Grateful Dead Music Forum

This might win the "dumbest question of the year" award, but is there any reason to design a cab differently if you know it's just going to be used at bedroom or guitar-bass basement jam levels? I'm planning to build a pine 1 x 12 for said use but haven't picked a design. I'm thinking open-back, but how big? The amp is a 15-watt Spitfire clone.

For bedroom, I'd do closed back so I know where the sound is going. Then get some sound proofing to absorb some volume.

You'd be surprised how loud it is behind a cab.

I'm actually worried about tone rather than volume. The wife doesn't care much when I play, but I don't have much reason to play very loud. But if you're playing low, what's the best you can do for your decibels? Ported design for more bottom end? Larger box for resonance? Deeper box? Closed, open? There must be a huge market of guys out there in apartments and basements who can't or don't need to crank it up loud. Maybe design doesn't make a difference, of course.

if you're looking for low volume jbl-ish tone, you might check out a d123... lower wattage and earlier breakup that a d120... not easy to find, but worth the trouble.