Cabinet Builders

Jeff Buesing · Post by **Jeff Buesing** » 3 Aug 2023 7:38 am

Hello Friends,

I'm thinking about splitting my Vegas 400 into two pieces. Does anyone know someone that might be able to make a cabinet to house the head? (I have a cabinet for the 15.) Thanks all.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 3 Aug 2023 8:36 am

I'll be interested too. I have a Twin Reverb Custom 15 that I bought without the (optional but necessary!) forklift.

Greg Forsyth · Post by **Greg Forsyth** » 3 Aug 2023 8:45 am

Forum member Tommy Huff builds awesome cabinets

Scott Swartz · Post by **Scott Swartz** » 4 Aug 2023 12:06 pm

Mather Cabinet is another good choice http://mathercab.com/ .

I had had them make several cabs.

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 4 Aug 2023 2:30 pm

P.M sent

Dyke Corson · Post by **Dyke Corson** » 5 Aug 2023 10:07 pm

Rick Johnson

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 6 Aug 2023 6:20 pm

I recently had a head cabinet built by Guitar Cabinets Direct for a blackface Twin Reverb chassis I am working on. The cab is excellent quality and lead time was reasonable, 2-3 weeks if I remember right.
https://guitarcabinetsdirect.com/

Mojotone cabs are also very good and are now making Fender repro cabs endorsed/licensed by Fender.
https://www.mojotone.com/cabinets

I ordered a combo cabinet from a small builder in Nashua NH last year. I figured I'd try the local guy, and the price was quite a bit lower than a similar cab from Mojo. But the quality was mediocre and disappointing. You get what you pay for.

Jon Voth · Post by **Jon Voth** » 6 Aug 2023 7:56 pm

trmguitarcabs.com

I've had a couple of custom cabinets built, reasonable I think and good quality. Just another one to consider.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 6 Aug 2023 9:35 pm

Rick Johnson

or

JD Newell

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 6 Aug 2023 11:31 pm

TRM Guitar Cabs looks interesting, and I like that they are in my home state. Thanks, Jon. I may try them the next time the need arises. (They are NOT the NH builder I had a so-so experience with last year, just to clarify.)

Marty Holmes · Post by **Marty Holmes** » 7 Aug 2023 7:13 am

Tommy Huff best there is IMHO!

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 7 Aug 2023 11:52 am

I have built a few, but I no longer have the time nor desire plus I've lost the pattern for the Vegas chassis.

I don't think you can do any better than Rick Johnson or Tommy Huff plus that keeps it all in the steel guitar community. High quality professional construction with either one.

Jon Voth · Post by **Jon Voth** » 7 Aug 2023 7:15 pm

Yes Bruce that's right you are there-you could probably pick it up (not the biggest state). I think it's just one guy, Tim, and he'll make it to your specs. Mine were well built, and well shipped, and I think reasonable when unfinished so I could Tolex them how I wanted. OK cool.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 17 Aug 2023 8:12 am

I've been looking up various cabinet builders, getting ready to order a Twin Reverb head cab for my TR Custom 15, which sounds wonderful, but is much too heavy to take to work.

All the TR head cabs I've looked at seem to be about the same size as a Showman head cab, and I wonder if there's room for a TR's reverb tank. Looks like pretty close quarters in there.

@Bruce Derr- How did you handle the reverb tank in the Twin-Reverb you've been working on?

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 22 Aug 2023 9:12 pm

UPDATE:
I went ahead and ordered a Twin-Reverb head cab from Guitar Cabinets Direct. They assured me the stock reverb tank would fit.I'll file a report when I get the chassis installed.

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 23 Aug 2023 9:37 am

Dave, I have not yet finished restoring the TR chassis (it was in need of lots of work), so I have not yet put it into the cabinet. As you said, the cab company did emphasize in the product description that the cabinet would accommodate the reverb tank. I had been expecting a taller cabinet similar to the Bandmaster Reverb head cabinets. I will report back when I get everything assembled.

Aside from the physical fit, I was also concerned that the tank might pick up noise if too close to the transformers. But I have since worked on a Vibrolux Reverb in a head cabinet and did not have an issue with that. We'll see...

(Positioning the tank with the jacks facing the front of the amp will help prevent hum. This puts the tank output, with its relatively high impedance and weak signal, furthest from the power section of the amp.)

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 23 Aug 2023 9:37 am

Double post...

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 23 Aug 2023 11:03 pm

Bruce-thanks for the tip about positioning the reverb tank jacks to the front of the cab. I'm looking forward to getting it and installing the chassis.It's blond, to match a blond Bassman-clone cab I had built a few years ago.

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 24 Aug 2023 6:59 am

Nice, that'll be a looker for sure. Just to clarify about the tank, it isn't the front-to-back position that's important. It's making sure the tank's recovery transducer and jack is closer to the preamp side, rather than the power transformer side. I haven't gotten back to my Twin project amp yet. So far I have mostly been doing "body work" - it had some physical damage and rust. I'm hoping to power it up and tackle electronic repairs this week. Looking forward to installing it in the cab and seeing how the reverb works.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 8 Sep 2023 12:33 pm

Got the cab, installed the chassis, and mated it up to a Bassman-clone speaker cab I had made awhile back. I've learned two things:

1) Two fairly heavy pieces are much easier to move around than one monstrously heavy piece.

2) Anyone ordering a head cab for a Fender chassis can save themselves a lot of effort(and some purple language) just by making certain that the cab comes with pre-drilled holes for the chassis mount straps.

Bill A. Moore · Post by **Bill A. Moore** » 8 Sep 2023 2:38 pm

looks nice!
I prefer to drill my own holes for the chassis though!

Bruce Derr · Post by **Bruce Derr** » 8 Sep 2023 9:31 pm

Nice looking rig, Dave! Yeah, I like it better when they're pre-drilled, too.