The ultralight, tubular TOOB and Metro speaker cabinets still define their category alone, seven years after their introduction in 2017. Soon 750 units have been shipped to 37 countries. Pro musicians and active giggers constitute the main user group. Inventor Markku Pietinen still crafts each unit singlehandedly in a small workshop in Lintuvaara, Espoo. At 77, with other projects still ahead, Markku is looking for a successor.
The present scale – 150 units per year- would provide a nice income boost to a fresh retiree or luthier with the requisite space, equipment and skills. Close cooperation with top musicians is a reward in itself. The market is worldwide and could absorb a lot more; this however calls for investment in marketing and production. Benefits from scaling up would be tangible. As well, there are some potentially patentable ideas in the back pocket. If the operation were taken over by a Finnish corporate entity with an acceptable credit rating, immediate public subsidies would be available. Up to now, the activity has been entirely self-financed.
The unique TOOB architecture has resulted in a variety of guitar, bass and full-range speaker cabinets. Custom versions and telescopic models for globetrotters are made to order. TOOBs have been developed in close and ongoing cooperation with the leading Finnish pipe manufacturer Uponor. Production does not have to remain in Finland, however. The corrugated, double-wall plastic pipe is made worldwide, in vast quantities, to an international standard. Several manufacturers are likely to offer pipe with compatible external profile.
It is obvious that the transfer of production to new hands requires Markku’s active participation for up to several years. Alternatives to a direct acquisition include a joint-venture and licensing/franchising arrangements, which leave the ownership of valuable special tooling intact.
For more information, please contact: toobspeakers[at]gmail.com
Todella hyvän keksinnön kohdalla ajattelee usein ”Tämän olisin voinut keksiä itsekin!”
Totuus on kuitenkin, että neronleimaus on vasta valmiin tuotteen alkupiste, josta voi olla suhteellisen pitkä matka maaliin. Täytyy olla keksijän draivi ja pitkäjänteisyys, että jaksaa hioa alkuperäisen idean lopulliseen muotoonsa.
Suomalainen kitaristi ja keksijä Markku Pietinen oli jo pidemmän aikaa miettinyt, että perinteiselle kitarakaapille pitäisi löytää nykyaikainen ja kevyt vaihtoehto. Teknologian mullistukset vahvistinpuolella – esimerkiksi D-luokan päätevahvistimet – ovat johtaneet yhä pienempiin ja kevyempiin nuppeihin, mutta kaapit pysyivät kulmikkaina ja turhan painavina.
Markun tapauksessa neronleimaus syntyi muutama vuosi sitten, kun hän käveli rakennustyömaan ohi. Siinä makasi ylijäänyt pala ihan tavallista sadevesiputkea. Sarjakuvista tuttu valo syttyi keksijän päässä, ja uudenlaisen kaiutinkaapin kehittely sai alkunsa.
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Tältä se nykyaikainen kitarakaappi näyttää. Tuoteperheen nimi on TOOB™ (hinnat alk. 369 €), mikä on lyhenne sanoista ”Thinking Out Of the Box”.
TOOBesta on olemassa kaksi kitaraversiota – 12J ja 12R – jotka käyttävät 12-tuumaisia Jensen-kaiuttimia. TOOBin bassoversiosta – TOOB 12B – löytyy Celestionin valmistama bassokaiutin.
Perus-TOOBin saa mustana tai kanelinruskeana, mutta lisämaksua vastaan voi saada myös custom-versioita erilaisilla päällystyksillä (kts. jutun avauskuva).
TOOBin kotelo tehdään Uponor IQ -sadevesiputkesta. Kyse on erittäin vahvasta putkesta, joka koostuu kahdesta polypropyleenikerroksesta. Etu- ja takapaneelin kiinnitysrenkaat ruiskuvaletaan ABS-muovista TOOB-kaiuttimille.
Standard-versiossa on irrotettava teräksinen jalka, mutta jos sen ulkonäkö vaikuttaa liian pelkistettynä, saa kaiuttimesta myös Magleg-version (alk. 389 €), jossa on magneettikiinnikkeinen puusta veistetty jalka.
Pääero TOOB 12J:n (vasen) ja 12R:n (oikea) välillä on helppo huomata:
12J-versio (J = Jazz) on avoin kaappi, kun taas TOOB 12R:llä (R = Rock) on puinen takaseinä bassoportilla. Jazz-versio on myös puolitoista senttiä lyhyempi kuin Rock-TOOB.
TOOBeissa on kaksi rinnakkaista jakkia, minkä ansiosta useamman kaapin yhteiskäyttö yhdellä vahvistimella helpottuu.
Kaappien päälle on asennettu lakattu puualusta, joka on tarkoitettu mini-kokoisen vahvistimen kiinnittämiseen (ammattikäyttöön tarkoitetut tarranauhapalat kuuluvat hintaan). Pakettiin kuuluu myös lyhyt pro-tason kaiutinjohto.
Molemmissa kitaraversioissa käytetään kevyitä 12-tuumaisia (8 Ω) Jensen Jet Tornado -neodyymikaiuttimia.
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Testasin TOOBit kahdella putkivahvistimella – Blackstar HT-1R:llä ja Bluetone Shadows Juniorilla – ja testin aikana selvisi hyvinkin nopeasti, että molempien kaappien fokuksena on tuottaa mahdollisimman hyvä ja selkeä soundi minimaalisella vaivalla.
TOOB-kaiutin ei ole tarkoitettu esoteeriseksi putiikkikaiuttimeksi, täynnä mystistä voodoa. Nämä kaiuttimet ovat virtaviivaisia muusikoiden työkaluja, jotka kestävät keikkailun kolhuja mukisematta, ja jotka keventävät keikkailevan kitaristin työtaakka (sekä fyysisesti, että henkisesti).
Molemmista TOOBeista lähtee mukavan fokusoitu ääni, joka soi puhtaasti ja kirkkaasti, muttei koskaan liian terävästi tai purevasti. Kaiuttimien keskialue pysyy mukavan selkeänä ja neutraalina (hyvässä mielessä).
Minusta ei ole tarpeellista ottaa mallitunnuksien Jazz- ja Rock-viitauksia liian kirjaimellisesti – etenkin, kun 12J toimii loistavasti myös elektroakustisella kitaralla, mutta mallien väliset soundilliset erot on helppo huomata. TOOB 12J soi selvästi ilmaavammin, kun taas TOOB 12R:ssä on hieman ryhdikkäämpi luonne ja enemmän potkua bassorekisterissä.
PUHDAS STRATO
Referenssikaiutin (Bluetone Shadows Jr. -kombo 10-tuumaisella WGS Green Beret -kaiuttimilla; Shure SM57):
TOOB 12J:
TOOB 12R:
LES PAUL SÄRÖLLÄ
Referenssikaiutin (Bluetone Shadows Jr. -kombo 10-tuumaisella WGS Green Beret -kaiuttimilla; Shure SM57):
TOOB 12J:
TOOB 12R:
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Vaikka TOOB™-kaiutin voi vaikuttaa idealta hieman hassulta, ei voi muuta kuin todeta, että tämä uusi kitarakaiutin tarjoaa varsin nerokkaan ratkaisun todella monelle soittajille. TOOB-kaiutin on yhtä kestävä ja tukeva kuin se on kevyt ja kompakti.
Nämä ainutlaatuiset kaapit soivat hienosti, ja ne ovat enemmän kuin riittävän tehokkaita pieniä ja keskikokoisia keikkapaikkoja varten.
Jos valitsee TOOBin kaveriksi jonkin uusista mini-nupeista, kuten esimerkiksi Voxin MV50-sarjasta, lopputulos on varsin tehokas ja hyvänkuuloinen parivaljakko, joka on erittäin helppo roudata.
Kitarablogi.com reviewed the guitar-specific TOOB models 12J and 12R back in April. At that time no bass version – the 12B – was available for testing, but now we got our chance to do a review of this model, too.
In case you haven’t yet read the previous TOOB review, let me run the basic features by you again.
Finnish inventor/ guitarist Markku Pietinen has come up with what I regard as one of the coolest new ideas in the field of speaker cabinets – the TOOB.
The TOOB is an ultralight speaker cabinet conceived especially for the musician on the move.
The TOOB’s cabinet consists of a length of Uponor IQ drainage pipe. This is an extremely lightweight and strong corrugated tube made from double-walled polypropylene. The mounting rims are a proprietary design, injection moulded from ABS plastic specifically for use in the TOOB cabinets.
There are two guitar speaker versions available – the 12J and the 12R – which both come loaded with 12″ Jensen speakers, alongside the TOOB 12B bass cabinet that sports a Celestion BN12-300S.
The TOOB 12B (current RRP in Finland: 499 €) weighs only 4.6 kg and offers power handling of up to 300 watts at 8 ohms.
Standard colours for all TOOBs are black and cinnamon (as reviewed), but you can also order custom options with a painted or covered veneer overlay.
All TOOBs come with metal clip-on legs as standard, or you can get an optional magnetic plywood foot, as used on our review sample. I’ve also heard rumours that the company is currently working on an adjustable cradle stand, tentatively called the TILTA.
The bass version comes with an additional set of clip-on legs should you want to place your 12B in an upright position.
This position results in a different kind of sound dispersal, often preferred by double bass players, in addition to taking up even less space on stage. I’d strongly suggest you try both styles of placement.
The 12B offers both a Speakon connector and a phone jack as inputs. As the inputs are wired in parallel, you can also use the second connector to daisy chain two TOOBs to a single amp.
The bass model also offers an additional tone shaping feature in the shape of the TOOB Tone Cushion. The cushion is velcroed to the inside of the TOOB, and can be removed or squeezed to give open-back or half-open tonalities. My personal preference was the closed setting, but you should definitely experiment with the Tone Cushion to find your favourite set-up.
I got to test drive the TOOB 12B with two micro-amps – a Trace Elliot Elf and a Gallien-Krueger MB200 – which can be handily velcroed to the cabinet’s small wooden table.
The sound quality, sound dispersion and power handling of the bass-TOOB are nothing short of impressive. Yes, you can get the speaker to distort by driving the cabinet at silly levels, but for the types of bands and gigs it has been designed for, you’d be hard pressed to find a better ultra-compact solution than the 12B.
In my opinion the TOOB’s bass version is best suited for Jazz and Lounge groups, as well as Pop/Rock gigs in (very) small venues (like the pub on the corner). The TOOB 12B is also ideal as a cabinet for acoustic bass guitars in ”unplugged” bands.
The sound clips were played through the GK MB200 and recorded with a Shure SM57:
Some of the coolest inventions tend to make you go ”Geez, this is so obvious! Why didn’t I think of this?”
The truth is, though, that the basic idea usually is only the first impetus for going on an exploratory journey. You have to have the inventor’s drive and perseverance to grab the idea by its throat, and hold it there for as long as it takes to hew and mould it into its final shape.
Finnish guitarist/inventor Markku Pietinen had become increasingly frustrated by the weight and size of traditional speaker cabinets for guitar. Modern technology – like Class D power amps – has lead to ever smaller amplifier sizes, yet cabinets were still cumbersome and angular.
Then one day, a few years ago, Markku passed by a building site, where he spotted a leftover piece of corrugated plastic pipe (normally used for drainage) on the ground. The proverbial lightbulb went ”ping”, and Markku started pursuing his quest for a lighter speaker cabinet.
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Here is the finished product, called the TOOB™ (current price in Finland: 369 €), which stands for ”Thinking Out Of the Box”.
The TOOB is available in two guitar versions, the 12J and 12R (as reviewed), which come loaded with a 12-inch Jensen speaker. A bass version – the TOOB 12B – is also available, and it sports a Celestion unit.
Standard colours for all TOOBs are black and cinnamon, but you can also order custom options with a painted or covered veneer overlay (you can see a few examples in the opening picture).
The TOOB’s cabinet consists of a length of Uponor IQ drainage pipe. This is an extremely lightweight and strong corrugated tube made from double-walled polypropylene. The mounting rims are a proprietary design, injection moulded from ABS plastic specifically for use in the TOOB cabinets.
Clip-on stainless steel feet come as standard, but if this looks too spartan for your taste, you can always order your TOOB with a magnetically-attached wooden stand.
The main difference between the TOOB 12J (left) and the 12R (right) is easy to spot:
The 12J (stands for Jazz) is an open back cabinet, while the 12R (= Rock) uses a ported back wall. The 12J is also a few centimetres shorter than its brother.
Both guitar versions sport two parallel jack connectors, allowing you to daisy-chain two (or more) TOOBs.
The cabinets are equipped with painted wooden mounts for use with a micro-amp of your choice (professional velcro-type adhesive strips are provided). A top notch angled plug speaker cable is also part of the package.
Both guitar TOOBs come loaded with a lightweight 12″/8 Ω Jensen Jet Tornado neodymium speaker.
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Testing the TOOBs with two different valve amplifiers – a Blackstar HT-1R and a Bluetone Shadows Jr. – it became clear very quickly that both cabinets are focused on delivering tonal clarity and getting the job done with a minimal amount of fuss.
A TOOB isn’t meant to be an esoteric boutique-style speaker cabinet, full of voodoo-like mystical timbres. These are straightforward musical tools, made to withstand the occasional knock or two, and meant to lighten your load (both physically and psychologically).
Both TOOBs offer a very focused tone that is clear and bright, but not nasty or brittle. The mid-range also stays rather well-defined and uncoloured.
I think one shouldn’t get too hung up on the supposed Jazz- and Rock-connotations of the 12J and 12R models, especially as the 12J also performs well with acoustic-electric guitars, but the differences in sound are easy to hear. The TOOB 12J is the airier and more ”acoustic” of the pair, while the TOOB 12R offers much more low-end punch and overall focus.
CLEAN STRAT
Reference speaker (Bluetone Shadows Jr. combo with a 10″ WGS Green Beret; Shure SM57):
TOOB 12J:
TOOB 12R:
OVERDRIVEN LES PAUL
Reference speaker (Bluetone Shadows Jr. combo with a 10″ WGS Green Beret; Shure SM57):
TOOB 12J:
TOOB 12R:
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Any way you look at the TOOB™, you will have to concede that this new type of speaker cabinet is an ingenious solution to an age-old problem. The TOOB is just as rugged and roadworthy as it is lightweight and compact.
These unique cabinets sound great, with more than enough power on tap for most of us working stiffs, who play small to medium-sized indoor venues.
Combine a TOOB with one of the current micro-amps, like Vox’ MV50-series for example, and what you get is a powerful rig that’s hard to beat for ease of use and transportability.
Saksalainen Thomas Blug, joka on saanut Fenderiltä vuonna 2004 tittelin ”Strat King of Europe”, tuli esittelemään omat, mullistavat BluGuitar-tuotteensa.
BluGuitar-malliston keskiössä on Amp1-niminen satawattinen kitaravahvistin, joka näyttää lattiaefektiltä.
Amp1 ei perustu digitaaliseen mallinnukseen, vaan sen etuaste toimi täysin analogisesti. BluGuitarin omalla Nanotube-teknologialla varustettu pääteaste toimii D-luokan periaatteella.
BluGuitar-vahvistin tarjoaa neljä ohjelmoitavaa kanavaa, sekä boostin ja laadukkaan mallinnetun jousikaiun. Amp1 toimii sekä kitarakaapin kanssa (esim. BluGuitarin oma FatCab tai NanoCab) että suoraan miksauspöytään tai äänikorttiin kytkettynä.
BluBox (tule myyntiin joulun tienoilla) on digitaalinen kaappimallinnin, joka tarjoaa 16 eri kaappimallia, sekä Position-säätimen virtuaalimikrofonin asennolle.
Uusi Änäkäinen Simo 3D -kaappi on 2.1-tyylinen Wet/Dry/Wet-kaiutinkaappi akustiselle ja sähkökitaralle. Kaapin laidalla on PA-/Hifi-kaltainen stereofoninen kaksitie-ratkaisu, kun taas keskikaiuttimeksi on valittu Celestion Tonker Lite. Änäkäisen Simo 3D -kaapin idea on, että stereopuolelle ajetaan stereofoninen, kaiutettu signaali, samalla kun keskikaiuttimella hoidetaan kuivan signaalin vahvistamista. Triodipajan Lassi Ukkonen on ollut mukana suunnittelemassa kaiutinta, ja myös jakosuodin on hänen tekemänsä.
Tehonkesto on Änäkäisen uutukaisella peräti 200 wattia (keskikaiutin: 100 W/stereopuoli: 2 x 50 W), ja painoa vaivaiset 19 kg. Kotelo tehty suomalaisesta havuvanerista ilman ruuvin ruuvia puuseppämeiningillä. Hinta asiakkaalle: 1.480 €.
[klo 12:50 – Kaapin nimi muutettu. Lisätty tietoa Lassi Ukkosesta. Celestion-kaiuttimen tyyppi korjattu.]
Puuverstas Änäkäinen have just introduced their brand-new Simo 3D guitar cabinet, which is a 2.1-style Wet/Dry/Wet-cab for both acoustic and electric guitar. The Simo 3D cabinet’s stereo sides are equipped with a PA-style two-way speaker system, while a Celestion Tonker Lite has been selected for middle speaker duties. The 3D cab is meant to be used in a Brian May-style way – you run an effected stereo signal into the sides and feed a dry guitar signal to the middle speaker. Triodipaja’s main man, Lassi Ukkonen, has taken an active part in this cab’s design. Ukkonen also developed the audio crossover used in the Simo 3D.
Änäkäinen’s new model has a power rating of a whopping 200 W (Celestion: 100 W/stereo speakers: 2 x 50 W), while the weight has been kept surprisingly low at only 19 kilos. The cabinet is crafted from Finnish softwood plywood, all traditionally jointed without screws. Prices start from 1,480 €.
Vahvistimien ilme on nykyaikaistettu hyvin selkeillä etupaneeleilla ja grafiittikangansmaisella vinyylipäällysteellä.
Vahvistinosasto sinänsä on edelleen analoginen, mutta useissa malleissa on nyt myös digitaalisia efektejä (esim. chorus, flanger, oktaaveri, phaser ja delay) digikaiun lisäksi.
Mallisto ulottuu kaksiwattisesta MG2CFX-mallista ihan satawattiselle puolistäkille.
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