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Do tube amps really need racks?

JonathanD

JonathanD

Dec 13, 2006
3,068
22
Atlanta, GA
#1
Besides shock mount racks, so racks reallt protect an amp? I mean besides knobs and sliders if you drop or knock over the amp the shock on the compnents is going to be the same in the case as outsides isnt it?

Just wonder what you guys think. The SVTII wieghs enough without a heavey wooden case adding to it. Even adding a 7-10 lb SKB rack is more than I care for. I am not doing tours where others are carrying it or its in a buss/trailer so do I really need it?

Jonathan

AND Is racking it in the rear necessary/ helpful? If so how the hell do you do it?
Jonathan
 
#2
I nearly wuss out every time I move my 50 lb D-180, so I see your point. What's more, the lighter SKB-type rack lilely wouldn't even fully survive a bad fall, let alone protect the amp. Mine's inacheap rack, but it's as much to keep my 2-yr-old from pulling off the knobs as anything else. :rolleyes:
 
#3
yup, put it in some sort of rack otherwise the chassis is directly exposed to blows with nothing to cushin it. the unit was designed with rack protection in mind. there are a lot of delicate components inside there and i think its a must over the long haul if you want it to hold up, and not to mention, look like total crap. you paid a lot of money for the gear so it deserves to be taken care of.

JR
 
#4
You can wrap a raw egg in a blanket and drop it from a roof without breaking the egg.

Needless to say, any rack whether a molded SKB type or Anvil, can only do so much to protect an amp. Mainly the protection would be for the outer part of the amp rather than the inside, in the event of a fall.
Last week my G-K amp fell off the hand truck onto concrete as I was loading in. It's in a Gator molded rack and the fall would have certainly dented the metal casing and broken knobs and switches had it not been racked. So the level of protection is limited but I'm glad I had it.

With a heavy amp I would try to find a soft but heavy duty padded carrying case for it. Probably would offer a little better level of shock protection for the innards as well.
 
#5
If I was the only one transporting my Mesa 4+ I wouldn't worry 'bout a case because I'm careful. But since it's down in the bay/trailer/truck with all the other Anvil/road cases shifting around & I don't know which gorilla is gonna be lugging it to & from stage... I use a SKB shock. Almost all of our gear is heavy but good protection isn't light. It will keep you from dropping the Fbomb & :bawl:

Can anyone say gravel parking lot? Grrr... The anti-caster surface. A real nice soft tire handtruck is worth the wear & tear on your back & gear.
 
#8
lbwdog said:
You can wrap a raw egg in a blanket and drop it from a roof without breaking the egg.
Click to expand...

Sorry, this in inadmissable. If you put 2 hard supports on the egg and 1/8th inch of plastic around it and dropped it from 6" it would break. Yes if I wrapped a Tube head in (its about what 300 times heavier than an egg, and I am giving you the benefit of the doubt on that) 300 blankets and rolled it off the side of a building it probably would survive.


Everyone please keep scale, and how much shock the hard material actually absorbs in mind here.
 
#9
JGR said:
yup, put it in some sort of rack otherwise the chassis is directly exposed to blows with nothing to cushin it. the unit was designed with rack protection in mind. there are a lot of delicate components inside there and i think its a must over the long haul if you want it to hold up, and not to mention, look like total crap. you paid a lot of money for the gear so it deserves to be taken care of.

JR
Click to expand...


I will agree about the looks and that it has to have some effect, I am just wondering if it will actually have any real effect. Maybe we can test with someone elses :hyper:
 
#10
Intune said:
If I was the only one transporting my Mesa 4+ I wouldn't worry 'bout a case because I'm careful. But since it's down in the bay/trailer/truck with all the other Anvil/road cases shifting around & I don't know which gorilla is gonna be lugging it to & from stage... I use a SKB shock. Almost all of our gear is heavy but good protection isn't light. It will keep you from dropping the Fbomb & :bawl:

Can anyone say gravel parking lot? Grrr... The anti-caster surface. A real nice soft tire handtruck is worth the wear & tear on your back & gear.
Click to expand...

Recently got a folding cart. Worth its weight in silver. Really. About 5 Lbs it will save my back in years to come.

Jonathan
 
#11
xshawnxearthx said:
if you want something light, get a gator shock mount.

if you want something heavy, get a mesa shock mount.

i have a 400+, i don't care how heavy the shock case makes it, i would not trust my amp even in an skb or road ready case that didnt have any shock or padding. especially in our trailer.
Click to expand...

This is the point I was getting at. I don't think a non shock mount case is even worth it. However a shock mount might just be the ticket.

Jonathan
 
#13
I don't need a rack at all Emergency Exit. I have a backpack or case space for cables, pedals etc. If I added 10 LBs of cable, 10lbs of pedals, 40lbs of rack to the SVT I would be at about 130LBs and a doctors bill of who knows how much ;)
Jonathan
 
#15
JonathanD said:
Bump for new question about rear rack mounting.
Click to expand...

I believe some premium rack cases do come with rear mounting brackets (like the front ones) and universal rear mounting hardware.

A heavy rackmount amp like an SVT-II, should always be located on the very bottom of any case with its rubber feet touching the cases floor (or some sort of spacer material if necessary). This supports the weight fine and makes a rear mount pretty much unnecessary.

I own a Mesa shock case (30lbs) but prefer using this 10lb. Pearson case for my SVT-II. If I ever went on tour, I'd use the shock case, but I never gig any of my expensive rack mount amps without a case. If for no other reason, just to protect the front knob-shafts and pots from damage.

DSCN1491-1.jpg


Mines got a full inch of extra space for fan air flow at the rear side...

DSCN1488-1.jpg
 
#19
In the 16 yrs I've been gigging my Mesa heads, I haven't needed anything more than the standard Mesa wooden rack case. My heads ride in the trailer with everything else, so yeah they've been bumped around some and are protected completely fine.
I hate to admit tho, but for some reason about 3yrs ago in a rage of fit at a gig, I threw my 400 off the tall stage to the floor...about 7 feet below. The standard wooden rack protected it just fine, came out unscathed. Although, I will never do that again!
 

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