Matador Sound - Sunn/Acoustic reproduction and custom cabs for sale

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 01:23:35 PM

Hello. My name is Joseph Cote. A member from the talkbass community recommended I put a thread up over here. I own and operate a custom cab company that's based out of Birmingham, AL called Matador Sound. I'm build custom bass and guitar cabinets, as well as modern takes on legendary classic cabs.

as far as the construction, I'm using rabbet joints for the edges, and I'm gluing and nailing all panels together. I've done research and I've found that rabbet joints work as well as finger and dovetail joints. the panel bracing is also glued and nailed in. the corner bracing will be made from 1" hard oak like the panel bracing. I will most be using 13-ply 3/4" void-free birch plywood

I'm also building guitar cabinets. I will be making custom bass and guitar cabinets as time goes on and I get more experience designing cabinets. I am wanting to eventually build an Acoustic 408 replica (4x15!), Traynor YC-810 replica that will be able to be ran stereo like an Ampeg SVT 8x10 cab, and a custom designed diagonally offset, ported 4x12 bass design. I don't currently have plans for those cabs, so I will have to do some more research for all that.

Bass Cabinets
right now, I have two standard bass cabinet designs. the first of the two is the Matador FHM-215 and the Matador FHV-215. These are based off the Sunn 200S 2x15 folded horn bass cab like what John Entwistle used to use in the late 60's. Great sounding cabinets, and early forerunner of the folded horn design.

These are the current prices of the FHM-215/FHV-215 without shipping:

a Duratex lined FHM-215 (using Eminence Legend CB15's) will be $830
a Duratex lined and loaded FHV-215 (using Weber NeoMag 15's)will be $930 (assuming Weber starts selling the Weber NeoMag 15's again)

the FHM-215 is rated at 600 watts @ 4 or 16 ohms. The FHV-215 is rated at 180 watts @ 2, 8, 16, or 32ohms.

the second bass cab I offer is called the Matador FH-118. it's based off the Acoustic 361/301 folded horn cabinet. this is the cab that powered Jaco, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and pretty much any other "name" band in the 70's.
it features:

a single, full range 18" Neodymium speaker that's rearward facing
the design of the cab projects the sound out in a thunderous torrent of tone
the cab is rated for 600watts @ 8ohms

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the speaker in this cab has enough high end extension for it to be used stand alone. if you would prefer one suited more to just lows for the low end of a bi-amped rig, a speaker with even deeper range could be used. although, the speaker in this cab has a range of 30hz-3.15kHz with a massive 9.25mm of xmax, so this should provide plenty of low end.

prices for the FH-118 $920.

Guitar Cabinets
I will be offering three types of guitar cabinets, too. for standard tuned guitars, the Matador ST-412 (a clone of the Sunn Sceptre 4x12 cabinet) will have four diagonally offset 12" Eminence Red Coat Governor's, or Celestion Vintage 30's, depending on your preference.

the second guitar cab I will be offering will be an original design called the Matador MB-412. it will be better suited for downtuned or baritone guitars (or for guitarists that just want more bottom and punchier low mids). the speakers will be laid out in a standard 4x12 "box" pattern, will be rear ported, and will use two Eminence Swamp Thang and two Red Coat Man-O-War speakers. prices aren't decided on this cabinet yet.

the third guitar cab, which is an original design, is a 2x15 guitar cabinet called the Matador DTG-215. I've designed this cab with a local guitarist who plays a baritone guitar and needs a cab that can reproduce the low Bb on his instrument.

This design uses:

a guitar 15" speaker in a sealed chamber
a bass 15" speaker in a ported chamber
a custom designed crossover to split the frequencies between the two

this will be a great cab for a guitarist looking for a warmer tone with a lot of bottom and presence like only a 15" speaker can provide, but extended bottom due to the ported bass guitar 15" reaching down to 58Hz @ -3dB

the price for the DTG-215 will be $790

standard covering on all cabs will be DuraTex liner. this will increase the strength and durability of the cab, as well as saving costs over regular tolex. custom colors are also available at no extra cost.

my email is matadorsound@gmail.com

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 01:40:03 PM

Cool, welcome aboard, dude. Hopefully you sell somethin'.

I'm down in Tallahassee, FL, not to far from you. It'll be good to have a member up there, I always want to nab shit up there and nobody is close enough...

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 02:21:58 PM

oh, very cool. that's not too far away. pretty much south, and to the east a little bit isn't it? yea, be sure to pm/email me if you're looking for any gear. I'll keep an eye out on local craigslist ad's or pawn shops, or w/e for you.

one thing I'm curious about, why has my thread been marked with "spam" markers? it's not spam at all. I'm a college student who is trying to start a legitimate business which I would like to eventually support myself with. not to mention the quality product I'd release.

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 03:03:45 PM

lol. you guys are hilarious. yea, I wasn't planning on being a one post wonder. after poking around a little bit, this seems like an interesting forum. I just put up this thread cause I woke up, read the message Lumpy sent me on talkbass, and sort of went into autopilot mode. is there an "introduce yourselves" thread around here, by any chance?

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 03:07:22 PM

Eh. Its not like this, usually.

Sorry if you were offended. Welcome, for real. Hope you sell some shit.

If you see me moderate or edit posts, it's usually for grammar. Most of the time, unless someone starts annoying the fuck out of everyone, I dont moderate.

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 03:19:09 PM

nah, I wasn't. but thank you, though. hope I do, as well. you guys seem pretty chill, so I'm not worried about shit hitting any fans around here.

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 03:32:13 PM

gotta go to gen disc for that...

justinhedrick · October 11, 2011, 04:05:46 PM

how is the duratex liner? i am going to start working on a cabinet hopefully in the next couple of months and am thinking of going with this.

how easy is the application? do you notice any difference in the sound over say, a tolex'd cab?

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 04:23:15 PM

I haven't been able to line it due to the funds not being there yet, but from what I've read, it has zero impact on sound. when you build a cab, it should be built and braced in a way that the cab doesn't vibrate or resonate, so all the sound should theoretically be coming from the speakers. any cabinet that vibrate or moves due to vibration isn't built properly. all the vibration is simply taking away from efficiency, and is robbing you of tone/volume.

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 04:25:17 PM

Grizzly Grip, Joe. It's what I use when I build cabs that I don't stain.

justinhedrick · October 11, 2011, 04:27:37 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on October 11, 2011, 04:25:17 PM
Grizzly Grip, Joe. It's what I use when I build cabs that I don't stain.

yeah, that's what i've looked into as well. it's hard to chose a color though . . .

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 04:34:49 PM

just looked at it. the reason I'd go with Duratex is because it's not a bedliner material. from what I've read, bedliner material is really coarse, and will ruin car interiors. I transport my gear in cars, and on seats, so I don't want to ruin mine, or anyone seat/carpet/what have you. another reason, Duratex is cheaper. $50 as opposed to $77. that being said, a lot of this is custom, and I'll use whatever the customer wants, as far as the aesthetics are concerned. I just recommend certain things based on personal experience, but they aren't mandatory, you know.

Lumpy · October 11, 2011, 05:52:59 PM

I think you can apply Duratex to be smoother or more textured (depends on how you apply it) while bedliner typically has bits of texture floating in it (the grip part of Grizzly Grip I guess). Prolly because when you're hauling stuff in your pickup, you don't want it all slippery in the rear.

Heh, I said 'prolly'.

Sorry I'm so crabby.

justinhedrick · October 11, 2011, 05:54:54 PM

is duratex just 2 colors: white or black?

Lumpy · October 11, 2011, 05:58:10 PM

I think you can get different tints. You should be able to Google it. There's a guy selling pints and quarts (Leland Crooks, he sells amp hardware) so you don't have to buy a whole gallon (Duratex goes a long way, like reg. paint). He might only have the basic colors.

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 06:05:05 PM

I do have a pickup. How do you live in AL without a pickup? Poor bastard...

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 06:15:17 PM

well, my dad has a pickup if I happen to need one for the weekly klan meetings... :p

seriously, though, I'm gonna be getting a wagon soon, so that will take care of my needs for a vehicle with space. as far as Duratex, you can get them ordered in any custom color you want. they said they can match any color number in the Sherwin-Williams color catalogue.

Hemisaurus · October 11, 2011, 06:20:47 PM

Y'know Peavey made this same design. I picked mine up for $50 with speakers, I saw another one for the same price a couple of weeks back.

Save cash, and trees, recycle old cabs

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 06:35:52 PM

you can find deals like that out there, but they aren't everywhere. the problem with older cabs is that the materials available back then wasn't as high a quality as what are available now days. these cabs use a lighter, stronger wood, I've braced them stronger than the originals, along with some modern improvements such as handles, casters, better quality wiring/jacks, internal sound damping, and duratex lining. this doesn't sound like much, but having wheels and handles when moving a cabinet that weighs in the neighborhood of 80-100lbs makes a definite difference. not to mention many of the original cabinets are starting to show signs of wear over the years with panels coming apart, and such. the ones that are in good condition have a price tag that reflects it, too. it is ultimately up to the customers to decide how they would like to purchase. also, I do make custom designed ported or sealed bass and guitar cabinets using the T/S parameters of the speakers chosen, as well.

VOLVO))) · October 11, 2011, 07:56:01 PM

I'm finna google this duratex stuff. If it lays flat, and is tough as nails, and comes in any color I want, I'm gonna make the South Florida stack. Pink Flamingo, and dirty Seafoam, and I'll make a custom head case for my Beta leads. It'll be the tackiest, most glorious rig in all of the land.

Hemisaurus · October 11, 2011, 08:00:47 PM

Mine had handles, wheels and acoustic damping material. It doesn't of course have modern drivers, but it was loaded with two Sunn Bass Transducers, which wasn't a bad thing

You can pick up a set of casters for $12 or so for cabs that don't have them.

That said, custom cabs are always going to be more expensive, and certain people find that attractive, and there are very few companies making any kind of 2x15 right now.

matador_sound · October 11, 2011, 08:03:15 PM

you got a hell of a deal, then. I'm not meaning to argue about it, just presenting the product from my point of view.

matador_sound · October 13, 2011, 08:08:53 PM

UPDATE:

I have a new model available. it's called the FH-118. it's based off the Acoustic 361/301 folded horn cabinet. this is the cab that powered Jaco, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and pretty much any other "name" band in the 70's.

it features a single, full range 18" Neodymium speaker that's rearward facing. the design of the cab projects the sound out in a thunderous torrent of tone. the cab is rated for 600watts @ 8ohms. custom Duratex colors available for no extra cost.

the speaker in this cab has enough high end extension for it to be used stand alone. if you would prefer one suited more to just lows for the low end of a bi-amped rig, a speaker with even deeper range could be used. although, the speaker in this cab has a range of 30hz-3.15kHz with a massive 9.25mm of xmax.

prices for this cab start at $920.

Baltar · October 14, 2011, 07:49:12 AM

My Sunn Sceptre, had to sell it. A lot of players on here used to ask me if I had 2x15's in my cab. So glad to see that someone is gonna be building a 4x12 that is nice and tall and off-set. Cheers!

matador_sound · October 14, 2011, 11:21:32 AM

very nice! I'm personally going to be using one of those cabinets when I can get the savings to build one. I'll be running the highs of it through that, while running the lows through the FHM-215.