Building a combo amp

Amp tinkerers and people who aren't afraid of 700 volts or so in here....

Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40878
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7685 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by jeremyb »

Ados is the shizzle but read the instructions cause contact adhesives aren't like normal glues!!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
alanp
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 4637
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:51 am
Location: Wanganui
Has liked: 4 times
Been liked: 11 times
Contact:

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by alanp »

I used the F1 spray on stuff, I think.

Oh, and you can wait ten minutes for it to get tacky, or you can use a heat gun. If you do, then be warned that wherever it lands after a blast with the heatgun, it WILL want to stay there quite emphatically.
Capt. Black wrote:Call me if you're looking for the sound of a sows ear made from a silk purse with a side of hot bitches and alcohol

User avatar
Bg
Site Admin
Posts: 43187
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:13 am
Location: Auckland
Has liked: 2254 times
Been liked: 3873 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Bg »

thats why I don't use a heatgun, you want to be able to move it a bit if needed...
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

Braden-M-50
Ashton
Ashton
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:06 pm
Been liked: 1 time

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Braden-M-50 »

Okay, so for mounting it from the rear, I would need bolts not screws.. Why would that be ?
Fender Strat w/ 57/62s ---> Ceriatone Princeton w/ Jensen P10R

Well Designed, Well Made tube amp + As little controls as possible = Best Possible tone

User avatar
rocklander
no offense, but I'm not a guitarist
Posts: 10358
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:05 pm
Location: Rotorua

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by rocklander »

I used screws for mine... :?
Some Bozo wrote:dogs represent the qualities we like to see in a friend, and cats represent the qualites we'd like to be able to get away with in ourselves :D
.__
. __\___
. _____D)
. __)
. __)
.__)pull my finger

stagepass

User avatar
Starfire
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 4404
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 9:20 am
Location: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Has liked: 243 times
Been liked: 596 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Starfire »

Braden-M-50 wrote:Okay, so for mounting it from the rear, I would need bolts not screws.. Why would that be ?
There are basically two ways of mounting the speaker from the rear. The first is as BG has described where the bolts/screws for the speaker are fitted from the front of the baffle and protrude through the rear of the baffle for the speaker to mount on, held in place with some nuts. The problem with that is keeping the screws from turning, because you can't access them to hold them with a screwdriver once the baffle is covered with cloth, hence the glue.

Another solution is 'blind nuts' or 'T-nuts'. These are basically a nut that press into the wood on the front of the baffle, held in place by little prongs to stop them spinning. You then insert the screw from the back. Either way works, and both have their pros and cons. Some people don't like the first method, as their is the possibility of destroying the speaker cone if you happen to be clumsy enough to drop the speaker onto the screws as you load it. And sometimes T-nuts aren't the most reliable method either

My recent cabinet build (built by Ash) uses the T-nuts method. Some pictures might be helpful here.

These are the T-nuts, fairly self explanatory.
Image

Here's a pic from my cabinet showing how it all works. The screws are a bit long, should be about right once I get a washer in the back.
Image

For either method you'll need to have a 'breaker' on the baffle, a frame around the edge that will hold the grille cloth off the screws/nuts. Like so:
Image

Excuse the lengthy post.

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40878
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7685 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by jeremyb »

Wow! Very nice! 8)
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
bender
Darth Fader
Posts: 11838
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:46 pm
Location: Dorkland
Has liked: 415 times
Been liked: 1010 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by bender »

Braden-M-50 wrote:Okay, so for mounting it from the rear...
In before Jeremy.


(Sorta)

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40878
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7685 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by jeremyb »

benderissimo wrote:
Braden-M-50 wrote:Okay, so for mounting it from the rear...
In before Jeremy.


(Sorta)
I hope you're a double adaptor :mrgreen:
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

Braden-M-50
Ashton
Ashton
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:06 pm
Been liked: 1 time

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Braden-M-50 »

Alright... This looks like a mission.
So im going to head to Mega and get
T Nut
Bolts
Spray on Adhesive
Need to get wood cut

Is it really that much better to rear mount?
Fender Strat w/ 57/62s ---> Ceriatone Princeton w/ Jensen P10R

Well Designed, Well Made tube amp + As little controls as possible = Best Possible tone

User avatar
Bg
Site Admin
Posts: 43187
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:13 am
Location: Auckland
Has liked: 2254 times
Been liked: 3873 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Bg »

Braden-M-50 wrote:Alright... This looks like a mission.
So im going to head to Mega and get
T Nut
Bolts
Spray on Adhesive
Need to get wood cut

Is it really that much better to rear mount?
I would say so, I don't know if you'll find T-Nuts in mega, you can try. srsly I just use normal bolts, make them a tight fit and a drop of glue and bobs your knob. Go for countersunk ones. Don't use screws as they will loosen easier over time, and if you screw them in and out a few times, the screw is likely to fall out ;)
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

User avatar
ash
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 7505
Joined: Mon May 10, 2004 4:01 pm
Location: Auckland, NZ
Has liked: 3 times
Been liked: 5 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by ash »

You don't have to use blind nuts (aka T-nuts for non-Americans). For your needs, the same screws you're already using will work fine. You can upgrade to proper bolts when you've got more time/skill/patience/money.

I do think rear-mounting the speaker is better for an open back combo. Front mounting is for enclosed/sealed cabs.

Mount them from the back and you won't have to worry about that frame on the front to lift the grille cloth off the baffle and you'll be able to tighten or swap the speakers without destroying the grille cloth. It will be much easier overall.
http://ashcustomworks.com for custom built electric guitars hand made in new zealand

Braden-M-50
Ashton
Ashton
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:06 pm
Been liked: 1 time

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Braden-M-50 »

ash wrote:You don't have to use blind nuts (aka T-nuts for non-Americans). For your needs, the same screws you're already using will work fine. You can upgrade to proper bolts when you've got more time/skill/patience/money.

I do think rear-mounting the speaker is better for an open back combo. Front mounting is for enclosed/sealed cabs.

Mount them from the back and you won't have to worry about that frame on the front to lift the grille cloth off the baffle and you'll be able to tighten or swap the speakers without destroying the grille cloth. It will be much easier overall.
Alright, so my wood is 12mm thick, If i just use say 15mm screws (the speaker frame is fairly off the wood) Would that be sweet?
Fender Strat w/ 57/62s ---> Ceriatone Princeton w/ Jensen P10R

Well Designed, Well Made tube amp + As little controls as possible = Best Possible tone

User avatar
Bg
Site Admin
Posts: 43187
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:13 am
Location: Auckland
Has liked: 2254 times
Been liked: 3873 times

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Bg »

if you're just going to use screws, personally I wouldn't, you won't need them that long... about 3/4 depth of wood and speaker frame would be ample.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

Braden-M-50
Ashton
Ashton
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:06 pm
Been liked: 1 time

Re: Building a combo amp

Post by Braden-M-50 »

BG wrote:if you're just going to use screws, personally I wouldn't, you won't need them that long... about 3/4 depth of wood and speaker frame would be ample.
All this just over screwing in some speakers haha.
Shame there's no amp gurus in dunedin.
Fender Strat w/ 57/62s ---> Ceriatone Princeton w/ Jensen P10R

Well Designed, Well Made tube amp + As little controls as possible = Best Possible tone

Post Reply