What Construction Technique on Mesa Cabs/Shells

I know they use dovetail joints on their custom hardwood units, but do they do this with all the cabs and shells they build?

here you go. Should clear it up. As far as I can tell the standard cabs are not dovetailed.
I can attest that even the inside of the cabs is a work of art. What I can say is that dovetailing is not all its cracked up to be. My marshall cab with the back off of it is far less stable than my boogie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76eDNC4OYsQ

Very interesting - I'm sure I have seen that video before, but it slipped my mind. Top quality build for sure!

purpledc said:

What I can say is that dovetailing is not all its cracked up to be. My marshall cab with the back off of it is far less stable than my boogie.

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Marshall cabs aren't dovetailed - they're finger-jointed, which is similar, but quite a bit different.

The rigidity of the cab is more determined by the thickness of the boards and the bracing than the jointing method. Modern glues are so strong there's probably barely any difference in final break-point strength either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76eDNC4OYsQ

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They don't show the details of how the shells are jointed, but it doesn't look like finger-jointing or dovetails, from what you can see.

94Tremoverb said:

purpledc said:

What I can say is that dovetailing is not all its cracked up to be. My marshall cab with the back off of it is far less stable than my boogie.

Click to expand...

Marshall cabs aren't dovetailed - they're finger-jointed, which is similar, but quite a bit different.

The rigidity of the cab is more determined by the thickness of the boards and the bracing than the jointing method. Modern glues are so strong there's probably barely any difference in final break-point strength either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76eDNC4OYsQ

Click to expand...

They don't show the details of how the shells are jointed, but it doesn't look like finger-jointing or dovetails, from what you can see.

Click to expand...

thats right they are fingerlocked arent they. In the video no they dont show the exact method of them putting together the cabs but if you pay close attention you will see the straight seams of where the top and bottoms of the cab look to be like caps over the sides. There is no evidence of either finger or dove tail joints. I dont care how mesa assembles their cabs after having the backs off of both my marshall and my mesa. It seemed like the only thing preventing the marshall from collapsing was the back being bolted on. You could literally shift it from side to side. It also is very very ugly inside my marshall. The mesa cab is equally beautiful inside as it is out. I dont know what Marshall cabs I had in the past but my old marshall cabs I pulled the backs off of were all nicely lined with yellow matting and they did not have the G12T75 speakers. I remember the stickers on the speakers were gold and black.

purpledc said:

In the video no they dont show the exact method of them putting together the cabs but if you pay close attention you will see the straight seams of where the top and bottoms of the cab look to be like caps over the sides. There is no evidence of either finger or dove tail joints.

Click to expand...

That's what I thought I could see too - either rabbet joints or plain butt joints. It probably doesn't matter - these days, even a plain butt joint is very strong, as long as the surfaces are machined perfectly straight, the glue is stronger than the actual wood.

Anyone who doesn't believe in the strength of glues should probably avoid taking a trip on a modern airliner .

I dont care how mesa assembles their cabs after having the backs off of both my marshall and my mesa. It seemed like the only thing preventing the marshall from collapsing was the back being bolted on. You could literally shift it from side to side. It also is very very ugly inside my marshall.

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They do make them pretty rough. The flexing is due to the fairly thin boards and lack of bracing.

I dont know what Marshall cabs I had in the past but my old marshall cabs I pulled the backs off of were all nicely lined with yellow matting and they did not have the G12T75 speakers. I remember the stickers on the speakers were gold and black.

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Those were some old cabs! Marshall didn't use the acoustic damping material after the late 60s as far as I know. Apart from maybe on bass cabs. The gold and black stickers sound like old Celestions too - those stopped in 1979 when they changed to the G12-65s, then the G12M-70s and then the G12T-75s by about 1984.

I have a damaged Mesa cab I'm gonna try and fix. One joint is banged open just enough to see inside it. I think its what you call a rabbet, one square angle cut into the mating edges. Not a butt joint. There are metal pins, or nails I guess every few inches. I'll squirt some glue in and clamp it shut.