Buying an amp cabinet...

[Cosovo]

hey everyone, I'm looking to get an amp cabinet for my roommate and I (mostly for him to take on shows.) I was wondering what you all use to build/look for in a strong amp cabinet. I know a couple of guys through a coworker who started a company called Arachnid who make amp cabs, but I'm not comfortable purchasing anything yet. Would love some input!

[DIYmastermind]

I actually ordered a 2x12 cab almost a year ago now from a company called seismic audio. It was their "Luke 2x12C" it is unloaded (meaning you must purchase your own speakers separately). But essentially what it is, is a clone of an Orange 2x12 cab. I loaded mine up with WGS Vet 30 speakers and after a year of occasional gigging (about once or twice a month), it's still holding strong. It sounds amazing with anything from 8 string death metal to jazz, even slide guitar. I figured the name brand Orange costs around $8-900. I built this one myself, with nearly the same specs, for $370. That's $370, delivered to my door step. The one i got is closed back, but they come in many different colors and options. I went with black grill cloth instead of tan, just because i have a mad plan to buy another one but with black tolex and tan grill cloth, stack em up or better yet put one on either side of me and crank it when no one is home  . seriously though, for the price these things are tanks. they could be built better, but for the price i have no complaints. the baffle board is 3/4" birch ply. they don't specify on the website, but i believe the rest of the cab is made of mdf. All in all, i can safely say that seismic audio is the only company i'll be buying speaker cabs from, from now on. I should also mention that i am not affiliated with seismic audio in any way. I'm not trying to sell their products or anything but they really are that good. get to your local music store, try it out, you be the judge. Most locals (regardless of where you live) will have at least 1 luke speaker cab on sale used. They sound great, look great, aren't debilitating to my already bad back, and it wouldn't be the end of the world if one turned up missing at the show cause they're so cheap (price, not build quality).

[Roly]

Solidarity.  Rigidity.

Tough and protected from a gigging life on the road.

Good handles over C of G, therefore easy to carry, e.g.

http://www.carvinworld.com/bassamps/

I've never even heard a Carvin bass amp that I know of, but the supporting data they produce seems to my sceptical eye to be very honest, I think they represent a top-of-the-line cabinet as a reference point, and I've had a bit to do with building bass cabs.

Rule of thumb: the more portable it is, the worse it sounds.  The classic two-by-twelve inch box is really about the minimum.

Once in a while I used to encounter a bass rig with 2 by 3x15's that had wheels and a handle on each and effectively their own built-in skip truck, and these were delightfully easy to move during the lug.

If you are thinking of building, then something fairly simple such as a sealed 2x12 side-by-side seems to work best.  It does depend a bit on what style your friend plays, but this is a pretty safe bet.

There are all sorts of timbers you can use for the basic box (assuming you aren't going for welded steel), 15-18mm ply is the favorite, whatever you fancy that your skills run to, but avoid fiberboards, low density isn't worth a chop, MDF produces nasty dust and has inferior strength/weight ratio; and all flooring materials.

Then there's covering material, good tough corners, speaker protection, connection wells, handles, wheels ...