Isolation Guitar Speaker Cabinet

[Picker]

Hey, I just did a search and couldn't find much other than a brief mention by Bruno, but has anyone tried to make an isolation speaker for guitar?

I did a bit of research and it didn't seem like it would be too difficult, so I picked up some 3/4" MDF last night and cut it to size.  I'm going to tack it together tonight and put some stuffing in.  I'll let you know how it goes.  If I like it, I'll rouder the edges smooth and paint it.

The only pain is the size.  I'm building this one so that I can just lift in my 112 speaker cabinet, mic it, close the lid and shazam.  I will also using it in my band, but just for practice.  We used In Ear Monitors, and I have a heck of a time getting a decent sound while playing with the full band, it is very buzzy; apparently this is a common complaint.  However, I find that if I just turn on the speaker in my amp, the external sound bleeding into my IEM's really warms up the guitar to the point of being acceptable.   So I guess I'm hoping that having a mic'd amp in a box blended in with the direct, or with no direct, will give a better, more realistic sound for practice.

If this works out, I can use it for recording too.

[danieldesete]

Please send us pics of work in progress

[Picker]

Ok, just worked on this crazy thing all day, I still need to do some fine tuning to some of the foam so that he lid will go on better.   It works pretty good and I'm looking forward to trying it tomorrow night with the band and in-ear's.  So far it sounds a little mid-rangy and bass heavy, but not crazy.  It does help to warm up the direct in.

I took some pics of the measurements so you can get an idea of the size.  This thing is a little large, but it is kind of an experiment and if it works well, I will probably take it apart and build it into an actual speaker as opposed to a box for the cabinet.....if that makes sense.  Look up the Jet City Isolation Cabinet to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

I had seen some guys using Rauxal insulation so thought I would try it, but I was worried about the insulation dust and it made the interior so small, I couldn't get the cabinet in.  Finally I broke down and went to the music store and bought some Auralex foam.....it was $30 for a 2 x 4 foot sheet.  I used that and some speaker stuffing that I already had.  

[Picker]

Ok, just finished up with the band.  The isolation box is a keeper I think.  I found the best sound when I had a SM57 in the cabinet about 6" away from the speaker, and about an inch or 2 off center from the cone.  Finally some decent sound in the ear buds.

[Geir]

COOL !!!

[danieldesete]

nothing can beat DIY gear,
well done !

[chip]

Fantastic Picker. I want one too. I nearly bought a Axetrak used but it was the wrong ohms and I had no idea if it's any good, It was small though which interested me.

[Blooby]

Very cool.  I know Allan Holdsworth used to swear by them.  Be anxious to hear the sonic results.

Blooby

[Picker]

It seems to work pretty good. I've been experimenting with the mic placement and so far, I think the best sound is with the mic right on the grill and an inch or 2 left of dead center.  I haven't recorded with it yet, but it sounds much better though IEM's than a Boss GT100, Zoom G3, Digitech RP pedals or a Tubemeister 18 direct out which is basically a Hughes and Kettner Redbox.

I was only planning to use if for band practice in my basement, but I might try some recordings.....I'll post them here if I do.

Also, this was a bit of an experiment so I might actually build this thing smaller with an actual built in speaker instead of dropping in a whole cabinet.  Maybe a project for the summer.

[bruno]

Wow - that looks great. I was only going to build a small one. Please post some recordings - love to hear how it sounds.
B