Re: Would you pay $100 more for an amp that came in an ATA case?
Gearjoneser said:
When you'd open the box, you'd pull off the top bag, that's formed around the amp, and then pull the amp out. Look into a liquid foam sprayer.
Boogie does the same thing, the liquid foam bit and it's hella' secure. I'm convinced that anything packed in liquid foam can survive a drop off a loading dock but
only because I've seen it happen!
As for the ATA case, I'd say it depends. If someone's going to do some heavy traveling with it then it's worth the money. OTOH, if the amp is a studio/home piece that's never going farther then the local bar then a case is a waste of money & a waste of space. Eons ago when I bought a used VHT 1x12 Pitbull it came with a Calzone case and I was trying to get the store to keep the case and save me $50 on the deal. They wouldn't hear of it and I never transported the amp in the case because of the added weight and size...it just wouldn't fit into the car easily. I traded the amp for an AC30 but I still have the case & use it as a table!
The other thing is that not all "ATA" cases are created equally. A real deal ATA case has been tested and approved by the Airline Transit Assoc. and can withstand
lots of constant abuse. There's some kinda policy in place that if the gear gets busted while in transit
and it's in an approved case, properly insured & packed etc. the airline and/or cargo company HAS to pay up, a search for ATA specs or ATA requirements should pull up the info. On the flip side, if the gear is in a lightweight "ATA style" case which hasn't actually been approved then your SOL if you try to collect even if you paid for extra insurance. They'll nail you on the "improperly packed" routine.
Been there, done that.
Suckage.
Generally a really expensive & heavy case is that way for a reason. That $50 case in the link looks like it wouldn't hold up too well. It's probably made of 1/4" luan ply with lightweight aluminum rails & cheesy rivits that'll start to pull out after a while, latches that work loose after a few hundered turns etc.The lightweight case just isn't going to protect the gear & hold up like a "real" flight case. The materials alone for a true ATA case cost well in excess of $50!
Check out these cases;
http://www.hybridcases.com/hybridmusicindex.htm Look at the visual difference between the "ATA" case and the others. What would you
rather have the gear in? Granted, the light duty case will protect it, but it won't be enough to protect it from the monkeys that work for the freight companies. If it's a real ATA case, you can slap a shipping label on and send the rig off on it's merry way and 99.2% of the time it'll arrive intact even if it goes halfway around the world!! On the lightweight cases the exposed latches & handles will get sheered off in transit! And just for comparison check out the pricing with Hybrid, they're pretty competitive for real cases...better then Calzone & Anvil which are a bit overpriced IMO. Future Case in MA is pretty good too, Road Ready...there's a bunch of 'em out there.
About a year ago when I closed down my studio and went into production I had to score rack cases to carry my gear around in. I
really balked at the idea of spending $200-ish per 6-space rack but really...it's transporting $2000-3000 compressors, EQ's and the like so one rack might have $7500 of gear in it. When I looked at the $175 case next to the $75 look-alike there was just NO comparison...like comparing a Squire Strat or a MIM to a Custom Shop piece. Yah, they were expensive but it's piece of mind & protection. IMHO, it's totally worth
every penny. You're building beautiful amps...why stick them in the equivilent of a chipboard case???
Peace,
