Which Rack Case?

[cakire82]

Hi All,

I am looking to buy rack case for a guitar rig setup. preamp, power amp, power conditioner, eq, ...etc

I am not sure which case I should get. What kind of a depth the case should have as I have not purchased any of the rack units yet. I have checked samash, guitarcenter, musiciansfriend...etc I have found couple candidates but I have no experience with this equipment so I wanted get your opinion.

http://www.marathonpro.com/mama16uamdec1.html

http://www.marathonpro.com/mama16uamdec4.html

http://www.odysseygear.com/products.php?sku=fzar16w

http://www.odysseygear.com/products.php?sku=fzar16wbl

I am looking for a case with at least 10 unit spaces , on wheels, under 400$ with preferably with ATA standards. If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

 

[J Moose]

Re: Which Rack Case?

Flight cases of that size cost a LOT of money to ship since they have to go freight... best to buy as local as possible. Since you have your location listed as MA I'd try Futurecase. http://www.futurecase.com/

Its almost impossible to get a "real" rack case from a store like GC or Sam Ash... they simply don't stock 'em and even if they do the prices are outrageous. Best to go direct or though other outlets... real audio shops like Northern Light & Sound.

Any sort of legit case is going to be made with 3/8 or 1/2 ply... I guess the real question is, when looking at 10-16 space racks and you know its going to have wheels, do you need a shock rack? If the gear is going to live on a truck or plane for any amount of time the answer is usually yes, you need a shock rack.

 

[cakire82]

Re: Which Rack Case?

Flight cases of that size cost a LOT of money to ship since they have to go freight... best to buy as local as possible. Since you have your location listed as MA I'd try Futurecase. http://www.futurecase.com/

Its almost impossible to get a "real" rack case from a store like GC or Sam Ash... they simply don't stock 'em and even if they do the prices are outrageous. Best to go direct or though other outlets... real audio shops like Northern Light & Sound.

Any sort of legit case is going to be made with 3/8 or 1/2 ply... I guess the real question is, when looking at 10-16 space racks and you know its going to have wheels, do you need a shock rack? If the gear is going to live on a truck or plane for any amount of time the answer is usually yes, you need a shock rack.

Thank you for the insight, I will check the local dealers and the website you have provided. Would recommend a specific brand when it comes to rack cases?

Samash have free shipping for the odyssey rack cases I have posted above. What do you think of them?

Does a shock rack case mean that it fits ATA 300 specifications?

 

[J Moose]

Re: Which Rack Case?

There are so many case companies that I think its easier to say which ones I'd avoid rather then recommend. Personally I've had crappy luck with SKB... I have one 6-banger left in service which contains the patchbays for my console. That rack doesn't move a whole lot but when it does I need to ratchet strap the lids in place.

There's a company in NY called Hybrid Cases, also known & doing business as Island Cases (among other names) and they're a classic case of "ya get what 'ya pay for" in terms of quality. I have a few cases from those guys, all purchased at the same time and frankly I'd think long & hard before going back there. The one rack, an 8-space "ATA case" which was advertised as being made from 1/4 ply is actually 3/16 luan with the cheesiest rivets I've ever seen. I'm sure that if I loaded it up with heavy gear the handles would tear out... it actually arrived with a 5" long crack in the top ply. The cable trunks aren't much better...

No direct experience with Odyssey Cases... again, I try to avoid the MI style "music store" cases because they often just aren't made very well.

There are all sorts of different ATA specs... generally what they're talking about is how many trips a case should be able to withstand at a bare minimum. There are heavy duty & light duty ATA cases, so saying "ATA spec" really means nothing in & of itself.

This is a shock rack;

Basically a rack within a rack separated by an inch of solid-core foam. That's exactly what you need if there's heavy, sensitive gear like tube amps that'll be traveling by semi-truck or in the cargo hold of a plane. The 'shock' part of it cushions the ride and helps to insure that when local stage-hands and other gorillas knock the rack over & abuse stuff (which they WILL!!!) that all the gear inside will survive unscathed.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Which Rack Case?

I use Anvil cases.

If you're not going to tour with it, I'd say get the studio-type rack that just has the mounting rails and the legs to stand on - no top or side walls.

Alternatively, you could get the mounting rails and some decent furniture-grade wood to make your own cabinet for it.

 

[cakire82]

Re: Which Rack Case?

For the size that I am looking for shock mount cases and anvils are way over my budget.
I am not planning to travel a lot with this case. There will be a US to Europe one time sailing trip in a container tough. After that It will be in my home studio and maybe occasional gigging.

One thing that questions me. Right not for the equipment I have and planning to get a 10U rack will be enough but what if I need more. And the prices are very close for a 10U and a 16U case. So I am thinking get a 16U but carrying a 10U for gigging will definitely be much more easier. Any opinions on this. Any one out there gigging with a rack case?

 

[Warheart]

Re: Which Rack Case?

I have a 4 space shock case the same as J. Moose's picture above and loaded down with a power amp, preamp and conditioner, I gotta say...Its pretty heavy man, ~ 70 lbs?
I'm not a small guy, but after playing a long set, it can make you dread bringing it back to your car.

I also combined these into an SKB 8 space rack with a few effects units and it was still, pretty heavy, but I can't imagine lifting a 10 space shock rack.

How much gigging are you planning on doing with a 10 space rack? and are you going to need a vehicle to fit that?

If you can, separate your rack into two cases that can be easily stacked, say, preamp & poweramp in one, and your effects in another, to make it easier to lift, to fit into different vehicles, and you can run it without effects. Plus your effects rack probably won't be as heavy as the other.
Also, plugging in a few cables to connect the two racks doesn't hurt at the setup for each gig, it'll give you a chance to check and see that all the cables are still plugged in anyways.

I might also add, I've since moved to back to using a head and rack effects, I've got a 4 space shallow effects rack which is much easier to move for my uses.

If you know of any sound production companies in your area, give them a call and see if they have any used rack cases, couldn't hurt, and you might get a could deal.

Sorry for the long post!

 

[J Moose]

Re: Which Rack Case?

Good stuff to ponder there ^^^

An empty 16 space rack, especially a shock rack weighs 125+ pounds before any gear is installed. Loaded up it could easily be 250-300.

While I don't have a rack in my guitar rig, I DO carry a bunch of racks for the production stuff and frankly, 6-8 spaces is about as large as I want to go. There's a trade off in size vs. weight vs. what can fit in a "standard" vehicle especially if you want the gear to travel without getting flipped 6 ways to Sunday.

If you'll be doing a trip to Europe on a container ship once it could happen twice... its not every day you buy a large rack. Best to buy it once and have it last a lifetime which it will if you get a quality piece. Frankly I'd pony up the extra cash for a shock-rack. Chances are good that at some point in its travel, the rack WILL be tipped. Hopefully gently... I've seen a few go over hard too.

Whats more expensive? Replacing gear or buying a rack? Or worse, replacing gear that was smashed in transit?

$500-700 should be enough for a quality 10-space shock rack... you need to stop looking at Guitar Center and the MI stores.

On the flip side, one solution may be a case from these guys... I have no direct experience with them, but I have ordered a bunch of cables & other bits & bobs over the years and its all been quality... though sometimes quality for the price-point. At least the cases look well made with reinforced rivets etc.

http://www.audiopile.net/products/Cases/Case_products_page.shtml

 

[cakire82]

Re: Which Rack Case?

Thank you for all these helpful insight guys. I think I will go for a 8U shock mount with wheels. I can always add another 8U on it later. Which would make transportation much easier although it will cost me more

Thanks a lot.

 

[pinto79]

Re: Which Rack Case?

I've had great success with my 6 space Carvin rack case, very solid, made of wood and aluminum rather than plastic.

Here's a 12 space: http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=RW12&cid=59

 

[cakire82]

Re: Which Rack Case?

I've had great success with my 6 space Carvin rack case, very solid, made of wood and aluminum rather than plastic.

Here's a 12 space: http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=RW12&cid=59

I like Carvin products. They are very solid but I have never tried their rack cases. They really look good and they seem to be made from 3/8 ply wood.
Price is very reasonable too. I can get 2 6U racks and a Dolly way under my budget.

They are not shock cases but Is the construction heavy duty? Any flows or weaknesses? Has anyone else have any experience with them?