well, the top of my 4x12 is beginning to look like a fuckin game of Jenga, and I realize that it's only going to get worse from here. and since i'm tired of watching my power conditioner and my equalizer race each other off the edge of my amp every time i play loud, i'm going to break down and buy an effects rack (prolly somewhere in the neighborhood of an 8U or 10U).

what are the best brands out there? is there much of a difference between them, or is one as good as the other? SKBs looks alright, but are they?

and before anyone asks, yes: i, the n00b, am also researching it elsewhere (google, Harmony Central, etc.). but i'm asking here, too. so if there's another thread on the subject, I'm all-eyes.

http://djdeals.com/cases.htm#RACK
http://djdeals.com/skbRLX.htm

Thats where I just got my new rack.
Is only 6u, but I thinks thats enough. My plans with it are:
1-Furman PC
2-Pre-amp
3-Power-Amp
4-Effects
5-BBE or EQ or somthing
6-Rack shelf.

So 6 seems plenty for a normal size rig.

www.adueinteriors.com/pics/rack/
I got the roller one.

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i have a 3U power amp, a 2U EQ, and a 1U power conditioner (at least, i'm fairly sure that's how many spaces they would take up). plus, i may end up getting an ISP Decimator, which is another 1U, i think. so that's 7U of shit; but they only make 'em in even values, so that means 8U; and maybe 10U if i think i'll need room to grow (rack tuner, compressor, a second power amp, etc.).

the SKB in the pics from your last link is right in the neighborhood of what i'm lookin for. that's a 6U with 4 1U pieces of gear in it, right?

The bigger the rack...the heavier it will be. And it will always be a pain in the ass to move. I myself have a grundorf MLD-06. Its a 6U rack and it weighs next to nothing. It is also cheaper than plastic molded cases. Unless you use your rack as a baseball or something you wont have any problem with damage or anything. It only cost me 60 USD but its priced at 80 USD

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correct

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Excellent. That means that I'm not a completely uninformed turd. I now know what I need, at least.

And Corpsevomit, I need a rack that can stand up to frequent transportation and the abuse sometimes inherent thereto; and at the same time keep all of my gear consolidated. having to move an EQ, a power amp, and a power conditioner as three separate pieces is a bitch right now as it is, and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I added a rack noise gate on top of that. I'm not so much worried about the weight because I've moved bass cabs by myself before (it's mainly an issue of motivation - heh), and bandmates are usually around to help. I'd just prefer a heavy, durable rack box that I can rely on to one that's easy to move but even easier to worry about.

If you need durability get an ATA approved case (Road Ready). They are heavy as shit but they can get the living fuck beaten out of them and still protect your shit. The only problem is that they are more expensive. But if you got the cash its best to do that. And its not so much the wieght sometimes, but the akwardness of carrying it. if its front heavy and you grab it the wrong way it can do 1 of 2 things, break your wrist, or make you drop expensive equipment.

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Look up "shock mount" rack cases,a tad more expensive but they should keep your gear safe inside the rack, if it does for real tho I don't know, haven't ever owned one

http://www.cases2go.com/assets/imag...ount_detail.jpg
That's a shock mounted rack, I think what it does is that it .. I can't explain in english But you get the idea by looking at the picture I asume

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yeah, it's incorporating a layer of shock-absorbant foam in between the actual rack slots and the case exterior, right? it looks cool, but it also looks very, very bulky due to the added volume from the foam. and yeah, since my case would definitely be front-heavy (and right-heavy if i'm carrying it from behind -- eek), then minimal bulk would be the better way for me to go.

i think an ATA-approved case might be more along the lines of what i'm lookin for. Corpsevomit (or anyone else, for that matter), which company is generally known to make the best ones?

Road Ready

EDIT: And the handles are usually on the side so you really wont have too big of a problem for it being "right heavy." Im not positve but i think a 6 space from any non-guitar center made by road ready should be about $180

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excellent. i'll check 'em out.

How 'bout one 4U and one 6U racks? They'll be more portable that way.

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also an option, but probably more expensive. would two effects racks on top of each other on top of a 1/2 or full stack be stable?

depends on how bulky the cab is. Road ready rack cases have stacking corners so as long as the bottom rack is stable the top will be.

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what does running a pre-amp into a power amp do in a rack setup?
i'm looking into getting a rig started this summer. powerball through a framus cobra 4x12 straight.

my rig until I can afford a powerpall is :

Engl 620 preamp
peavy classic 60/60 poweramp
rocktron intellifex

I see no need for anything else.

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Togeather, they act as an amp

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a Powerball into a Cobra 4x12 wouldn't involve power amp/preamp connections. the Powerball is a full head, with sections that serve both purposes in one housing. but maybe i'm misreading your post. a preamp into a power amp does just what Timur said, with the pre-amp providing tone (tubes, equalization, gain/distortion, presence, etc.) and the power amp providing volume and the wattage to push the cab it's running into.

as for my cabinet, it's a Marshall JCM 900 angled. all my gear is the same width across, and fits perfectly in between the two panels that are where the wheel receptacles (y'know, for stacking on a rolling cab) would be were they part of the design. so yeah, the RRs would be stable, especially with my heavy-ass power amp on the very bottom.

by the way, about how heavy do you think this fucker would be? i'm still toying with the idea of a 6U and a 4U, but this is really along the lines of what i was originally looking for.

40 kilo'sish

so about 80 pounds? that's not too bad...