[Tone Depth]

When someone purchases a set of plans for a speaker design, who could do a good job building them?

[Peter J]

Perhaps you need to define what you consider "good".
Are you wanting bare MDF boxes?
Cabinetry that is more like furniture?
Assembly of components to complete speakers?
Is cost a concern?

A custom cabinetmaker can do this for you. I've been approached quite a few times, but there's no free lunch. Assuming it's a legit business that needs to build in a reasonable profit and cover costs, it won't be inexpensive. It's really no different than building any custom furniture except that it's speakers. I'm assuming it's intended to be a DIY design that you're buying, or perhaps not?  I've said it in videos but will repeat here FWIW. The most expensive way to build a DIY speaker is to hire someone else to do it.

If you gave us a little more info as to what you're considering, maybe we could give some greater insight.

[WGH]

A custom cabinetmaker can do this for you.

I know what Tone Depth wants but I'll let him describe it. None of the custom cabinetmakers I know can pull it off, kitchen cabinets are different than speaker cabinets. He needs a custom furniture maker that can think on their feet and comfortable making something new. I could do it but no longer have a shop, my old buddies that could do it are retired.

[Peter J]

I know what Tone Depth wants but I'll let him describe it. None of the custom cabinetmakers I know can pull it off, kitchen cabinets are different than speaker cabinets. He needs a custom furniture maker that can think on their feet and comfortable making something new. I could do it but no longer have a shop, my old buddies that could do it are retired.

I fail to see how the nomenclature I use is relevant, WGH, but it does make me curious as to the nature of the project. Why the mystery?

[Tone Depth]

More details:

I'm looking for someone who can build me a set of higher end speakers like Salk Sound built, since they are no longer in business. MDF construction, wood veneer laminate overlay construction, high quality finish is acceptable. DIY level speakers may or may not be at this level.

I haven't yet seen any speaker models currently available that meet my needs, so I'm expanding my search to explore Custom builder alternatives. Preferably someone that has experience building and assembling speakers. I have consulted with WGH, unfortunately for me, he is happily retired.

[Peter J]

More details:

I'm looking for someone who can build me a set of higher end speakers like Salk Sound built, since they are no longer in business. MDF construction, wood veneer laminate overlay construction, high quality finish is acceptable. DIY level speakers may or may not be at this level.

I haven't yet seen any speaker models currently available that meet my needs, so I'm expanding my search to explore Custom builder alternatives. Preferably someone that has experience building and assembling speakers. I have consulted with WGH, unfortunately for me, he is happily retired.

I did mention to Jim the prospect of me cutting a flatpack for some of his designs, but we're not there yet. I could build something like you describe, but I don't want to mislead you about the cost of one-off projects. If you'd like to discuss PM me and I'll give you my phone #. Mike Lundy might also be able to do something for you.

I thought of someone else, but it looks like he might be gone. Lee Taylor used to build for North Creek, then his own brand when they closed the doors. Website is a dead end. I'm afraid much of the old guard is fading away.

[WGH]

I fail to see how the nomenclature I use is relevant, WGH, but it does make me curious as to the nature of the project. Why the mystery?

No mystery any more. I didn't want to presume what Tone Depth wanted, ideas change.

Custom woodworkers/furniture makers are almost extinct. I've been building custom projects since 1977, it took 20 years until I thought I knew what I was doing with any confidence and another 20 years to get it perfect.

Jim Salk and his crew got it perfect every time. He built my speakers because he is the best. Jim used solid wood veneers because veneer with a backing is thinner and impossible to sand without sanding through the veneer while blending in a corner joint, and a speaker has a lot of corners. Veneer with a backing can also delaminate, it has happened to woodworkers I know. Contact cement is guaranteed to fail, not right away but in 10-20 years, even the old school highly flammable yellow contact cement fails.

Jim used Titebond Cold Press veneer glue with a vacuum bag veneer press. I used the same technique for my interior doors and furniture. It takes practice to figure it out. I once crushed a curved form during a practice run. 15 lbs/sq inch can do a lot of damage I discovered.

I don't know what finish Jim used. The guys I know use a catalyzed varnish formulated for wood. Expensive and only available in gallons. A spray booth is required. I finished my speakers with a combination of varnish and Waterlox because mesquite looks best with an oil finish. The finish can take weeks to apply. 

[Letitroll98]

The new Meadowlark Audio company is building semi custom all active speakers.  He has pre designed models that he can customize to the customer specifications.  I would definitely talk to Paul on this.

[Doublej]

You mean Pat (McGinty). Head over to Hifi Haven if you want to see what he is up to. He's not going to build you a kit from someone else, but I expect he will build you a kick butt active based loudspeaker system to meet your desires.

[Rusty Jefferson]

You may want to let people know where in AZ you're located and how far you'd travel to pick them up to avoid shipping costs.

Here's what I'd call an in between custom shop and diy builder. He is using cnc to manufacture some very nice speaker designs.  Solid wood baffles and horns.  I purchased the model 1159 but slightly modified to use the Satori be tweeter and 6.5" Purifi woofer. Using them in a sealed box with 2 subs. He also has a larger floor standing version that he might be willing to modify to use 2 Purifi woofers like Salk did, since you mentioned Salk. He'll sell just the baffle or also a flatpack box that I think generally is veneered Baltic Birch. Pretty high waf (if that's a  consideration) as he can supply a variety of different woods for the baffle to work in your living room. Finish them yourself or have that done locally. It would be easier and less expensive to hand someone a kit that's ready to assemble if you can't/don't want to do it. Excellent video ( https://youtu.be/f6S2V9D9_08?feature=shared) showing the advantages of horn loading that tweeter rather than using a wide dispersion baffle. He'll also design a custom speaker if that's something you're after, but I think the baffles for mine were just a few hundred dollars. Obviously, more as the baffle gets bigger.

https://josephcrowe.com/products/3d-cad-files-for-speaker-no-1159

https://josephcrowe.com/products/speaker-system-no-1681?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=f8aa4c315&pr_rec_pid=6804681261140&pr_ref_pid=6906044874836&pr_seq=uniform

https://josephcrowe.com/products/open-baffle-speaker-no-1695?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=acd13fc10&pr_rec_pid=6906044874836&pr_ref_pid=6933356937300&pr_seq=uniform

[Letitroll98]

You mean Pat (McGinty). Head over to Hifi Haven if you want to see what he is up to. He's not going to build you a kit from someone else, but I expect he will build you a kick butt active based loudspeaker system to meet your desires.

Yes, that's what I said, he builds his custom designs.

[Early B.]

If you have a set of plans, I'd suggest a local cabinet maker and build solid, exotic hardwood cabinets. No shipping. 

[Zuman]

Both Peter and WGH make important points about the process. I know, because they've both helped me in the two projects I've completed. The first was a CSS flatpack that I assembled (cabinet and electronics) and veneered, and the second was a CSS design and components that a friend and I built from scratch out of hardwood mahogany.
First, I can tell you that if you buy a flatpack project from one of the respected companies (such as GR-Research and CSS Audio), it's going to be a professionally-designed, high-value, well-conceived package that will match or beat the quality of all but a handful of "extreme" speaker companies. Hiring someone to finish a flatpack from one of these companies for you may indeed provide you with an outstanding speaker of Salk quality (or even better, depending on the upgrade and customization choices you make). CSS even has a number of finished models available. Because many of the time-consuming aspects of construction are already completed when you buy a CNCd flatpack and crossover package, finishing a pair of speakers may "only" take a day or two at whatever the craftsman's hourly rate is.
For my second project, a friend and I took a set of CSS plans, bought their electronics components, and modified the plans for cabinet maker-level joinery. We bought mahogany boards, selected them according to grain and color, jointed and planed them, cut them to size, selected the joinery style (box joint, dado, rabbets, etc.), and added additional bracing and baffle boards, radiused edges, etc. I sanded them by machine and by hand, and then hand-finished them in Odie's Dark Oil. I also lined the cabinets with GR-Research's NoRez, used solid silver wire from the crossovers to the tweeters and solid copper to the midwoofers, and Cardas wire to the input terminals (GR-Research's tube connectors). That took about eight working days and my friend's well-equipped workshop, and I wouldn't want to guess what it would cost to have someone do it for me. That's why Lou Hinkley's Daedalus speakers are actually a bargain (Lou advised me, too).
It's not easy translating a set of drawings to a finished project. It takes a lot of measuring, cutting, and improvisation, and then it requires some actual experience and knowledge (NoRez? Acousta-Stuf? Internal wiring? Crossover location? Terminals?...etc.). I'd suggest finding a design you like that has an available flatpack, identifying any modifications you'd like, and then having a local craftsman build it up and finish it for you after you make sure that they fully understand the important points that can't be compromised. Just don't expect it to take less than a couple of days of work (and it won't be at $20/hour...).
Best wishes!

[Tyson]

I agree with Zuman.  Buy a top quality kit and have someone finish it for you.  Designing a speaker is deceptively difficult.  Getting 'in the ballpark' with decent sound is not that hard.  But getting the design really fine tuned and sounding the absolute best that it can, that takes a lot of time, iteration and experience to get right. 

[planet10]

When someone purchases a set of plans for a speaker design, who could do a good job building them?

You could try Bob Berner @ Big Wood Studio https://www.bigwoodstudio.net/

He has a number of designs he has executed, some flat—paks, some are actually cheaper when he just builds them (like the trapezoid Low-Kens for th eLowther PM6..

He does not use MDF, which is not a very good speaker building material.

dave

[Tone Depth]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. It just so happened that after I posted, a lightly-used pair of the speaker model I was looking for became available. Thinking for a split-second I made arrangements to purchase them. The prime factor in making my decision was simplifying my life.