My quest to build the $25k Dumble double baffle 4x12

[Max]

This Baltic should be pretty dead...but it sure is heavy, the 5/8" baffles and back panels just add to the weight, as do the double edges and added cleats.

In an interview published in a German magazine at the end of the eighties Alexander Dumble once told that he generally doesn't use baltic birch plywood because in his opinion it's not well suited for the construction of speaker cabinets.

AFAIU his personal concept of building speaker cabinets: Alexander Dumble doesn't like "dead" cabinets but he prefers to intentionally build a speaker cabinet that has a special kind of "tone" or "sound". That's why he didn't use "dead" materials like balic birch plywood or particle board etc. for the construction of his speaker cabintes. And IMO this might be the reason, too, that AFAIR his "Mahogany" plywood baffles are thinner than the "Mahogany" lumber core used for the sides, the bracing of the rear baffles and the crossbars: Perhaps he wants that the speaker baffle vibrates to some intentional extent. But this is only my personal speculation based on what I (hope to) remember.

AFAIR he personally thinks that solid Redwood is well suited for building speaker cabinets because in his opinion it delivers a great tone in combination with his amps. But in his opinion solid Redwood is hard to work with. So AFAIR he decided to use this "Mahogany" lumber core (sides) and "Mahogany" plywood (baffles) for his speaker cabinets. BTW: Without speakers the original Dumble 4 x 12" cabinets aren't heavy. AFAIR they are even more on the light side for such a large cabinet. Loaded with 4 EVs they are heavy of course, because EVs are rather heavy speakers.

Cheers,

Max

[amplifiednation]

This Baltic should be pretty dead...but it sure is heavy, the 5/8" baffles and back panels just add to the weight, as do the double edges and added cleats.

In an interview published in a German magazine at the end of the eighties Alexander Dumble once told that he generally doesn't use baltic birch plywood because in his opinion it's not well suited for the construction of speaker cabinets.

AFAIU his personal concept of building speaker cabinets: Alexander Dumble doesn't like "dead" cabinets but he prefers to intentionally build a speaker cabinet that has a special kind of "tone" or "sound". That's why he didn't use "dead" materials like balic birch plywood or particle board etc. for the construction of his speaker cabintes. And IMO this might be the reason, too, that AFAIR his "Mahogany" plywood baffles are thinner than the "Mahogany" lumber core used for the sides, the bracing of the rear baffles and the crossbars: Perhaps he wants that the speaker baffle vibrates to some intentional extent. But this is only my personal speculation based on what I (hope to) remember.

AFAIR he personally thinks that solid Redwood is well suited for building speaker cabinets because in his opinion it delivers a great tone in combination with his amps. But in his opinion solid Redwood is hard to work with. So AFAIR he decided to use this "Mahogany" lumber core for his speaker cabinets. BTW: Without speakers the original Dumble 4 x 12" cabinets aren't heavy. AFAIR they are even more on the light side for such a large cabinet. Loaded with 4 EVs they are heavy of course, because EVs are rather heavy speakers.

Cheers,

Max

Max, it appears you are sending me back to the drawing board...

Extremely interesting though...as I always suspected his cabinets were pine or birch. Do you know about the wood he used for his other cabinets? 1x12 and 2x12?

Thank you for you input.

Taylor

[Max]

Do you know about the wood he used for his other cabinets? 1x12 and 2x12?

As you can see the internal structure of the wood the speaker baffles are made of when the speakers are removed I'm rather sure that at least most of the speaker baffles in his speaker cabinets and in his combo cabinets I'm familar with are made of the kind of wood he calls "Mahogany" plywood.

In regard to the 4 x 12" cabinets I can confirm that the sides of the 4 x 12" cabinets I'm familiar with are made from a lightweight tropical lumber core because you can see the lumber core structure and the fibre structure of a tropical wood when one of the handles is removed.

But because the 1 x 12", 4 x 10", 2 x 12" etc. cabinets and the 1 x 12" combo cabinets don't have such a cutout at their sides for a handle I can't confirm this in regard to the other original cabinets and combos.

But my personal impression was at least often (if not always), that the grain structure of the visible outer veneer visible inside the original combo cabinets and speaker cabinets looks rather similar to the grain structure of the outer veneer of the "Mahogany" lumber core sides visible inside the 4 x 12" cabinets I'm familiar with.

So I assume that the sides of at least many (or even most) of his combo cabinets and speaker cabinets are made of this "Mahogany" lumber core, too.

But please keep in mind that I'm familiar with only around somewhere between 10 to 15 of the original combo and speaker cabinets - IMO a data base perhaps a bit too small for valid generalizations.

Cheers,

Max

[talbany]

EVs are rather heavy speakers.

4 EVM and L series speakers alone would put you right around 100lbs

Tony

[qtone]

SOLD

[LeftyStrat]

EVs are rather heavy speakers.

4 EVM and L series speakers alone would put you right around 100lbs

Tony

Yep. I can't speak for the reissues, but I weighed a couple of originals that came at around 24 lbs and change.

I wish someone made a neo speaker with perhaps a less substantial frame that sounded as good.

[dreric]

It's just speculation but the Mahogany plywood was most likely Luan core plywood.

http://www.blurtit.com/q3431220.html

In the 70's - 80's you could buy this stuff in 3/4" where the top and bottom laminates were about 1/8" and the center was 1/2" solid. It was also used extensively as wood paneling.

It was called Mahogany plywood, it was cheap and nasty to work with but supposedly very "wood like". I found it splintery and really prone to chip out on cross cuts.

I haven't seen it for a long time but in the world prior to Lowes and Home Depot it was common on the west coast.

Eric

[LeftyStrat]

I'm no expert, but I think Luan is also known as Meranti in the boating industry.

Here's a wikipedia article that might shed some light:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorea

[M Fowler]

I've seen builders use maple core wood for speaker cabs but I haven't seen mahogany.

[qtone]

We used cherry wood it was nice sounded well sweet dont hit me.

Ill take baltic birch any day.

I stood over Stevie Rays Dumble cab the back was off.
It looked like baltic birch to me. I saw
the baffle splitting top and bottom part of cab a very tiny hole drilled
and almost what looked like phone wire coming through that hole to connect the bottom speakers..

The hole was just big enough to allow the two wires to pass top to bottom.
that was it oh and Ev speakers of course.

Nothing else special that I saw but I was looking at the baffle wondering WTF ?
Never saw that before in any cab.

I did note the corners and edges seemed fatter to me moreso then marshall cab would be but that might have just been the dividing part
causing things to look fatter.

I do remember at the time thinking it was ugly and I wanted vintage marshall any day over that.

stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid me.
not that any of those cabs were for sale anyway and no one had one in Texas but Srv...

Taylor I will paypal you again sir the paypal link you sent did not work or something failed at this end.

No worries that cab is sold just shoot me the paypal link or send a payment request too my email addy I sent you.

If this one sells overnight just make one in black tolex for me same grill and we are all good.
If its still there when the sun rises consider it sold already .

Thanks ill dig out the marshall cab gut those evs out and go wait by the street till it gets here ..

Did you ship it yet ?

[rp]

when you guys talk of mahogany ply or maple ply are you talking about veneer or the ply is actually from layers of mahogany or maple? Never seen the later, considering what veneered ply goes for these days the later must be rather pricey, no? does it exist w/o any good sides? if so what's it for?

[M Fowler]

From what I know there is choice of mahogany or other hardwoods using:

1) Mahogany veneer
2) Mahogany solid with MDF core
3) Mahogany ply

It appears the Mahogany ply was Marine grade.

[MCK]

Apologies if this has been posted before but have you seen

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/m ... 45811.html

Photos on the listi g might be of some use. Not even sure if this is authentic of course.

[amplifiednation]

Someone just sent that link to me a few minutes ago, I wonder what he wants for it. Looks legit

[amplifiednation]

It appears from these pictures that the baffles are rear loaded, I don't see any cleats. This would actually have made construction much easier.