Building a speaker cab

[bubblygum]

Could anybody who has built a speaker cab let me know how difficult it is please? I assume the woodworking aspect won't be too hard but I have very, very little electronics knowledge.

The reason I ask is that I'm interested in the MatAmp MiniMat(http://matamp.co.uk/minimat.htm). Whilst I could afford the amp at the moment I would not be able to afford the speaker cab which is about the same price as the amp so I wondered about the DIY route. I would probably be looking to use a single Jensen Alnico Vintage or similar speaker.

Thanks in advance guys.

[vibroverbus]

Typically instrument cabs are far less 'rocket science' than Hi-Fi cabs, depending on what you want to do. Boxes. Holes for speakers. Either has a back or not. OK kind of joking but not far off...

Cabs from amp manufacturers are often the most expensive way to get there. You have quite a few other options: I've found really passable mass-produced cabs available now very cheap (Avatar in the US one example), another route is finding an old used cab that looks like crap and/or has blown drivers and putting nice tasty ones in (in fact I have a 4x12 that turned out to have 4 tasty newish Celestions in it that were just broken in nicely, but because it looked like junk and a wire had come loose I got it for $150...)

If speaker building still sounds good or just will be fun for you, O'Connor has a decent short book on the subject, one of his cheaper ones too...
http://www.londonpower.com/books/spkr.htm

[shooto]

not to hard...depending on how far you want to go with it, the construction is the hardest part- here's all you need to know-

http://colomar.com/Shavano/construction.html

[jay66]

I found that building or wiring it wasn't hard but applying Tolex was time consuming to do a good job.

[BBQLS1]

The wiring is way easier than building a nice "square" box that will hold together. Box Joints, Dovetail Joints, Biscuit Joints etc need special tools and equipment. Making straight cuts with a Skill saw is hard to do, a table saw will be way easier. Don't forget dowels if you have to do a box joint build. Make sure to use good glue with screws (not nails!). You'll also need to route the corners to get a nice round edge if you plan to tolex (so the edges don't wear through). Tolex is a pain if the box is too complicated with control cutouts and such. The corners can be tough too.

I just built my first head box and it is alot of work especially if you are just doing one or two and don't have jigs to use. Pay close attention to keep everything square or it won't fit with that last piece.

Good Luck.

[bubblygum]

Thanks very much guys. I'll be looking into this a bit more seriously in a week or so, so this is some good information to be going on. As for the construction, I'm not too worried, I have a friend who is a carpenter who can help me if I get stuck and as for covering it - I'm not that bothered, it's only for home use with a 2w amp so as long as I don't get splinters I'll be happy. Electrecution, or amp explosion, now that's where the reading will come in extra handy.