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Case for 400+

#2
Be aware that the 400+ has a side ventilation fan and unless you use a shock rack you will need to drill side holes on each side for ventilation. I found a four space Gator rack to suit best as the recessed handles are in the right space to drill ventilation holes, and this has served me without a problem for many years. There have been a few threads on this over the years.
 
#3
i got an ny island case of ebay and it worked perfectly...if you want super super super duty.....get the mesa roadcase....the shockmount one.

and as for ventilation....i do not have a shockmount and it ventilates perfectly. sooo hmmmm i'd like more insight to that Tim for further education.
 
#4
It will fit in a standard SKB 4 space, but I agree that there's not enough ventilation space. While you could drill out and mod the case, I instead chose to find something else. I picked up a 5 space non-moulded rack for mine, that way there was space at the top too. I also ran a clip fan on the back of my amp at all times on stage. That fan is only on one side, and the tubes on the other side of the amp were noticably hotter.

I also had a 4-space Mesa shock rack for the amp, which DID have enough room for good air flow, but was way to big and heavy to carry.
 
#5
Tim1 said:
Be aware that the 400+ has a side ventilation fan and unless you use a shock rack you will need to drill side holes on each side for ventilation. I found a four space Gator rack to suit best as the recessed handles are in the right space to drill ventilation holes, and this has served me without a problem for many years. There have been a few threads on this over the years.
Click to expand...


So there were no issues with the outside corners of the amp fitting with the inside corners of the 4U case?
 
#6
I think I might be "overthinking" this. I guees the real issue would be getting enuff air into it. Would I benefit leaving the top cover off and adding a fan in such a way to not break any tubes with cables and etc? Im looking for a way to keep it as cool as possible. Tubes are not cheap!
 
#7
I don't think you need to remove the top. I think that it's got vents on it IIRC (I sold my 400+ about 2 years ago), and I don't think it's terribly enclosing to start with. The real problem comes from ventilation, or lack therein from the fan on one side to the other side. I really think that it's a design flaw...especially once its closed in an exterior case. Now, I tried to keep my tubes cool so that they wouldn't break up as easily and get that 'hot tube sponginess' that saturates the sound when they do get that hot. I wanted to to remain clean and controlled. You may want something else.
 
#8
I have had absolutely no issues with mine in the Gator 4 rack case with side holes drilled, and that includes driving it fairly hard for long periods in hot outdoor festivals. This has been debated before, and I used the Gator with side holes based on the advice offered in past threads.
 

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