rack/road case suggestions

[mejoshee]

anyone have preferred vendors? names like affordable-cases, anvil, etc. get thrown around. who's got a reasonably priced, sturdy, medium/heavy duty line of products?one company i got a quote for was "get off my case" cases, for $350/mesa head (like a mark amp). seems reasonable, though i've seen lower prices and don't know if the bargain ones on ebay are all their cracked up to be.

for clarification, i'm not a traveling musician, unless you count loading stuff in and out of my car to take it to places like church and what not. i don't think i intend to travel with this stuff, so it's mostly just for keeping everything intact for when i take it out of the house. i have a mark iv med head, a mark v combo (may soon be a head also) and a couple ideas on a rack setup--effects, controller/switchers, etc.

i'd like a case that i could just leave a bunch of effects plugged into each other, then turn on the power supply/conditioner, connect cables to the amp and guitar, and rock, either in a portable setting or sitting together in a home studio sort of way.

is there a good way to estimate the number of rack spaces you'll need? i've tried to estimate roughly and then i always think, well that's a lot of spaces to carry all my gear in. maybe i should break them up into more than one case for easier handling. but then you have to buy multiple ones and it's not proportional for cases based on rack units.

basically i don't want to break the bank (wouldn't we all?), but i don't want to get ripped off using a crappy brand only to have things fall apart on me even though i mostly just have gear sitting around.

 

[MF]

anyone have preferred vendors? names like affordable-cases, anvil, etc. get thrown around. who's got a reasonably priced, sturdy, medium/heavy duty line of products?one company i got a quote for was "get off my case" cases, for $350/mesa head (like a mark amp). seems reasonable, though i've seen lower prices and don't know if the bargain ones on ebay are all their cracked up to be.

for clarification, i'm not a traveling musician, unless you count loading stuff in and out of my car to take it to places like church and what not. i don't think i intend to travel with this stuff, so it's mostly just for keeping everything intact for when i take it out of the house.

I just went through this myself. I think the big questions you need to answer are A)how much are you willing to spend?, and B)what level of protection are you looking for?

Personally i was like you and just needed something to protect my amp from minor bumps while loading in and out of my car on a weekly basis and to keep the rain/snow off it in inclement weather. So i opted for one of the budget cases on Ebay for about $100 and i think i made the right choice. I got one of the "premium" budget cases with the recessed locking latches, spring handles and reinforced corners...i'd recommend that over the cheapest offerings. Sure, it wouldn't protect my amp from being run over by a truck or anything but it does what i need it to. It's made from a thin but rigid plastic, the bottom is a little thicker than the top and sides...i'm sure I could stand on it without breaking it.

Anyways, if money isn't a big deal then go for a higher end one for sure. I just didn't feel like spending $300+ on a case for an amp that i paid $1200 for used. The money i saved could buy me a new pedal or two!!!

 

[fluff191]

Some very good friends of mine bought their cases from Affordable-Cases.com and have toured the country about 5 times now. Great cases. Well made and a good price.

 

[mejoshee]

anyone have preferred vendors? names like affordable-cases, anvil, etc. get thrown around. who's got a reasonably priced, sturdy, medium/heavy duty line of products?one company i got a quote for was "get off my case" cases, for $350/mesa head (like a mark amp). seems reasonable, though i've seen lower prices and don't know if the bargain ones on ebay are all their cracked up to be.

for clarification, i'm not a traveling musician, unless you count loading stuff in and out of my car to take it to places like church and what not. i don't think i intend to travel with this stuff, so it's mostly just for keeping everything intact for when i take it out of the house.

I just went through this myself. I think the big questions you need to answer are A)how much are you willing to spend?, and B)what level of protection are you looking for?

Personally i was like you and just needed something to protect my amp from minor bumps while loading in and out of my car on a weekly basis and to keep the rain/snow off it in inclement weather. So i opted for one of the budget cases on Ebay for about $100 and i think i made the right choice. I got one of the "premium" budget cases with the recessed locking latches, spring handles and reinforced corners...i'd recommend that over the cheapest offerings. Sure, it wouldn't protect my amp from being run over by a truck or anything but it does what i need it to. It's made from a thin but rigid plastic, the bottom is a little thicker than the top and sides...i'm sure I could stand on it without breaking it.

Anyways, if money isn't a big deal then go for a higher end one for sure. I just didn't feel like spending $300+ on a case for an amp that i paid $1200 for used. The money i saved could buy me a new pedal or two!!!

+1 for sure about the relative values of the case. it's worth it if that's the best amp you have and you don't have another 1200 to throw away finding a replacement.

but really, like i said i don't think i'd abuse it all that much. i'd still like one of the live in head cases, though. those seem to cost a little more than the regular lift off ones from the same company. might be because it has the extra lid.

 

[thejay]

I recently went through BradyCases.com, great guy and answered every single question I had, great cases too! I bought one for my Roadster and my 4x12 Cab