Wall of Sound | Alembic speaker cabinet

Property of Strider Shurtliff

Wall of Sound

Handmade speaker cabinet

2x12 speaker cabinet (16 x 22 x 26). Wood, birch plywood, heavy aluminum brackets, two 12” JBL speakers; worn

Handmade at Alembic by the Grateful Dead road crew, the speakers used in the Grateful Dead’s legendary 75-ton Wall of Sound were designed and built to provide the fidelity of studio monitors in cabinets robust enough to withstand hard touring. The signature heavy lugs securing the speaker surrounds were an innovation, allowing speakers to be quickly changed out without harming the cabinets or causing undue delays if a speaker was to blowout or malfunction in concert.