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How safe is it to run an amp without a power condtioner

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randallmartinez

randallmartinez

Aug 26, 2009
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youtube.com/randallmartinez85
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#1
I'm trading off my svt-cl for a svt4pro, and honestly, i'm just wanting to know how big of a rack to get and have it not be to big to throw up on my amp or look god aweful. The svt is 3 spaces, i wanted to do a 2space drawer for my cables, a tuner would put us at six. I think i wanna go six, but i kinda want to do both a power conditioner and a tuner and have no stomp boxes. I know that billy sheehan just runs a power strip in the back of his rack. Good idea or no? I been running the svt-cl without any protection since i had her, and she's been through breakers tripping and what not. What should i do, head, drawer, tuner, in a six space with a strip in the back??
 
#2
I found the 2 space drawer unit a great idea but of little use in practice. The drawer weighed more than my power amp. I have two sitting in my garage.

Power bars are pretty much the same whether rack mountable or not. Some contain line filters, a lot do not. My preference is to have a rack mountable unit in my racks. Others will violently disagree. I always leave a ventilated 1U panel above all my amps for air circulation.

Paul
 
#3
BassmanPaul said:
I found the 2 space drawer unit a great idea but of little use in practice. The drawer weighed more than my power amp. I have two sitting in my garage.

Power bars are pretty much the same whether rack mountable or not. Some contain line filters, a lot do not. My preference is to have a rack mountable unit in my racks. Others will violently disagree. I always leave a ventilated 1U panel above all my amps for air circulation.

Paul
Click to expand...

I was watching them youtube videos on ampegtv with dino and they had there 4pro just in a 3space. Doesn't it vent out the back? i know that heat rises and all.
 
#4
Don't bother with a rack mount power conditioner. Get the lightest rack you can get with proper ventilation, and then get one of these:

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15 ft. heavy duty cord, 6 outlets, metal housing, EMI/RF filtering, surge suppression, all for under $30. It does everything one of those fancy rackmount models does and it won't make your rack weigh more.
 
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#5
Concensus is they're pretty much just a glorified power strip/lights for the rack. Whatever that's worth to you. A power strip with a 15amp reset and a decent joule rating will protect it the same, it just won't neatly mount in the rack and light it up.
 
#10
Ya, typical amp power conditioners are filtered power supplies in pretty rackmount boxes with lights and stuff. If you want a rackmount, just buy the cheapest one Furman makes and it'll be fine, otherwise you're better off with a power strip.
 
#12
BartmanPDX said:
Don't bother with a rack mount power conditioner. Get the lightest rack you can get with proper ventilation, and then get one of these:

Link Removed
Click to expand...

... and then, fer crissake, toss that rack-mount tuner and get a Turbo Tuner instead. True bypass, tiny, weighs next to nothing, fast, accurate, and doubles as a mute.

The money you just saved on the power supply and tuner just bought you the 3-space rack you need. Or don't.

You're welcome,

-jb
 
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#14
John Bigboote said:
... and then, fer crissake, toss that rack-mount tuner and get a Turbo Tuner instead. True bypass, tiny, weighs next to nothing, fast, accurate, and doubles as a mute.

The money you just saved on the power supply and tuner just bought you the 3-space rack you need. Or don't.

You're welcome,

-jb
Click to expand...


I don't agree with this - I use a Korg DTR-2000 racked tuner, and it's very convenient... They weigh next to nothing, and I don't have any cables to run for a tuner, nor anything on the floor... I also have a Strobostomp, and have owned a TU-2, so I'm no stranger to pedal tuners... No doubt that the Turbo Tuner is a great device, but for *some*, rack mount tuners make perfect sense...



- georgestrings
 
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#15
If you have never used a conditioner, why start now? As for tuners, as long as it isn't in your signal chain you're good. Four times now I have had to explain to my guitard player that the crappy stompbox tuner he has in his signal chain needs to be removed or hooked up to a tuner out. Everytime the battery dies it kills his signal.
 
#19
I've never used a power conditioner, and I too have been playing for close to 40 years. The closest I've been to them is from being in a few bands where power conditioners where part of the p.a. rack. I never was interested in getting one for my own amp rig needs. I'm fine with a decent quality surge protection/power strip.
 
#20
It is not necessary to use a conditioner to safely operate your amp.

It also is not a bad idea to have surge suppression and emi filtering while operating your amp.
 
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