1936 2*12 cab mods?

[dixie hustler]

+1000 on the Orange

That was the first thing I was thinking, you should've bought an Orange cab....
Bogner 2x12 cabs are also very good sounding...

I insulated my 1960 cab once, very bad idea...

I picked up the cab for $200 like I mentioned its brand new really.

 

[GIBSON67]

That's a good deal on a Marshall 2x12. Brand new is even better.

 

[paul-e-mann]

It should have G12T75's. A V30 speaker will add mid and high range plus volume. A G12H(55) or another similar speaker with high decibel low frequency range may help give you more bottom and punch.

If you want punch, then do not cut anything. Open back will take away punch.

An adjustable port may do something for you, but you will be cutting.
Maybe someone else can comment on ports in this cabinet.

If you want to "test" what an open back would sound like remove the handles, you'll have 2 gaping holes in the sides or remove the back.

 

[demonufo]

Removing the handles won't sound anything like an open backed cabinet. That will just cause other different phasing issues.

 

[Strateuphoria]

20 hours only?,

Do you know how good 20 year old G12-75's can sound?

Yours just need breaking in, plug a bassguitar into it (like Frankie says, ask your bassist to slap some funk through it)

 

[alhayesmusic]

I know the thread is getting on in age, but I own a 1936, and I find it to be a very useable cabinet. I use it with my Marshall dsl50, my Ibanez tsa15h (sleeper head...very cool), and as an add on cab to fatten up my Fender Blues deluxe. The G12-75's get a lot of bad comments, but I'm not sure it is deserved. I LOVE alnico's, for example, but they don't work well in all situations either. The G12-75's are like a Ford pickup. They are great for all around use, but not the best for specialty. That being said, it did take me 3-4 months of practices to start finding the sound of the cab. The only mods I did to it were to caulk the interior edges of the baffle, and to add better wire to the speakers. Both were inexpensive, and added a lot to the sound of the cab. I hope this helps. Enjoy!

 

[dptone5]

I have a 1936 with a well worn 75 from the 90's and I installed the new Celestion Creamback 65 watt speaker. Both are rated at 97dB and they sound outstanding together. The Creamback sounds just like a Greenback with a stronger low end (crunchy and smooth mids) and the 75 provides the tight low end and sparkling highs.

A great combination. I have never personally heard a better sounding 1936 with a Marshall.

DP

 

[Finnster]

I have a 1936 with a well worn 75 from the 90's and I installed the new Celestion Creamback 65 watt speaker. Both are rated at 97dB and they sound outstanding together. The Creamback sounds just like a Greenback with a stronger low end (crunchy and smooth mids) and the 75 provides the tight low end and sparkling highs.

A great combination. I have never personally heard a better sounding 1936 with a Marshall.

DP

I am considering running the same combo of speakers.
Are you still happy with it?

 

[SG~GUY]

I don't agree,...porting takes advantage of the speakers "back-stroke"...all of my cabs have been/are ported,...to my ears it gives you more depth,..kind of a 3-D effect...

in combo's, some prefer open back,...some prefer closed,...some combo's come with different sized back plates to adjust the size of the opening.

one of my favorite 2x12's is a g-flex,.....I prefer the "porting/opening" to be in the front, not the back,...

I wouldn't just start cutting holes in it with out some research first,...

try removing one of the 75's leaving the other speaker hole open.

Porting in guitar cabs is a bad idea. Porting is used to reinforce certain frequencies and should be calculated VERY carefully using the cabinets internal size, and the thiele small parameters of the speaker units. Porting more often than not, ends up with a resonant frequency, which in musical terms usually means that one particular note will be MUCH louder than the others, and often sound flabby.

 

[Karloff]

i have a 1936 cab, and i put Vintage 30's in it. sounds a whole lot better.

 

[JvZ]

New cab's are made of ply, instead of MDF (Since 2012).
If you want more bass:
- Try some wool in the bottom of the cabinet
- Stick some noise plate (if it's the correct english name) to the back.

It's the same noise plate you find in your car door, to prevent it from sounding like metal. You can buy these at a carpart's shop, they're self adhesive and sized 50x50cm.

 

[damienbeale]

I don't agree,...porting takes advantage of the speakers "back-stroke"...all of my cabs have been/are ported,...to my ears it gives you more depth,..kind of a 3-D effect...

Take advantage of the "back-stroke"? You mean the reverse phase, which can potentially cause phase cancelling issues... Actual ports tune an emphasis on very specific frequencies, and should never be experimented with unless you know the volume of the cabinet, the thiele-small parameters of the driver, and have calculated exactly what needs re-inforcing and where.

Porting is fine as long as due consideration has been made when designing the cab for specific drivers. Change the speakers for something different, and it often sounds like arse. It's really not something to recommend experimentation in, without doing some serious homework, and being prepared to rip it up and start again if necessary.

try removing one of the 75's leaving the other speaker hole open.

This actually is what is known as a detuned cabinet and can be very effective. It often requires a partial shelf between the two speaker holes to reduce phase cancellation though. This method gives more of a spread of sound than a closed back cab, and is damned near as loud as the two speakers in a sealed enclosure too. The bottom end is only slightly reduced. Downside is, this cab really needs to be kept on the floor. It does not react well to being raised up.

 

[SG~GUY]

speaker enclosure internal volume

-(measurements made in side the speaker cab)-

H X W X D= "X"(volume)

"X"(volume) divided by 1728= X

-(rule of thumb speaker displacement)-

10" speaker= .05 ft3

12" speaker= .07ft3

(-to be subtracted from volume dived by 1728)-

rule of thumb port size 3'' -(below 3 inches creates air movement issues)-

 

[damienbeale]

rule of thumb port size 3'' -(below 3 inches creates air movement issues)-

Where did you dig up this garbage? No accounting for port length either?

Different port diameters AND lengths will affect different frequencies based on cabinet volumes and will affect different speakers with different responses and resonant frequency in a hugely different manner. There is no rule of thumb. As for no ports below 3"... we're not talking sub-bass cabs...

 

[Lyv2Ryd]

The single best mod you can do to a 1936 cab is add a center brace.
And for versatility, make a 3 piece back so you can have it open or closed. Save the original 1 piece.
I made a 3 piece and put a 2x2 brace to the top 1/3 and one to the bottom 1/3
Best of eveything

 

[mickeydg5]

You know there is a purpose for both yin and yang.

Both keep natural order.

 

[Clara]

Picked up a 1936 MDF and love it. Despite those who want to trash the MDF version - it actually sounds great with good thump. I've experimented and found a small amount of acoustical foam reduced some overtones resulting in a more direct sound from the speakers. I also caulked around the front baffle and handles to reduce leakage. The Celestion GT-75 speakers can be a bit agressive, so I paired one with a Celestion A Type. I experimented with ports but didn't find the sound difference worth cutting into the cab. You can experiment by opening up the back panel and clamping it to vary the slot opening size. I found an opening of about 3" on the bottom sounded best. You can check port dimensions here http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm?id=31 but I would use your ears as the final judge.
I also glued the centerbrace to the front baffle and added a screw to the back panel to make it secure.

.

 

[soundboy57]

Picked up a 1936 MDF and love it. Despite those who want to trash the MDF version - it actually sounds great with good thump. I've experimented and found a small amount of acoustical foam reduced some overtones resulting in a more direct sound from the speakers. I also caulked around the front baffle and handles to reduce leakage. The Celestion GT-75 speakers can be a bit agressive, so I paired one with a Celestion A Type. I experimented with ports but didn't find the sound difference worth cutting into the cab. You can experiment by opening up the back panel and clamping it to vary the slot opening size. I found an opening of about 3" on the bottom sounded best. You can check port dimensions here http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm?id=31 but I would use your ears as the final judge.
I also glued the centerbrace to the front baffle and added a screw to the back panel to make it secure.

. View attachment 37222

Glad you like it. Nobody trashes the MDF version, but those of us that have had many of both type, mostly prefer the lighter weight, and more resonant tone that the ply cab provides. Every quality custom cab builder that I know of, uses ply, as well.
You will never know until you put the same effort in to a ply cab and compare.
Great job on the cab

 

[Geeze]

I am a big fan of 1936 cabs - 3 so far and a 4th on the horizon. I ran 4 in a wet dry rig and it was amazing.

I have looked at data for building GUITAR cabs and have found very little - most info is based on stereo speakers which are a whole nother can of worms.

Some interesting data from Celestion's site pertaining to guitar and not bass speakers -

THIELE SMALL PARAMETERS
Thiele Small parameters are useful for controlling the low frequency response of sealed or ported cabinet systems by changing the cabinet internal volume, and port dimensions. However they are of severely limited use when designing a guitar speaker cabinet. Electric guitar speakers do not reproduce 'low' frequencies (the low E string of a lead guitar has a fundamental of 82Hz) and so the frequencies at which Thiele Small parameters have significance are mostly below the operating range.

Also, the parameters are measured at very small signal levels. Guitar speakers become non linear at very low levels compared to other types of speaker, greatly reducing the significance of Thiele Small parameters in actual speaker use. Using the Thiele Small parameters of a typical guitar speaker, you will find that halving or doubling the cabinet size makes minimal difference to the response. They have no relevance to open back cabinets.

Guitar speakers are not recommended for use in ported cabinets (as the increase in cone excursion below the tuning frequency can cause the thin paper edge of the cone to tear).

FINAL NOTE
The cabinet size [wall ratio], shape and construction are of far higher significance than the internal volume. Cabinet design using Thiele Small parameters ignores these most fundamental aspects. Important factors include the material you make the cabinet from, the panel sizes and shapes, how they are joined, how the cabinet is finished, the mounting of the speaker, etc. These, not Thiele Small parameters are the critical factors in the design and ultimately the sound of a guitar speaker cabinet.

Also -

The issue with 'comparing' speaker cabs is individual speakers are unique. Much like women - may have the same bits and bobs but they ain't the same. Ever notice the sound engineer finds the 'sweet' one on a 4x12 to throw the mic on? Unless you are putting the EXACT SAME SPEAKERS [not just the same model] in each cab for comparison it isn't accurate [add same room, humidity. etc]. Nor will comparing a cab you heard recently to the one in front of you. That's like comparing your high school sweetie to your current one - the comparison is not valid. *Remember you broke up with them.*

Russ