Transporting Axe FX III and FC-12

nathan_393

nathan_393

Inspired
I'm going to start playing on my church's worship team in a couple weeks and need a way to transport the Axe FX III and the FC-12 to and from church once a month or so. I don't do any other gigs, so I don't need anything particularly robust — this is just a 7 minute drive in the car.

I've been scouring Amazon for a couple options. I've been looking at a Gator 6U rack for the Axe FX (link). Ideally, this keeps things from getting wet if it's raining or snowing on a Sunday morning. It also makes sense to me to get one of these inexpensive Furman power conditioners. That's 4U of the 6U occupied. Is there anything else I might consider putting in a rack unit for travel like this? I don't plan on going wireless, and the only other rack toy I can think of is a solid state power amp — but it might make more sense to leave that at home with my cab anyway.

So two questions about the rack then:

1. Is there any reason to get the deep unit, rather than the shallow one?
2. For some reason the 4U unit is much more expensive, but I'm not sure why I would ever need 6U. Is there anything I'm not considering?

Secondly, I need to get a carrying case for the FC-12 and one EV-1. I'm looking at this Gator case, which seems generously size, but also looks like it'll 0.5" too small. I don't need a board for this rig, but if I went that route, all the boards I look at are either way too big or way too small. Anybody have any ideas or recommendations? (One idea I am actually considering: get another expression pedal just so a Temple Audio pedalboard doesn't look too big and get one of those with a case, because that might somehow be the cheapest option.)
 
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I would suggest the shallow case if you have nothing additional to put in it.

The Axe Fx and Furman don't require more.

The 4u or 3u should be less than the 6u. I'd check other places than Amazon to see if that's consistent.

The Temple Audio duo-24 isn't really big enough for the FC-12 and an expression pedal unless you get something very small. An EV-2 would barely fit if you take the end caps off the FC-12.

Others may chime in about cases... There are a few "budget" hardshell cases I've seen posted.
 
unix-guy said:
The 4u or 3u should be less than the 6u. I'd check other places than Amazon to see if that's consistent.
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One would think this would be the case, but Amazon is consistently selling the 6U for almost $100 less than all the music stores in Canada, making it consistently $70 less than a 4U, which... is weird. I have triple-checked the fine print: Amazon is the seller and the shipper in every case, so there are no third parties involved. It makes no sense. But I'm considering it.
 
scottp said:
After a lot of farting around with the different set ups between the FM3, FM3 with FC6, AX3 and the MANY differences between layouts, views and CPU. I decided to Build a small light weight portable rig so there are no compromises and endless time editing presets to work with FM3 & AX3.

I take 1 cover off, make my connections and I'm ready to go!

View attachment 93492
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Here is a picture of my rig. 4U rack.

I highly recommend this case for the FC-12.

Amazon product ASIN B004H1RY52
 
nathan_393 said:
One would think this would be the case, but Amazon is consistently selling the 6U for almost $100 less than all the music stores in Canada, making it consistently $70 less than a 4U, which... is weird. I have triple-checked the fine print: Amazon is the seller and the shipper in every case, so there are no third parties involved. It makes no sense. But I'm considering it.
Click to expand...
Weird... Amazon US has the 6U for $219 and the 4U for $214...
 
I was looking at that SKB case, but it’s too small to hold both The FC-12 and EV-1.

I just found this: https://www.rondomusic.com/product7519.html. Looks nice to me, but it ends up being nearly $200 USD. at least it’s protective though.
As far as the Amazon prices though, I agree it’s really odd. They’ve been like this for over a month. No idea why. But the Gator cases seem okay, and I can’t find anything more cost effective than that 6U. So 6U might not make sense, but it never hurt to have a little extra space I guess.
 
nathan_393 said:
One would think this would be the case, but Amazon is consistently selling the 6U for almost $100 less than all the music stores in Canada, making it consistently $70 less than a 4U, which... is weird. I have triple-checked the fine print: Amazon is the seller and the shipper in every case, so there are no third parties involved. It makes no sense. But I'm considering it.
Click to expand...

Looks like the 4U has to be imported, so there are included import fees and it also has a longer lead time. Possibly a shortage due to higher demand? It's on sale right now, 10% off, so $270.68 CDN. The 3U is $219.00 and the 6U is $279.

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I tried to insert the Canadian link, but when I click on the link in the forum, it takes me to the U.S. Amazon site.
 
Ah, I'm not looking at the molded series, which might be part of the price discrepancy there. You're correct that all the 4U units from all the series need to be imported now, though... And somehow it's cheaper to import them from the US than it was to buy direct from amazon.ca.

I know this all sounds weird, but I've been watching the prices on these every day for over a month while researching my options, and... Yeah. it's weird.
 
Toopy14 said:
What version are you looking for?

Have you checked Marketplace or Kijiji? You can find some great gear that has been barely used, at a fraction of the cost new.
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I'm looking at this: Amazon product ASIN B0002BG4O8
(Hopefully the link works)

I don't have Facebook, so no Marketplace for me, but I've been keeping an eye on Kijiji to no avail either. Although... I did just check again and this popped up. Much more space than I need but it looks nice...

Edit: just wanted to add for clarity that I made a mistake. These are still molded Gator cases, but they're using older designs. The link you shared with me earlier (thank you again) was a different kind of molding with a new design that folks seem to like a little less, and they say it's not sealed well against rain, which is a concern for me.
 
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Humprey, I just need to say:
1. Thanks!
2. Seriously, what the heck is this place??? It's amazing!

For those following the thread who might care, this is what humprefy suggested I get for the FC-12. I can order it directly to my home at a cheap-as-balls price. I can't believe my eyes.

I've never heard of these folks before, but they look like 3M or something for electronics professionals?

Out of curiosity, I also found a portable 6u rack, and it is also less than half the price of the Gator one I was looking at. How is this possible? What's the catch?

(Also, having never owned a rack before, can somebody tell me why I wouldn't want to order this one?)
 
I looked at one of those vintage cases! I'm glad it works for you, but the sound of velcro is like nails on a chalkboard for me. (Also a spine-crunching noise: sandpaper. Sends shivers up and down my whole body and makes my hair stand up. Don't know why. If I ever need to sand drywall or wood at the house, I have to wear noise cancelling headphones while doing it.)
 
An update on my end: I think I'm going to order the afore-mentioned case for the FC-12 and expression pedal today, and probably this 7U rack for the Axe FX, a Furman surge protector, and a 2U drawer for storing excess cables, picks, etc.

As far as the 7U rack goes, does anybody have any experience with retractable racks and handles? I'm concerned that the gear won't properly fit in the rack because of the handle, which I know can be a problem for some with the Gator products.
 
nathan_393 said:
An update on my end: I think I'm going to order the afore-mentioned case for the FC-12 and expression pedal today, and probably this 7U rack for the Axe FX, a Furman surge protector, and a 2U drawer for storing excess cables, picks, etc.

As far as the 7U rack goes, does anybody have any experience with retractable racks and handles? I'm concerned that the gear won't properly fit in the rack because of the handle, which I know can be a problem for some with the Gator products.
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Ive used the gator 8 space "pro" rack with a handle. It broke within a few months.
The SKB rolling 6 space rack has a nicer handle, but the lids constantly come un latched.

my advice for a nice easy rig is this SKB
SKB Fly Rack

I used this and discarded the foam tray that has cutouts for helix and kemper and put my fc12 directly on top of the rack and kept some other stuff on top in a shure bag. My 2 cents, youre going to hate transporting a 7-8 space rack every weekend.
 
We'll see! I set up the 7U rack last night, and it wasn't too bad to move around. The handle is actually a little more sturdy than I expected, but yes, I don't expect it to last. It's almost too large to comfortably carry, but not quite.

It's not a whole lot worse than carrying a 2x12, and this thing holds all my gear.

I'll report back in a few weeks once I've give it a fair shake and see how it all holds up going from place to place. Right now I've got the lids stored under a couch in the next room while it's set up in my office.
 
I've been watching this thread, as I'm trying to find a case to put my AxeFxIII and FC-12 in as well. These cases at Newark.com look like a great deal! I was looking at this one in particular, as I really only need one big enough for the Axe and a Furman power conditioner:

https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/555-19602/medium-depth-abs-19-rackmount/dp/25AC5169

However, one question I have for the group is, do these cases allow for enough airflow for the Axe? It would appear the sides of the case are solid and would block the venting holes on the side of the Axe. Could this cause overheating? I know it's important to keep computer equipment cooled, not sure if the Axe would get that hot or not. Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Thanks to those who responded with the case suggestions so far, this was very helpful.
 
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