XF210 x2!

[biggerrigger]

If you like them with 1 coat you will love them when you get 2 or more coats on them. I made the mistake on my T39's of going overboard on the bodywork of the cabs trying to get every little area ready for the finish.

During the first coat I found a spot that I had missed after going over it with the Duratex. As the spot was inside the mouth of the cab I decided to see what it was able to cover as opposed to trying to sand off the Duratex and doing more bodywork. I was quite impressed at the ability of the Duratex to cover what would have been a substantial flaw if I had been using any other finishing system.
After 2 coats you could not tell where the flaw had been. Still to this day I can not point out the exact point where the flaw was just the general area because I know where it was to begin with.

Bottom line with Duratex is don't beat yourself up getting the cabs ready for a traditional painted surface as the extra detail is not needed for this finishing product. It is very forgiving within reason.

[rmediacraft]

This is true! Pix in evidence below...

Ok, so I'll do a more comprehensive post later, but finished the cabs at 2am last night. Finishing touch was the grille. Dang, I've never wrapped this stuff before. Fortunately, I had my crafty wife helping and we got it. Still needs Velcro on the corners. Maybe tomorrow.

We did most of our Christmas stuff today, so both boys got their cabs this morning. The 21-year-old knew what had been going on in the garage, but the 16-year-old had no clue. You should have seen their faces when we pulled these out of the back room. Worth every minute x2!

Here are some pix to tide you over for the holidays. I'll get more pix and detail in a later post.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Tom Smit]

Lookin' fine! Way to go!

[Grant Bunter]

I've enjoyed this thread from start to finish.

Great end result, hope your boys are stoked!

[Bas Gooiker]

Great looking end result. No silent night over at your place this christmas i guess...

[gzc_stageTech]

Beautiful boxes. Fantastic job.

I'm curious as to what head you're (the boys) are driving them with. I see the modelling pedal. I can't wait for the reviews.

Great build x2. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[Scott Brochu]

Professional build. Excellent job.

[rmediacraft]

Thanks for the compliments everyone. They really did turn out nice and it was a lot of fun. As the boys were cranking things up Christmas Eve morning, I told my wife "this reminds me of when we bought real drums for Ryan (our 14-year-old drummer). That's right, we could be the next Partridge Family. 7 kids and 6 of them play at least one instrument. We have a drummer, bassist/guitarist, guitarist, keyboard/violin, keyboard/guitar and trumpet/violin. Most can sing. Plus, I do pro sound and my wife can do the promo photos. We should buy an old school bus and paint it...

Ok, so a few more build pix and then some thoughts.

I was over at Leland's shop the other day and saw these little yellow (and black) pyramids at his paint station. Made a mental note. Saw a fresh pack at Lowes and figured if they're good enough for him... Maybe everyone else knows about these, but I didn't. Really nice little fix for painting. Helps keep the edges clean and nothing sticks to anything. Cheap too. Sweet.

I did a quick spray paint primer coat for a few reasons. First, it really shows the boo-boos. Second it helps seal the wood and third, a black substrate for your Duratex is helpful. Kinda gets you a step ahead in the coverage department.

After staring at first, bare wood, and then finished wood, a little hardware goes a long way to complete the project. You can't see them in any of the pix, but there are beefy rubber feet on the bottom too.

[rmediacraft]

I know there are some eyeing this project to see if they want to jump in and I say do it! Having built the OT112 and T39, I'd say the XF is a great introduction to the world of BF cabinets. The instructions and build process follow form, but the cabinet is much simpler. No bracing or other oddities that have to be spot on. The only tricky part (for me at least) was the baffles. If you can wrap your head around trapezoids with compound angles, you're good to go. I struggled with that part (and made some scrap) but ultimately got it thanks in no small part to Bill's inclusion of the Sketchup drawing. Huge help, that.

In case you're wondering, I built both cabinets for a total of around $300 if you don't count nails/screws/glue/etc. For about $150 each, my boys have a pro-grade cabinet that can be a part of their arsenal for a very long time to come.

There was a question about amplification: I ordered most of the parts from PE and bought each kid a little Lepai TriPath amp to drive their rig with for now. 20x20w for $25. Now, I know all you tubies are hatin' right now, but I'm telling you with the combination of the Pod pedal setup and this little amp, the windows were literally rattling the other day. Clean, clear and I heard no headroom problems. Of course, they won't be driving a big gig with these amps, but it's a starting place and it works for now.

As for sound, I've heard the setup a couple of times now with a Strat and a Les Paul. Haven't had a chance to diddle on my own, but my general impression is that this setup (even with the closeout drivers) sounds easily as good as anything at the local music store. Add the fact that it's convertible (open OR closed back) and I think this could be a tone-monster. Love the fact that it just doesn't beam. Sound spreads nicely from the cabinet and, in that respect, it sounds like nothing else I've ever heard - and I've heard most of them over 30+ years of pro sound and recording.

I was already a BF fan, but this project seals the deal for me. If you need a guitar rig, just order the plans and start building. You won't be sorry.

[Tom Smit]

Heh, your family sounds like mine, but all 6 of mine play two or more instruments each. It's a great feeling though, and something to be proud of! Congratulations on a great build, great results, and a great family!

[gzc_stageTech]

Thanks again, for the great build report.

As I relooked at the photo of your boys, I saw that cute little Lepei amp on the cabinet. I noticed he's running it stereo too. I'd imagine the crossfire with the chorus pedal on would make the sound very spacious. And to think it's running (idling) on the little 20/20 amp.

You've inspired me to build a XF for my son now too. It'll have to be for his birthday though because I'm too late for Christmas. Heck, maybe for no reaon at all! He is the worship leader at one of our churches and I run the sound booth. Dane has a 10w Blackstar head that he uses a single 10 cab with. I'd think the XF would be a fantastic step up in coverage onstage.

As soon as the weather warms up a little I think it's time to make some more saw dust.

[Fenderfan]

Nice finish! Now I think I'll have to show this to the guitarist in my band, I'd be keen to go down this track... And I think that is just what we all like to see under the tree at Christmas!!! Nice build, we'll done.

[rmediacraft]

Final thoughts and beauty shots:

The boys put a cabinet through its paces last night with a variety of gear and I've got to say these are very nice sounding boxes. One of their guitar genius friends came over too - he's played through all kinds of rigs - and he was very impressed with the tone, flexibility and neutrality. Worked well for every style he played and gave him exactly what he wanted.

Although I still don't have the damping material inside, we sealed up the back for a bit to hear the difference. Sealed doesn't seem to effect the tone so much as the tightness. Notes were better defined sealed and a somewhat looser open-backed. Cabinet was in the middle of the living room, so we still don't know about wall loading, but I can guess. Stereo chorus and reverb is is really nice and makes things sound wider than they really are. So, if you're interested in stereo, it really works - at least up close.

We had the photo studio set up yesterday with our high-key white background, so I decided to do some proper pix of the cabinets and the boys rigs. While editing pix this morning, my wife commented that she really likes the look of Duratex. I love my wife!

[rmediacraft]

One more...

[Scott Brochu]

Nice pictures.