Brads Guitar Amplifier Isolation box Build Mark 1

N.B. Ive just build another one-May 2010..I think much better...Its a three parter with sound samples..part 2 and the main build is here..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JiEu39hXXw

I decided to build this after trying all amp simulation and being left with a niggling feeling that I was underdoing my guitar playing by not going all-analogue, which is the holy-grail of guitar tone

The design is my own ,drawing on other projects I had seen

Take 7 pieces of dense wood (I used 1 inch thick mdf) of dimensions:
15(inch)x15 (x3)
15x36 (x2)
17x36 (x2)

Cut out hole for speaker and mounting screws(u have to do measurements once u get your speaker through..Im using a Celestion G12T-75 as favoured by Yngwie Malmsteen-my favourite guitarist ever)..I used a compass and ruler etc:




Also I put brackets on centre speaker wood section to aid stability ..cutting the drill holes now is very good idea before creating the box

Now wood glue box together:


drying times lengthy..e.g. I left mine 48hours..
and voila!(



seal with a silicone sealant..make lower box airtight(drying time was about I decided 48hours)

put on draught excluder to make lid airtight:



put on brackets:



mount speaker and foam..The foam I then used to acoustically treat the box was basically 2 inches thick ultimately..(I got egg box foam but I fitted two together to make a slab..much easier to line the box with..):I got 15x15 tiles of foam which fitted box just swell!this was all preplanned!




At this point I stuck a last piece of foam to lid to complete the foam cell but Its difficult to push down as the foam grips other foam it touches so I made a piece that I manually place into the box to complete the foam cell before closing




Now for the wiring and mic placement:

Drill holes and feed through wires and then reattach connectors where needed




Next I use a 6 inch gooseneck mic stand which has a base u can screw to the base of the box:I screw the clip of my sm57 onto the top to complete the stand..

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• isolation
• box
• grendel
• randall
• iso
• pod
• x3
• xt
• hotplate
• thd
• palmer
• transducer
• miking
• speaker
• amplifier

[duhhh187]

question: were did you get the foam??

[BRADHblackdragon]

@duhhh187 advanced acoustics-ebay uk

[axxessdenied]

How quiet is this? Got a video of you playing through it to show how much sound bleeds through? I'm looking to build something like this to record with in my apt. Amp Simulation software still doesn't sound right :/

[BRADHblackdragon]

@axxessdenied @axxessdenied .dont expect miracles but fairly good.amp simulation is best i reckon now..amplitube 3 my fave,,,great room mic feature...where if you use just these and turn off close mics and use good headphones or monitors sounds like playing in a room like real thing.ik multimedia done a/b vids on youtube with real amps and they sound identical pretty much...im not affilated..amp sim leagues ahead than getting real amp now i reckon..e.g. in terms of cost

[dannyhood66]

This song and album is by far some of the best neo classical metal of all..The album cover did not give it justice..Maximum security

[BRADHblackdragon]

@dannyhood66 yeah its one of my favourite guitar instrumental albums

[TylerVanderkooy]

I would have to agree with @dsl100stack . You would probably get a better sound if you move that to the middle of the isolation chamber.

[JoeStrummer94]

level: asian

[stevoe1000]

@BRADHblackdragon Hey man, do you really think so, that GR sounds the same when recorded as an amp....I have GR4 and it does sound good but I can't say it sounds like my superchamp xd....it does sound good but something seems to be missing with the recordings...like fullness of tone and some other things....

[dsl100stack]

isn't the mic a little close to the speaker?

[lanzauno]

the key here is using a small watt amp. IT will pick up small nuances better than software and won't create the phase issues that a higher watt amp is prone to getting. 1/2 watt would do the trick. A high-watt amp like that marshall, even at low volumes isn't going to work in an enclosure that small. Simulators are cool, but I guess it depends on what your trying to sound like. A lot of albums have benefited from a less than perfect sounding amp in recording. In my opinion

[lorddrag140]

Wanting to make an Amplifier for my guitar...With an altoids can.Haha.

[pegasomarcelo]

SEE MY AMP:

youtube.com/watch?v=YHfoON7ukS­­c

[ebeatworld]

A friend of mine built an iso box for my amp. It cut out the sound down of course, but I got really weird frequencies in there. I don't know if it caused phase issues or whatever, but it didn't sound right. Made my amp sound shrilly.

[14luisalonso]

nice job.. would you recommend a place to learn about proper speaker cabling and ohm capacity?

[SpeedPickers]

Hi Brad...I've just done a response with my last video...to promote and link together!