Considerations for buying a rack?

jetspeed747

jetspeed747

Inspired
Looking for some input as to considerations when purchasing a rack to house the following:

Axe-Fx II
Matrix GT800fx
1u power conditioner

I have never purchased a rack so I'm just wondering if there are any considerations I should be thinking about durning my search.

Thanks for the help

Cheers,

Ken
 
My SKB only has rails on the front. It can sure be handy to have them front & back to screw in even more gear :D
The Gator has that, but I don't like how it has 2 attachments sitting on the downside. The have often gotten in my way and can be unhandy to put the lid on (depending where your rack case is sitting on). I'd still pick it for the rails though.
The SKB also lacks a lock, but I like the look of it better. More of a matt black. Gator was more of a shiny and stinky cheap looking plastic.

I also prefer that all clips are on the lids, like on the SKB, although on the Gator they are useful to hang wires on & stuff :D

A 6 unit is the max for my back. More can get awkward.
 
Last edited:
There are different depths of racks, too. Make sure you get one with a depth longer than the AXE or any other gear you are going to install.
 
I have a pair of the Gator shallow racks, which for the most part work well. Lightweight, sturdy enough for me (I don't go on the road, only local gigs). My only complaint so far has been that the ridges on the bottom that are supposed to nest into the top of another rack don't fit into the slots...

A consideration is that these racks are *just* deep enough to hold the Axe... IIRC it still sticks out of the back by 1/4" or so. I haven't racked mine up yet, but I don't think it'll be a problem, since the lids have enough depth. If you want to keep your power cord connected all the time, you probably will want to get a right-angle cord instead of the one that comes w/ the Axe.
 
Also, if you're taking advice from folks about whether their rack is good or not, make note of whether they have an Axe or Axe II. The II is a little bit longer. My Axe Ultra fit in a shallower rack, which I loved, but the II does not.

I had to go from a shallow 5U rack that I could pick up with one hand, to a larger and deeper 6U rack, which is pretty much impossible to lug with one hand, even filled with the same gear.
 
NaturalScience said:
Also, if you're taking advice from folks about whether their rack is good or not, make note of whether they have an Axe or Axe II. The II is a little bit longer. My Axe Ultra fit in a shallower rack, which I loved, but the II does not.

I had to go from a shallow 5U rack that I could pick up with one hand, to a larger and deeper 6U rack, which is pretty much impossible to lug with one hand, even filled with the same gear.
Click to expand...

Okay, this is some really excellent information. Any idea what the minimum size rack would be for an Axe-Fx II?
 
jetspeed747 said:
Okay, this is some really excellent information. Any idea what the minimum size rack would be for an Axe-Fx II?
Click to expand...

Ken,

you'll probably want a rack that's at least 16" deep as the Axe ll is 14" deep. The other Dims are standard-width and hight 19"x 3.5" (2 space). This way you will have a little extra room for connectors sticking out of the back that you want to leave hooked up.
 
vAmp said:
I also prefer that all clips are on the lids, like on the SKB, although on the Gator they are useful to hang wires on & stuff :D
Click to expand...
Ditto that. The clips for my 3U Gator case were on the rack and would make rattling noises at times. To fix this I drilled out the rivets, flip-flopped the latches, drilled new holes and re-riveted everything. The rack is dead silent now.
 
Sixstring said:
Ken,

you'll probably want a rack that's at least 19.25" deep as the Axe ll is 14.5" deep. The other Dims are standard-width and hight 19"x 3.5" (2 space). This way you will have a little extra room for connectors sticking out of the back that you want to leave hooked up.
Click to expand...

Excellent info. I ended up with a 6u Gator that's I think 16" deep. It's working awesome and fits my gear and my needs really well. I really appreciate everyones input it was really helpful before I laid out $140.
 
Last edited:
I originally had a 6u rack that i toted around from show to show and eventually got tired of hauling it and everything getting shuffled around so i bought a 12u with wheels =) Ideally I wish it was shock mounted, but unless 400 pound guys are handling it and surfing across a stage with it, i don't think its necessary.
 
Vhalen50 said:
I originally had a 6u rack that i toted around from show to show and eventually got tired of hauling it and everything getting shuffled around so i bought a 12u with wheels =) Ideally I wish it was shock mounted, but unless 400 pound guys are handling it and surfing across a stage with it, i don't think its necessary.
Click to expand...

Care to post a picture of that rack?
 
jefferski said:
I have a pair of the Gator shallow racks, which for the most part work well. Lightweight, sturdy enough for me (I don't go on the road, only local gigs). My only complaint so far has been that the ridges on the bottom that are supposed to nest into the top of another rack don't fit into the slots...

A consideration is that these racks are *just* deep enough to hold the Axe... IIRC it still sticks out of the back by 1/4" or so. I haven't racked mine up yet, but I don't think it'll be a problem, since the lids have enough depth. If you want to keep your power cord connected all the time, you probably will want to get a right-angle cord instead of the one that comes w/ the Axe.
Click to expand...

A Gator shallow rack case will hold an Axe-Fx II, if you use right-angle connectors on the back of the Axe-Fx II.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom