Guitar Isolation Cabinet or ISO Box Build
Here is my quick write up on my isolation box. As you can see I have it loaded with my Mesa Boogie 2×12 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30’s and I love this thing. The specs are pretty simple. Basically it’s like this…
The front and back panel are 28″ tall x 36 1/2″ wide 3/4″ MDF.
The side panels are 28″ tall x 38″ wide.
The top and bottom panel are 38″x38″
If I were you I’d play around with the dimensions until you get what seems workable for you. I wanted to have room on the top and in front for mics and such.
I screwed mine together with simple deck screws I had. I use 2 hinges for the top that are 6″ hinges. I used a simple weather strip door seal with adhesive back to go around the edge leaving a gap for cables. And then a handle on the top. Inside I used a staple gun to staple my 2″ foam and I used around 50 squares of 12″x12″ acoustical foam. And of course I put casters on the bottom for easy movement.
My biggest recommendation if you decide to build one would be to make sure you build it where you want it as it’s going to be wider than a lot of doorways leaving you disassembling it when you want to change rooms. This problem actually kept me from tolexing it which I wanted to do but hey, Namm stickers will always do.
Lastly, while this does cut a lot of volume it’s not quite and I think you’ll notice while it kills 20+db it really kills the top end so from outside the box all you’re really hearing is rumbling which isn’t as piercing . My studio is on the other side of the wall and with the door closed, I can use my studio monitors to dial it in without much bleed through the wall. However it is still audible upstairs, and if kids are an issue it’s still IMO too loud to not wake them. (Maybe) But to be sure, if you want to really cut volume the box in a box method would be your solution. Basically build a box roughly 6″ or so bigger all the way around and then foam also between the boxes as air gap and foam will create greater noise reduction.
