Finished the sub, well almost

eric nyhof · 12-29-2004, 09:06 AM

I thought I would post some pics of my sub. Its a AE thunder 12.3 configuration. The box is 3 cu. ft. internal and has dual 1400 gr. PR's. I bought the 1050 gr. PR's on sale and then added some blocks of mdf to the back side of them to get the right weight. I also veneered the front of the PR's. I'm just waiting for the AV12 to dump in it. Its got the PE 500 watt amp to power it.
The external dimensions are 20x20x22. All I can say is that things look smaller on paper. For the 3 baffles with drivers I doubled up .75", and also put in some decent bracing. I almost got all of the cuts from a single 4x8 sheet except for one of the braces. My dad had some baltic birch ply lying around that I used, and he's got a mill that I used to make the brace cuts.
Right now with out the driver the things tips the scales at 91 lbs.
For the veneer I used peel & stick red oak. I coated it with minwax golden oak stain and then some poly-urethane varnish. The top of the box has black laminate, in case I dare set anything on it.
All I need to do now is make a grill, although hiding that av12 might be a sin...

ColinM · 12-29-2004, 11:16 AM

Nice.

MarkRoberts · 12-29-2004, 04:35 PM

Really nice! Make sure you do a follow up when you get the driver

Let us know how it sounds.

Geoff L · 12-30-2004, 05:19 AM

Hi Eric:

First, very nice looking box. Got a couple questions with the products/components you used.

1). The peel and stick veneer you used, how did that go on for you, and did you prep the surface after filling/sanding with anything special on both the box and PR flats.???

2). Where did you pick up the peel and stick veneer and how thick is it.???

3). The 1050 PR's, (I assume Strykes) don't they have a center threaded rod for weighting on them.???
(Never used the 1050's so curious)

4). Any problems laying down the veneer when you started, like trpped air pockets, splitting & or cracking while rounding the corners.???

5). Is the adhesive on the peel and stick holding fine around corners and on the PR's flats.???

From your pic's, everythng looks super clean, nice edges, and very purdy...!
Beautiful work, and that Shiny AV-Alum will certainly look darn sweet stroken up front!

Cab size:

Big, well yes 3-cubes can seem bigger once finished, but just imagine some of the big ass cabs/tubes some of these guys build. 5-7-9 cf^3 plus, try getting that by the WAF if you have one! :d

Regards
Geoff ¥

eric nyhof · 12-30-2004, 11:08 AM

Geoff,

Quote:

1). The peel and stick veneer you used, how did that go on for you, and did you prep the surface after filling/sanding with anything special on both the box and PR flats.???

All I did to the box before applying the veneer was bondo the edges and corners to make it smooth.
I didn't do anything to the PR flats before I added the veneer. I just measured the inner diameter of the PR and cut a template from one of the left over speaker cut outs using a jasper jig. I clamped a square of veneer between a big piece and the template and used an x-acto knife to cut it. I had to do a little sanding to make them fit though.
I just left a bunch of weight on them for a while to let the glue adhere.

Quote:

2). Where did you pick up the peel and stick veneer and how thick is it.???

I got the veneer at a store called Wood Source in Grand Rapids. Its flexwood adhesive, but I don't know the exact thickness, but when I measure it it's about 7 mm thick.

Quote:

3). The 1050 PR's, (I assume Strykes) don't they have a center threaded rod for weighting on them.???

The PR's are from Stryke and they don't have a center rod. There is a center cylinder about 3" diameter that you could fit some weight into though.

Quote:

4). Any problems laying down the veneer when you started, like trpped air pockets, splitting & or cracking while rounding the corners.???

The veneer went on great, but I think its a 2 man job. You need one to hold one edge up while the other works the other side onto the box. This keeps out any air pockets. For the corners I cut a 5/8 rabbet, but didn't have a router bit so I used the table saw (another 2 man job and it worked really good). Once the corners were cut I veneered all the sides and sanded the edges. After that I put in solid red oak squares in the corners and clamped them one by one. I used a 1/2" radius bit and routered all the corners and sanded them smooth.
When I built my tower speakers I rounded the corners with a 3/8" radius and rounded the veneer over. It worked good and with no cracks but to be on the safe side I would recommend a 1/2" radius. (my towers weren't wide enough with the driver recesses for a 1/2")
The veneer on the PR's is sticking great all around, and its been about a month since they been applied. I don't know what will happen when those things get rocking though

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Geoff L · 01-01-2005, 01:30 AM

Eric:

Thanks for the detailed explanation on the questions.

Hopefully you'll see a driver soon, in the mean time it will give the PR's more time to set up. Hope they stay stuck for you and don't start to lift. If they do there is a number of things that would work to get them stuck back down.

Never been to the GR/MI. store you mentioned and have not even heard of it.

====>
The veneers they carry, hows the selection in the peel and stick and do they handle the more exotic woods by chance.???
====>

If they do, I'm sure you have to special order it and also pay a preimium for a smallish order. I'll call and check now that I have a store name. GR is about 45 miles from me or more, depending on what side I have to go to.

Again, very nice looking encloser, like it when people do something with the PR flats.
Stryke had some PR-15's or 18's & 1400 or 1800, can't remember, with polished alum flats but I have not seen them at Johns site in some time. Maybe a special order now if one wants them.

Jack G. built a black beauty last year I belive, (early 2004 ?) with dual High Gloss Black PR flats...

Regards
Geoff ¥

Wayne Ernst · 01-01-2005, 08:55 AM

That's a great looking sub. I'm sure the performance will be great, too.

Once your friend see and hear it, I'm sure they'll want you to build one of them too.

Bryan.T · 01-03-2005, 05:10 PM

That looks great.

I currently have a singe AV12 running off 350 Watts and it shakes the house. However, I have to PR waiting for a new box to be made. Let us know how it turns out. Oh by the way, after seeing the AV12 in person you might not worry about making a grill for it.

Bryan

Paul Spencer · 01-12-2005, 05:21 AM

Quote:

although hiding that av12 might be a sin...

You are right, brother, it is a SIN!
All those who are found guilty of this sin should do some penance. Suitable penance might be to take up a second job to be able to then buy at least one more AV12

I didn't commit this sin,
but just in case I ever did,
I got the 2nd AV12 in advance

Two travel so much easier than one!

Rory Buszka · 01-12-2005, 06:54 AM

I'll put my vote up for that AV12/Th12.3/PE500W configuration. It works extremely well.

Paul Spencer · 01-12-2005, 09:12 AM

I'm not too sure about you guys in the US but over here in Australia ...

in $AUD
~$300 ... AV12
~$230 ... 2x15" passive
~$380 ... 350w plate amplifier
$910 total AUD

This is what I did:

~$600 ... 2x AV12
~$630 ... Behringer EP2500 - 650w @ 4 ohms x 2
$1230 total AUD

For a little extra you get ~9db more output, an amp with more authority (I've compared PA vs plate amps and the former are noticeably better) and much more design freedom with your box - you don't have to worry about passives and amps in the walls of your box so you can use curves.

Of course, things might be a little different in the US