Members Jeff Leites Posted July 30, 2006 Members Share Posted July 30, 2006 I've finally started my speaker cab project. Today I cut the speaker holes in my baffleboard. The specs that came with my speakesr said the hole should be 10 1/2 inches. That's what I did, but if I wanted to put the speaker through the hole, it would need to be at least 11 inches. As it turns out, I want to mount the speaker on the back of the board, and countersink any mounting hardward so that I can put the grill fabric right on the baffleboard. That's the way my old Epiphone combo amp is made (which also has about a 10 1/2 inch hole). And now the questions.. 1. With a 10 1/2 inch hole, the edge of the speaker cone surround is a bit covered. Does tht have a negative affect? 2. Are there pros and cons to putting the speaker in the front or back of the baffle board? 3. I wanted to make my cabs as small as possible, so the baffleboard is about 26 3/4 in wide, and 14 inches high. I see a lot of commercial cabs that width, but ususally closer to 17 inches high. Am I screwing something up by making mine 14 inches high. I should mention that they will be 2x12 open back cabs, and will be about 11 inches deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted July 30, 2006 Members Share Posted July 30, 2006 Front mount is more open, direct and clear - like a Fender. Back mounted introduces some phasey-ness because you are essentially creating a small cavity that sound can bounce around in. This can sometimes be an advantage, especially on heavy saturated sounds. The cavity also means that when your mic is right up onto the grill, you are still some distance away from the cone. For this reason, studios will frequently cut the grill materiall off, to get the mic closer. I don't like destroying the cosmetics of a cab if I don't have too - so I prefer front mount speakers that I can get right up close to. For DIY hole cutting - it's easier to get a neat appearance if you go for front mount. Generally, I prefer front mount - but maybe that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Jeff, I'd recommend doing it as front mount, and make the grille / frame removeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D Charles Posted August 1, 2006 Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 I've built bunches of speaker cabs and always mount the driver on to the baffle. I can't imagine why you'd mount it behind the baffle??? Those things shake like crazy if you turn them up and you need to regularly tighten up screws (like every six months or so). Honestly, maybe it would be cool with a tiny speaker but you're using a 12" so it needs to be front mounted like Mesa, Fender, Marshall and everyone else does it. Just cut your holes out to 11" and pop those pups into the front of the cab. Your grill cloth frame will raise the cloth out above the speaker. Trust me on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EccentRick Posted August 1, 2006 Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 Originally posted by Jeff Leites 3. I wanted to make my cabs as small as possible, so the baffleboard is about 26 3/4 in wide, and 14 inches high. I see a lot of commercial cabs that width, but ususally closer to 17 inches high. Am I screwing something up by making mine 14 inches high. It's always best IMHO to have a minimum of 2 inches of open baffle space on each of the four "sides" of the speaker mounting flange. That seems to be a general rule of thumb when building musical instrument speaker cabinets. HTH, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff Leites Posted August 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I should have asked these questions a week ago. I'm too far into the construction to change the size now. I can always reposition the speakers if the rear mounting doesn't work. It's easier to to remove wood than to add it back in. I have a feeling that it will all work out, since my Epiphone, with one 12" speaker also has it's speaker rear mounted on a 14" high board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EccentRick Posted August 1, 2006 Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 As long as the cabinet and baffle are stiff/solid and well reinforced with bracing, you'll be fine. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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