Best baffle material other than baltic birch?

[Dave_11]

OK, I'm done thinking - haha. I'll go with 1/2" since I really don't play at high volumes. If I don't have anything in the shed I'll buy a 2x2 panel of whatever looks decent.

 

[DirtySteve]

OK, I'm done thinking - haha. I'll go with 1/2" since I really don't play at high volumes. If I don't have anything in the shed I'll buy a 2x2 panel of whatever looks decent.

I think the change in speaker size is going to make a huge difference no matter what material you use for the baffle. I struggled with 10" speakers for a long time. I wanted to love them, I even tried same model 10" vs 12" speakers and the 12s win every time. I thought it wouldn't matter at the low volumes I play, but it absolutely does. I even recently bought a 410 cab (1965) based on suggestions and it didn't do it for me so I returned the cab before I opened the can of worms of trying to find the right 10" speakers for it. I'm much happier with a 12" speaker so I'm going to stick with them from now on. Of course, it has to be the right speaker and that is a can of worms.

 

[Dave_11]

I think the change in speaker size is going to make a huge difference no matter what material you use for the baffle. I struggled with 10" speakers for a long time. I wanted to love them, I even tried same model 10" vs 12" speakers and the 12s win every time. I thought it wouldn't matter at the low volumes I play, but it absolutely does. I even recently bought a 410 cab (1965) based on suggestions and it didn't do it for me so I returned the cab before I opened the can of worms of trying to find the right 10" speakers for it. I'm much happier with a 12" speaker so I'm going to stick with them from now on.

I just got a Mojotone British Vintage BV-25M. I have it in a 1x10/12 cab I built last summer and it certainly sounds less boxy than the 10" Greenback/Creamback/VTjr speakers I've been cycling though the Ori20 cab and my home built cab. It sounds more raw or something, and emphasized the distortion more, even at low volumes. Maybe that's new speaker fizz? Anyway, I like it.

 

[DirtySteve]

I just got a Mojotone British Vintage BV-25M. I have it in a 1x10/12 cab I built last summer and it certainly sounds less boxy than the 10" Greenback/Creamback/VTjr speakers I've been cycling though the Ori20 cab and my home built cab. It sounds more raw or something, and emphasized the distortion more, even at low volumes. Maybe that's new speaker fizz? Anyway, I like it.

If I was still looking I would give that one a try, but I found my holy grail in the 12" Creamback 65s in a 212 cab. I also love my 112 cab with a WGS Veteran 30. I'm done buying speakers for a while, but in the future who knows.

 

[RadioAD5GB]

I can't find any local lumber yards that have baltic birch, so I'm wondering what the next best plywood is for a speaker baffle. This is to sonvert my Ori20 combo to a 12" speaker. Please don't say MDF - haha. I just built a router table out of that stuff and I'm not a fan.

Poplar

 

[Nadir]

Thanks - I haven't seen any marine grade when looking in the past. I was thinking the same about void-free and more layers, but just not sure what to get.

"marine grade" means that the glue between layers is resistant to salty environment.
Typically it is Okume, a sibling of mahogany.

IMO it is "oversized" to be used as a baffle, surely overpriced

 

[vivanchenko]

"Marine grade" is generally considered second best. (If you can find marine with the same number of plies as Baltic, some people actually prefer it over Baltic.)

Void free and as many plies per inch as you can find are the general criteria to look for.

Marine grade is not second best, it's just as good, if not better. A lot of it is made of larch, which is the wood of choice for acoustic string instruments. Marine grade doesn't have voids, and it has more plies, which makes it a stronger material. It costs more than Baltic birch, too. Also, it works much better for outdoor because the glue they use for MG plywood is waterproof.

 

[Nadir]

This is a good example of marine grade:

 

[Johnny Triton]

ⁿI can't find any local lumber yards that have baltic birch, so I'm wondering what the next best plywood is for a speaker baffle. This is to sonvert my Ori20 combo to a 12" speaker. Please don't say MDF - haha. I just built a router table out of that stuff and I'm not a fan.

OK, I'm done thinking - haha. I'll go with 1/2" since I really don't play at high volumes. If I don't have anything in the shed I'll buy a 2x2 panel of whatever looks decent.

This is a good example of marine

OK, I'm done thinking - haha. I'll go with 1/2" since I really don't play at high volumes. If I don't have anything in the shed I'll buy a

2x2 panel of whatever

OK, I'm done thinking - haha. I'll go with 1/2" since I really don't play at high volumes. If I don't have anything in the shed I'll buy a 2x2 panel of whatever looks decent.

Hold on! What you.need is Michigan birch. Pure Michigan birch. Better than Baltic.

 

[RLW59]

Marine grade is not second best, it's just as good, if not better. A lot of it is made of larch, which is the wood of choice for acoustic string instruments. Marine grade doesn't have voids, and it has more plies, which makes it a stronger material. It costs more than Baltic birch, too. Also, it works much better for outdoor because the glue they use for MG plywood is waterproof.

Birch ply vs Marine ply

Never used Marine ply tbh 18mmwhat is the main difference between the both plys,and whats the fashionationwith...

forum.speakerplans.com

Debates rage over birch vs marine.

Here in the US, Home Depot sells 5-ply 3/4" plywood that they call "marine". (The thinner face veneers usually aren't counted as plies.)

3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. AB Marine Grade Pressure-Treated Fir Plywood 154459 - The Home Depot

AB marine-grade, pressure-treated plywood offers superior protection against fungal decay in wet environments. It is approved for saltwater applications and offers excellent corrosion resistance. It is

www.homedepot.com

I did say that if you can find high ply count marine that some people consider it the best choice.

And I did say the main criteria for ply baffles are void-free and high ply count.

Waterproof is a good thing, but the rest of the Ori20 combo cab isn't marine ply. Small consolation if the only thing that survives a flood is the baffle.

 

[dontfret035]

I can't find any local lumber yards that have baltic birch, so I'm wondering what the next best plywood is for a speaker baffle. This is to sonvert my Ori20 combo to a 12" speaker. Please don't say MDF - haha. I just built a router table out of that stuff and I'm not a fan.

Pine. A lot of your old school fender cabs were entirely pine. It resonates different and I think you'll enjoy it

 

[paul-e-mann]

Wait, do I want 1/2"??? I was thinking this should be 3/4. If 1/2 inch that's great because my Lowes actually has these in stock (compared to most other things which they do not).

And this is not "baltic birch", correct? This is furniture grade with a thin veneer of birch. Looks like what I made my little cab out of last summer, with 5 layers plus the veneer.

Its junk.

If your cab is 3/4" ply I recommend 1/2" MDF for front and back. All ply to me sounds boxy, all MDF is dead and lacks resonance, a mix of ply and MDF is the best combination providing the right sound and resonance.

 

[fitz]

but the rest of the Ori20 combo cab isn't...

I think a lot of these opinions on "best" baffle material are skipping over this critical detail.

 

[vivanchenko]

Birch ply vs Marine ply

Never used Marine ply tbh 18mmwhat is the main difference between the both plys,and whats the fashionationwith...

forum.speakerplans.com

Debates rage over birch vs marine.

Here in the US, Home Depot sells 5-ply 3/4" plywood that they call "marine". (The thinner face veneers usually aren't counted as plies.)

3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. AB Marine Grade Pressure-Treated Fir Plywood 154459 - The Home Depot

AB marine-grade, pressure-treated plywood offers superior protection against fungal decay in wet environments. It is approved for saltwater applications and offers excellent corrosion resistance. It is

www.homedepot.com

I did say that if you can find high ply count marine that some people consider it the best choice.

And I did say the main criteria for ply baffles are void-free and high ply count.

Waterproof is a good thing, but the rest of the Ori20 combo cab isn't marine ply. Small consolation if the only thing that survives a flood is the baffle.

Marine grade should have more/thinner plies than Baltic birch. If it doesn't then it's not marine grade. Yes, face veneers don't count. Marine grade doesn't have to be an eye candy, though some of it is.

 

[vivanchenko]

This baby is 100% marine grade, Made in the UK. Love everything about it. It even has the appropriate colour

 

[RLW59]

Marine grade should have more/thinner plies than Baltic birch. If it doesn't then it's not marine grade. Yes, face veneers don't count. Marine grade doesn't have to be an eye candy, though some of it is.

I completely agree that real marine is at least as good and probably better than Baltic.

But US consumer protection agencies have barely made a dent in our deeply ingrained tradition of caveat emptor. Home Depot is one of the largest lumber sellers in the US. When we talk about marine here, we have to include the crap they sell. If you only do metric, 3/4" is 19mm -- I wouldn't consider 5 ply 19mm to be marine, but it's legal to call it marine here.

For some odd reason, in the US "Baltic" is sort of a code word for high ply count. Birch plywood is often low ply count, but Baltic Birch is almost always high ply count

So again, void free and high ply count are what people in the US have to look for.

 

[RLW59]

Pine. A lot of your old school fender cabs were entirely pine. It resonates different and I think you'll enjoy it

Fender used/uses solid pine for the side, top, bottom panels only.

They've never used solid wood for baffles. Too prone to warping and splitting when you have a large panel with a large hole in the center (or multiple large holes).

The back panels on their closed back cabs have never been solid wood either. Again too dimensionally unstable. Ply, particle board, or MDF.

Tweeds, blondes, blackfaces, early silverfaces all had ply baffles. Silverface then went to particle board. Now some models are MDF and some are ply.

(Modern Fender side, top, bottom panels can be MDF, ply, or solid depending on the model.)

 

[RLW59]

Pine. A lot of your old school fender cabs were entirely pine. It resonates different and I think you'll enjoy it

There was a "budget boutique" brand called Panama. Their "shtick" was cabs made entirely of solid tropical hardwoods.

Crack/split goes all the way through:


They're out of business because they became notorious for baffle failures.

 

[vivanchenko]

All ply to me sounds boxy,

Not if you oversize the cab. Mine is oversized and sounds fantastic.

 

[TassieViking]

Real Marine Ply is some of the best structural ply you can get, but be beware of the many hardware shops that sell other ply marked as Marine Ply.
If you want real Marine Ply then find a local boat builder that sells the stuff he uses, I am going to try Mourikis European gaboon plywood when I build myself a pair of fEarful bass speakers later this year.
The gaboon plywood will come from a proper boat builder to ensure I get a good grade of plywood.
The fEarful cabs will go over 500 watts on bass each so I should never need anything else.

Marine Plywood Information