Zilla cabs construction

CHrisP86

Bit of a nerdy question.

I bought a mini modern off a fellow forum member recently. It sounds great but I noticed that it is made from 12mm ply.

Just out of curiosity as to whether this would have been a custom order but could other Zilla owners tell me what thickness plywood their cabs are made from? 

dindude

That’s my ex one, def not a custom order and pretty sure it’s standard 18mm ply - maybe not that back panels or even front baffle, but the core of it should be.

CHrisP86

Thanks for posting Daniel.  I've just measured again and the sides are definitely 12mm.

I think the cab sounds great so not an issue.  Just curious as I had assumed it would be 18mm.

davros

My Studio Pro seems to have 15mm sides. The back panels are 12mm.

I have a similar sized cab with 18mm ply - it's heavy and 'stiff' sounding. The Zilla is fuller sounding with more bottom end.

CHrisP86

Thanks.  I'm really impressed with the mini modern.  It sounds great.

Modulus_Amps

Why do you assume it would be 18mm

Generally speaker cab bodies are made with anything from 12 - 18mm ply, 15mm being my preferred thickness to use on closed back cabs, back panels and baffles are different though, normally anything from 9 - 15mm

You can make a 12mm ply cab very strong and stiff and it weighs less. 18mm thick birch plywood cabs are unnecessarily heavy.

ICBM

15mm is the usual standard - 18mm makes a very heavy box as Modulus_Amps said.

The main thing I don't like about Zilla is their habit of using woodscrews, and not bolts and T-nuts, to fit the speakers.

dindude

ICBM said:

15mm is the usual standard - 18mm makes a very heavy box as Modulus_Amps said.

The main thing I don't like about Zilla is their habit of using woodscrews, and not bolts and T-nuts, to fit the speakers.

The latest ones are bolts - seemed he listens to you....

CHrisP86

@Modulus_Amps have you ever built two cabs of the same dimensions but one with 12mm and the other 15mm?

Just wondering if there is any noticeable difference in sound in your opinion.

Modulus_Amps

@CHrisP86 said:

@Modulus_Amps have you ever built two cabs of the same dimensions but one with 12mm and the other 15mm?

Just wondering if there is any noticeable difference in sound in your opinion.

I have built identical 2 x 12" cabs with 18mm and 15mm birch ply and the overall dimensions play a much bigger role to the tone than the thickness, you can also stiffen walls with batons if you really want it very stiff and you can hear that change, but it is fairly small and depends on how stiff the cab was to start with and how loud you actually get to play.

If you had a cab with 15mm side walls and a 12mm baffle and rear panel then you would probably notice the biggest change if you made the front and rear more stiff.

Honestly if your cabs sounds good I would not mess with it too much, if it sounds good and is light even better.

ICBM

dindude said:

The latest ones are bolts - seemed he listens to you....

I doubt it. Just everyone else!

jpfamps

Most manufacturers (although not Zilla) who use 18 mm ply do so so they don't have to use finger joints for the corners, they would glue and staple. 

Of course if you are firing staples into the end of a piece of plywood the wider the better, so 18 mm is usually used. This includes "premium" builders like MESA for example.

Paul uses finger joints on all his cabs, so if it is 18 mm it will have been chosen for its sonic properties.

There has been some lively debate about the merits of finger joints versus butt joints on this forum; use of finger joints was, if memory serves me correctly, described as "idiot engineering" in a prior thread.

Suffice to say, finger joints will give a stronger joint, and if you are set up to do them will add minimal cost to the product, however under normal use it's unlikely that this extra strength is required.

Modulus_Amps

jpfamps said:

Most manufacturers (although not Zilla) who use 18 mm ply do so so they don't have to use finger joints for the corners, they would glue and staple. 

Of course if you are firing staples into the end of a piece of plywood the wider the better, so 18 mm is usually used. This includes "premium" builders like MESA for example.

Paul uses finger joints on all his cabs, so if it is 18 mm it will have been chosen for its sonic properties.

There has been some lively debate about the merits of finger joints versus butt joints on this forum; use of finger joints was, if memory serves me correctly, described as "idiot engineering" in a prior thread.

Suffice to say, finger joints will give a stronger joint, and if you are set up to do them will add minimal cost to the product, however under normal use it's unlikely that this extra strength is required.

I did a short video on cab joints for DIY guys recently, a good tight finger joint is very strong, but I have seen some very poor finger joints filled with wood filler from a pro cab place in the states, yuck, but like you say re-enforced butt joints are pretty common and hold up in practice once baffles etc are in place, it is the ones that don't re-enforce the corners that are crap, like the AC15 cab at the end of the video.

https://youtu.be/oVy62o-0HLs

hywelg

And here's the dovetail variant

I bought one of these a few years ago when they were only £40

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-dovetail-jig-502514

hywelg

And this looks like a very effective way of creating a strong(ish) joint quickly and easily.

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-mitre-lock-cutter-ax805970

Modulus_Amps

hywelg said:

And this looks like a very effective way of creating a strong(ish) joint quickly and easily.

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-mitre-lock-cutter-ax805970

I bet that is pretty good, as long as everything is squared properly

hywelg

Modulus_Amps said:

hywelg said:

And this looks like a very effective way of creating a strong(ish) joint quickly and easily.

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-mitre-lock-cutter-ax805970

I bet that is pretty good, as long as everything is squared properly

Yes, probably needs a router table to do it well. 

CHrisP86

Interesting points on the construction.  Think I would go for some sort of lock joint if I was going to build a cab.

Cirrus

No idea about the wood thickness but the Zilla Cabs I've had (two different Studio Pros, a Fat Boy 2x12 & a smaller open back 2x12) have seemed relatively lively and resonant compared to, say, an Orange or Mesa 2x12. Which is better just depends on the style you play and your taste.

hotpickups

All I know is Zilla are taken an unfathomable amount of time constructing my head cab for me. Nearly 2 months i've been waiting. Not impressed tbh

clarkefan

Call Paul, that’s weird.