Rack Suggestions for Axe-Fx III

I have the Gator shallow case (6u) and it works great in regards to the lids.

I use the gator 6U full depth (axe 3 + 2u matrix + furman) and stuff my wireless backwards behind the furman. Fits on my cab just right so no worries there. Surprised by how decent quality the gator is compared to my old SKB roto 8u I used before axe. Was going to squeeze into a 5u but they're too hard to find and the tight fit would be a bit excessive.
 
Got tired of the weight of my old standard 6u ATA case and recently switched to this new case SKB sent me. It's their new 6u (1SKB-R6UW) rolling rack model. 20 pounds lighter than my old rack and way lighter with covers off. The best part is the wheels are on the back cover, so no interference with the cab, and when rolling the rack, the gear is in the up position resting on the rack ears. They don't make a shallow model, but the feet space perfectly over my Mesa 4 x 12 cab and locks the rack from sliding back and forth. I also love the extra depth for cables.

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Hello Tommy,

Very nice rack, please, can you show me the back of the rack to figure out the free space on the back of that rack (1SKB-R6UW)?.

Thanks in advance


Got tired of the weight of my old standard 6u ATA case and recently switched to this new case SKB sent me. It's their new 6u (1SKB-R6UW) rolling rack model. 20 pounds lighter than my old rack and way lighter with covers off. The best part is the wheels are on the back cover, so no interference with the cab, and when rolling the rack, the gear is in the up position resting on the rack ears. They don't make a shallow model, but the feet space perfectly over my Mesa 4 x 12 cab and locks the rack from sliding back and forth. I also love the extra depth for cables.

View attachment 52193
 
Hello Tommy,

Very nice rack, please, can you show me the back of the rack to figure out the free space on the back of that rack (1SKB-R6UW)?.

Thanks in advance
There's quite a bit of room in the back. I like the fact that I can stuff my long power cable, speaker cables, etc in the back, without having to hold the cover underneath, like my shallow case.

20190325_130052.jpg 20190325_130110.jpg
 
Perhaps you guys can help me. I got my Axe III coming today - just thinking ahead of how I can easily use it outside my home. I think I might like to have a 4U rack (I think Axe III is 3U) and use the remaining 1U to have a front ported power, input, etc. I'd like to use it upright when playing out so I can bend over and make adjustments (the back would remain closed). I'd prefer it not to weight a ton so I can still sit it on my desk at home - but I guess it's OK as long as I have some quick disconnect. A shallow rack would be nice if I could get away with it.

Any recommendations? I'm not sure what the 1U unit to route cables to the front is called - but I see pictures of them in use pretty frequently.
 
I think the weakest point in all branded low-cost rackmount (think Gator) are the latches.

If you're giggin a lot, choose a rack with high quality latches.

I choose a local rackmount maker who made hi-quality rackmount with hi-quality latches.
 
It's spendy, but I love this case. It lets me have as small a footprint as possible on stage but still have enough room to leave the connectors in back connected and stash the cables there as well.

https://www.skbcases.com/music/products/proddetail.php?f=&id=1111&o=&offset=&c=160&s=80

SKB has another fly case that combines a 4U rack with space on top for a foot controller, advertised for Kemper and Line6 controllers. I didn't want a 4U but it's possible a FC-12 would fit in that rig.
 
I think the weakest point in all branded low-cost rackmount (think Gator) are the latches.

If you're giggin a lot, choose a rack with high quality latches.

I choose a local rackmount maker who made hi-quality rackmount with hi-quality latches.

2nd this; I can't recall how many I've replaced; the good news though is they will send you new ones if you ask for them; great customer support; so they've kept me as a client.....
 
I use the below. There are a bunch of pictures there showing the build. I have my power conditioner external (Furman AC-215a). I only shove it in my backpack when the place I'm going doesn't have one.

 
I use the below. There are a bunch of pictures there showing the build. I have my power conditioner external (Furman AC-215a). I only shove it in my backpack when the place I'm going doesn't have one.



This is brilliant work! I am thoroughly impressed with this build. I have studied your pictures for quite awhile and hope you might share answers to my questions.

1) What AC connectors did you use to add to the Neutrik NAC3MPA-1 ? I see what looks like black plugs from the 3 sources going into a single Neutrik AC cable. I have never assembled a combined AC Neutrik. I know how it works but it looks like you didn't disturb the adaptor plugs from the originals rather spliced three extension cords into 1 Neutrik AC out.

2) The NJ3FP6C-B section for the shure PSM300. Is the Radial device needed for your own mixer? If I would add the phone jack to the left out on the PSM300 I wouldn't need the Radial I guess. Do you mix the AXEFX with the band to ensure you can hear your self without an onstage speaker. Is this a type of insurance policy? Brilliant idea. I guess I could put the Axe Fx into PSM Right and use the left to send to the house AUX or band mixer.

3) Does screwing the Neutrik adaptors into the SKB surface require any bolts or do they fit snug?
 
Thanks!

1) What AC connectors did you use to add to the Neutrik NAC3MPA-1 ? I see what looks like black plugs from the 3 sources going into a single Neutrik AC cable. I have never assembled a combined AC Neutrik. I know how it works but it looks like you didn't disturb the adaptor plugs from the originals rather spliced three extension cords into 1 Neutrik AC out.

For the AC, there is a little splitter in there like this one:
Amazon product ASIN B01GSFFEOC
2) The NJ3FP6C-B section for the shure PSM300. Is the Radial device needed for your own mixer? If I would add the phone jack to the left out on the PSM300 I wouldn't need the Radial I guess. Do you mix the AXEFX with the band to ensure you can hear your self without an onstage speaker. Is this a type of insurance policy? Brilliant idea. I guess I could put the Axe Fx into PSM Right and use the left to send to the house AUX or band mixer.

The Radial is purely to mix an external source like Aviom or Allen-Heath ME-1's. The ME-1/Avioms have headphone outputs that I bring into the Radial to match impedances and convert to XLR Balanced Inputs (Input 3).

In all my presets, I take those XLR Balanced Inputs (Input 3) and mix my Guitar Signal directly into it. That feed then goes direct to my PSM300 for IEMs (Output 2). The main XLR Outputs (1) feed FOH.

We always have a silent stage, everyone has IEMs with full-band mixes however they want. For regular band gigs, I don't use the Radial. I sit that rack right on-top of my other SKB Rack w/Allen-Heath Qu-Pac mixer and pull the XLR's that go to the Radial directly to the mixer. Everyone has their own app on the their phone to control their personal mix however they want.

3) Does screwing the Neutrik adaptors into the SKB surface require any bolts or do they fit snug?

Seems to be super snug! I believe they are simple self tapping screws that I used.
 
Thanks!



For the AC, there is a little splitter in there like this one:
Amazon product ASIN B01GSFFEOC


The Radial is purely to mix an external source like Aviom or Allen-Heath ME-1's. The ME-1/Avioms have headphone outputs that I bring into the Radial to match impedances and convert to XLR Balanced Inputs (Input 3).

In all my presets, I take those XLR Balanced Inputs (Input 3) and mix my Guitar Signal directly into it. That feed then goes direct to my PSM300 for IEMs (Output 2). The main XLR Outputs (1) feed FOH.

We always have a silent stage, everyone has IEMs with full-band mixes however they want. For regular band gigs, I don't use the Radial. I sit that rack right on-top of my other SKB Rack w/Allen-Heath Qu-Pac mixer and pull the XLR's that go to the Radial directly to the mixer. Everyone has their own app on the their phone to control their personal mix however they want.



Seems to be super snug! I believe they are simple self tapping screws that I used.
Thank you so much!! What a smartly made rig! Cheers
 
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After a bit of research trying to get a smaller lighter setup I finally settled on the Gator 4U "Standard Shallow" case. It was on sale for $120 a couple of weeks ago but it looks like the price just went back up to $189. It's a little over 14" from front face to inside of back panel so you can hook everything up and leave the back lid on. I have a connector panel in the front and a small furman AC-215A power conditioner hidden away inside. The new setup is about 30lbs and fits on my amp stand nicely but as you can see I still need to work on the connector panel, lol.

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Here's my old SKB case for size comparison:

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After a bit of research trying to get a smaller lighter setup I finally settled on the Gator 4U "Standard Shallow" case. It was on sale for $120 a couple of weeks ago but it looks like the price just went back up to $189. It's a little over 14" from front face to inside of back panel so you can hook everything up and leave the back lid on. I have a connector panel in the front and a small furman AC-215A power conditioner hidden away inside. The new setup is about 30lbs and fits on my amp stand nicely but as you can see I still need to work on the connector panel, lol.

View attachment 57362View attachment 57365View attachment 57369



View attachment 57371
Here's my old SKB case for size comparison:

View attachment 57372
what cable lengths did u run? this is very practical. Is the furman for clean power to the axe fx and you snipped the end off the furman and connected the 3 wires to the neutrik AC out?
 
After a bit of research trying to get a smaller lighter setup I finally settled on the Gator 4U "Standard Shallow" case. It was on sale for $120 a couple of weeks ago but it looks like the price just went back up to $189. It's a little over 14" from front face to inside of back panel so you can hook everything up and leave the back lid on. I have a connector panel in the front and a small furman AC-215A power conditioner hidden away inside. The new setup is about 30lbs and fits on my amp stand nicely but as you can see I still need to work on the connector panel, lol.

View attachment 57362View attachment 57365View attachment 57369



View attachment 57371
Here's my old SKB case for size comparison:

View attachment 57372
Nice rig! But be careful. Your rack is front-heavy. On that amp stand, it could spill forward and dump the amp to the ground if it gets bumped or one of the cables gets tugged on.
 
what cable lengths did u run? this is very practical. Is the furman for clean power to the axe fx and you snipped the end off the furman and connected the 3 wires to the neutrik AC out?

The cables are about 28 inches. The connector panel was actually built for my old AxeFx2 so they are a little long.

The furman is supposed to give me some protection from spikes and surges. We have issues sometimes here on this island and I'm hoping the furman will save my gear. The connector unplugs from the furman, just like the power cord in the axe. You need to unscrew the metal bracket.
 

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Nice rig! But be careful. Your rack is front-heavy. On that amp stand, it could spill forward and dump the amp to the ground if it gets bumped or one of the cables gets tugged on.

Yes good catch. I've just gotten it all put together and haven't actually used the stand yet. need to make some adjustments...
 
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