Doctor Z - Z Best cab - Do It Yourself

[roberto]

That cab is really amazing, so I decided to find out how to do it myself.

Let's start from this site:
http://www.tonequest.com/articles/dr-z.htm

Now, our Theile ported 2x12 cabinet…far be it for me to blow my own horn, but I haven’t heard a better sounding 2x12 cabinet. I’ve never seen a 2x12 Theile ported cab—the single 12 has been done before, and I thought that if 1x12 sounds good, then 2x12’s will sound even better. The key to the Theile port design is that it does have a shelf as well as a port, and by adjusting the shelf width you can adjust the midrange response of the cabinet, and by adjusting the depth of the port, you adjust the low-end response. By selecting the driver, you also determine the treble response. So I can really dial in the cabinet to accentuate or balance whatever frequencies I want just by the way that cabinet is built, and I tune it to 30Hz. There are bass players that use our 2x12 cabinet and they are loaded with 2 heavy drivers. That’s a little bit low for guitar players, but there are still beat notes and harmonics generated that now come out clear and don’t turn to mud like they do with other cabs. The horizontal front port also gives you the ambiance of an open-backed cabinet, because you hear what’s coming out of the cones, and then you hear what’s coming out of the port, like the sound that’s coming out of the back and around the cabinet in an open-back design. So it does have a nice ambiance, and it’s not as focused and beamy as a 4x12.

Here is an internal picture of that cab:

[img:597:800]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j172/ ... /zcab4.jpg[/img]


That's very similar to Electro Voice TL806:

[img:480:306]http://tubenexus.com/wp-content/uploads ... bs2007.jpg[/img]


Also dimentions are very similar:
TL806 1x12" is 36 x 45 x 35 cm
Z-Best 2x12" is 72 x 49 x 35 cm

You can find TL806 plans here:
http://hf-antenna.com/Flotsam/EV/ElectroVoice_TL806.pdf

If anyone can confirm internal configuration, that would be good!

[Structo]

I'll bet that does sound good.

Plus it may be wide enough to set the amp head on top.

[roberto]

Yes it is:
[img:256:341]http://tubenexus.com/wp-content/uploads ... 6stack.jpg[/img] [img:471:628]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q39/ ... G_3042.jpg[/img]

[Bear]

An obvious diff from those pics is that the Z rear-mounts the speakers.

The TL-806s with the head above are a common DIY variant where the dimension is lengthened. The Boogie Thiele cabs are very similar in volume to the TL-806, but the dimensions are altered for similar reasons.

There used to be commonly available plans for other cabs than the 806 and the 1-15 606, and I think that might have included a dual 12, but I could just be misremembering.

[edit]
It was probably the quad-box that I remembered, since that's all I'm finding: http://hf-antenna.com/Flotsam/EV/Electr ... TL806Q.pdf
Yes, a 4-12 version of the 806. My back is screaming at the mere thought. Might be useful to consider for re-engineering the Z, though.

[jaysg]

Back when he was posting at ampage, I think he discussed that cab a bit. My recollection is that he was up front about it being two of the EV design lashed together as the starting point. I remember him talking about doing cabs for bass players. I think he may modify the shelf depth in that case....very easy to do.

[roberto]

So I can really dial in the cabinet to accentuate or balance whatever frequencies I want just by the way that cabinet is built, and I tune it to 30Hz. There are bass players that use our 2x12 cabinet and they are loaded with 2 heavy drivers.

This cab is tuned very low, it works for bass (with different speakers, of course) as stated in that interview.

I know there is an Italian cabinet builder that uses something similar, and they sound terrific into the band. Clarity and definition on every note down to Low B.

I've built a TQWT bass cab some years ago and this config gives a nice slope to the low end, without the boomy basses of reflex designs.