fEARful Cabs

[bigchiefbc]

I want to build a 2x15 using peavy black widows with switchable impedance from 8 to 4 ohms is this at all possible?

The only way I know of to do switchable impedence in a cabinet is to have two 8-ohm speakers and switch the speakers between parallel (4 ohms) and series (8 ohms)

If you switch between series and parallel you're switching between 16 Ohms (8+8) and 4 Ohms [(8*8)/(8+8)].

D'OH! You are, of course, correct. Brainfart on my part.

[Zander]

So my interest was piqued and I was looking at these cabs.

I'm quite impressed with the designs, but I think I must be missing something with respect to the cost/value proposition. I am seeing the pricing for the unassembled cabs on speakerhardware.com. I've never played bass so I haven't priced out "bass cabs" but I can't imagine they'd be that much different from a guitar cab. I've found an empty 4x12 assembled cabinet for $170.00 (without shipping) - with tolex or without, but then adding 4 WGS speakers is at least another $300 after tax and shipping. I then still have to paint it, check the bracing, add protected corners, casters, handles, etc...

Regardless of the path one takes, it seems like at the end of the day, whether you buy a fully assembled, painted, tolexed, speaker mounted and wired cabinet, or if build it yourself, mount the speakers, add hardware, and wire it up, you're still out at least $600. The difference is $600 and a whole bunch of one's own effort and tools, vs $600 and "let's jam!".

I've been able to source Avatar and Randall 4x12 cabinets with Celestions in them for around $600.

Do other people find that the whole DIY part of it is worth the effort part? For my part, I actually prefer undertaking the DIY, as I have come to believe that I end up having a unique cabinet/amp/pedal/whatever and that the piece of equipment I have when I'm done ends up having cleaner workmanship and greater durability. But I don't know that I can expect that most other people will make the same calculation. I tend to believe others will say, "Why the hell am I spending my time doing this when I could be jamming/practicing/getting high etc...?" (which I also think is a reasonable question.)

[MSUsousaphone]

I guess it would depend on what you think of these cabs. If you want to get them sent to you totally built, you're looking at $1200 - 1400. So building them saved me about $700 a cab.

Now, are these cabs worth the high end price tag? I dunno. The people that own them swear they are. I figure, since I'm building them for half the price, it doubles the chances that they are.

[Gozu]

yeah, you have to build them yourself right? so what makes it fEarful?

[SmallEQ]

yeah, you have to build them yourself right? so what makes it fEarful?

The design is called fEarful, and they are about the loudest, most compact and most efficient cabs one can use for bass.

[Jwar]

I want! But alas, don't need. Cabs look sexy as fuck though! 700 ain't bad either! I paid close to that for my Markbass and that thing is a tank of bass!

[Gozu]

yeah, you have to build them yourself right? so what makes it fEarful?

The design is called fEarful, and they are about the loudest, most compact and most efficient cabs one can use for bass.

eye sea.... i'll just stick with my barefaced... i didn't have t build that. i'm shit with a screwdriver

[MSUsousaphone]

You don't HAVE to build them yourself. There's quite a few authorized builders you can buy them completely assembled from.

I could never afford that, though.....so I build.

[SmallEQ]

yeah, you have to build them yourself right? so what makes it fEarful?

The design is called fEarful, and they are about the loudest, most compact and most efficient cabs one can use for bass.

eye sea.... i'll just stick with my barefaced... i didn't have t build that. i'm shit with a screwdriver

The barefaced guy uses a lot of similar principals as the guy behind the fEarfuls, so you are getting the same type of benefits anyway.

I'm in your place with a kickass Barefaced can myself, but for the most part they aren't very practical to buy in the US.

[Gozu]

yeah, you have to build them yourself right? so what makes it fEarful?

The design is called fEarful, and they are about the loudest, most compact and most efficient cabs one can use for bass.

eye sea.... i'll just stick with my barefaced... i didn't have t build that. i'm shit with a screwdriver

The barefaced guy uses a lot of similar principals as the guy behind the fEarfuls, so you are getting the same type of benefits anyway.

I'm in your place with a kickass Barefaced can myself, but for the most part they aren't very practical to buy in the US.

well i guess that all works out nicely

[MSUsousaphone]

Still in the middle of the build....here's a few pics.

The war room......cade......

(hmmmm...I'll come and fix these in a bit)











This is where it's at, right now.

[oinkbanana]

keep us posted on this! I'm VERY curious.
(come back and fix those broken image links too)

I've been looking into getting something for synth (that isn't a powered speaker) and I'm thinking of undertaking a build myself.
either a 1515/66 or two 15/6 like your doing.
I need something that'll keep up with your big boy guitar and bass stacks of doom...

[MSUsousaphone]

Yeah. I've been busy with the band having a huge gig and the build...but things are cooling down so I should be able to go clean up those pics, soon. It's just some building pics. Anyways, here's the "all done excpet for some finishing touches" update. WE GOT IT ALL WIRED YESTERDAY!!!!.......AND IT ALL WORKS!!!!!

Sweeeeeeeeeet.

I had a few questions I had to ask at the fEARful forum. They were all answered with great speed and accuracy. A HUGE thanks to all the people on that forum. I had to slightly more knowledgable than me friends to help, but I'm confident that, with that forum's help, I could have handled it on my own.

We got all of the wiring done. I was warming up the speakers last night and everything functioned the way it should. Didn't crank anything up so I haven't fully tested it...and one of my tubes in the my Mesa Strategy 400 is rattling...so I need to get that fixed before I really know how clean it is. But it was sounding pretty awesome. Insanely light for the monstrosity of two 15/6s.

We had to get out a planer to level the grille bracing a bit. Once that was done we brad nailed the bracing in. We had the pressure up too high so there's one or two spots I need to duratex where the nail is ever so slightly showing. I didn't have enough gasket for the grilles....so I need more gasket and then I can screw that. Yeah. And then paint the screws because I couldn't find black ones.

And then this thing is complete. So no glamor shots. But here's the rough shot.

[Schlatte]

schweeet

[DannDubbleEwe]

Gorgeous. You'll have to let us know to what extent your guts are liquified when you crank it!

I am DEFINITELY getting a 1515/66 flat pack when I can scrounge up the money. The drivers are insanely expensive, but oooh man I can't wait to do it.

How difficult was the wiring/ crossover assembly? That's really the only thing I'm worried about. I'll probably be visiting the fEarful forums to further enlighten me on this question, but it'd be great to hear your experience here as well.