Theile 2 x 12 build project underway (LOAD TIME WARNING)

Hi :mrgreen: all, we modified the ElectroVoice 806 plans to start work building a 2 x 12 front ported cab. Basically, there are two theile cabs in one unit since the design has a dividing wall in the center. I discussed this in the theile plans thread over in the vintage gear forum but the project is being posted here because this seems like a more appropriate forum. OK, the woods used so far are 11ply birch for the sides and back, oak baffle, and maple for the cleats and interior bracing. We are going to use all black hardware, a tan wood stain finish, and a black and brown basket weave grille cloth with black piping for the front. So far we've done the wood working part of the project but we still have to cut and install the baffle. We're waiting to get the hardware so we can make sure the baffle is cut correctly.

The speakers will be a Hellatone 60L and a Heritage G12m both from Avatar speakers. I got the hardware from BLTSound and the grille cloth from Mojotone.

Our assembly process worked very well so this picture documentary should help other doing the same project. We built the interior bracing and the port first and then sized and cut the sides and finally the top and bottom. This was the best way to compensate for any minute variance in size with the parts we were using.

That's really impressive, can't wait to see it when it's done!

This thread has inspired me to build my next cab. Craftsmanship on your theile looks top notch, man. If you dont mind my asking, about how much did the lumber run you?

ryjan said:

This thread has inspired me to build my next cab. Craftsmanship on your theile looks top notch, man. If you dont mind my asking, about how much did the lumber run you?

Click to expand...

Awesome! Mr Farther In Law is a professional carpenter and renovations man so he knows his stuff.

The short answer, we spent $40 on a 4' x 8' sheet of 11 ply high quality birch plywood.

The long answer is that he had the maple plywood for the frame and the oak for the baffle just laying around his shop already so we didn't pay for that. You should have enough wood in a 4' x 8' sheet though. We had to resize a few pieces because of a simple oversight: the maple ply is just a fraction wider than 3/4 inch. It is so small that it causes the plans to be off by like under 1 / 16th of an inch. This isn't a big deal but we had to jimmy a few joints to make things fit right. My suggestion: cut and assemble the frame first before you cut the baffle, side walls, top, and bottom. Cut these pieces slightly larger by 1/8th of an inch or so. This way, you can resize as necessary to get a perfect fit. Belt sanders also help quite a bit at eliminating small imperfections.

We are going down to get the hardware in a few hours so I'll post pics of that when I get it. I'll also provide more pics of the build project as we assemble it sometime next week!


-just a weird side note: If you look closely at the maple ply, it doesn't have 'stright plys' like the birch but the plies are somehow interwoven with one another. I haven't seen anything like it but it is super heavy duty wood, defintely great for cab building. You just have to be careful to check the measurements!

That looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product.


One of the guys on the Hamer Fan Club made a 2x12 cab for another member (Poe, you still around?). He called his the Cajun Cannon in homage to his home state.

*some pics shamelessly stolen from from Poe and Cajunboy :lol:



The interior, however, is the best.

I wonder if that one guy gets a really curvy frequency spread out of that 2 x 12 of his? Lame, I know!!

Here are the parts that will eventually make up my theile 2 x 12. Build project round two commences in the 'morrow so stay tuned for more piccies!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/TraumatizedRat/IMG_0864.jpg
Grille cloth

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/TraumatizedRat/IMG_0863.jpg
Piping

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/TraumatizedRat/IMG_0862.jpg
corners

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/TraumatizedRat/IMG_0861.jpg
hellatone 60L and G12m Heritage

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/TraumatizedRat/IMG_0860.jpg
Hardwarez!!

Ok, the build project from today is done. Here are some of the special points. There were several things not included in the plans and several things I didn't like about the plans.

1) I really, REALLY wish the speakers were rear loading. Just so much easier!!!!!!! Because they were installed from the front, we had to make a gasket for each cone, which we made out of cork. (A la vintage Celestion) As you can probably see in the photos, we cut the holes a bit small in the baffle and then routed out one side of it with a concave shaped rout so that the baffle would have more wood to support the weight of the speakers!

2) We used Silicon to seal the baffle.

3) We used velcro and blocks to install the grill. The frame was made from 5/8ths plywood and we routed the outside edge so that we would have room for the piping.

4) I wired the cab as a 20watt 1 x 12 16 ohm on one jack and 40watt 2 x 12 8 ohms on the other. There is a little quarter inch pinhole in the middle wall so the wiring can fit through.

5) we used weather stripping to secure the back panel.

6) I hope this **** thing doesn't break because it will be a pain to pull it all apart and fix it. Incidentally, it is extremely sexy!!!!

Pictures to come later!!






























Haha, I'm SUPER pumped with how it turned out. I tried it with a Peavey Rage 158 and it sounds far better than the stock speaker, lol. I compared it to a 4 x 12. Standard Rectocab is much more open with a meatier low end but the theile is so nice and thumpy. It sounds great with a solitary G12m Heritage but I have to give it more juice to run with the Heritage and the Hellatone. It should be mentioned that the cleans with the Theile are mind blowing, even with a 15watt (at 4 ohm) budget solid state practice amp!! Tomorrow, I'll try to run it with some real amps like the Tiny Terror, Lonestar special or maybe a little tube Vox head. Since it is only a 40watt cab, it will be used for volume sensitive situations.

Very nice!

So I plugged my Dual into the Thiele cab today and the results were epic!




I was running the head on the red to vintage gain setting with is really well voiced for a 2 x 12 with a V30 / Greenback combination. Of course the vintage channel can sound muffled on the old duals but I turned up the presence a bit which really tightened up the bass and added definition to the sound.

The cab is really amazing, it has a warm open sounding clean and the gain tone tracks super fast and thumps like crazy. I thought a dividing wall in a thiele 2 x 12 would be a bad idea when I first heard about it, but it only tightened up my rig in a crazy way. The sound has a nice even frequency response, is very clear, and has a very vocal midrange which sounds excellent when the mids are scooped out. The tone is almost 'mark-ish' and the lead tone is surprising good for this head. All in all, a real winner. I'm EXCITED!!!

(note the 'peavey stack' which is for late night practicing when I can't turn up my dual enough to get a good sound out of it)

hate to revive but according to the tl806 plans is this one missing the port cover item #5 ? http://archives.telex.com/archives/EV/Builders%20Plans/TL806%20Builders%20Plans.pdf

According to the build plans, this should be a 1 x 12 made for an EV speaker, not a 2 x 12 with a greenback and a v30. The port cover is optional and yields a low frequency roll-off. I opted to pass on it because I didn't think I'd ever use that feature. You will also note that I passed on the interior insulation, mostly. I found that just insulating the back panel cleared up muddiness in the sound adequately without sucking warmth and openness from the tone. Building things is like cooking: follow the recipe as close as possible to get the end result you want and then modify it a bit to suit your individual taste.

The cab absolutely hauls as is and I like it so much that I'm going to make another this summer!

=-(

because of lack of funds, I can't keep my second theile but once it is built, it will be going to my brother! Good times!

Next build has commenced. Looks like we are making another Theile 2 x 12 and a close backed 212 based off of a Mills Mach212B. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to chronicle these as well!