That’s the answer you get when you ask, “What is a speaker cabinet?” In its simplest form, a speaker cabinet is a box with a speaker in it. But, a superb speaker cabinet is so much more than that. It must consist of,
Good Wood – Nothing but the best in my cabinets. I primarily use cabinet grade plywood. Baltic Birch is a favorite, but I also use Poplar, Oak, and some others. I also build with Solid Pine at times.
Secret Bonding Agent – OK, it’s not really a secret, but I can assure you of this; with the glue that I use on all my cabinets, if you try to break a joint, you will break the wood before you break the joint.
Finest Fasteners – Along with gluing up each cabinet, I also nail and screw each panel together. I don’t cheap our here either. I build my cabinets to take the abuse of some of the worse roadies in the industry. I build cabinets for working musicians. They need to sound good, look good, and take a whooping.
Great Woodworking Skills – I have a shop full of the finest tools money can buy. But, that is not enough. An unskilled woodworker can butcher a job with my tools as easily as he can with a chainsaw and shovel. I know wood, and I’m good at working with it. Wood obeys me when it’s in my hands. By the way, when the woodworking is done, I also silicone seal every corner.
The Best Drivers – A kid brought his very nice amp (brand name withheld) to my shop one day to try one of my tuned cabinets and asked, “Why does my amp sound so crappy?” Upon diving into his sealed cabinet I discovered a 15” Radiar Shaak (brand name coded), 150 watt, driver. After explaining the pros and cons of a sealed vs ported speaker cabinet, I pointed to the driver and said, “Poo poo!” If you buy a complete cabinet from me, you’ll find an Eminence, Celestion, Jensen, or Intel Inside. Forget the Intel.
Cabinet/Speaker Optimization Software – Size does mean something when it comes to speaker cabinets. There is a science to this. Speakers have certain characteristics and will only work optimally in certain size cabinets. “Air” is the code word here. Speakers push air, and the air inside of a speaker box will either free the speaker cones movement, or restrict it. This is where software comes in. I only use the best proven software on the market.
Proper Wire – All copper stranded wire is used on my cabinets, and I don’t use the stuff from Radiar Shaak (brand name coded). The gage wire I use is dependant upon the output of the amp or speaker.
High Quality Electrical Components – Jacks are all Switchcraft products or equivalent.
Soldering Skills – Simply put, the wires attached to the jack(s) and speaker better not fall off on the way to a gig, and a lot of solder does not mean this will not happen. A bad solder job will rob you of tone and output.
High Quality Upholstery – I get some pretty stuff. A huge array of colors and patterns and I pay for the better quality fabric, too. Why? Because skin has to be tough as well as pretty. The upholstery is the skin of the speaker enclosure. I like pretty skin. My wife has beautiful skin. I like to touch it, caress it, and love it. And, I want you to feel the same way about your cabinet skin as I do my wife’s skin.
Upholstery Bonding Agent – More secret stuff? Not really, but I’ll just tell you that the skin on your speaker cabinet is sticking to the bones until death we do part. Interestingly, I was at a Guitar Center recently looking at some name brand cabinets and found a couple with bubbles in the tolex!!! Shocking? Not really.
High Quality Hardware – Ah, the finishing touches, and it’s got to be pretty. Most of my cabinets use nickel plated or black powder coated corners. I do use black plastic corners as well. But, again, that’s up to you. You can be assured of this however, whatever hardware is screwed into the speaker cabinet that you chose, will be the highest quality I can find.
So, what is a speaker cabinet? It is a aesthetically and perfectly machined and acoustically tuned wooden housing that is perfectly matched for the components that are attached to it so that you, the working musician, can get the greatest tone possible from your instrument. Pretty simple, don’t you think?
GUARD YOUR TONE!!!
