Members Si. Posted April 29, 2009 Members Share Posted April 29, 2009 Hi all.. recently finished my first rack setup but one thing I didn't think about was the weight of a rack. I was using Gator G-tour 6u rack, with: Power ConditionerJMP-1 Pre-ampG-MajorMesa 50/50 I was totally shocked by the weight of the thing.. I keep my gear upstairs in a spare bedroom and i had great difficulty getting it down the stairs.. so much so I've had to split it into a 4u and 2u rack to make it manageable..but it'a a pain having 2 cases instead of 1. How do others deal with the weight of small (6u) racks.. Si Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members methusalem Posted April 29, 2009 Members Share Posted April 29, 2009 ummm.. simple. Avoiding stairs. That's pretty much all you can do, if you don't want to split it up. That's why for smaller gigs, when I know I will have to get up/down stairs, I'll only use my head and a 2x12 cab. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich4Once Posted April 29, 2009 Members Share Posted April 29, 2009 When my gear is at home (rarely nowadays) it's in the basement. My rule is that I don't own any gear that I'm unable to move by myself. Consequently, I use 2x12 cabs instead of 4x12s, and two 6U racks instead of one 12U rack. There's a difference between heavy and immovable. A 6U rack can be heavy, but not impossible for one guy to carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oddone Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Get strong (and stupid) friends. Unless im really motivated i leave my rack and cab at home and take a combo. For practice... Live, i get somebody to give me a hand moving the 8 space down the stairs along with the 50kilo cab. I can move the rack myself its just stupidly dangerous to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacehog26 Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 I can carry my 12U rack upstairs, but it ain't a lot of fun (it's probably around 80kg). A 4x12 cab's a fairly easy lift by comparison, and I sold all 3 of those because I was fed up with moving them. Removing the rear panel (which has 5 pedals mounted to it - used as a sub pedalboard) helps a lot. I'm seriously considering buying a stair-climber trolley (or a bungalow). Once it's on one level, I've got a home-made dolly cart with flightcase castors that it lives on for transport. I've also got a Rock'n'Roller R2 microcart that my 2x12 cabs and my main pedalboard travel on. The head cases have wheels (they're actually Protection Racket drum hardware bags). Nothing gets carried any further than it has to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted April 30, 2009 Members Share Posted April 30, 2009 Separate the 50/50 from the rest of the rack, and it should be a lot lighter. If you can keep the 50/50 in a separate rack, if you've got the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rotebass Posted May 1, 2009 Members Share Posted May 1, 2009 I can left my 12U but it's a lot of work. I'll admit that I've let myself go lately (pregnant girlfriend) and need to hit the gym badly, I used to move an 8U full of power amps no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NyteOwl Posted May 1, 2009 Members Share Posted May 1, 2009 Hand truck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members From The Broken Posted May 1, 2009 Members Share Posted May 1, 2009 I have my amp head and a 10 space rack all in one...so talk about a pain in the butt to move!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Inazone Posted May 1, 2009 Members Share Posted May 1, 2009 The best thing I've found, at least for shallow rackmount units, is the 3U cases with molded handles. You can carry one in each hand, which makes it much easier to navigate stairs and doorways. That's what I use at my band's rehearsal space, with a power amp in one case and preamp/gate/power conditioner in the other. I have a fairly nice RoadReady (or RoadRunner?) 4U rack case with a power amp and conditioner in it, and the weight is just ridiculous. It's a sturdy case, but very heavy on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oddone Posted May 2, 2009 Members Share Posted May 2, 2009 The best thing I've found, at least for shallow rackmount units, is the 3U cases with molded handles. You can carry one in each hand, which makes it much easier to navigate stairs and doorways. That's what I use at my band's rehearsal space, with a power amp in one case and preamp/gate/power conditioner in the other.I have a fairly nice RoadReady (or RoadRunner?) 4U rack case with a power amp and conditioner in it, and the weight is just ridiculous. It's a sturdy case, but very heavy on its own. Yeah my 8 unit road ready is a heavy bastard empty. funnily enough i had a 6unit which was heavier then the 8 unit some how... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oddone Posted May 6, 2009 Members Share Posted May 6, 2009 What the {censored}? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimosity Posted May 6, 2009 Members Share Posted May 6, 2009 I had the same problem with my rack...I have a 12 space boogie shockmount with a VHT 2/90/2, two Egnater M4s, misc fx units/wireless/tuner/etc. I simply couldn't lift the bastard by myself or get it up my stairs...SUCKED to have to wait for someone to come over to help me get it into the truck for gigs. I got the AxeFX and mounted two Crate PowerBlocks onto a rack shelf - put it all in a 6 space rack with my wireless and now my rig sounds just as good, but weighs about 25 pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kazak Posted May 28, 2009 Members Share Posted May 28, 2009 My solution also! Axe-Fx Rules! I sold 8 amps and 6 cabs, and a rack with Mesa TA/2:90/Eventide. I have a lot of really nice guitars now too. Axe in 2 space rack-bag 16lbs JBL PRX512 42lbs kicks butt! I am getting old and I can carry rig and guitar no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigMESA Posted May 29, 2009 Members Share Posted May 29, 2009 My rack weighs in at 170lbs and is far too large for me to handle by myself. That is why I am in a band and have bandmates I've never had to go up or down a lot of stairs with it though and it is on wheels so I roll it everywhere, even through mud lol. I have no plans on reducing the size and will probably start building another matching sized rack for it soon. It's heavy but man is it worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Si. Posted May 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted May 29, 2009 Woah, that's heavy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ambient Posted May 29, 2009 Members Share Posted May 29, 2009 I'm about to get a 4 space shockmount for my power amp and then pre, fx etc as I build up my rack. The plan is that when I run out of room I get a 2 or 3 space for my power amp only. The idea being to keep the heavy stuff separate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members starsnuffer Posted May 29, 2009 Members Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hit the gym. That rack isn't heavy. Lift with your legs and hold it close to your body, with the front of the units facing up. -W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ventanaman Posted June 1, 2009 Members Share Posted June 1, 2009 I used the SKB 8-space Roto-rack (wheeled) and it was very helpful to move around a 90lb. rack. Now I am with the AxeFx, Furman, and a ART SLA-2 in a short 4-space Gator - all for less than 40lbs and very compact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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