Getting a buzzing sound from my new speaker cabinet

[Michael Smith]

I am getting a buzzing sound when playing a few notes around the low "A" on a guitar. Even at a fairly low volume. At first I thought it was voice coil rub, which would not have made me happy. But when I play a note and press against the upper back panel, the buzz goes away. I think I may have drilled the holes in the back panels too large and used too small of screws, but that's what I had on hand. I'm thinking of lining the surface where the back panels meet the cleat with felt, and/or perhaps using some #8 wood screws and some Fender style "dress washers". Hopefully Home Depot will have something similar in stock so I don't have to place an order with Amplified Parts just for the dress washers and pay the shipping which would probably be more than the washers. The rest of the speaker cabinet is rock solid with the finger joints I used and the 1/2 inch baffle board.

[Cogs]

I'm interested in knowing what you find out & how you resolve the issue

[Bill Moore]

I've never built an all wood cab, so the tolex dampens any of those problems. Maybe try a strip of felt hidden behind the panel?

[phantomman]

It might be that the plywood rear cover is delaminating. Examine the edges to ascertain that the adhesive between the plies is still sound.

[Michael Smith]

I've got some felt glued onto the cleat where the wood on wood contact with the back panels occurs. I don't have the middle back panel installed, so it's a semi-open back cab at the moment, which is how I will probably leave it. I used white household glue and the felt is not sticking very well to the wood, even after curing for a day. I may try some yellow wood glue next.

[phantomman]

How about some of that self-adhesive moleskin? You can cut it into strips to fit the cleats.

[Michael Smith]

That's a good suggestion Phantomman. I think the yellow wood glue is going to work however. I applied some to a test section about an hour ago, and it's already holding the felt in place. I didn't know that felt was made from 100% recycled plastic, at least the sheet I bought at WalMart for 32cents is.

[phantomman]

If yellow wood glue doesn't work, Gorilla Glue may be the ticket.

[Michael Smith]

The yellow wood glue I used is the indoor type, so if I have to start over, I could soak the felt strips in water to get them clean. Or I could spend another 32 cents for a new sheet of felt, lol (plus gasoline to get there and back).

[Michael Smith]

I'm thinking the yellow Tite Bond glue on the felt will do the trick. Tomorrow I will replace the back upper and lower panels and connect the cabinet to the mighty Fender Deluxe Reverb amp (1977) and see if the buzzing sound is gone. I would still like to get some #8 screws and the Fender decorative washers just for looks.

[Bill Moore]

I found finish washers at my local Ace here.

[phantomman]

Most big-box hardware stores stock them......about ten bucks for a 100-ct pack.

[Offshore Angler]

Interesting choice to go with an open back on an extension speaker. Why was that?

Since there is no requirement to cool the chassis most extensions I used back in the day were closed-back to get extra "push" on the low end. Is this more of a country music thing?

Chuck

[Michael Smith]

Interesting choice to go with an open back on an extension speaker. Why was that?

Since there is no requirement to cool the chassis most extensions I used back in the day were closed-back to get extra "push" on the low end. Is this more of a country music thing?

Chuck

It sounds a bit "boxey" with the middle back panel installed. I didn't do any calculations or refer to any reference materials in designing the size of the cabinet. I just copied the dimensions of my Super Reverb (minus the amp chassis portion). The four 10 inch speakers do push a lot of air in a semi-open back design. I may get out my decibel meter and do some comparisons with the middle back panel installed vs. removed.

In the meantime, I've created an elegant amp cover to keep cats from trying to use the grill cloth as a scratching post. I'll probably eventually buy a Super Reverb amp cover for it.

[phantomman]

If your cats are "fully armed" I should think that cardboard might be more durable than ballistic nylon.

[Michael Smith]

If your cats are "fully armed" I should think that cardboard might be more durable than ballistic nylon.

Years ago, I had a cat use the grill cloth on an amp cabinet I had built as a scratching post. My remaining 2 cats are older and "probably" wouldn't try it, but after all the work I put in on the cabinet, I didn't want to take any chances. The felt strips seem to have solved the buzzing problem, but I still need to go to Home Depot to get some bigger screws and dress washers. It's only 3 miles from my house, but I haven't been motivated to drive there in my un-airconditioned car until it cools down some.

[Bill Moore]

Michael, there used to be a car dealer here in town that specialized in really nice clean used cars. He had a guy in Phoenix who went around town buying cars folks from somewhere else had traded in when they moved there. We used to go by after work and have a beer with him sometimes. I saw him give a spiel to a rancher who had bought several cars from him. "Take that one home and see if your wife likes it, it's really nice, the only reason it was traded in was no air, and we don't need that where we live!" The guy agreed there was no reason to pay extra for A/C, and took it home.
In the late 70's we started installing a lot of aftermarket units in those nice cars, seems the wives decided that they needed air after all!

[Michael Smith]

Michael, there used to be a car dealer here in town that specialized in really nice clean used cars. He had a guy in Phoenix who went around town buying cars folks from somewhere else had traded in when they moved there. We used to go by after work and have a beer with him sometimes. I saw him give a spiel to a rancher who had bought several cars from him. "Take that one home and see if your wife likes it, it's really nice, the only reason it was traded in was no air, and we don't need that where we live!" The guy agreed there was no reason to pay extra for A/C, and took it home.
In the late 70's we started installing a lot of aftermarket units in those nice cars, seems the wives decided that they needed air after all!

Thanks Bill. My car does have a/c, it just doesn't work anymore. It's a top of the line Suburu Forester Touring Edition with around 30k miles on it but it's out of warranty. The condenser coil has already been replaced once. I read online that they got a bad batch of condenser coils for that car that soon start to leak. Perhaps some aftermarket coils are better now.

[Bill Moore]

Found this, extended coverage!
Maybe yours qualifies?
(I've been to Houston in June and July, just can't imagine no air!)

https://subaru.oemdtc.com/3014/a-c-c...ubaru-forester

[phantomman]

Repairing the inoperable A/C of a vehicle to be driven in the Southwest would be my number one priority.

[Michael Smith]

Found this, extended coverage!
Maybe yours qualifies?
(I've been to Houston in June and July, just can't imagine no air!)

https://subaru.oemdtc.com/3014/a-c-c...ubaru-forester

Interesting, mine is an earlier year so it isn't covered by this warranty extension, but I guess it shows they were still having problems with the condenser coils at that time. I drove a convertible with no a/c for a few years, back in the days when we wore suits and ties to work. In the evenings I would be in my gym clothes after working out, so it wasn't too bad unless you got stuck in traffic in the sun.

[S. Cane]

This thread reminded me of when I was playing my recently set up strat plugged into my then-new Blues Jr Tweed and kept hearing a very annoying buzz whenever I hit an A note. I was pissed because the guitar had been set up the way I like it, i.e. with the action just a tad high, so it sustains well and doesn't buzz. So, it wasn't supposed to buzz. But it did.

I spent like half an hour trying to find whatever was causing this, even removing frames from the wall, until I figured that it was the handle of the amp's hard case, vibrating.

[Michael Smith]

This thread reminded me of when I was playing my recently set up strat plugged into my then-new Blues Jr Tweed and kept hearing a very annoying buzz whenever I hit an A note. I was pissed because the guitar had been set up the way I like it, i.e. with the action just a tad high, so it sustains well and doesn't buzz. So, it wasn't supposed to buzz. But it did.

I spent like half an hour trying to find whatever was causing this, even removing frames from the wall, until I figured that it was the handle of the amp's hard case, vibrating.

I was reading the comments in a YT Amp Repair video today (Psionic Audio), where the guy was hearing a buzzing sound when playing a certain amp. Turns out it was something vibrating in another amp he had in the room.

When I play bass guitar in a certain room, the metal rings around the flood lights in the ceiling vibrate on certain notes.