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Stevie’s 12” FRFR Cab Build Thread (Basschat Cab v3)


funkle

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Having checked out the SVT with the cab, I thought it would be interesting to try out this. It is a General Electric PA amplifier, made in 1935. 4 KT66 cathode biased output valves and rated very conservatively at 30W. It was my first amp when I started playing well over 40 years ago! My father had just bought a TV and cycle shop business and we found this old (even then) amp languishing in the loft. It needed a good service, jack connectors adding for input and output and a matching transformer for the 100v line output. It weighs nearly as much as the SVT and back in the day was paired with a massive 1 x 12" cab with a slate baffle from an old billiard table with 1 1/4" chipboard for the rest of the cab and a pine frame around the front, painted gloss purple! The cab is long gone but I still have the amp and it still works. The valves are all original except for the driver. I've changed a couple of leaky caps and added some new smoothing caps to help the originals. It's not as loud as the SVT but has a smooth slightly compressed sound. 

 

IMG_5143.thumb.jpg.680b1fd0ca422c19f97e3bd6ef11ef33.jpg

 

A peek inside for the tech minded. Very neat and easy to work on.

IMG_2697.thumb.JPG.5ac0400998a21b706cc49dffabe8c8d5.JPG

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1 minute ago, stevie said:

Ooh, that's a blast from the past. It conjures up expressions like Vortexion, Ferrograph and Reslo. It's actually got 'condensers' in it. And 85-year old electrolytics. Amazing!

Indeed, funnily enough I also have a 1960's Reslo ribbon mic that was used with my Father's Ferrograph series 6 tape recorder 🙂

 

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1 hour ago, basstone said:

Having checked out the SVT with the cab, I thought it would be interesting to try out this. It is a General Electric PA amplifier, made in 1935. 4 KT66 cathode biased output valves and rated very conservatively at 30W. It was my first amp when I started playing well over 40 years ago! My father had just bought a TV and cycle shop business and we found this old (even then) amp languishing in the loft. It needed a good service, jack connectors adding for input and output and a matching transformer for the 100v line output. It weighs nearly as much as the SVT and back in the day was paired with a massive 1 x 12" cab with a slate baffle from an old billiard table with 1 1/4" chipboard for the rest of the cab and a pine frame around the front, painted gloss purple! The cab is long gone but I still have the amp and it still works. The valves are all original except for the driver. I've changed a couple of leaky caps and added some new smoothing caps to help the originals. It's not as loud as the SVT but has a smooth slightly compressed sound. 

 

IMG_5143.thumb.jpg.680b1fd0ca422c19f97e3bd6ef11ef33.jpg

 

A peek inside for the tech minded. Very neat and easy to work on.

IMG_2697.thumb.JPG.5ac0400998a21b706cc49dffabe8c8d5.JPG

And the award for oldest functioning Basschat amp goes to... 

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Talking of clamps.... Lidl are selling some neat, one-handed clamps, which would be a useful addition to the longer ones. Starts today - so won't be available for that long. https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/product-recommendation/powerfix-profi-one-handed-bar-clamps/p27850

If you're on the wating list for the next batch of kits, or if you plan building from the plans, I'd recommend you get yourself a set of the 150mm ones for £6.99. Cheaper than anywhere else.

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1 hour ago, basstone said:

Having checked out the SVT with the cab, I thought it would be interesting to try out this. It is a General Electric PA amplifier, made in 1935. 4 KT66 cathode biased output valves and rated very conservatively at 30W. It was my first amp when I started playing well over 40 years ago! My father had just bought a TV and cycle shop business and we found this old (even then) amp languishing in the loft. It needed a good service, jack connectors adding for input and output and a matching transformer for the 100v line output. It weighs nearly as much as the SVT and back in the day was paired with a massive 1 x 12" cab with a slate baffle from an old billiard table with 1 1/4" chipboard for the rest of the cab and a pine frame around the front, painted gloss purple! The cab is long gone but I still have the amp and it still works. The valves are all original except for the driver. I've changed a couple of leaky caps and added some new smoothing caps to help the originals. It's not as loud as the SVT but has a smooth slightly compressed sound. 

 

IMG_5143.thumb.jpg.680b1fd0ca422c19f97e3bd6ef11ef33.jpg

 

A peek inside for the tech minded. Very neat and easy to work on.

IMG_2697.thumb.JPG.5ac0400998a21b706cc49dffabe8c8d5.JPG

No love for the Linear Concord? My first guitarist has one of those with a cab he made out of reclaimed wood from a wardrobe. I acnnort remember what guitarhe used but it made a wonderful noise.

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2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

All of mine, apart from the really long ones come from there. In fact a large amount of my shed contents come from the middle of lidl!

I was going to buy their new 12V drill the other day. Has a removable chuck. Sadly id weighs more than my old Bosch 18V  The 12V circular saw looks good though and the table saw and the clamps ............. oh dear I have an attack of TAS (Tool Acquisition Syndrome).

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2 hours ago, basstone said:

...Imagine 2 Basschat cabs stacked with the SVT (top cab with horn rotated 90 degrees and bottom with low pass filter and no horn?).

Am wondering whether to make the cutout for the horn a square so I could rotate it at some point if I fancied it.... IIRC the screw holes are positioned in a square on the horn anyway, so the cutout just needs to be slightly bigger to allow rotation....

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2 hours ago, stevie said:

Talking of clamps.... Lidl are selling some neat, one-handed clamps, which would be a useful addition to the longer ones. Starts today - so won't be available for that long. https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/product-recommendation/powerfix-profi-one-handed-bar-clamps/p27850

If you're on the wating list for the next batch of kits, or if you plan building from the plans, I'd recommend you get yourself a set of the 150mm ones for £6.99. Cheaper than anywhere else.

I’ve got them - they don’t put on that much pressure - good for somethings but not amazing

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2 hours ago, RichardH said:

Am wondering whether to make the cutout for the horn a square so I could rotate it at some point if I fancied it.... IIRC the screw holes are positioned in a square on the horn anyway, so the cutout just needs to be slightly bigger to allow rotation....

I have a cab that has been cut out to allow for rotation of the horn. Before I commit myself, I'll check it out later today. I seem to remember that it was not as straightforward as you might think.

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32 minutes ago, stevie said:

I have a cab that has been cut out to allow for rotation of the horn. Before I commit myself, I'll check it out later today. I seem to remember that it was not as straightforward as you might think.

Isn’t the horn designed to be used 90 degrees from the way you’ve used it anyway?

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3 minutes ago, stevie said:

Yes, it is. And the horn is square. So in theory it should be easy enough to cut a hole in the baffle that allows it to be used either way.

What I mean is - if you don’t rotate it what you loose in vertical dispersion you gain in horizontal? 

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Indeed. It's a 90 x 65 degree horn. On a PA cab, you'd want the wider, 90-degree dispersion in the horizontal direction, but turning the horn round gives you better dispersion directed at the player's ears when the cab's on the floor.

You will lose some dispersion horizontally but it's not critical, and turning the horn round does make a difference when you're standing in front of the cab.

It would also be useful to be able to rotate the horn if you're going to use the cab sideways, which isn't currently possible with the cutout as it is. So it's worthwhile finding out what's possible.

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It looks like the next batch of cabinet kits will be ready next week. I'll be in touch with everyone as soon as I have a firm date.

In the meantime, I've put together a pack containing all the screws, machine screws, t-nuts, washers etc. that builders will need. This will save you having to order them from different sources and ensure that you have the correct types.

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I've updated the Parts List and you'll find it at:

This should be the final update to the list of parts, as I won't be supplying any more kits after this batch. There may well be developments and improvements, in which case all builders will be kept in the loop.

I'm picking up the cabinet kits on Friday and will be assembling all the crossovers and cable kits over the weekend. So builders should have their goodies for Christmas. PM's on the way with payment details later today.

Incidentally, I notice that the latest plans have been downloaded 130 times. So there may be a few more of these cabs about than we think.

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