Palmer Custom Made Cabinets – To each his own Part 3 – Test Report by Soundcheck

PRACTICAL ADVICE

A Q&A with the Maker of Palmer Custom Made Cabinets. Of course, a new product range like Palmer’s custom made cabinets raises a lot of questions.

To get the answers to them, we spoke with Palmer product manager Robin Henlich about the line of cabinets

SOUNDCHECK:Where did you get the idea for the custom made cabinets? Who do you see as your potential target group?

Robin Henlich:Some time ago, the speaker manufacturer Eminence uploaded sound files of its guitar speakers to the Internet for its customers – that gave us the idea to take this marketing a step further and enable end users to order complete guitar cabinets loaded with their choice of speakers. We see the main target group as guitarists who have a specific sound in mind and have discovered that speakers are an important component in their own right when it comes to creating a guitar sound.

SOUNDCHECK:Which features were especially important to you in terms of cabinet design? Did you also get input from musicians during the design process?

Robin Henlich:Above all, we made certain that the cabinet is solid as a rock. In addition, it was important to us that the front grille be removable – this is a practical and extremely useful feature for end users, plus it simplifies loading the cabinet with different speakers for different customers. We developed the guitar cabinets in very close cooperation with Eminence, and their many years of experience as a manufacturer enabled us to take numerous fine details into account. Of course, the prototypes were tested by several experienced guitarists and refined on the basis of their feedback.

SOUNDCHECK:Your custom made cabinets tend to fall in the affordable price range. How do you manage to offer such high quality and such a wide variety of speakers at such a low cost?

Robin Henlich:Well, ultimately the credit for that goes to Eminence – thanks to them, we were able to market rock-solid guitar cabinets at an affordable price. The guitar cabinets are built in Eminence’s own factory in China. Speaker installation and final inspection take place here in Neu-Anspach, Germany.

SOUNDCHECK:You already offer a wide range of cabinets with the three most popular cabinet sizes and up to 11 different speakers. Are there plans to expand the line in the future, for example, with variants with a different look (other coverings or front grilles)?

Robin Henlich:We have been toying with this thought for quite some time now. The ideas range from various wiring options and coverings to custom printed front grilles. We will be good for some surprises in the near future – this is just the first step.

SOUNDCHECK:Is it also possible to load a cabinet (especially the 4x12s) with different speakers / combinations?

Robin Henlich:Of course it is also possible to order special configurations in addition to our standard range. We have nearly all speakers in stock. It makes no difference to use, for example, whether we install four Governors or two Governors and two Vintage 30s in a 4×12 cabinet. We decided on a basic selection of speakers in order to keep the range of options manageable for the buyer. As I said, however, dealers can always order cabinets with other sets of speakers.

SOUNDCHECK:How do I find a dealership where I can test different versions of the custom made cabinets? Once I have chosen the model I want, how long will I have to wait for it?

Robin Henlich:Some dealers have already ordered various custom cabinets. In addition, we also offer so-called “Tone Center” sets for dealers. These are 4×12 cabinets with four different speakers. In conjunction with our switching system, this enables the customer to toggle back and forth between speakers while playing. A current list of dealers with Tone Center systems is available at www.palmer-germany.com in the section Guitar Tools – Amplifiers & Cabinets. The top selling combinations will be available from stock; more exotic combinations will be ready for delivery within a week.

SPECIFICATIONS

PCAB112 MAV/RGN (Custom Loaded)

Design: Semi-open back cabinet Max. load: 75 W Impedance: 8 Ω Speaker: 1 x 12″ Eminence Maverick/Reignmaker (both with FDM) Connectors 2 x 8 Ω (parallel) Control: FDM knob (back of loudspeaker) Dimensions: 425 x 580 x 290 mm (L x W x H) Weight: approx. 17 kgSpecial features: Attenuation at the speaker (Flux Density Modulation) Origin: China/Germany

PCAB212 WIZ (Custom Loaded)

Design: Closed back cabinet Max. load: 150 W Impedance: 8 Ω (mono), 2 x 16 Ω (stereo) Loudspeaker: 2 x 12″ Eminence Wizard Connectors: 1 x 8/16 Ω (mono/stereo mode), 1 x 16 Ω (stereo mode) Switch: Switching jack for stereo mode Dimensions: 480 x 710 x 295 mm (L x W x H) Weight: 26 kg Special features: nine different speaker loads possible Origin: China/Germany

PCAB412 (Custom Loaded)

Design: Closed back cabinet Max. load: 200 W to 480 W Impedance: 2/8 Ω (mono), 2 x 4 Ω (stereo) or 4/16 Ω (mono), 2 x 8 Ω (stereo) Loudspeaker: 4 x 12″ (optionally) Eminence Governor/Legend 1258/Man-O’War/Private Jack/Cannabis Rex/Red,White & Blue/Texas Heat/Wizard or Celestion Vintage 30 Connectors: 1 x 8/16 Ω, 1 x 4/16 Ω (each mono/stereo mode) Switch: Switching jacks for stereo and impedance selection (mono) Dimensions: 715 x 730 x 355 (L x W x H) Weight: 50 kg to 59 kg Special features: nine different speaker loads possible Origin: China/Germany

All information about the products can be found here: http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Guitar-Amplifiers.htm

Back to Part 1 or Part 2

Source: Soundcheck Magazine, Germany, March 2011