Down the speaker rabbit-hole

🤦🏻

Holy crap! I forgot about these guys! They are in Ontario, near Ottawa. I’ve bought some things from them over the last few years and they are pretty good with quick delivery. Check them out

nextgenguitars.ca/search.php?page=1§ion=product&search_query=Screws

you may be able to use some #8 neckplate screws

Wow! How many c-sink screws do you need?  The #8 x 1.75”  neck screws in SS are $0.79 each.  I know that they are longer than you need but the extra length will be buried in the cabinet. There’s also the #8 x 1.75” trem claw screws for $0.39 each

nextgenguitars.ca/products/neckplate-screws-stainless-steel.html
nextgenguitars.ca/products/tremolo-claw-screws.html

I can’t remember how I found them but I recall that it was when I was looking for a Hammond output transformer for my son’s Fender Champ.  After that, I used them to pick up some resistors and caps for my sons Champ and a volume pot for my Deluxe Reverb.

Not a problem bud!  What are they charging you for shipping out to BC?  I think I paid about 15 bucks to ship to me here in Ontario for a bunch of resistors, caps and a potentiometer.

I think it’s a flat rate for lightweight stuff. If you order a speaker or power transformer, it may be a lot more. I do recall that the items were at my door faster than the stated timing.

I remember ordering an 8” speaker many years ago from Weber down in the US. A $35 speaker ended up costing me almost $90 by the time I paid shipping and duties…..and this was when our money was at par!!! I rarely order from the US anymore.

Marty's delivering it? 

Doh!

I got a nice surprise today. My order from Next Gen placed Feb 13 arrived today...well before the projected delivery Feb 23-24. I just finished installing the screws and washers on the back of my cabinet, and now I'm just waiting for the new repro Gibson sign. The latest tracking information (still six days old) shows the item in Kentucky. It appears that eBay's Global Shipping program is via USPS, but apparently the tracking information, which is normally quite good from USPS, is less than optimal when Global Shipping is involved.

Is the grill cloth stapled directly to the baffle? My Fender DR has a 1/2” thick frame to which the cloth is stapled. It mounts to the baffle with Velcro in the 4 corners. It also is made in such a way that there is a spot to mount the logo.

I think they keep the cloth away from the baffle to prevent it from “slapping” under severe volumes. Some speakers can push a lot of air.

I think you've hit on the answer, Rob.  I've been orienting the cabinet horizontally which places the handle on top, and also suits my equipment stack better.  (The Gibson cabinet is the same length as the Altec Lansing 418 cabinet, and the Fender Twin Reverb head is slightly shorter, so it sits nicely on top of the two speaker boxes)  I thought about this when I was getting into bed, and came wide-eyed awake about two hours later and got up to check.....When the cabinet is oriented vertically, there's an area on the top left of the grill that's 2" high and 8" long where the wood is solid right behind the fabric where an amp badge would mount.  That fact, coupled with the dimensions, leads me to believe that this could be a Lab Series cabinet. However, with the JBL gone, replaced by the silver-dome Gibson Eminence 15", the Gibson badge seems more appropriate.  Incidentally, in reading up on Gibson amps and cabinets, I discovered that broken and missing badges are a common issue on Gibsons because of the way they mounted the badges, which were frequently damaged or blown off.

I've settled on using the portion of the grill that's in the top left corner when the cabinet is oriented vertically. It won't look quite as pretty when I lay the box on it's side in my stack, but it'll definitely be more solid than anything I could engineer in an alternate location. I still haven't done it yet, but hopefully my ailing neck and back will be well enough that I can finally finish it tomorrow.

I was going to mention though that one good thing did come out of my information search on My Les Paul, regarding the Altec Lansing 15" 418 speakers. A year ago I traded away my JBL D130F's in the Dual Showman box and ended up with a single Altec Lansing 418 to use with my Twin Reverb head for guitar. I only had a chance to hear it briefly before my living circumstances changed and made it tough for me to listen to it at home. My initial impressions were not that favourable....It definitely doesn't have the brilliant top end of the JBL's, and the bass performance is lackluster at best. However, I realize that the box the Altec Lansing came in is a universal-type enclosure with two random-sized vents in the baffleboard, rather than something that was designed for the speaker, so I don't think I'm hearing the speaker at it's best. At the time, I spent some time investigating what sort of cabinet I should be using, but didn't find too many good sources of information. The Lansing Heritage site, which is probably one of the best sources on line for JBL, doesn't have nearly as comprehensive information on Altec Lansing, and frankly, the guys who use that site tend to be only superficially involved with musical instrument speakers. So, I didn't get any good information about what sort of cabinet will make the Altec 418 really shine. The other place I inquired was TDPRI, which has tended to be one of the best places online to find technical information on gear. In this case, nobody there's really knowledgeable about Altec Lansing, and although the forum members tried to be helpful, they didn't have much beyond educated guesses about cabinet design. so, I was delighted to discover that over on My Les Paul, there are a lot more people using Altec 418's, and in numerous threads about the best 15" guitar speakers, people talk about Altecs in the same revered tones that they use in talking about JBL D130F's. There are numerous people who say the Altec 418 is their favourite 15" guitar speaker, with a really smooth refined top end that surpasses even the JBL D130F. This has done a lot to reassure me that I did make a good choice of speaker, and that if I end up with the Altec driver in the right box, it'll end up being possibly the best of all possible worlds. I'd begun to question my decision and contemplated trading the Altec away, but now, I'm back in love again. And, there are lots of people using Altec 418's on that forum, so I'm confident that if I ask the right questions, I'll get good information on what box I need to make or buy to make the speaker sing. So, while my budget won't allow me to act on it right away, I think the ultimate goal will be to re-box that Altec Lansing 418, and then my vintage Twin Reverb will be "done".

So, for now, it's time to climb back out of the speaker rabbit-hole, and spend more time looking for a band situation where I can play things good and loud and really appreciate them......

I'd been hoping to get some good suggestions from the guys at MLP regarding a new enclosure for my Altec 15", but not much so far. One guy's suggested that I try using the existing box as on open-back so it has more of the characteristics of a Twin Reverb combo, so I may give that a go. I've pondered building a set of vinyl-upholstered panels to go across the top and bottom portions of the cabinet back and devising a removable panel for the center section so I'd have the option of using it either way. I also had someone suggest trying the cabinet with some of that yellow acoustic insulation (the box came to me with no insulation at all). I'm puzzling a bit about where to get the proper acoustic insulation. Years ago, Radio Shack used to sell packages of it, but they're gone now of course, and The Source that took over their stores doesn't have much in the way of products for the FIYer who wants to do projects. Anybody know who I can order acoustic fiberglas batts from?