Design of a high power bass guitar loudspeaker system
This project resulted from my desire for a compact speaker system for my bass guitar amplifier that would provide rock music sound levels for live performances, and have a good transient response. I selected JBL 2206H 12 inch drivers for their high power handling and low power compression rating. They can handle 600 watts RMS each in a properly designed enclosure. For the high end, I used aCarvin PS 1080 compression horn and a Carvin CMP-210T crossover network.
I designed the enclosure using a computer program called WINISD. This allowed me to calculate the proper enclosure volume, dimensions, port diameter, and port length. Check out the frequency response graph. I used hardware from local music stores and www.vibroworld.com. www.partsexpress.com is another good source of parts.
Cut out speaker, horn, and vent holes in 13 ply Baltic birch. Add 4 inch PVC vents and internal bracing. Caulk the internal joints to make the enclosure air tight. Round the corners using a router.
Paint the front with a flat black paint. Add the 12 inch bass drivers and horn tweeter.
Add covering, corners, grille cloth, and a back panel (crossover network) using screws and washers. The covering is applied using contact cement. The grille is stapled to a 1/4 inch plywood frame and mounted to the enclosure using velcro patches.
How does it sound? During initial testing, it blew the phone plug out of the back panel, so I had to use Neutrik twist lock connectors. The sound pressure level is around 125 DB, enough to raise the hairs on your arm if it is too close to the speaker. This cabinet puts out a lot of bass, usable even down to 40 Hz. The only problem is the weight of the cabinet.
Power capacity: 1,200 watts RMS. Frequency response: 40 to 16,000 Hz. Used with Carvin R1000 Series III Bass amplifier (1,000 watts RMS at 4 ohms in bridged mode).
Weight: 96 lb. speaker, 28 lb. amplifier. Computer aided design tool: WINISD. 176 screws total.