I decided to get a couple of MDF cabinets to experiment with speakers as they are cheap. I got a Marshall MG412 as they are dirt cheap second hand, and have a budget brand 2x12 on order. The MG412 has Celestion G12-412MG speakers which sounds kind of meh, cheap speakers made specifically for a budget cabinet I guess
It will sound a lot better with proper speakers anyway. I was wondering if you could line the inside of the cabinet with something, wood panels perhaps, or if there was another method which would give it more character though
MDF cabinets, any method to make them less clean?
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- KVRAF
- 16788 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
As with acoustic guitars, you can get a general idea of the 'sound' of a cabinet by tapping on it. You'll then hear it's natural resonances. Good cabinets have a rather dry tapping sound. You (usually) don't want something resonating.
There are optimal cabinet sizes for speakers. Lining the inside changes the inner volume, so better do it on the outside. But are we talking open or closed cabinets?
With closed cabinets the inner dimensions surely make a difference, since these determine the reflections and thus resonances. You'll find closed cabinets are often padded / stuffed with rock wool for absorbtion, so there are barely any such inner reflections.
My first 4x12" cabinet is constructed of a single layer of 18mm multiplex / plywood. It's ok-ish.
My second 4x12" cabinet is constructed of a double layer of 18mm multiplex / plywood, and as a result it weights 52 kg. It sounds a lot more solid, there's definitely more bass in it.
If you're going to do this, then why not build cabinets from scratch. You'll have to properly glue the layers of wooden panels, in order to let them mechanically act as one single piece of wood.
There are optimal cabinet sizes for speakers. Lining the inside changes the inner volume, so better do it on the outside. But are we talking open or closed cabinets?
With closed cabinets the inner dimensions surely make a difference, since these determine the reflections and thus resonances. You'll find closed cabinets are often padded / stuffed with rock wool for absorbtion, so there are barely any such inner reflections.
My first 4x12" cabinet is constructed of a single layer of 18mm multiplex / plywood. It's ok-ish.
My second 4x12" cabinet is constructed of a double layer of 18mm multiplex / plywood, and as a result it weights 52 kg. It sounds a lot more solid, there's definitely more bass in it.
If you're going to do this, then why not build cabinets from scratch. You'll have to properly glue the layers of wooden panels, in order to let them mechanically act as one single piece of wood.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 693 posts since 18 Apr, 2021
ok, thanks! I see. Perhaps I'll make a cabinet some day, I had a look at the prices on the baltic birch plywood used in all the high end cabinets though, and it's not going to save me money. For now I'm going to do as originally planned, I'll keep an eye on the second hand market, get the next Marshall 1960 cabinet I find, remove and sell the speakers as I probably already have the same speakers or don't want them, and have a decent affordable cabinet to place whatever speakers I want in. I'm sure I can find use for the MDF cabinets as they are as well
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 693 posts since 18 Apr, 2021
I got my 2x12 last night, and it did surpass my expectations. It's large, at least compared to what I'm used to when it comes to 2x12, just as wide as a Marshall cab and two thirds the height. It is extremely clean sounding, it has a really nice low end though, that might be the speakers for all I know. The speakers have large magnets, I have no idea if that is a sign of quality in itself, the budget speakers I've seen so far have all small magnets in common though. There is very little information on the speakers, it seems the brand is something called ARK. I looked it up and found a company which makes PA speakers, which might explain the HiFi vibes I got from the cab. I kind of like it though, as it is it sounds much better than the second hand budget Marshall MG412 cab I picked up at least
Anyway, time for for some questions. If I get a rectangular cab and replace the bottom, top and sides with birch plywood. How important would replacing the plate which holds the speakers with plywood as well be? Even I with my very limited woodworking skills would be able to cut rectangular plates to the right size, the plate which holds the speakers would be a lot more complicated though. Rebulding a budget MDF cab would make it a lot easier, as I would have all the fittings and the grill to go with it
Anyway, time for for some questions. If I get a rectangular cab and replace the bottom, top and sides with birch plywood. How important would replacing the plate which holds the speakers with plywood as well be? Even I with my very limited woodworking skills would be able to cut rectangular plates to the right size, the plate which holds the speakers would be a lot more complicated though. Rebulding a budget MDF cab would make it a lot easier, as I would have all the fittings and the grill to go with it