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Topic: Lightening the Load! |
John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 8:32 am |
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In a quest to have the most manageable load-in but the most play-ability on stage, I've gotten my total equipment weight to 126 lbs. This is with my Rains D-10 8+8, SteelSeat Lite with cables,strings and two Emmons Volume pedals and my Nashville 400 with TT 12" speaker!
The first step was the steel gig bag( see "Legrande Gig Bag Deconstructed")BTW after 5 years, the zipper is failing so I ordered a new one $35.
The latest development was making a Peavey Nashville 400(my amp of choice) lighter. After using a light-weight Neo speaker what else could I do but build a light cabinet. I tried a Peavey 130 Special cabinet(empty weight-18#) which turned out 3#s heavier than my silver cornered stock 400 cabinet. With the Special cabinet as a template I built a pine cabinet(15#) and finally a Paulownia cabinet (empty-7#s). Paulownia is 1/2 the weight of pine but the same strength, although it is hard to find for sale.
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 9:01 am
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Cool tip about the Paulownia wood. Woodcraft stores say they stock it when available, although none shows in inventory at the time.
I also was curious about your gig bag arrangement, so I dug up your original post on that. I'll looking into that and I'm sure it will be interesting and helpful to others as well. Thanks John.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=258771&highlight=legrande+gig+bag |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 8:56 pm
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| Nice “lighter†rig. What’s the 1/4†jumper on the rear? Been a long time since I owned a Nashville.... |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 5:50 am
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| Kevin, the jumper just makes sure those in/out jacks don't distort the signal. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 6:07 am
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Brilliant fix for the intermittent jacks!
Any comments on the TT-12 versus the Black Widow or any other speaker? I've got one on order. |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 6:15 am
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John, I also use a carry bag for my pedal rack, rods and legs. Bought the bag at Academy Sports. It really does lighten the load.
Ron
Last edited by Ron Hogan on 3 Feb 2018 1:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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David Gertschen
From:
Phoenix, Arizona
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 8:57 am
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What did the total weight of the amp come out to be?
Did the new lightweight cabinet change the sound at all?
BTW, that is a very nice looking cabinet! |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 10:59 am
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| The Nashville 400 with TT speaker weighs 36#, I think the sound stayed about the same. I played it at the last Southern Steel Guitar Convention in November and got plenty of compliments ! |
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Larry Hopkins
From:
Lubbock Texas USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 11:39 am 1/4 " jumper
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Hi John,could you and Greg maybe explain a little bit on what that 1/4"jumper does for the
Amp,that's interesting ,thanks!
Larry
_________________
,peavey renown 115,Vegas 400, Peavey envoy, peavy bandit 65 head,baby bloomer
2 -Nashville 400, Emmons SD-10 legrande lll ,Emmons Black Rock ,sho-bud pac a seat,,Jackson Madison 63; |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 11:43 am
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John - That amp looks great! I'm glad you left the ugly (IMHO) logo off the front.
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 2:26 pm
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| Larry, those jacks are notorious for getting corroded and having your signal break up.Russ Hicks pointed out by using a jumper you negate the problem. |
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Travis Toy
From:
Nashville, TN, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 11:32 pm
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Nice mod to your 400, John. Glad you like the speaker. ðŸ‘ðŸ»
-t |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 4 Feb 2018 2:13 am
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looks great John let me borrow the amp for a year and I'll let you know if the weight is better ! 
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2018 9:16 pm
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John, nice upgrade of a great steel amp!
I'm another fan of soft cases. Original hard case was 25 pounds, empty. Soft case with Carter SD-10 body ~23 pounds.
Case #2 with legs, rods, cables, VP ~25 pounds.
The 15" EVM makes this LTD-400 a beast. How much lighter would it be with new 4-ohm Eminence Double-T/15?
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 5 Feb 2018 6:25 am
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Dan, I have an 15"EVM,great speaker very smooth. I think it weighs an out 19#, the TT will be about 8#.
Greg, the TT 12" is smooth without the harshness of the EPS 12". I've never owned a 12" BW. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 7 Feb 2018 11:37 pm
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I think you have some fantastic ideas!! Where did you get the Paulownia wood, and in what sizes?
_________________
Emmons & Peavey |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2018 10:48 am
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Thanks, John.
Mike Scaggs and friends compared the TT/12 and a TT/15 prototype:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=327238
Not much difference in weight, both are 7 pounds and change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0b7qUPPKwI&t=26s
IIRC the Double-T/15 will be 4 ohms. Drop in upgrade for the LTD-400, no baffle change needed. That's what I'll do if I hang onto it. It needs a "senior center" tune-up 
I like the soft case you use for your LeGrande legs/pedal-bar. Gonna get one.
Thanks again for the great info! |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2018 10:54 am
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Pawlonia is light but not NEARLY as strong as pine! I've used in in 6-string construction to build cheap "kid" guitars and test cabinets, but it's rarely used for anything where durability may be an issue. Having fairly wide experience with it I'd never use it for a gigging cabinet of any kind.
If you look up wood hardness charts Pawlonia is the second softest commonly-found wood. It's very prone to denting and screws must be used very carefully, as stripping is a major problem.
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/top-ten-softest-woods/
Pawlonia's hardness is 260 lb/f - most pine species are at least *double* that.
Things I'd recommend when using Pawlonia - No screw connections (through-bolts only); speakers also need to be mounted with through-bolts. T-bolts will eventually loosen due to poor crush and lateral tear strength, with vibration/weight widening and weakening mounting areas;); No finger joint for the same reasons; glue joints must be reinforced with dowels or bolts.
Finishing is a non-issue - coatings are easily damaged; n commercial parts polyesters are used almost like an "eggshell" but are easily dented. The only options are tolerating visible damage or covering with fabric (or tolex) and tolerating the dents.
My biggest concern - and what I'd keep a VERY close eye one - is the speaker mounts loosening due to vibration. Even with through-bolts the bolt holes *will* open up over time and the speaker will vibrate more and more; wood damage will increase as this happens (note "will" - not "might".)
Having worked with this wood quite a bit I seriously recommend rethinking its use for a cabinet. It will fail, and if it happens mid-gig...and if you don't carry a backup, which sounds unlikely...you'll end up with a serious problem.
To me it's not nearly worth the slight weight reduction over pine. You couldn't give me a Pawlonia speaker cabinet - seriously. I couldn't trust it to hold up for even a short time.
I just hope I can save you a big headache.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 8:57 am
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| I've noted your concerns Jim, but I think for this size and weight cabinet they're non-issues. Forty years of woodworking has given me some experience. I would never suggest Paulownia for a kitchen table or flooring, but looking at several databases it's 60-70% as hard as the white pine Lowes sells and I expect it to get dented eventually. That said, Paulownia is impact and split resistant, which is why it is used for Surfboards! The 7# speaker is mounted to a 1/2" plywood baffle with tee-nuts. The baffle is attached to supports,that are glued and nailed to the side panels, with drywall screws. If this fails over time, I would replace the supports with pine or something more durable. I feel in my circumstances weight is more important than durability ! Keep in mind this is a 20" wide cabinet weighing 36#. YMMV, Respectfully JS |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 2:39 pm
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Makes more sense with the baffle arrangement you describe for sure.
But I would hardly call Pawlonia "impact resistant" based on the number of refused requests I've had to "fix the finishes" on dented Pawlonia bodies. I tested a couple myself, with rubber mallet easily denting one - and the other pressed in (through the polyurethane "shell" finish) with an elbow. And I don't weight all that much!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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John Swain
From:
Winchester, Va
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 4:37 pm
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| As I said Jim, they build surfboards out of this and they take a lot of abuse. Fender even had a line of lightweight solid bodies made with Paulownia. That said, I don't care about dents and finish cracks, I'm only interested in weight and sound. |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 5:55 pm
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| I can tell you firsthand that when it comes to wood working John Swain knows his stuff. Pretty damn good at chord obstruction, too! |
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Chris Schlotzhauer
From:
Colleyville, Tx. USA
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Posted 12 Feb 2018 7:49 am
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I put a Neo 15" in my 400 recently. It helped a lot, but it's still very heavy.
Does anyone make a lighter transformer replacement? Because that thing is heavy... |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 12 Feb 2018 9:32 am
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| Jack Stanton wrote: |
| I can tell you firsthand that when it comes to wood working John Swain knows his stuff. Pretty damn good at chord obstruction, too! |
Oops- that should read chord construction...damn speech text! |
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