Long Overdue - Jacks for Bass Guitar

[IanChad]

Hi all, I've been lurking on this forum for quite a while, looking and learning and asking a few questions. I found this site when looking for plans for a lightweight bass guitar cab. The intention was to build something for practices but my plans changed as I took on board all the info about horn loaded speakers. My plan then moved to building two Jack 110s to replace my existing cabs. At that time I thought i'd be building them without a HF section but I've now found myself playing with an acoustic guitarist so i'm planning to build in a short flat piezo array so they can double as PA speakers for small gigs.
I've been cutting panels and that's just about finished and this week I ordered a pair of DL II 2510s so i'm now beyond the point of no return. The drivers arrived today (great service from Thomann ) which prompted me to get round to introducing myself properly.

Thanks to all who have shared their knowledge so freely so far and helped me gain the confidence to get this far. I'm sure that I'll be giving you all many more opportunities in the future

Now I just can't wait to get back into the 6' x 8' shed that I call my workshop!

[jswingchun]

Welcome, you will like the cabs, that's for sure.

I've now found myself playing with an acoustic guitarist so i'm planning to build in a short flat piezo array so they can double as PA speakers for small gigs.

Why did you decide on the flat array and not the crossfiring melded array?

[IanChad]

Why did you decide on the flat array and not the crossfiring melded array?

Several reasons. Firstly I don't have the time to build a melded array, I don't have a table saw and I don't have the space for one. so my only option would be to buy them ready made and that would mean having them shipped from the USA to the UK with import duty etc and as I don't know if i'll ever need to use these cabs for PA it would be a lot of expense for something that I might never use.

[jswingchun]

Why did you decide on the flat array and not the crossfiring melded array?

Several reasons. Firstly I don't have the time to build a melded array, I don't have a table saw and I don't have the space for one. so my only option would be to buy them ready made and that would mean having them shipped from the USA to the UK with import duty etc and as I don't know if i'll ever need to use these cabs for PA it would be a lot of expense for something that I might never use.

Yeah, I can see that. If you are rarely/never going to use them as PA it makes sense to use the flat array. The crossfiring array won't make much difference for a bass cab.You will love the cabs, that's for sure. Good luck!!

[IanChad]

You will love the cabs, that's for sure. Good luck!!

Thanks.
I part assembled one of the cabs last night 'dry' - just using screws. The baffle, throat and horn all came together quite well
i've got an evening to myself tomorrow so the PL is coming out and i'll start building for real

[pwfirst]

The only bad thing about PL is you can't get it off your hands, I use rubber gloves now. Good luck Phil

[IanChad]

The only bad thing about PL is you can't get it off your hands, I use rubber gloves now. l

Thanks Phil. Luckily, i picked up on that point before I started and bought a large pack of latex rubber gloves. unpleasant things to wear but better than getting fingers glued together.
The build is progressing OK - put the top on the first cab today - I was happily surprised when everything lined up nicely. I just wish I could dedicate more time to the build

[IanChad]

Last night I glued the braces onto the back of my first Jack and cut the hole for the connector dish and so, as soon as I finished work today I fired up the soldering iron, wired up the speakon connectors and brought the cab in from the workshop.

20 minutes later the driver was clamped into place, the back held on with 4 screws and the plate held on with two and ready for the first test. I connected everything up and slowly brought up the volume.

First impression was that it was very clear right through the range. Top end was good (I won't require a HF section for my style of playing) and very strong below 50Hz. I then switched the cable into my existing cab, a Warwick 15inch which I upgraded with an Eminence 3015. This sounded slightly louder and with a bigger rounder sound. I plugged the Jack back in and stepped further away. I noticed a difference which seemed strange, the sound seemed to get 'bigger' without being louder. (I hope that conveys something meaningful to you all because I find it hard to use words to describe sound). By this time I was being verbally abused by wife and daughter but before I shut everything down I asked my wife to listen to the Jack and then the Warwick.
I asked if the Warwick was louder. "No, it sounds muddy" was the response.

When I first came to this site I tried to maintain a level of scepticism, lets face it, if you build something for yourself you want to believe its good, but the fact that professionals build herds of these cabs and use them week in week out when their sound is their reputation convinced me to have a go. I'm so glad I did, the little 10" Jack is dwarfed by the Warwick but compares well. When you consider that the cab is as yet unlined and is certainly not airtight with just 4 screws holding the back on and the speaker isn't fully broken in yet, then things can only get better.

And there's another set of panels already cut and another DLII 2510 waiting to be used.

Thanks Bill for the design and thanks to all on the forum for help and inspiration. Now I have to try to contain my patience and not rush the finishing of the cab.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

The only bad thing about PL is you can't get it off your hands, I use rubber gloves now. Good luck Phil

I wore gloves when first working with PL. What I found was that I could not feel the PL on the gloves the way I could feel it in my hands. As a result, with gloves I had a little less PL on my....and a whole lot more PL on everything else in the shop.

I ditched the gloves because it reminded me to wipe off my hands before grabbing the tools, or anything else that I preferred to keep (reasonably) PL-free.

--Stan Graves

[JerryTyzack]

When I first came to this site I tried to maintain a level of scepticism, lets face it, if you build something for yourself you want to believe its good, but the fact that professionals build herds of these cabs and use them week in week out when their sound is their reputation convinced me to have a go. I'm so glad I did, the little 10" Jack is dwarfed by the Warwick but compares well. When you consider that the cab is as yet unlined and is certainly not airtight with just 4 screws holding the back on and the speaker isn't fully broken in yet, then things can only get better.

Ian, good to hear you're making good progress. Keep the healthy scepticism going for a while longer - if for no other reason than to conserve your supply of silly grins. When you're good and done, your ears are in for a treat.

[DaveK]

[quote="SoundInMotionDJ]I wore gloves when first working with PL. What I found was that I could not feel the PL on the gloves the way I could feel it in my hands. As a result, with gloves I had a little less PL on my....and a whole lot more PL on everything else in the shop.
I ditched the gloves[/quote]

+1. A roll of paper towels is always handy when I glue and I use a LOT of them.

[IanChad]

Assembled my first J110 last night after gluing in the foam lining. It was far too late to test it so as soon as I had the house to myself today I set it up and had a decent try out.

I use a Jazz Bass through an Ashdown Little Giant 350.
The amp gives 350 W into 4Ohm so into a single 8 Ohm speaker I guess its putting out 160 - 200W.

The speaker is pushed into clipping when close to maximum but not nearly as bad as the 3015 in my Warwick cab.
The sound overall is impressive - Its as loud as the Warwick and clearer and is stronger below 50Hz.
Even without tweets, the Jack is really strong at the top of the fretboard, I actually had to EQ out some of the higher frequencies.
I've built the Jack with the supports in place so I can add a flat piezo array if I ever want to make them multi-purpose but can't see a need for them with my style of bass playing (no slapping or popping, only occasionally use a pick).
I won't have a chance to use it in earnest until mid January by which time I might get the second one built.
I'll post a full review in the new year

Cheers everybody - have a good break

[Gauss]

That's incredible. A single 10" speaker is louder than your 15" speaker cabinet and beats it down low!

[IanChad]

That's incredible. A single 10" speaker is louder than your 15" speaker cabinet and beats it down low!

Yes, but it's true
So far, comparisons have been in a small low room. I would like to get the two cabinets out into a larger space and compare them there.

It's worth noting that...
The Warwick cab retails at £495 - That's US$790!!
The Jack cost somewhere in the region of £125 ($200)
I upgraded the driver in the Warwick to an Eminence 3015 at a cost of £110 ($175), improving the volume and low end but it is still outperformed by the Jack.


When I opened up the Warwick to replace the speaker, I noticed that the standard of construction was very poor and it needed a re-gluing in a couple of places. The construction is very simple, a box made of 18mm ply with a round hole for the speaker, a few simple braces and a slot to act as a port.
The standard speaker is a Celestion Neo 400W which retails for £95 so I am at a loss to understand what the other £400 has been spent on.

[Rickisan]

what the other £400 has been spent on

Mostly Middlemen, Marketing, and Managers...