2 space rack for MarkBass Head Overheat?

[Red Planet]

Was looking at racking my MarkBass TA-501 and was wondering if the head would overheat any in a shallow 12" deep 2U rack?

Unlike the LMIII, the TA-501's fan is at the right end/side and the vents at the left end/side. Though this amp is bigger than an LMIII I'm thinking it is still small enough (side to side) that it should not matter. Most amps (non Micro) are around 17" wide and this one is 14" wide. This should leave 2 1/4" on each side for air space. Plus a shallow rack would be cooler (I think).

Also these heads do not seem to get very warm at all when pushed.

So any thoughts on the subject would be most appreciated. I'm thinking it should be OK but not 100 percent sure.

There is almost no mention in the manual about how to rack it other than not to block the vents.

It is a 2 space unit that comes with rack ears so............?

 

[JimmyM]

They run so cool that I'd be really surprised if it caused overheating.

 

[Red Planet]

Thanx Jimmy.

I looked at Genz Benz specs on the Shuttle Max 12.0 and in their manual they actually tell you to insure 1 inch of clearance around every side for proper cooling. I figure the 12.0 has way more power and is close to the same width so this should work for the 501.

 

[jnewmark]

Let me know how this works, as I'm actually thinking about racking two lightweight heads, one for backup, in a 4 space,12" depth rack. One head will be my F1 and the other will be the Shuttle 9. Should be enough space on the sides, but I'm a little nervous.

 

[Red Planet]

Let me know how this works, as I'm actually thinking about racking two lightweight heads, one for backup, in a 4 space,12" depth rack. One head will be my F1 and the other will be the Shuttle 9. Should be enough space on the sides, but I'm a little nervous.

I will be glad to.

I ordered one of these.

Probably not the most durable out there but I want light weight and am not planning on dragging this thing with my truck.

First thing I will do is remove the rivets from the latches and put the butterfly end on the lid and the catch on the case.

I wanted a small rack because I do not use a Tuner, FX, or anything else. My tuner is a foot pedal.

 

[jnewmark]

I will be glad to.

I ordered one of these.

Probably not the most durable out there but I want light weight and am not planning on dragging this thing with my truck.

First thing I will do is remove the rivets from the latches and put the butterfly end on the lid and the catch on the case.

I wanted a small rack because I do not use a Tuner, FX, or anything else. My tuner is a foot pedal.

What is the internal depth of that case? I'm planning on going even lighter with a TuffBox case. I haul my own stuff anyway, so I'm not too worried about dropping this thing down a flight of stairs. http://www.tuffboxcases.com/ Check out the over the shoulder rack case. 12" deep seems about right.

 

[Red Planet]

What is the internal depth of that case? I'm planning on going even lighter with a TuffBox case. I haul my own stuff anyway, so I'm not too worried about dropping this thing down a flight of stairs. http://www.tuffboxcases.com/ Check out the over the shoulder rack case. 12" deep seems about right.

The rack-able depth is 14 1/4" which is what can stick out and the lids still go on. I think it is 12 from fron of front rails to back of back rails.

My TA-501 is slightly smaller than that so it will not stick out the back at all.

I checked out the link you posted. Cool. Looks like a heavy duty lightweight bag/rack concept.

I carry my LMIII head in an Anvil Briefcase that I just happened to have. I lay a towel in it, set the amp in, flip the towel over the top, and close her up. I even have room for all my cables and tuner.

My TA-501 will fit in the brief case but #1 I wanted something separate to move it with, #2 when I put it in I do not have enough room in the brief case for any of my other stuff, #3 I wanted one head packed and ready to go and another out to play, regardless of which one.

 

[Red Planet]

The 501 setting there without a home yet. Waiting on it's doublewide to come in.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

I have my LMII in a gator rackbag. It works very well. On the vent side I have about a one inch gap and on the other side about 5 inches.

I love setup because I can fit my mini pedal board (korg pitchblack tuner, Boss GEB 7, Boss PQ3B parametric eq) along side of the LMII. I carry my mic and mic cable in the outer pocket along with earplugs, setlist and a wiping cloth.

Works for me.

 

[dave_bass5]

I have my SA450 racked in a Gigskinz 2U rack bag and while it does get warm ive not had any issues with it shutting down.
Although closed at the front there is plenty of space either side inside side the bag to allow air flow and o fcourse the rear is open to allow air in.
MY SA450 also has the fan at the side (its the same box after all).

 

[greenboy]

What is the internal depth of that case? I'm planning on going even lighter with a TuffBox case. I haul my own stuff anyway, so I'm not too worried about dropping this thing down a flight of stairs. http://www.tuffboxcases.com/ Check out the over the shoulder rack case. 12" deep seems about right.

I'm wondering if this isn't another domain name for Hybrid Cases. They've made those seemingly identical Tuffbox cases for ages. Similar actually to the latchless case I used to make a fEarful Headcase. Very light, but one thing I've always liked about the SKB (or similar) is the aluminum in place of heavy steel rails. It's lighter.

 

[jnewmark]

I'm wondering if this isn't another domain name for Hybrid Cases. They've made those seemingly identical Tuffbox cases for ages. Similar actually to the latchless case I used to make a fEarful Headcase. Very light, but one thing I've always liked about the SKB (or similar) is the aluminum in place of heavy steel rails. It's lighter.

I don't know if the Gator case is aluminum rails, but the two space Red Planet ordered weighs 9 lbs. The four space I want from TuffBox weighs 5- 8 lbs. Obviously, not as rugged as the Gator case, but I'll be hauling my own gear anyway, and I figure 12-14 lbs total for two heads in a case. Not bad ! As for the two companies being the same ( Tuffbox and Hybrid ), Hybrid wants $79 for the same case that Tuffbox charges for $32.

 

[Red Planet]

I have my SA450 racked in a Gigskinz 2U rack bag and while it does get warm ive not had any issues with it shutting down.
Although closed at the front there is plenty of space either side inside side the bag to allow air flow and o fcourse the rear is open to allow air in.
MY SA450 also has the fan at the side (its the same box after all).

Thanx Dave, that is good to know. Yeah basically the same amp and fan/vents in the same place.

 

[David Jayne]

Mine got warm, bordering on hot, when pushed for awhile. So I ventilated the rack ears. This is probably more of an issue than usual in my case, because I usually tilt the cab up, which tilts the head, which tends to trap the hot air up near the rack ears. This way a lot more of the hot air can escape. Never actually had a problem, but it makes me feel good:

 

[Red Planet]

I remember seeing your amp with the holes. Cool way to vent.

 

[jnewmark]

Mine got warm, bordering on hot, when pushed for awhile. So I ventilated the rack ears. This is probably more of an issue than usual in my case, because I usually tilt the cab up, which tilts the head, which tends to trap the hot air up near the rack ears. This way a lot more of the hot air can escape. Never actually had a problem, but it makes me feel good:

Wow, great idea. How did you get the holes so evenly spaced, did you use a template?

 

[David Jayne]

Wow, great idea. How did you get the holes so evenly spaced, did you use a template?

I'm a crack machinist, so I just scratched out a grid with a caliper, on the backside. Centerpunched, drilled, then counterbored the edges. Easy to do if you have a drill press.

 

[Red Planet]

I wonder what kind of crazy/cool pattern could be done on a CNC Milling Machine. I have a friend who owns a Machine Shop.

 

[David Jayne]

If I had a Bridgeport machine I'd have done slots. Slots are hipper.

 

[Red Planet]

If I had a Bridgeport machine I'd have done slots. Slots are hipper.

How about lightning bolts with a yellow LED behind them?

Got my case and got it racked up. Either UPS is slow or GC is fast. I just ordered this thing and Bam it hit from out west in two business days, counting the day I orded it as one.

I like the polyethylene Gator Case. Only thing I would change is the latches being flipped (may do that myself) and the aluminum being hard anodized black ( the whole thing being black).

Figured out how to set this baby on a carpeted cab. You would think the protrusions should go down but that is incorrect. The two feet/protrusions go up, the two cups/indentations go down. This way it does not move, the other way it slips and slides easy.