Reggae bass cab?

[Néal Zheimer]

Hi

I play the bass guitar for a French 9 piece Reggae band (drums, guitar, keys, bass, baritone sax, alto sax, trombone, trumpet and lead singer). I am responsible for the low end part of the sound, I'm looking for a bass and fat sound.
For rehearsal and tiny bar gigs, I play on a small Fender BXR Sixty which does the trick.

Yesterday, we went to a medium sized gig and there wasn't space left for me on the PA, I was forced to up the volume and the busted cones in my Ashdown 2x10 cab farted during the whole show

I'm hesitating between a DR and a Omni and have a hard time making a decision between the two.
I'm a professional cabinet woodworker so build complexity shouldn't be an issue.

Any help or feedback is appreciated

Cheers

Guillaume

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

O15 or O15TB, loaded with two premium twelves. I'd leave the tweeter out.

[jimbo7]

Are wood prices in Europe as high as they are here in the U.S.?

[AntonZ]

Probably higher. Prices for construction material are going through the roof worldwide and ply has always been more expensive in Europe. Yes, we should be closer to the source for baltic birch, but for some reason it still is cheaper at your side of the pond. Perhaps to do with the quantities used, the Europeans tend to build more in brick/concrete.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

That doesn't explain BB prices, as we don't use it in home construction, only in cabinetry, furniture, aircraft and boats.

[AntonZ]

Tax and economics of scale perhaps? I'm not sure what it is, but over the years I have been drooling over the prices of BB in the US.
Poplar 1/2" 4x8 retails over €50 where I live. Same size in BB is some €65.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Use the poplar, it's lighter. I wish we could find it here.

[Bruce Weldy]

Thought I'd check the prices locally here in Texas. I've been buying Russian BB 5x5 for about 30 bucks......it's now $39 (1.56/sq ft). Not horrible compared to 1/2 BC ply at $77 for a 4x8 (2.40/sq ft). Just proves it's our national product that is getting way out of line.

[AntonZ]

Use the poplar, it's lighter. I wish we could find it here.

I do. Poplar is somewhat softer and thus tends to dent more upon impact. And birch is nicer to work with. But the weight saved is well worth it.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Just proves it's our national product that is getting way out of line.

It's more likely due to 30% of softwood normally comes from Canada. Between Covid and tariffs that figure has dropped considerably.

[Seth]

I was a little intrigued by the 9 piece French Reggae band and thought to myself I wonder what French Reggae is... google google YouTube YouTube... I was a little disappointed when I learned it was simply Reggae sung in French. LOL Thought it might have been some new sub-style or spin I wasn't aware of. Nope. Not the case at all.

None the less, a 9 piece band sounds like it would be a great show!

[jimbo7]

I was a little intrigued by the 9 piece French Reggae band and thought to myself I wonder what French Reggae is...

Mix 1/2 Zydeco with 1/2 Jamaican Reggae. Stir it in a mixer then pour it out the speakers.

[Néal Zheimer]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys.

O15 or O15TB, loaded with two premium twelves. I'd leave the tweeter out.

Thanks, I think I'll head this way.

Are wood prices in Europe as high as they are here in the U.S.?

Yes, prices are high. The worst is that availability is another issue...
It's getting a bit better these days (but not like it was).

The reason behind this, according to my suppliers is twofold:
1. Since Covid, the whole supply chain was disrupted (logistics, factories...)
2. Wood (even solid wood) is getting more expensive here because the cut trees are being exported to China and America (they pay more than Europeans do).

That doesn't explain BB prices, as we don't use it in home construction, only in cabinetry, furniture, aircraft and boats.

We indeed build walls with maconnery, wooden framework structures are getting more and more popular though.
Funny thing is that in cabinetry, we tend to use melamine particule board.

I was a little intrigued by the 9 piece French Reggae band and thought to myself I wonder what French Reggae is... google google YouTube YouTube... I was a little disappointed when I learned it was simply Reggae sung in French. LOL Thought it might have been some new sub-style or spin I wasn't aware of. Nope. Not the case at all.

None the less, a 9 piece band sounds like it would be a great show!

Sorry to disapoint
We are called Reggae Blaster, you can hear us on any streaming platform (released the first EP) and we have a video clip on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo-X9nadDY
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BTW, 1/2" (12mm) plywood is not the easier to find here, can 15mm do the trick if I expand out the enveloppe?

Cheers

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

15mm is OK.

[Néal Zheimer]

Hi

Thanks for the info.
I was looking for alternative speakers for the build because a couple of Kappalite 3012LF's are a bit on the expensive side of things for my budget (about 500€ for the pair).

Given the specs from the documentation, I searched the Loudspeaker Database and stumbled uppon the LaVoce SSF122.50L (Official datasheet):
✓ fs=41Hz
✓ Qts=0.41
✓ Xmax=±11.5mm
✓ VD=610.7cm³
for 225€ delivered

Are these any good or should I continue to save up for a pair of Kappalite 3012LF?

Cheers