HMT style guitar cab!
08-27-2007, 12:25 AM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,785
HMT style guitar cab!
I wanted to build a cab for my head that I had a friend from another site work on that some might remember. This wasn't the original radio as this was his for the work done to my radio. He couldn't get my radio to stop crackling and popping so he gave me his instead as it worked perfectly. I didn't want to go out and buy a premade cab cause I'm cheap and I'm HMT to the bone yO. No to mention I like stuff noone else has. Well I know I wasn't gonna build an actual cabinet cause my wood working tools are pretty limited to a hammer and nails I have laying around. Now wrenches and ---- for working on a car I've got down but that ---- won't do me a whole lot of good with this project. Anyways...
I know what I wanted the case to be made from when I was looking for radios at the antique store. I remember seeing some really cool suitcases and they were pretty sturdy for holding a speaker. So Saturday I ventured down to the same antique store and went searching. I found 3 cases, all which were priced pretty cheap. Mine just happened to be the most expensive at a wallet raping 20 bucks. I did see another case and radio I could have 30 bucks total. I may go back just to build for a later time and something to do in the winter as it's quickly approaching and working on the 280Z will come to a quick holt.
So after a run to Guitar Center and Radio shack and the craft store I had everything I need to build it. Everything ran me
-$20- suitcase
-$25- shipped for a Jensen Mod 8" 4 ohm speaker (another is one the way so add another $25)
-$4- 1/4" input jack (2 came in a package as I couldn't buy just one, just another reason to build another!)
-$5- 50' roll of 18 AWG standed wire
-$2- 1 yard of burlap
-$7- 3' speaker cable for the amp to head(cheapest Guitar Center had and my usual music shop was closed already and wanted to try it out that night)
The blue thing is what I used to cut the hole in the case for the opening. Nothing fancy, hell we bought it for when we installed our carpeting in the nursery. I just found it looking around for something to cut into the case. It worked perfectly as the case is just a 3/8" cardboard panels.
Now onto the meat and potatoes of this thread!
First I started out with just a plain tweed covered suitcase. Still has the original lining and everything else still in it and still on it. No where in this build were any power tools used whatsoever and did this in the middle of my living room. About easy as it gets.
If you look carefully also, you can see the input jack in it also. I didn't even drill out the hole. I poked it out with some kids scissors and opened the hole with a sharpie. High tech yO!
Now at first I just wanted to see how it sounded with the speaker in it. So I cut an opening for the speaker and had it mounted in it with a tupperware bowl pressing it against the cover of the suitcase. I told you "ghetto fab"!
I could pick it up and walk around with it and wouldn't budge as I didn't want it moving around and falling from the vibration of my Eddie Van Halen thrashing while playing some Hank Williams tunes.Wow, this thing sounded damn good! Only thing I noticed is that I'll have to do something to keep the handle from rattling. No biggie. But damn it sounded really good and then turned on my EQ pedal as the amp only has volume **** on it. Hot damn this ****** is loud. Not Spinal Tap turn your Marshall amp up to 11 loud but for what it is it's pretty damn loud. So I messed around with it for awhile and went off to watch my buddy's band play at a local biker bar.
This morning I started hacking into it again to the point of no return if I fucked up. I wasn't gonna have it like above with just the speaker so. It's ghetto but not that ghetto! I wanted that Vintage Fender tweed amp look. I couldn't find the material like Fender used so to keep that old worn look I went with some burlap which was dirt cheap at the local craft store.
So I broke out the NASA design razor slicer thingy. I only took me like two passes to cut all the way through the case. Only thing was that I wanted the material to fold over the exposed cardboard so I had to messure 1/2" in of where I wanted the opening and cut out 2 openings actually. One to have a 1/2" of material to fold back over the cardboard and glue down to have a nice clean look. Oh my bad. Add another 3 bucks to the materials list for glue. I held it down after I glued it with some wooden clothes pins which worked out perfect. Glued down two pieces of burlap so it wouldn't be that see through.
flipped her around and closed her up to see the final piece of art
cool thing is the amp fits perfectly on top of the cabinet like it was made for it.
....and there you go kids. A custom vintage tweed suitcase, 50 bucks in speakers and under 20 bucks in hardware. Yeah the speakers aren't in but I've got a piece of paneling in the garage to mount the speakers in and then just some nuts and bolts to hold it in place. So $30 for the 40's tube radio converted to an amp thanks Hugh. Then 30 for the EQ pedal which almost doubles the sound the amp puts out and gives it alot more adjustability then just the radio's volume ****. Then $86 for the cab. Not bad for a vintage tube amp, custom cabinet with 2-8" Jensen speakers. and a EQ pedal. $146 total for everything.
I know what I wanted the case to be made from when I was looking for radios at the antique store. I remember seeing some really cool suitcases and they were pretty sturdy for holding a speaker. So Saturday I ventured down to the same antique store and went searching. I found 3 cases, all which were priced pretty cheap. Mine just happened to be the most expensive at a wallet raping 20 bucks. I did see another case and radio I could have 30 bucks total. I may go back just to build for a later time and something to do in the winter as it's quickly approaching and working on the 280Z will come to a quick holt.
So after a run to Guitar Center and Radio shack and the craft store I had everything I need to build it. Everything ran me
-$20- suitcase
-$25- shipped for a Jensen Mod 8" 4 ohm speaker (another is one the way so add another $25)
-$4- 1/4" input jack (2 came in a package as I couldn't buy just one, just another reason to build another!)
-$5- 50' roll of 18 AWG standed wire
-$2- 1 yard of burlap
-$7- 3' speaker cable for the amp to head(cheapest Guitar Center had and my usual music shop was closed already and wanted to try it out that night)
The blue thing is what I used to cut the hole in the case for the opening. Nothing fancy, hell we bought it for when we installed our carpeting in the nursery. I just found it looking around for something to cut into the case. It worked perfectly as the case is just a 3/8" cardboard panels.
Now onto the meat and potatoes of this thread!
First I started out with just a plain tweed covered suitcase. Still has the original lining and everything else still in it and still on it. No where in this build were any power tools used whatsoever and did this in the middle of my living room. About easy as it gets.
If you look carefully also, you can see the input jack in it also. I didn't even drill out the hole. I poked it out with some kids scissors and opened the hole with a sharpie. High tech yO!
Now at first I just wanted to see how it sounded with the speaker in it. So I cut an opening for the speaker and had it mounted in it with a tupperware bowl pressing it against the cover of the suitcase. I told you "ghetto fab"!
I could pick it up and walk around with it and wouldn't budge as I didn't want it moving around and falling from the vibration of my Eddie Van Halen thrashing while playing some Hank Williams tunes.Wow, this thing sounded damn good! Only thing I noticed is that I'll have to do something to keep the handle from rattling. No biggie. But damn it sounded really good and then turned on my EQ pedal as the amp only has volume **** on it. Hot damn this ****** is loud. Not Spinal Tap turn your Marshall amp up to 11 loud but for what it is it's pretty damn loud. So I messed around with it for awhile and went off to watch my buddy's band play at a local biker bar.
This morning I started hacking into it again to the point of no return if I fucked up. I wasn't gonna have it like above with just the speaker so. It's ghetto but not that ghetto! I wanted that Vintage Fender tweed amp look. I couldn't find the material like Fender used so to keep that old worn look I went with some burlap which was dirt cheap at the local craft store.
So I broke out the NASA design razor slicer thingy. I only took me like two passes to cut all the way through the case. Only thing was that I wanted the material to fold over the exposed cardboard so I had to messure 1/2" in of where I wanted the opening and cut out 2 openings actually. One to have a 1/2" of material to fold back over the cardboard and glue down to have a nice clean look. Oh my bad. Add another 3 bucks to the materials list for glue. I held it down after I glued it with some wooden clothes pins which worked out perfect. Glued down two pieces of burlap so it wouldn't be that see through.
flipped her around and closed her up to see the final piece of art
cool thing is the amp fits perfectly on top of the cabinet like it was made for it.
....and there you go kids. A custom vintage tweed suitcase, 50 bucks in speakers and under 20 bucks in hardware. Yeah the speakers aren't in but I've got a piece of paneling in the garage to mount the speakers in and then just some nuts and bolts to hold it in place. So $30 for the 40's tube radio converted to an amp thanks Hugh. Then 30 for the EQ pedal which almost doubles the sound the amp puts out and gives it alot more adjustability then just the radio's volume ****. Then $86 for the cab. Not bad for a vintage tube amp, custom cabinet with 2-8" Jensen speakers. and a EQ pedal. $146 total for everything.
08-27-2007, 12:59 PM
#6
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: NE-PA
Posts: 4,666
Re: HMT style guitar cab!
Wow...that is vintage to the max. A little small for my tastes, but good work overall. A Celestion 10" speaker would rip the ---- out of that old Jensen though. Maybe if I get motivated to finish my cabinet I stick it up on here...2 celestion 10"s and 2 celestion 12"s in a custom MDF cab and powered by a 150w Marshall tube head. I'm more of a heavy metal player myself (a7x, killswitch, etc.) but the vintage still ownz. 
08-27-2007, 07:10 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,785
Re: HMT style guitar cab!
The Jensens are brand new. I was looking at Celestion Vintage 30's but needed something 4 ohm and they don't make them in 4 ohms. Not to mention this thing is probably kicking out 5 watts at the most. :P
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