Bill Fitzmaurice

DR 250 Bass/Key/PA Cab /\/\

Okay, so I don't know if anyone has seen any of this guys stuff before, but it is crazy.

Bill Fitzmaurice has a website with plans to build speakers. Why was I even looking at this site? Well, the speakers I lent to Harry about 2 years ago don't work (one has a blown tweeter, the other is about to blow its woofer), and even if they did work, they're over 10 years old and are completely obsolete >> Dump. I've asked a lot of people what they think: Active or passive, buy together or mix and match, JBL, Mackie, EV... it all gets very complicated, plus if I want a really good set of cabs, let alone a subwoofer, I'd need to dish out a good $1000 + of money I don't have.

Site

Someone finally showed me a website after asking me, "Are you good with your hands?" Of course I said no, but he told me to take a look anyway. After looking at some pretty cool pictures of weird speakers and sub woofers I decided to actually read what the website was. I checked the forums on the website and read about all the speakers, and I was at a loss of words. I could get the equivalent of a top-shelf $1000+ speaker for around $500 or less if I just built it myself. Like I said before, I can't build it myself, but it would be worth taking a course over the summer to learn how to... and ya, some schools offer a courses on audio repairs.

Plans are around $15.00 and once you have them, all you have to do is order horns, subs, tweeters, anything the plans say, and the website and forums tell you where to buy them. Pretty sweet.

Let's say you never think you're going to take a class on audio repair, are just really bad at building things, or don't trust yourself making anything. Well, Bill gives names and contacts for people who specialize in building cabs and woofers just like his. Now, it will cost more than if you make it yourself, but they guaranteed it to work.

Would I rather just save up and buy some Mackies or JBLs? I don't know yet. All the people that have made Bills speakers say they are amazing and truly better than the top shelf speakers, but will it add up to the same price if something breaks and you have to repair it yourself? There are no warranties for these speakers. I'll see what happens once I get a job, get some money, and if I actually gig and need speakers of my own. For now, I guess if I play at Toquet, it's the house system for me.