django49

As if the Mariah Carey version is not bad enough......

If anyone is interested, the holiday sale is back on, but 15% off rather than 20%. Still a great deal, esp if your order qualifies for free shipping. https://btpa.com/btpa-holiday-sale.html No, I have no interest in this outfit, just a satisfied customer. 😉 (I especially appreciate the silent plugs).

Counting down the days....... Getting ready for lacquer this week.

I am sure I have mentioned this in the past. I am a fan of the extra low capacitance cables......Less attenuation of highs.....As they say, you can always cut highs but it is hard to add them back if there is a muddy signal. A high end guitar player (unlike me) told me a long time ago, they were like the proverbial removing the blanket over your speakers. As in the past BTPA.com has holiday sales, now 20% off, with cables custom made to your order. For myself, I like the "high def". Choice of connectors, including "silent". Like braided covers? Many choices. Their prices are much lower than such as Mogami and (IMO) are comparable in quality. Bump your order up to $100 and select free shipping too. (Usually their shipping is fairly high). OTOH, Jimi got pretty good tone from high capacitance coil cords........

I had a pair of LaScalas that had been used for a band's PA system. Beat up flat black cabinets, but sounded great. Upgraded to the Klipschorns in painted cabinets to match the living room when we got married in LA. Wife never liked seeing them, even if they were a better look than the primer black. Finally went away, but they were damn fine while they lasted. I thought now and then about what it would be like to have a few more for surround. Sorta decided a divorce was not worth pursuing.......🤔 AFAIK, the K-Horns are still made. Hate to guess how much they cost today. Someone should buy them. Or at least go hear them and see for themself.

Some of the components used parts/materials that are now considered dangerous or unclimate friendly or sourced from unapproved places. Sorta like eliminating lead and the like. Once upon a time these things were all over LA at very reasonable prices. IIRC, I picked up a couple for around $400 (loaded with an EVM 12L, no less). As well as other Mk series combos. If I was smart, I'da kept em all. 🤧

Pens are easy to make on a small lathe. Very little skill needed. Inexpensive. Kits with parts are available at such as Rockler. You can MAKE wooden checkerboard blanks, but that is time consuming. I would go to a supplier of acrylic blanks. Here is just one example, showing how it looks when the barrel is turned and polished...... https://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5844 I have made tons of them. They make great gifts. Here is a sample. (Yes, that one is made with an actual (used) 50 caliber machine gum cartridge).

FWIW, I think the addition of hardwood edging adds a degree of stiffness, without losing the tone of the pine or adding a lot of weight. It obviously adds some extra time to glue up panels. In the future, I might forego biscuits and use either dominoes or dovetails. The latter obviously also adds some added labor. But I have built enough that there is little need to make more.....🤔 That said, if I use 1/2" BB, it also reduces weight......This assumes I am going to use tolex to cover the plywood.

I understand the Mesa 90 (C90) is made by Celestion as a proprietary Mesa speaker based at least loosely on the CL (Classic Lead) 80. Beefed up a bit in terms of power rating and (apparently) a bit heavier sound. I have used the CL80 in a "Dumble" style cabinet (semi open back with an oval cutout) and like it a lot.

Okay, since I mentioned two relatively different cabinet types, here is a bit of illustration. In this case, it is a "Barefaced" style atop a "Forte 3D" with a matching headshell for the amp. The Barefaced is a bit smaller and lighter while getting more or less the same effect. I tend to like the Forte a bit more, but either one works well. Use them both together with that 200 watt head and it is going to stands up very well to a much bigger and less moveable stack. I have a few stories. 😉 FWIW, I sometimes use a single 1 x 10 Barefaced style cab for casual gigs and it never lets me down.

Avatar makes quality replicas. However, I note that they no longer show 1 x 12s, only 2 x 12s in either horizontal or vertical orientation. FWIW, I had someone here on the site send me detailed pictures of the inside and outside of a Forte cabinet with dimensions. It was not rocket science to build my own. Truth be told I have built too many. Partly so I could experiment with different speakers......And from 8" (stereo) to 15" speakers. I really should sell a few of them, but I just don't want to mess with shipping heavy boxes. So I reckon I will only sell the extras locally. Here is the thing about the sound. They have the best (IMO) of both a closed back and open cabinet. The back is closed but it is ported on either side. I guess you could say the punch of a closed back and the reflection of an open back, if that makes sense. I like to say the small 1 x 12 sounds like it is 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. You get the sound from the front AND from both sides. Internally, it has 2 reflecting panels that direct the sound from the back of the speaker out either side. There is also a reflecting panel directly behind the speaker. Also, deep grooves routed into the interior panels to break up the sound rather than just bouncing off flat surfaces. Which also reduces weight. (I like to build with pine for light weight and tone, but with hardwood edges for strength). At risk of potentially adding confusion, also search for "Barefaced" cabinets. They are from the UK and not cheap. They sorta do the same thing in an even smaller box. Their claim is that the 1 x12 sounds like a 2 x 12. Which is to say bigger. Kinda what I am saying about the Forte. I have also reverse engineered some of them. Hard to say which is better. IMO, these are not that hard to build if a person has some decent skills and tools. That is, once you get an understanding of how they are put together. These pictures night help. I reckon my routing is not as "clean" as that done with the proper CNC machines, but it works for me. These cabinet types are def worth checking out if you get a chance. https://barefacedaudio.com/collections/avd-guitar-cabs/products/reformer-112

I do think the Eminence is a good match. And cheaper, I think. Re the EVM-12L, they stopped making them for a while, but they are readily available for many years now. Seems like the going price is around $280, but you may well get 15% off if you wait for the periodic sale at MF or Sweetwater or the like. Sign up for their membership thing and maybe get 8% in credits too. Re the question as to 12" vs 15".....The larger one comes in either a bass or guitar version. It will def move a lot of air, but the 12 is no slouch either. Mine has the 15B for use with bass. (Long ago I had a Mesa Mk 2B combo ---Lovely hardwood cab, BTW---with an EVM-15. It was great but a real bear to lug about). Keep in mind that the EVM is not for everyone. You are pretty much going to get what you put into it without coloration. You might describe it as "Hi Fi". Very unlikely you will get speaker distortion from a 200 Watt speaker. One of the reasons I like to use a pair of 1 x 12s, with the Alnico Cream adding "a bit of warmth" stacked on top of the Thiele. But if I had to go with a single 12, the Thiele would lose out to the Forte/Alnico Cream. But that is for MY tastes..... Anyone remember when Mesa offered a 4 x 12 with a quad of EVMs? I reckon it weighed something like 160 pounds!