So I have owned a couple micro heads and one thing has ways worried me.. Stepping on a wire and pulling the whole thing off the top of the cab. I think that's why I like rack mountable stuff.. Am I alone?
I use a wireless most of the time, and if I don't, I use a long cord. But I've pulled down my share of rigs, micro or not. You don't have to use a micro for this to be a problem.
I usually velcro (or even tie) the cable to a cabinet handle, and then run it to the micro head. That way, if you pull too hard on the cord if you're too far away, the pressure is put on the cab handle, and the head is not really in danger of being pulled off the top of the cab.
use a wireless, or use a pedal tuner or pedal board w/ the cable's amp end looped around cabinet handle.
I do this as well. But I have always done this regardless of the type of amp head. If I pull the whole rig down then it's on me. Musta been one hell-of-a show!
As a teenager, I carefully saved my pennies to buy a brand new Peavey head. A few weeks later I pulled it down from the top of a full stack of speakers. I was terrified. The Peavey just kept on chugging for another 20 years until I finally sold it.
This is what I often do on my rig. Plus, my guitar cable goes to my pedal board, not my amp head. It can still get tripped over, but I can't pull it down just by walking too far away. Velcro is a really interesting idea, though. I'm going to think that one over...
That's what I've been doing. The only way I could pull the head off the cabinet would be to pull the cord so hard I yanked the entire cabinet over. I simply don't jump around THAT vigorously!
For my Genz-Benz Shuttle, I use the slide-in rack that comes as part of its combo setup. If you REALLY want to lock something down and still make it removable, velcro is for lightweights....I have a better idea. 3M makes stuff called Dual-Lock which is a great deal harder to separate...it actually uses small plastic tabs which interlock and as a result, takes many times more force to separate than any kind of velcro does. I use it to fasten push-to-talk mics down in classrooms when I don't want them to get stolen. Here's a blurb from a website: 3M™ Dual Lock™ Reclosable Fasteners are a fastening solution that can replace screws, bolts and rivets. The fasteners contain hundreds of mushroom-shaped stems that audibly "SNAP" together to form a secure attachment with strong adhesive backings that adhere to your substrate. It's expensive, but getting just a small sample pack gives you plenty of Dual Lock. I think this small pack would fasten down any micro head adequately. If in doubt, get two. Each inch of product is rated to hold 2 pounds on a wall; the pack holds matching strips of 3" length, rated for 6 pounds...on a vertical wall surface. Buy two and you're good for 12 pounds. On a horizontal surface, my estimate is that it would hold twice the weight rated for a wall mounting. http://www.compsource.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=RFD7090&vid=4&src=F {} Do a web search and you'll be surprised how good this stuff is, and how expensive. It's something to buy in small packs, not rolls...because a roll of 5 yards is more than $100.
Dual Lock is pretty cool, but it works so well I've found it annoying for things that will be stuck together and taken apart frequently. But if you're fastening things that you'll leave stuck together, it's fantastic!
Small pedal board, cable back to amp and around a handle for strain relief and just a modicum of 'care' in foot placement seem to do the trick for me.
Velcro is pretty amazing stuff. I don't own a class D amp, but if I did, I'd go that route...easy, quick and cheap.
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