I want a wall of fake speaker cabs

[Dante]

Like the topic says, I want a wall of fake speaker cabs. It's all about the show man...I have spent years getting my rig smaller, and here I am trying to make it LOOK big - lol  :lol:  The thing is, we are playing on some larger stages and my tiny rig looks even smaller than it actually is.

Now, would I be better off getting empty cabs that I have to carry around, or getting a printed facade that can easily be broken down? Actually, I'm considering both or a combination of both. I have read that Marshall makes a fold-up case version of a halfstack with a little LED light powered by a battery. I hear they are very expensive, so I may be constructing my own.

Anybody got a line on options for me?

[Soloist]

Empty cabs will look more real than a facade, but it will also weigh more. Alot of 80's bands did that same trick back in the day. Some places that rent cabs also rent unloaded cabs, at least they used to. I guess it will come down to how much you want to spend. You could probably make 4 fake stacks for under a couple hundred, particle board, tolex, grille cloth and maybe some Marshall logo's.

[MarshallJMP]

Or maybe this can help

https://www.etsy.com/listing/223253393/wall-decal-of-marshall-amp-jcm-800-stack

[DorsetRatt]

Or maybe this can help

https://www.etsy.com/listing/223253393/wall-decal-of-marshall-amp-jcm-800-stack

Do you mean the stack on the left?

[MarshallJMP]

Nope ,these usually don't have an on/off switch  :lol:

[Kim]

My local Guitar Center used to have a wall completely filled in with fake stacks: Marshall, Vox, Fender, etc.  They appeared to be made of plastic, and were only about 2 inches thick.  I have no idea if every GC store has had them, or even if my local one still has them now as I haven't been in there for quite some time.  Might be worth a phone call or two though to find out.

[DorsetRatt]

Nope ,these usually don't have an on/off switch  :lol:

haha, I'd be concerned if I found a toggle switch :lol:

[Dante]

My local Guitar Center used to have a wall completely filled in with fake stacks: Marshall, Vox, Fender, etc.  They appeared to be made of plastic, and were only about 2 inches thick.  I have no idea if every GC store has had them, or even if my local one still has them now as I haven't been in there for quite some time.  Might be worth a phone call or two though to find out.

They all have them. Our stores have them too

Or maybe this can help

https://www.etsy.com/listing/223253393/wall-decal-of-marshall-amp-jcm-800-stack

Brilliant!!

[MikeB]

Or maybe this can help

https://www.etsy.com/listing/223253393/wall-decal-of-marshall-amp-jcm-800-stack

Do you mean the stack on the left?

The one on the left is obviously just a thin veneer.  No substance to it,  but easy to carry around.

[rnolan]

Hey Dante, I always thought about making a Marshall backdrop with little red LEDs. You could hang it from a couple of mic stands ?  This is probably the most cost effective option and you just roll it up like any other back drop so light and easy to move. And well within your graphic artist talents  :thumb-up:

[vansinn]

Remember the Chicago train film where Gene Hackman (IIRC) tried to act like a black dude, complete with black shoe polish and a ghetto blaster?
Then remember the scene where a real black dude says to him "I don't know what your problem is, but you gotta loosen up, man..".
Oh, and of the scene where Gene takes a piss and a real big black dude, complete with cigar, looks down on his weener, whereafter you hear the sound of a really big ressoir being emptied..

Point being: If you're really going for that fake wall'o'sound setup, at least do remember those on/off switches, complete with red LEDs, and have the tech dude walk across stage just before you enter, switching them all on O0

[Dante]

I priced a printed version, on fabric, with pockets around the sides to slide PVC pipes into. Then, you simply construct the PVC pipes into a frame and you have a fake cab. It's pricy, but I can design any cabinet I want and make it as big as my budget allows (it could be a 1x15, 2x12 and 12x8 - all in one cab!). The only problem would be light getting behind it somehow, you would be able to see through the fabric. Gotta figure that out - maybe front lighting would eliminate that.

Other option is to make a foldable set of cabs, with a printed front. They would be fairly flat when folded up, still more bulky than fabric and PVC pipes.

[rnolan]

If you screen print onto stage blacks light shouldn't get through from behind. Also I was thinking you could do a rack of heads next to a couple of double stacks (ala Page or Townsend), then all the LEDs will be close together for easier wiring, and you could also throw in a Hi-Watt and Orange etc.

[vansinn]

How about simply printing images of speaker cones onto thick black cardboard.
Glue-on small neodym magnets ot the back side, and arrange some easily setup/teardown framework of plastic tubes, assembled using the cheapest drum kit clamps you can find.
Add strips of steel in a pattern matching the magnets, and it should all work out just fine.

[tomy]

Isn't it possible to make it in printed cardboard,so you fold and unfold at the end of the gig. Light, when unfold easy to carry...