Where do you buy chassis and cabinet?

[Alan0354]

This is a question for amp builder, where do you buy chassis and cabinet to build your amp? So far, I use the Bassman 100 chassis for my first one and I am using a KMD combo amp, stripping everything inside and build my own using the chassis and the cabinet. But that's is going to have to stop and it can get expensive and even more important is I can't get the right holes at the front panel.

[mort]

I've been using this site for several months now. Probably bought about 10 chassis from him. Nice material, nice price, and they arrive in Florida inside of two weeks from Canada, build time and all. He does custom sizes too which is great. If I find something that I want to put a chassis into then I'm totally wide open to have any size chassis I want.

Home

As for cabinets, I just build them most of the time. It's $50 in material for a head or smaller combo cab vs a couple hundred from a dealer.

Here is a pic of 3 recent chassis from seaside chassis design. Should have 3 more coming in any day..

[elipsey]

webervst.com
Mojotone.com

both sell chassis and cabinets. also, hammond mfg. makes chassis blanks. i have used weber and hammond chassis (from angela.com), never tried mojo. weber sells chassis kits, which may include circuit boards and face/back plates for a little more money. i build my own cabinets, because made to order cabs are expensive. there are probably other places to buy this stuff that i don't know or forgot (tubedepot.com?), these are just the ones i have shopped with most.

[Alan0354]

I've been using this site for several months now. Probably bought about 10 chassis from him. Nice material, nice price, and they arrive in Florida inside of two weeks from Canada, build time and all. He does custom sizes too which is great. If I find something that I want to put a chassis into then I'm totally wide open to have any size chassis I want.

Home

As for cabinets, I just build them most of the time. It's $50 in material for a head or smaller combo cab vs a couple hundred from a dealer.

Here is a pic of 3 recent chassis from seaside chassis design. Should have 3 more coming in any day..

Thanks, I like this, There standard chassis are very cheap!!! How thick is the chassis, 16 gauge steel?

Have you order any with holes predrilled? I wonder how much per hole for the standard volume control etc.

[Alan0354]

webervst.com
Mojotone.com

both sell chassis and cabinets. also, hammond mfg. makes chassis blanks. i have used weber and hammond chassis (from angela.com), never tried mojo. weber sells chassis kits, which may include circuit boards and face/back plates for a little more money. i build my own cabinets, because made to order cabs are expensive. there are probably other places to buy this stuff that i don't know or forgot (tubedepot.com?), these are just the ones i have shopped with most.

Thank. I'll look into this. The cabinet is expensive!!!

[olddawg]

This will not work if you are doing it for a business. But if you are just building one offs for yourself and friends, I look for dead SS heads and combos. Then just strip them down and start over. My favorites are dead Marshall Lead 100 Mosfets. You can pick up a dead amp for $20 off of Craig's List. I just picked up a Fender Frontman 212 R for $30 complete with good factory speakers and footswitch. It looks brand new. I ended up fixing it and it actually sounds pretty damn good as is. But the original idea was to build a Deluxe Reverb in it. Look around.

[Alan0354]

This will not work if you are doing it for a business. But if you are just building one offs for yourself and friends, I look for dead SS heads and combos. Then just strip them down and start over. My favorites are dead Marshall Lead 100 Mosfets. You can pick up a dead amp for $20 off of Craig's List. I just picked up a Fender Frontman 212 R for $30 complete with good factory speakers and footswitch. It looks brand new. I ended up fixing it and it actually sounds pretty damn good as is. But the original idea was to build a Deluxe Reverb in it. Look around.

Ha ha, I am doing that already. Well, at least I want to pretend that I am going into business and look at the cost of production. So far, the cabinets are very expensive.

[mort]

Thanks, I like this, There standard chassis are very cheap!!! How thick is the chassis, 16 gauge steel?

Have you order any with holes predrilled? I wonder how much per hole for the standard volume control etc.

12 and 14 gauge aluminum. I've had him cut a PT hole for me but you would have to ask him about doing all the holes or whatever.

[mort]

Thanks, I like this, There standard chassis are very cheap!!! How thick is the chassis, 16 gauge steel?

Have you order any with holes predrilled? I wonder how much per hole for the standard volume control etc.

12 and 14 gauge aluminum. I've had him cut a PT hole for me but you would have to ask him about doing all the holes or whatever.

[big_teee]

The Last 50 watt Head I built, was last fall, and was a converted 18 watt Mojo Chassis.
British Style 18 Watt Style Chassis - Mojotone.com
Here it is finished for a friend.

[Alan0354]

12 and 14 gauge aluminum. I've had him cut a PT hole for me but you would have to ask him about doing all the holes or whatever.

How much he charge you for that rectangular hole?

[Alan0354]

The Last 50 watt Head I built, was last fall, and was a converted 18 watt Mojo Chassis.
British Style 18 Watt Style Chassis - Mojotone.com
Here it is finished for a friend.

It's nice looking, I check the website, Looks like I still need to order custom chassis as I am doing a channel switching amp and need more pots than their standard chassis.

Man!!! Looks like the cabinet and chassis can easily reach $300!!!!

[J M Fahey]

Man!!! Looks like the cabinet and chassis can easily reach $300!!!!

That's why many moons ago , step by step, I bought a table saw, router, jigsaw, sander, drills and drill machine, air compressor, paintguns, screwdrivers both manual, ratchet, electric, air powered, plus winder, bench drills, metal shears, folder, punch presses and dies, silkscreening stuff, riveters (both Pop and hollow) ... and ... and ... and .... you never stop.

But I am certain of 1 thing: all were free after a couple Months and then turned into breadwinners.

[Alan0354]

That's why many moons ago , step by step, I bought a table saw, router, jigsaw, sander, drills and drill machine, air compressor, paintguns, screwdrivers both manual, ratchet, electric, air powered, plus winder, bench drills, metal shears, folder, punch presses and dies, silkscreening stuff, riveters (both Pop and hollow) ... and ... and ... and .... you never stop.

But I am certain of 1 thing: all were free after a couple Months and then turned into breadwinners.

That's a lot of work for you building everything!!! I know you sell amps. Do you have employees or you by yourself?

[J M Fahey]

From 6 or 7 in the very good times to 1 in the slow ones.
Normal is 2 with 1 doing all of the Electronics work (assembling PCB, mounting and wiring heads), winding transformers, reconing speakers, and the other doing all cabinet work, carpentry, Tolexing, front cloth, painting, filling transformers with EI lamination, mounting speakers, bending/punching/painting/silkscreening chassis, plus packaging and delivering .

To see it other way: the "electronics Tech" never touches wood, the "carpenter" never builds amps, besides those there are many jobs which any of them can do.
Such as winding and finishing transformers or packaging.
The idea is that none is idle .
They are usually young Musicians (or they see themselves that way) , at least they are "Rock kids" , happy to work here for a minimum wage.

The job options for them would be to work in Mc D , deliver Pizza in a small motorcycle or bike (no kidding), work in a Call Center, etc.

Those jobs all pay minimum wage, often lead to abuse by similar age kids who want to show they are tough managers , have strict and often extended work hours, etc.

In contrast, working for me is considered cool, they often brush shoulders with local Rock Royalty which in turn impresses their girlfriends, I'm a kind Boss, and work hours are flexible, I don't pay a fixed Monthly salary but a mix of so much per hour + so much per approved quality production , in the end averages to about a minimum salary but they can earn it in 6 hours or even 4 if , in that case, they are very efficient.

That is perceived as a bonus; their friends lose at least 9 fixed hours a day, every day, to get their salaries, often working weekends or holidays; here they can earn the same in 8 hours if they work leisurely or much faster if they hurry up but work is still good quality.

Besides, they are not rejected because of heavy tatooing or piercings, weird haircuts or clothing, and of course can listen to any music they like, quite loud.

Drugs of any kind or drinking are a definite no no, I am legally responsible for anything that happens under my roof and besides that rotating saws, punchers, shears, etc. are very dangerous, accidents are guaranteed when they mix with stoned or drunk people so worst case I send somebody back and suggest he comes back sober the next day.

Rotation is normal, kids usually work 1 or 2 years, then go somewhere else.
No problem, I constantly get requests to work here and I simplified jobs dividing even the most complex ones into as small pieces as necessary so each part is simple and easy to do so a new worker "gets it" fast and is easy to check.

As you see, this reflects my University training : 4 years Industrial Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Buenos Aires , 2 years Electronics Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, 1 year Business Administration at Universidad Argentina de la Empresa .

Argentine Industry has been slowly dying since 1976, most of my Faculty friends got their degrees only to end up Teaching (Physics, Math, etc.) or working 9 to 5 in what's really desk office jobs , all with creative job titles of course, such as "Sales Engineer" , "Purchasing Engineer", etc. or even worse doing the same at some Government office; very few got an actual technical/manufacturing Job in an Industry, so many old University pals in a way envy me , in a friendly way, and tell me: "you were clever by inventing your own Industry and hiring yourself"