Advice on good cab for old Altec 15"

[KHK]

I have an old Altec 421-8H that I want to load into a nice cabinet to record bass without spending a fortune. That being said, I will spend what I have to spend to get the goods so any thoughts and/or suggestions would be most welcome.

[Gries Amps]

I had an Altec 15" quite a while ago. I don't remember specifically which model it was, but I recall the frame was larger than most 15" speakers. If you're looking at a cabinet which mounts the speaker from the front you might want to check the mounting hole diameter.

[KHK]

I think I can make a baffle for the Altec to fit most any cab but was wondering if anyone had any experience with a particular cabinet that given the dimensions and internal volume, bracing, construction (solid wood, 1/2" ply, 3/4 ply, particle board, MDF, HDF etc.) sounded really good with a single 15" Altec or similar spkr.

Thanks though, I wasn't aware of the basket size issue.

[sfarnell]

It depends on what kind of sound you want...bright? warm? dark?

I have a JDesign 1X15 cab made out of mahogany that sounds very warm and beautiful and I have another 1X15 quilted maple cab made by Limited Resistance that sounds pretty dark with a lot of bass and high end, not much midrange punch, which surprised me because I thought maple would have a bright sound.

A lot depends on the amp too. For example, my Mesas sound better with a 15" speaker than my Two Rock.

[phatster]

+1 on the JDesigns cab,my bro. had one built that is ported .....great cab for bass AND guitar!

[KHK]

Good point. I am looking for a deep low end but good articulation, no mud. So not bright and not dark but deep, smooth and clear/clean/articulate and warm is good as long as it's not recessed. I will be using it with a Fender Jazz Bass and I have a mess of tube amps that I can mate to it from 35W-400W depending on which sounds the best.
I will look into the JDesigns cabinets, thx.

phatster, can you describe the sound that the the ported cab produces?

sfarnell, are your cabs sealed, open back, ported?

Thanks for the info.

[sfarnell]

sfarnell, are your cabs sealed, open back, ported?

Thanks for the info.

My 15" cabs are open, but I'm not a bass player. I like to mix and match JBL D130s with JBL D120 for the best of both worlds for guitar amplification. I've never tried an Altec 15", but I have a couple of Altec 12" speakers that are amazing. I hear that the JBL D140 is a great speaker for bass, especially a Jazz Bass.

You also may want to check out a Mesa 15" bass cab. Mesa cabs are built like tanks. I used to have a Walkabout Scout for a bass that I was trying to learn how to play. Every bass player that heard it wanted one, and I eventually sold it to a gigging bass player.

:BEER