What I'm not sure of is how close the speakers can come to the specs in the original plans. I'll have to do some more research to find if there are any woofers that better meet the stated specs than the BP102's.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I don't recommend the MCM as there are no SPL charts available for it, so the result can't be predicted. The drivers that are recommended got that way because we know they work. Why consider anything else?

[DJPhatman]

I don't recommend the MCM as there are no SPL charts available for it, so the result can't be predicted. The drivers that are recommended got that way because we know they work. Why consider anything else?

+1,000,000!!
Why spend you hard earned money, plus, your blood, sweat and tears (along with a plethora of curse words!), only to load the cab with untested, cheap drivers. These cabs are designed, by Bill, and tested using the recommended drivers. The O10 was designed to use the DeltaLite II 2510. Why go to all the trouble, just to save a few dollars on drivers? Load them with the 2510, you will not be disappointed!

BUY ONCE, CRY ONCE!

[Mikey]

Would you buy your bass guitar strings from Walmart?

Would you use a piece of rope instead of a guitar strap?

Would you use $15 plastic effects pedals?

[Tim A]

It does have the specs for a suitable speaker in the plans. What I'm not sure of is how close the speakers can come to the specs in the original plans. I'll have to do some more research to find if there are any woofers that better meet the stated specs than the BP102's.

I think I may sense some confusion. It appears as though you're looking specifically for bass guitar drivers, yes? You don't need to. These cabs are a different animal than your normal run-of-the-mill 6 sided box from GC. Even though the specified drivers may not say 'bass guitar', you will still acheive the performance you're after.

[AntonZ]

Use two Eminence Deltalite 2510 drivers for your O10 and don't look back.

I suggest you have a look at Leland's website for Eminence drivers and piezo's. Other hardware available as well, kits recommended if you don't have access to suitable hardware from nearby stores. You'd find your built interrupted for every single screw, washer, corner, connector and whatever else that goes in a good cab. Have fun!

[Tom]

Omni 10s sound best with the approved drivers. I know this personally from A/B testing the drivers I've listed here, albeit unscientifically.

My observations:

MCM 55-1740: Better sound than you're probably used to, not in the plans (it used to be, I think.)
Beta 10: More low bass than the 55-1740, otherwise nearly indistinguishable. Good starter driver.
S2010: Lighter than the Beta 10, sounds very similar.
BP102: Good bottom, not enough mids for a fullrange cabinet.
DL2510: Very strong mids, really pops the vocals or the honk of the bass guitar. Great in every way. Best choice.

Besides Bill, who else has tried this many drivers with the Omni 10? What were your findings?

My strong opinions follow, sorry if I hurt any feelings.

Why bash the MCM driver, especially when it meets the needs of the low-budget, high value project? My $80 dual 55-1740 Omni 10s with four 1016 tweeters still sound better than anything in the GC at 5x the price. Waaay better! Easy on the wallet for school kids who pushed a lawn mower all Summer to buy a bass rig.

If a musician wants a louder, easily built cabinet and has a solid budget, the Omni 10 is probably not what they'll choose. Rather, they'll upscale to an OT12 or DR, depending on their needs and abilities.

<OK, I've totally ignored the DJ use of the Omni10>