stevie

The flat piece on the handle reinforcement ring was originally there to clear the front baffle. We later discovered that it wasn't actually needed, but didn't bother changing it. I've just discovered that the plywood in this batch is actually 15.2mm thick. That extra .2mm takes up the clearance in the rebates originally intended for the glue. That's why some builders have found the panels a tight fit. I'm going to increase the width of the rebates in the next batch of kits, but I'd repeat my advice to use 40-grit sandpaper on any rebates that you find are a bit tight.

So that looks like a thumbs up for Halfords primer. The primer I used was smooth, like a normal spray primer.

I bought some expanded metal grill material and cut it to size. Unfortunately, it took me hours, as I only had an angle grinder. The end result was fine and I sold the few that I made to the first few Basschatters who claimed them, but I came to the conclusion that making metal grilles is not really a DIY job. SGS metals on Ebay offer a cutting service for their punched materials.I gave them the size (384 x 567) and they cut me an aluminium grille to fit the cab. They charged £15 including delivery. The grille looks great, is perfectly sturdy and very light. The downside is that you need to use an etch primer before you paint it, and that increases the cost. This is the kind of thing you need: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=etch+primer&rh=n%3A1938797031&ref=nb_sb_noss The black etch primer at £10.50 delivered gets good reviews elsewhere and quite possibly won't need a topcoat. I must stress that I haven't used it myself, however. I used the Autotek etch primer (further down on the same page) and found that it wouldn't adhere properly. So I'd advise against using that. (I managed to touch it up with some galvanised garage door primer I had in the garage). Plastikote also do an etch primer that sells on Amazon for £7.60 delivered. As I've always found that company's products excellent, that one is probably a good buy. If you're going to apply a top coat to the grille, you need one of the tougher acrylic paints for metal from Hammerite, Plastikote, Simoniz or the German supermarket discounters (when they're on sale). These are the ones that say you can apply them directly to metal. Don't use a cellulose spray paint because it'll chip. If you want the aluminium grille and have to buy the paint for it, it's going to cost you £30. If you're more concerned about keeping the cost down than the weight, get the same grille in 1mm mild steel from SGS for £8.95 delivered and use an acrylic spray to paint it. I'd be interested to hear builders' experiences with etch primers - which work and which don't.

You're not wrong, although there's nothing wrong with using screws, especially if, as @Chienmortbb pointed out, you use them in the corners where the metal corners will go. They're also easy to camouflage on the front baffle. Pre-drill first, of course.

I’ve been gigging different variations of this cab for a while. The standout feature for me is that I can make out the pitch of every note I play even when I’m right in front of the cab. That’s always been a problem for me with compact cabs in pub-type venues. With the amp flat, the overall sound seems balanced top to bottom – just the right amount of bottom-end fatness and top-end detail, but without the emphasis on string noise you get from a lot of tweetered cabs. In fact, you can't tell it has a tweeter - it just sounds like bass guitar. Subjectively, I feel more relaxed when playing through this cab. I play in a fairly loud band with the kick drum through the PA but have never felt that I’ve pushed it close to its limits.

As @stewblack would say: "T-nut porn!"😀

Yes, that's it. In the selection box, click Black needled felt 2 1/2 oz. Then 1mtr length. £4.99. I wish sellers wouldn't keep changing their Ebay ads!

I particularly like the "pour glue into a bowl" suggestion. Squeezing the glue out of a litre bottle over such a long length is a pain.

Today's the day then, Luke? Good question. If you're an experienced cab builder with plenty of clamps and the necessary tools (like a brad nailer), you should be able to assemble the cab in one go. If this is your first attempt at building a cab, I suggest you work on one panel at a time, following the order of assembly on pp 20-21 of the other thread. The reason was pointed out by basstone and chienmortbb earlier. The plywood has a tendency to bow in the centre when you apply pressure to both ends. So it's likely that you'll need all four clamps to ensure a perfect fit - especially when you're fitting the second side panel. The job of the clamps is a) to hold the wood firmly in position while the glue dries and b) to apply pressure where required to adjust the position of the panels to ensure a tight fit with smooth seams. Although they say that full strength is reached after 24 hours, most PVA wood glues are fairly solid after one or two hours. I'd give the back panel and braces two hours to set, with perhaps one hour for the other panels - but there's no harm in waiting longer. Just make sure all your 90-degree angles are 90 degrees and check the dry fit of the next panel or two panels before the glue sets. I know I keep repeating this - but it's really important. And don't forget chienmortbb's pencil trick.

That's the one. And they will print the logo on the outside for you. Worth checking out perhaps.

I'd also be interested in a cover. I seem to recall from discussions on here that there's an alternative supplier with a superior product.

I'd like to point out a couple of minor niggles with the kit. First, the CNC machine forgot to rebate the back panel to take the input panel. The idea of the rebate is that it allows you to push the input panel into the rebate and simply glue it in. Fortunately, it's not a dealbreaker and here's what I suggest you do. Place the input panel over the cutout and mark each edge with a pencil. Then mark the other two edges. That will leave you with a pencilled square showing the outline of the input panel. Apply glue and stick it down. I've enclosed a couple of small pieces of poplar plywood with each kit that you can glue to the top and bottom of the input panel to bring the total glue area back to what it would be with the rebate. Apologies for the loss of focus in the photos, but my flash just whited everything out. The second niggle is the hole spacing for the top handle. I think this is because the handle manufacturer chose a weird hole spacing and we assumed the spacing was regular. It'll be fixed next time. In the meantime, you'll need to insert some of the screws at a slight angle to move the holes over a bit. The hole size is 3mm and the recommended screws are 5mm - so it can be done. Just screw in a few turns - then bring the screw to a vertical position and carry on screwing in.

I'm very curious to hear whether the others agree with you, Pete.

There is a trick that allows you to paint the whole cab in one go. I did mention it in the parallel thread, I think. You drill the holes for the feet and just screw the screws in (without the feet) leaving them protruding, say, 15 - 20mm. Paint the bottom panel first. Then turn the cabinet over, stand it on the screws and continue to paint the rest of the cab.

The reason I recommended sandpaper is because most people don't have a router, and sandpaper works surprisingly well. But you're quite right, Luke, a roundover bit and a router is the way to go if you know what you're doing.

Of course, I remember you mentioning that. Fascinating project! Still, it could be an idea for other builders. I sprayed my input panel matt black to contrast with the much rougher dark grey Tuff Cab elsewhere. Unfortunately, I had already glued the input panel on, which made it a lot trickier.

You might like to consider spraying the input panel with that paint before gluing it in.

Thanks for pointing it out @ChienmortbbHopefully, it will stop others making the same mistake. The glue will have filled the gaps - so I don't think there'll be a problem in practice.

The specification calls for 15.2mm rebates and 15mm plywood. That's not a huge amount of leeway. On the sample I received from the very first CNC company I used (not the current one), the rebates were slightly undersized and I had to take a Stanley knife to open them up. Not funny. Although I haven't assembled any of the current batch, I expect that taking the roughness off the mating edges with some sandpaper will make things easier.

That's definitely something to watch out for. You can check the fit of the joints visually at each end, but it's difficult to know what's happening in the centre. A steel rule like that one is a good idea. Even better is a steel square. Or you can check the fit against a straight piece of wood. My number one tip would be to test the fit of the next panel before the glue sets on the piece you're gluing. Maybe even check the fit of the next two panels if you can. The interlocking design means that if one panel is slightly out, you might not be able to fit the other panels.

You're right - those cheap ones have gone. That's the problem with recommending Ebay items.

It's a good idea. If you find it does affect the sound, consider just gluing a small piece of batten near the centre instead.

Last time I looked there was an Ebay seller doing them for £12.95 delivered. That's a crazy price. The info is in the Price List at the beginning of the thread.

It looks like an extra support for the grille. I'm not sure that it needs it but it's certainly a good idea to try to support a grille somewhere close to the centre. Acoustically, it's close enough to alter the frequency response of the horn but I've no idea whether you'd actually notice it in practice.

There are now only two kits to send out and I'm hoping to get those out tomorrow. It depends on how quickly I get through my (paid) work. Thanks very much to Tony and John for dropping off the cardboard boxes and bubblewrap - they've been a godsend. Apologies to the final two - you know who you are - but your patience will soon be rewarded.🙂