F30 cabinet design question

[zeemo]

I have an f30 and love it.
........One thing I wonder about though is whether or not the pouch in the back for the footswitch and cords takes away from the sound.

I mean, if you look at it, the pouch covers the whole lower half of the speaker in the back of the basket. do you think this has an adverse effect on the sound ??
Has anyone removed this pouch and noticed any discernable difference in sound ?

I think a better design would be to put the pouch on the outside of the lower panel, and drill the wires through so as to make it an easier route to the pouch for the wires (to get to the pouch on the outside of the amp.)

Should I bother ??

any thoughts ?

Zeemo

 

[Artmusic]

I have often thought about that same thing. I never tried taking it out, I would like to hear from anyone who has though.
Art

 

[MusicManJP6]

That is actually a good idea. You would think it would either help take up space and improve sound or 'pad' the sound and soften the bass. I might try taking it out and see how it sounds. I've been working on a back piece to add on top of the stock back piece to increase bass so removing the pouch might help my plight even further...

I'll try to remove it tonight and see how it sounds...

 

[MusicManJP6]

I had some time tonight to mess with the F30. Here's what all I did and how I ended up keeping it. I played it listened intently at the frequencies emitted and then took off the back piece and removed the pouch. Flicked it on and listened. It was noticeably better! Put the pouch back in and listened again, and it sounded muffled and thinner. Took it back out and it was fuller and more open (less muffled). So, I screwed the four screws that held the pouch on back into the back piece. I then took out the reverb tank and replaced the back piece again (I don't like the reverb on the F30 so I never use it). The difference was audible yet again! It sounds a little fuller and clearer to my ears than with the tank inside. I then put on the custom back piece that I've been working on and it was again a bit fuller than before. Check this thread for the back piece I've been working on:

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?p=166254#166254

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before. Thanks for the idea, Zeemo! I will still keep the footswitch and cable in the pouch and put it in the back for storage/transport, but remove it before playing. And I'll use a reverb pedal instead of the reverb on the amp I guess - I like delay better anyway though...

 

[zeemo]

It seems as though you were already on that road........ I just got you to the end quicker. But you're welcome. That's what these forums are for. to share ideas .. thoughts.
Anyway, can you post a coulpe of pics as you have changed it ?
I'm curious to see exactly what you have got there. It will look fine when it's covered.

I am glad to see it has worked out for you. I think I'll remove the pouch and see how much different it sounds, if it's not a big difference as it was for you I'll leave it alone . If so then I will try some kind of similar alternative.

I don't think I'll mess with the reverb tank, I use the mesa reverb (very slightly) and I dont want to use any boxes before the amp (except for maybe tremolo)

..........so let's see a couple pics.

Zeemo

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'll post some pics tonight for you. Remember, the difference is not HUGE, but it is noticeable for sure!

 

[MusicManJP6]

Here's the pics:

Sorry about the flash. I was in a hurry. :lol:

 

[NDRU]

Is removing the reverb a simple process?

 

[MusicManJP6]

It's SUPER simple.

- Remove the back piece (6 screws)

- Disconnect the two RCA type connections at the top right of the underside of the amp (they come from the tank). One is thin and the other is a bit thicker.

- Remove the screw on the little plastic piece on the right side of the cabinet that holds the wires out of the way (and replace after you pull the wires out so you don't lose it)

- Unscrew the screw that holds the strap for the tank down.

That's it! Just pull the tank out now. I put the screw for the tank strap back in so I won't lose it...

You can easily detach the pouch for the footswitch now too with the back piece off. I replaced the four screws for it so I won't lose them as well...

 

[zeemo]

looks good !! Maybe I'll get to it this weekend and post back if I like the sound better. I would think that it would have to sound better without that cable pouch

Are you planning to re-attach the pouch for the cords etc. on the back side of the lower panel ? Or are you just going to leave it ?

I suppose it only matters if you want to have somewhere to store your ac / footswitch cables....

Thanks for the info. I'll post back also.

Later.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Nah, i'll leave the pouch out. I'll just drop it in temporarily for easy transport of all the essentials and then pull it out before playing after setting everything up - so in other words, it won't be screwed back down again.

The reverb tank is not going back in any time soon though...

Let me know what you think of the tone difference. I really think it sounds more open, fuller, and natural...