BillFitzmaurice.info

jswingchun wrote:This thread is freakin' sweet! That looks like a fun build.

+1

kekani wrote:

Those curved panels are drop dead sexy!!

MUST
RESIST
URGE
TO
REPLACE
MY
STACK
WITH
FOUR
OF
THESE!!

jswingchun wrote:

kekani wrote:

Those curved panels are drop dead sexy!!

MUST
RESIST
URGE
TO
REPLACE
MY
STACK
WITH
FOUR
OF
THESE!!

Admit it: you'd be happier if you gave in to this impulse.

So would your back ...

jswingchun wrote: Those curved panels are drop dead sexy!!

MUST
RESIST
URGE
TO
REPLACE
MY
STACK
WITH
FOUR
OF
THESE!!

Honestly, initially, I couldn't wait to cover them up. All I need is for someone to ask, "What is that ball for in the middle?"
Now that you mention it, it does look pretty cool. BUT, I think that's because we're cab builders, and not unlike any other craft, we know what it took to get there. Which is okay too.

Replace a 410 stack with a 412 lite? Probably save 12lbs across the board, if we're talking spec. In the end, wouldn't that be a little, shall I say, insane? Then again, in theory, I'll have nearly that available to me. . . My suggestion: stock up on clamps, and staples.

Here's me putting the cart before the horse - I JUST reviewed the SPL threads, and realized that I was hoping to replace my JBL JRX115's with Jack 112's. However, the Jack 112's show performance over the MRX515! Holy smoke, I wanted to upgrade to 515's before I found this site! And I see the Jack 110's vs the Yamaha SV115 (which should be similar to the JRX 115 I'm guessing). In theory, I should be building the Jack 110's for my PA use if the bar was at the JRX, but its not. Bar is at the MRX, so game on. Oh well, not unlike have a Honda V65 Magna back in the day, on an island. . . I was asked, "What for?" and I responded, "Because I can."

Anyway, slowly but surely, you see I decided to put a screen. Not unlike the Jack 112(k), I'm using what I have leftover (thanks to Leland). Besides, I needed another excuse to use my staple gun. You should see all of the staples used behind the grill cloth on the Wedgehorn 6's. . .


A little trimming to fit.


Some leftover breaking boards, and Jorgensens make an appearance.


In my haste (my mind was elsewhere today), I failed to paint the inside of the ring. I realized this when I picked up the phase plug (which I need to paint). Oh well, I'll just mask the screen when I spray black, maybe. If I'm covering the front with grill cloth anyway, why bother?

-Aaron

kekani wrote:

jswingchun wrote: Oh well, I'll just mask the screen when I spray black, maybe. If I'm covering the front with grill cloth anyway, why bother?

-Aaron

If you're using a full grille then the grille over the woofer is superfluous. Personally I wouldn't hide the natural esthetics of the J12L with a full grille, which transforms a work of art into just another speaker.

This build is as clean inside as out. Fabulous work. Obvious that the ukelele experience is invaluable in doing this kind of small precision gluing and fastening.

I start a pair next week. But first I think I need to make some of those clamps.

LelandCrooks wrote: I start a pair next week. But first I think I need to make some of those clamps.

Nice, but not a necessity. If you're making an instrument that can't have fasteners clamps are a must, but the only clamps I used with the JLites was on the jointing of the mouth panels to the sides, and even those are optional. I wouldn't want anyone to think that the JLites require lots of clamps, and I'd only use them to this extent if I was doing a natural wood finish and didn't want any fasteners messing that up.

True, I'm sure. But I just REALLY like those clamps. I can see lots of uses for them in places my small quickgrips won't reach.

kekani wrote:Now that you mention it, it does look pretty cool. BUT, I think that's because we're cab builders, and not unlike any other craft, we know what it took to get there. Which is okay too.

No, they look cool cuz they look cool. I have had a lot of people tell me that my cabs look awesome, can't imagine how many more comments I would get with the curved horns.

kekani wrote:Replace a 410 stack with a 412 lite? Probably save 12lbs across the board, if we're talking spec. In the end, wouldn't that be a little, shall I say, insane?

I would replace my 410 stack with a Lite 410 stack. I don't have the plans and haven't seen a build, so I assume the Jlite10 has the same curves? It wouldn't be about the weight savings, it would be about the coolness.

jswingchun wrote: I assume the Jlite10 has the same curves?

Yes, very similar

jswingchun wrote:No, they look cool cuz they look cool. I have had a lot of people tell me that my cabs look awesome, can't imagine how many more comments I would get with the curved horns.

Actually, you hit the nail on the head. My friend saw the "non-grill cloth" version of my J112, and he wanted one, just to have one.

jswingchun wrote:

kekani wrote:Replace a 410 stack with a 412 lite? Probably save 12lbs across the board, if we're talking spec. In the end, wouldn't that be a little, shall I say, insane?

I would replace my 410 stack with a Lite 410 stack. I don't have the plans and haven't seen a build, so I assume the Jlite10 has the same curves? It wouldn't be about the weight savings, it would be about the coolness.

If you read between the lines, this is my way of saying I'm actually jealous of you and your stack - I wish I had a need for a stack like yours - very impressive, and WAY COOL!

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:If you're using a full grille then the grille over the woofer is superfluous. Personally I wouldn't hide the natural esthetics of the J12L with a full grille, which transforms a work of art into just another speaker.

I guess I'm just in denial and sort of want it to look like another cab, but with sounds that blow them away. Call it a "sleeper" I guess.

At this point, with the screen over the woofer, I still have the option to go without the full grill. Between your comments & Jswingchun's, I'm leaning in that direction now, especially since I now developed the skill to cut the tweets properly.

Also, I went in this morning and layed some black paint on the exposed ply, both from the driver spacer and under the throath sheaths/ducts - just a little prep work to make for a fully exposed cab.

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:Nice, but not a necessity. If you're making an instrument that can't have fasteners clamps are a must, but the only clamps I used with the JLites was on the jointing of the mouth panels to the sides, and even those are optional. I wouldn't want anyone to think that the JLites require lots of clamps, and I'd only use them to this extent if I was doing a natural wood finish and didn't want any fasteners messing that up.

Bill is right - I gotta go back to one of my original statements that this is the way I'm doing it because I'm trying to remain in my comfort zone, and I have the clamps available. That being said, and if anyone didn't know by now that I'm lazy, here's an example of grabbing what was available to me. The "first" wood phase plug is glued in, and now this is the foam plug being glued.


Side note: JBL's are gone, time to order the drivers, but gotta wait for Leland to finish up with NAMM.

-Aaron

Got some drivers in and will break them in tonight and tomorrow (after my iPod charges up).

I realized I gotta get moving on more parts of the cab, so here's the array supports being glued in. Can't see it too well, but I took out the hopper and layed the finish on the outside. Now that's done, I don't have to wait for the whole thing to dry. One nice thing about building these as PA cabs, I can keep them on speaker stands.


The jig that I copied and used on my Jack 112(k) makes another appearance. I'll be keeping these for when I potentially start the 110's for a friend. I used a roundover bit on the outside face of the support, as well as the inside to clear the tweets. The 1/2 ply is leftover from the first Jack build. You can see the sanded portion for the glueup. DeWalt RO Sander is one of my most used tools in the shop.


Since my next gig is in February, we'll have time to break these in and test them.

Just as a note - the gig we just did had JBL MRX's, which is what I was going to "upgrade" to when I sold my JRX's, until I found this site. Two were for mains, and two were for monitors. As a monitor, they suck. I should've brought my Wedgehorn 6's. As mains, I walked around when Ramon was doing a solo (What A Wonderful World by IZ), and I walked right up to the speaker and it was really nice as a main, until I stepped to the side, and I don't know if its because I'm biased on Bill's designs, or I was expecting more, but I could REALLY hear a drop in volume. So, as mains, I know I can do better.
We'll be setting up some Jack 112L's next month as mains, Wedgehorn 6's as monitors, and depending on if I can hear the bass through the mains or not, I may or may not setup my Jack 112(k) as a bass cab, "wall loaded" (because that's what's behind the stage). Last time I did that with my Jack 112 and ran a bass and lap steel through, it outshined the acoustic instruments and vocal in the mains (Electro Voice). The sound permeated the room, nicely. Vocals sounded really, muddy. Sort of odd to hear bass guitar really clear, and not the acoustic instruments and vocals.

Gotta go break in drivers. . .

Aaron

Aaron, to keep the peace (on all fronts) take the drivers out of the cab to break them in. In the cab, they'll be too loud! Out of the cab, not much noise at all.

Tom Smit wrote:Aaron, to keep the peace (on all fronts) take the drivers out of the cab to break them in. In the cab, they'll be too loud! Out of the cab, not much noise at all.

Yup, got that covered - they're in the house, on the floor (just because I didn't want to run the wire from the head to the table). Unfortunately, they're near a corner. Oh well, couple more hours to go.

In the meantime, I lined up the tweets just to make sure I cut them correctly (specifically the top and bottom of the array, as only one side is cut off).


I had to add in a short fence so that I could clear the piezo screw, and thus cut the second side of the tweeter even.


Close up showing the overhang of the peizo screw.


Glued up, ABS evident. Good thing I ordered extra tweets, for some reason, I cracked them (maybe the blade is getting dull from all that plywood. . . )


45 degree angle cut. Of course, the sides that had the repaired cracks, were cut off in this process.


I didn't make the proper jig to glue up the array, but I did at least make a jig of sorts, requiring clamps to hold the array.


I'm satisfied with how these arrays came out, compared to my first go at it. Piezos are removed, just in case I need to respray anything, which I'll probably end up touching up something (flat black).


Now I gotta find a space in time to relax, and solder away.

-Aaron