VJ Combo Cab

[M29]

Hello,

With all the talk of the new VJ cab I thought I would toss a pic up of my combo cab. I bought the head version of the Valve Junior because of the 4/8/and16 ohm speaker taps but really wanted the combo version. Once I had the head I got tired of moving it around separately with the speaker cab and decided to make my own combo cab. I also wanted to put a larger speaker in it and decided to go with a 12 inch. I don't know what it will sound like as it is always crap shoot mixing things up with no engineering but I think I will be content with it. I bought a Weber 12 inch California speaker which should be here this week for my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and will use the stock Eminence speaker from that for my VJ combo cab. It will be a start but I don't know what it will sound like, I didn't like the sound of the stock Eminence speaker in the Hot Rod
I just ordered some vintage Marshall dark green toilex and will some tan weaved grill cloth my dad had laying around since the 60's he used on his home stereo cabinets. It is nice grille cloth and should look great with the Marshall dark green. In the picture there is some greenish blue filler which is Bondo body filler to fill screw holes and what not. Bondo works great with wood, it drys fast, doesn't shrink and sticks real good as long as you make sure there is no sanding dust on the wood.

Here is a pic. The cab has been screwed and glued and is getting somewhat heavy, which I was trying to avoid but ya gotta build them tough and tight. I was going to use plywood but decided at the l last minute to use poplar board. I was kind of in a hurry (not a good thing to do) with this stuff but this is what I came up with, I have way too many projects going and I just want to get this back to where I can use it.

M29

 

[ted s]

That's a great idea M29 !, I like that cut out along the front top.
Looking forward to seeing some more pics.
Maybe you could post pics at different stages of progress ?

thanks

 

[Tim]

My oh my! First custom guitars and now custom amps. Have you ever thought of going into business with your own label. Yes, please show us the finished product.

 

[M29]

Hello Ted S and Tim,

Thank you for the kind words on my work. I have done a little of this stuff over the years but I am not very good at it. My dad taught me a lot of this stuff when I was younger and helped us build cabs for our bands every now and then. I remember our guitar player back around 1970 wanted to have two SUNN 1000 cabinets instead of one and my dad showed us how to build it and made up a SUNN logo plate that looked just like the original our guitar player was overjoyed, now he could straddle his 1000 head across two cabs. Boy the things that thrilled ya when we were young
It is hard to do this kind of stuff for pay as you have so much time involved that you just can't make it worth while. Some store bought cabs are stapled together with particle board and what not and run down an assembly line and are still kind of pricey but to hand drill and glue and clamp and wait for the glue to dry and then put the tolex on and fit the front and back and cut holes for the speakers and access holes for the amp it just gets too time consuming. I used to like doing this stuff but now I just want to get it done so I can get some time in on the guitar

I will take some picks along the way. I still never feel real confident putting on the Naugahyde oops (showing my age) I mean tolex, I always have a though time with the corners although the covers help a lot to hide gaps. I am going to use the hardware from the Valve Junior head for this cab. I am going to try to keep with the Epiphone theme some with the front of this cab. This is where I used a cut similar to the stock head at the top front like you noted Ted S.
I am going to take the logo and cut it down to just say Epi instead of Epiphone and mount it off to the left side at an angle. Should be kind of a nice touch, something different. I am anxious to get that Marshall dark green tolex, it should look goooooood:R http://www.tubeampparts.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/tolex_green.jpg

Thanks again guys!

M29

 

[Spudman]

I just noticed that the top of your cabinet is the same shape as the Peavey JSX Mini Colossal. The music on this page is Joe Satriani demoing the amph.
http://www.peavey.com/flashHome.cfm

Too bad you can't see that shape here.
http://www.peavey.com/products/brow...0590670/cat/61/begin/1/JSX?+Mini+Colossal.cfm

You can see it here. Click on "Peavey Amp"
http://www.guitarplayertv.com/

 

[ted s]

A carpenter friend built me a 2x12 cab for my Epi head last winter. (32"x17"12") I attempted to cover it a few months ago, got about 80% and tore it all off, was not going the way I liked, needed another set of hands. Completed round 2 tonight with the help of my brother. I have never done it before but am VERY happy how it turned out. I just have to find some really slick grill cloth. Any advice on grill cloth ?

 

[Spudman]

Ted
I think Lopoline sells a variety of grill material.

http://www.lopoline.com/Grillcloth.html

 

[M29]

Hello,

Here is where I got my tolex. http://www.tubeampparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=A Not to give them any plug but I am happy with the service I had on two occasions. I did not look around that much but I am sure there are more places.

Thanks Spudman for the link!

M29

 

[ted s]

Thanks M & Spud.

 

[M29]

Here are some progress shots of my VJ cab.

This pic I am sanding the corners of the front face that goes over the Valve Junior amp with a large tube and 40 grit sandpaper. These front edges will get rounded off similar to the edges of the cabinet.

In this shot I am flat sanding the rough cut from the saber saw with 40 grit sand paper.

This image shows where I am centering the speaker on the baffle board to mark the mounting holes and the area that needs to be cutout for the speaker cone. Getting closer!

Revving her up here, I could not wait so I clamped the baffle board to the cab and let her rip!

I wish that tolex would get here.
I still need to finish cutting the front face out and I am trying to decide if I want to put a wire mesh in the front between the amp and the speaker or leave it solid. I like the idea for added cooling on the tubes but it may end up canceling some frequencies of the speaker out. You don't want the speakers sound waves to go around the baffle board and cancel out any frequencies and this might happen if I leave an open cooling area between the amp and the speaker.

I played it some but it was about midnight and I could not turn it up. It appears to sound better with the back sealed. It adds a little bass. I am waiting for a Hammond output transformer to get here and that should extend my bass so I might not need the back closed up as much so I will wait and see how it sounds then before I mount the backing board.

Tomorrow I can turn it up:R

M29

 

[ted s]

Excellent !.. thanks for sharing the pics. That's going to look great !

 

[oldguy]

I like the idea for added cooling on the tubes but it may end up canceling some frequencies of the speaker out. You don't want the speakers sound waves to go around the baffle board and cancel out any frequencies and this might happen if I leave an open cooling area between the amp and the speaker.

Tomorrow I can turn it up:R

M29

It's looking great, M29! I do have one added suggestion, per the cooling, FWIW....
The VJr.'s stock values on R10 and R14 can be changed to help reduce the B+ voltage and reduce dissipation to the EL84. This will help reduce heat and should add some longevity to the little PC board.
R10-change to a 1K 3 Watt resistor
R14-change to a 240 or 270 1 Watt resistor

Here's a pic that might help w/ the OT swap also.If you zoom it in you'll see a couple of "handy hints" I added when I did mine. It will save you time.

http://www.box.net/shared/yxze4s56pa

 

[duhvoodooman]

Wow, looking great there, M! You do quality work!! R

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Woweee M29! It's looking great!

BTW, I'm with you on the Naugahyde.

 

[Robert]

Suhweet, M29! Very cool to see this!

 

[M29]

Thanks all for the kind words.

Here is what the grill cloth looks like. I chose this cloth for sentimental reasons. My dad is 92 now and he used this cloth on his stereo cabinets back in the sixties. I think it will look good with the dark green Marshall tolex or Naugahyde;-) The gill cloth will cover just the speaker area and the rest of the front will be dark green like the rest of the cab. I was thinking of putting a tan tolex in the amp area and maybe some gold piping around the inside of the front.

I am trying to decide how to put the Epiphone emblem on. What position do you guys like? I kind of wanted to go with just Epi instead of Epiphone, just a thought for something different.

Thanks again guys!

M29

 

[duhvoodooman]

I like #1.

 

[M29]

Hello duhvoodooman,

Yeah I like that one too. It has a little style and it fills in the area nicely.

The gaps around the front boards are to give room for the grill cloth, tolex and piping thickness. It looks kind of nasty right now, they are just setting in there with no screws yet.

I had a chance to turn it up briefly this morning. It sounded a little thin and I do not care for this spiky sounding Fender/Hot Rod speaker in this setup either but I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on this so it will do for now. I am still experimenting with ports and what not to see if I can get a better bass response. My VJ sounds somewhat thin anyways and I am hoping the transformer will help that. I have a 12 inch Weber California coming for my Hot Rod and I will stick it in here first to hear what it sounds like. I don't plan to spend another hundred dollars for one in the VJ but I would like to hear what it sounds like.

Thanks again duhvoodooman for the kind words.

M29

 

[Big K]

great idea, should sound sweet in the larger enclosure.....

 

[als_lespaul]

This thing is going to look soooo cool! I hope you'll post some sound clips when you're done. :R

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I really like it and adore the grill cloth you picked! My folks had some old speakers with that cloth that were just cool somehow! I like emblem position #1 as well. Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

[M29]

Well...Here is the semi finished cab along with my finished Chinese Strat that I setup like a Squier '51. I still have to mount the handle and amp bolt caps on the top, which I am going to wait to do until I get the mods done and quit taking the darn amp in and out. I need to install shielding on the inside of the upper cab as well, like the head had. I will be trying different speakers for a while so the back cover will be temporary.
I tried to use as many parts as I could from the Epiphone VJ head to keep costs at a minimum and to bring over as much flavor as I could from the original.

I have some of this tolex left is anyone is interested. The piece I have left is 38 inches by 105 inches.

My Hammond 125DSE transformer came in and I plan to put that in this week sometime. I am anxious to try it out with the transformer. Maybe I can put a clip together of some sort, I don't play very well yet so don't hold your breath I still have not been able to turn it up yet but look forward to it:R

It is hard to see the shade of vintage Marshall dark green tolex but I like it. I may end up getting a different piping and put it around the upper inside along with across the front like it is now. This piping is from the head cab. I need to find an upholstery shop around here. It would be too much with shipping on the web for such a cheap small piece.

I have a bunch of images to put up of putting the tolex on. I will get that up soon.

I hope ya like it

M29

 

[Robert]

Looks awesome! When do we get to hear it?

 

[M29]

Hello Robert,

Thank you for the kind words.
Well...my wife just had a surgery, my son is graduating, I have to have a surgery and with everyone at home for a while it is hard to do any recording or playing loud but I hope to slip some jammin in soon and I am sure I will find a slot to record something. I do want to wait till I get the transformer in though. I play all the time with the headphones on or with the guitar unamplified but it is hard right now to do anything loud

Hey that lesson on (Improve your phrasing with triads) is a lot of fun! I have been workin it over. Lots of new ideas flowing, thanks a million Robert!

M29

 

[ted s]

M29 !!!! Holy Sheeeeite man ! that looks absolutely amazing !
Excellent.. a job well done.. awsome.. just awsome..

 

[M29]

Thanks ted s I am glad you like it! It seems to be a good size but it is a bit on the heavy side, not something I wanted with a bad back. I do like it all in one though and I have the three speaker taps that the VJ combo don't have and with a 12 inch speaker as well. I'm happy now

Thanks again ted s

M29

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

It really looks great M29.

I liked your idea of only using the Epi, but the angled epiphone has a nice vibe.

If you ever decided to make another one so you could play in stereo, then one could be Epi' & the other 'Phone.

 

[duhvoodooman]

WOW!!!!! Gorgeous job, M! You are a craftsman, sir!

 

[Spudman]

Fantastic! If I ever need reconstructive surgery I think I'm going to talk to you first. I'll bet you can do a better job than almost any doctor.

 

[Robert]

Fantastic! If I ever need reconstructive surgery I think I'm going to talk to you first. I'll bet you can do a better job than almost any doctor.

Amen to that! You can make anything look good, M29! Even "faders" like Spudman and myself. R