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How not to ship a head unit.

N

Nick Ioannucci

May 18, 2005
1,148
2
Connecticut
nickioannucci.blogspot.com
#1
dont ship head units in regular racks. i found out the hard way when i recieved my new swr 350 pro, which had the face plate ripped half off because an impact sheered 2 of the screws. shippers beware!! (p.s. i also got a goliath III jr. which had a blown/damaged speaker also apparently due to shipping... ups be damned, but im getting all my money back, so it should work out the only bad part is that ill be ampless again... i changed from DB and only had enough for a fretless bass, and just used the schools... :crying: ) so lessons learned, ship head and rack seperate, always get insurance, make sure ur buying from a nice honest seller(thanks jason), and be prepared to open the box and be sad.
 
#3
I shipped an amp in a Clydesdale road case one time, sure enough it came back with the amp sitting crooked inside and one ear bent back about 45 degrees. The amp was an ultra-rare Eden VT-.40...it was trashed, never sounded the same.

Now If I have to ship something off I try to keep the original packaging then wrap some large bubble wrap around the outside a couple times.
 
#4
Sorry to hear that.

I read somewhere about a way of mounting REAR ears as well as the front ones, so the faceplate doesn't have the entire wheight of the processor/amp torque-ing on it. Does anyone know anything about that? Seems like a neat way to go. You'd have to make some kind of extender for the item's box to reach all the way to the rear of the rack.
 
#9
No! I mean support it properly if you MUST ship it in a rack! They should have been shipped seperately though...I feel your pain man.I had a 210 show up with the baskets,and magnets sheared right off the drivers! ouch! anyway. I love my new 750x! also soon I'll have the s.o.b to go with my henry! I think I made a sound investment by buying locally,because of the support if needed is here, rather than worrying about shipping.Thanx for asking man!
 
#10
I have bought and sold a lot of gear on Ebay, and I can tell you that shipping in a rack is a good way to trash an amp, or at least bend the rack ears. As the one guy said, the entire weight of the amp is leveraged on the rack ears, so the force of any serious impact focuses on those two points. If somebody has successfully shipped amps in a rack case, it is only because (a) the rack face may have been very thick, and (b) the case didn't take any serious impacts. Of course, if the rack case is additionally swathed in bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts, then the impact is absorbed in that padding. Bubble wrap and styrofoam will protect an amp from shipping damage, but a rack case by itself will not.
 
#13
I would ship in the rack for extra protection, but I would loosen the rack screws so it can move some. I would fill the unused rack space with foam. That would keep amp in position and absorb shock if dropped. I would put the amp in the bottom of the rack so its not working against its own weight. Then double box the amp. Box the rack then put that in a larger box with foam corners or layers of bubble wrap. Sure you are adding a few extra pounds, but its pounds of protection.
 
#16
yeah.. as mentioned fill all voids inside the rack (top and botom of racked unit) with a medium density foam to support the unit from all angles.. also loosening the screws slighty is not a bad idea so there is a little play in to take the pressure of the ears.
 
#18
yep well its seeming like im getting all my money back, getting to keep the head, and possibly getting cash to fix the cab(i think only one speaker is blown, its in mint physical condition) and as dar as the head goes, its possible that it does work, and just the fan wires got yanked out, it turned on and made noise sounded good at low levels, but the bad noise was probably only from the seemingly blown speaker(i tested with a borrowed head and got the same results) i want to test it with head phones but my dad tells me(electrician/tech) that i could cause a short and ruin it if things are yanked out or damaged if its not blown already. so its possible that this ordeal may work out. i can only hope. thanks for all the tips on the shipping, ill have to tell the seller who i am in contact with. incase he ever sells an amp again(he says hes going direct and all he has is a DI box and thats why he sold) thanks for the support guys.
 

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