Metropoulos Forum

I see a fair amount of requests for Marshall 4x12 cabinet plans on this board and others too, so seeing a nitch to be filled I'd like to draw up some blueprints starting with the somewhat more simple 1960B/1982B (straight) cabinet. By making up these plans I don't see them cutting into anyone's profit (the folks currently offering repo cabs) since the vast majority of people do not have the resources (tools, skills, and space) to make their own cabinets....So, they'd be generally used by a somewhat small number of people who do have the means to build their own stuff. It looks like the vast majority of repo cabinets seem to center around the '68 - '70 era, so that's the target I'll be shooting for also. I do not own any vintage cabinets, therefore all the information has to come from you in order to make this work. The more accurate you are with the info the better the blueprints will be. In order to keep the topic somewhat orderly can we try to keep the replies based on the question(s) rather than having folks just offering up a bunch of info all at once.
I did look around the internet to see what kinda blueprints/plans are out there currently and the current offerings don't seem all that great.
First question has to be: Which Baltic Birch thickness for the two sides, top, and bottom of the cabinet? I've seen pictures of both the 11-ply (15mm AKA. 5/8) and 13-ply (18mm AKA. 3/4) from what I believe is this era. Is there a general consenses as to which thickness is seen more frequently?

You guys are going to make me do this myself aren't you ....Ok, anyone see a problem with the dimensions shown in the attached drawing? BTW, NOTE 7 refers to the Top, Bottom, and Sides of the cabinet being made from 11-ply Baltic Birch.

Here's a basic layout for the back of the cabinet. Aside from the dimensions for attaching the back panel, does anyone see any thing else that looks wrong? I know the screw location for the back panel vary a bit, so no sense in being critical about them.

The cab/baffleboard and back panel are all 11 ply 5/8" baltic birch. They have three grades of BB, so be aware that as you go from 1 to 3 (BB3), there are less repairs/footballs, and extra glue for the repairs, resulting in a better sounding cab.

Thanks Jim.....And as always, your guidance/knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Here's what I'm thinking for the top and bottom of the cabinet. Any corrections or suggestions?

So far your diagram looks right. You need to measure the handle cut out size/hole location on the sides, of course.

So far your diagram looks right. You need to measure the handle cut out size/hole location on the sides, of course.

Well that's good to hear. Unfortunately, the complete blueprint file is huge (like 2.5mb) so I can't post the whole thing all at once. Therefore, I figured I post some of the individual views in order to make any corrections on the blueprint.

When you get the whole file done, turn it into a gif file, that will reduce the size.

Thanks for the suggestion Jim. Since you also mentioned the handle cut outs I guess I should toss that info up next. I don't have any metal handles to use as reference for the cut out dimensions, so I did my "best" guess. This is where I could use accurate feedback regarding proper dimensions.

Have to get back to you on that one. I have an old slant down at my cab guy's place getting restored right now, so I'll get the handle hole cutouts measured for you.

Here's another view showing some details regarding the back/inside of the cabinet.

I had to drop off some cloth/parts at my cab guy's place. I bought a junker 68 slant a month or so back that he has to restore (cloth is still good, though!). While I was there I put a piece of cardboard against the handle cutout and traced it. I'm too tired tonight (long training class on mixing in GarageBand I attended), but I'll get off my butt tomorrow and post a pic of it (or you can email me, that would be easier), and measure it out for you.

That way you'll know EXACTLY what you have to cutout for the vintage metal handles.

I'll e-mail ya Jim regarding the handle cut out dimensions.

Alright, let me apologize to those who pop in on this thread only to find out that some of the downloadable attachments are missing. As most of you know there's a limit as to the collective size of attachments each board member can have, therefore in order for me to cycle through all the parts/views of my current blueprint I must delete them when I think the info contained within them is correct/varified. After this current stage I'll make any corrections needed to the print and I'll try to host the complete blueprint somewhere so everyone/anyone can download it, critique it, and make further suggestions/correction.

Here's a slice view (kinda chopping the cabinet in half and looking at it from the side) which outlines some of the dimensions for the rails and stiles that the baffle and back panel attach to. Of particular interest is the 7/8 thick pine pieces that the back panel attach to.....Can someone verify that the widths (1-1/4 for the sides and top, and 2 inches for the bottom) are correct? I know Marshall changed these width dimensions as time went on, but remember I'm focusing on the '68 - '70 era cabinet currently.