The various qualities of different materials, from natural wood to engineered products, can help you decide which cabinet is right for you
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZILLA CABS
Last issue we looked at why wood type can be overlooked in cabinet design, and this time we’ll discuss the different types of wood used in speaker cabs and the reasons for choosing them. A designer will often value stability or consistency most highly; after all, if the material doesn’t change from cab to cab, the results will be more predictable and easier to reliably reproduce. The trouble is, a lot of materials that are consistent don’t always sound as pleasing as we’d hope, at least not to a lot of us guitarists.