T39 Lite - worth the gamble? - maybe

[Old Ears]

Harley,

Have you finished this thing? And if you have, how does it sound?

[Harley]

Almost. I've had some major distractions and some other cabs to build mean-time plus the client for these is no longer viable. Soon...very soon...they'll be finished. Just a matter of paint..

[peteaphid]

hi there,

I'm new to the world of BFM, and contemplating my first build - a single T39 to be driven by an auto amp and leisure battery. I'm hoping to make it as light as practical (not possible, given my novice statu) so was wondering what the final conclusion was with your T39s - I can't find anything beyond this: http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewt ... uper+light

In particular, I'm wondering how the wood stood up to knocks and scratches, as I understand poplar ply is fairly soft. And how did they sound?

[Harley]

In the review section somewhere there'll be a post where I tried these out at a friend's place in the country-side.

They sound great in my opinion. They are Duratex coated and seem to stand up to hauling around.

If I was building more T39s for myself, I'd certainly go this way again. They are ridiculously light weight.

[peteaphid]

Cheers, Harley. I'm very encouraged by all this. I'm going to go for a lighter and less powerful driver, and the lightest decent ply I can find/afford, but I'm going to build it as per the instructions, because I don't have the experience. Having said that, I'm enlisting the help of a friend for the build, who knows what he's doing, so we may go for some weight reduction on the braces, as you did.

[Rickisan]

peteaphid, Welcome to the forum.

As long as the friend who "Knows what he's doing" reads through the plans at least 3-4 times and follows the techiniques as directed everything is fine. Some techniques and methods employed in the plans vary significantly from traditional accepted woodworking practice. As long as the builder is open minded and accepts these differences everthing is good.

If he does anything different, varies from the plans, does steps out of order, uses the wrong glue... it can cause problems... sometimes major. Other forum members are likely to chime in on this theme if they havent already.

These speakers are the best DIY opton available, perform better than commercial cabinets costing way more, often times 3-4 times more. The majority are quite simple to build... but adherence to the plans is of the utmost importance.

ok rant over sorry

[peteaphid]

thanks for the advice, and don't worry, I have no intention of "redesigning" the speaker:) We'll follow the instructions and keep to the dimensions, but may go for some weight reduction on the bracing, as the OP did - nothing dramatic.

[Scott Brochu]

Nice job!

Do you think the T39 could be done with 1/4" BB 5 ply?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Nice job!

Do you think the T39 could be done with 1/4" BB 5 ply?

Sure, with braces every three inches.

I don't think you'd save more than another pound or two, and it would be a lot of work.

[DJPhatman]

Nice job!

Do you think the T39 could be done with 1/4" BB 5 ply?

Bill has said before that they can be built out of 3/8" (9mm) Baltic birch and 1/4" (6mm) Baltic birch braces, using dados on all the panels. If I were building any slim Titans (16-20" (400-500mm)wide), this is how I would build them.

[Scott Brochu]

Thanks guys, Been out of the loop for a little bit.

I think I am going to try one or two out of 3/8". With the 1/4" innards.

[DJPhatman]

Thanks guys, Been out of the loop for a little bit.

I think I am going to try one or two out of 3/8". With the 1/4" innards.

Please document it for us. I would appreciate it. A pair of 16" wide T39s loaded with the 3012LF should just rock any small venue!

[dswpro]

As someone who moves his T39's around a LOT (3-6 local gigs/month ) I appreciate the lighter weight but would not bother going thinner than 1/2 inch. I've got gouges from dollies, trailers and such that are easily 1/4 inch deep and would be afraid of a puncture happening in 3/8 inch plywood. Just saying. I'm already going through a couple plastic corners per month and plenty of Krylon / Duratex touch up.

[Tom Smit]

As someone who moves his T39's around a LOT (3-6 local gigs/month ) I appreciate the lighter weight but would not bother going thinner than 1/2 inch. I've got gouges from dollies, trailers and such that are easily 1/4 inch deep and would be afraid of a puncture happening in 3/8 inch plywood. Just saying. I'm already going through a couple plastic corners per month and plenty of Krylon / Duratex touch up.

Even with a dolly cart?

[CoronaOperator]

As someone who moves his T39's around a LOT (3-6 local gigs/month ) I appreciate the lighter weight but would not bother going thinner than 1/2 inch. I've got gouges from dollies, trailers and such that are easily 1/4 inch deep and would be afraid of a puncture happening in 3/8 inch plywood. Just saying. I'm already going through a couple plastic corners per month and plenty of Krylon / Duratex touch up.

What airline do you normally work for?