rack-mounting advice

B

Bongo Fiend

New member
Hi

I have a few bits of 19" gear and I'd like to rack-mount them to conserve space. However I know nothing about rack-mounting, and I can't find any decent tutorials on the web.

I guess there isn't really much to it in principle, but I can't find any resources on the subject whatsoever!!

Questions:

(1) When I buy a rack, what should come with it? e.g. Should I expect it to come with enough mounting screws for every slot?
(2) Are you supposed to buy a "shelf" for each piece of rack gear you install? I am concerned, because for example my Samson power amp weighs a ton, and I don't fancy the idea of suspending its weight entirely on its rack ears!! Then again maybe it really is designed to cope...?
(3) Naive question, but... why are racks so ****** expensive?!! I mean I've looked at adverts, and it seems you can spend hundreds of pounds on something that is only 6 or 8 units high!! Surely it's just a pile of metal?

I just want something simple (but strong enough!) to sit on my desk, preferably about 12U high, and hold my CD player, amp, plus a few bits of effect gear I'm planning to buy. I do quite fancy the idea of those SKB flightcase type things which are fairly portable (just attach "doors" to the front and back).

Advice please!!! :)
 
P.S. It doesn't really surprise me that some racks are pretty expensive, I was just wondering, is this just a supply-and-demand thing or are they actually made from expensive metal?

Main question though: is it okay to put my heavy amp directly in a rack or should I get some sort of shelf for it?
 
If its just your amp going in the rack then you'd probably be safer to get a shelf. But as you start adding more rack mounted kit they can rest on top of each other.
 
you should be fine without shelves for stuff imho. try www.thomann.de for cheap racks. i got a tiltable 12U rack with another 10U on the bottom for about £35.
 
Carnage said:
If its just your amp going in the rack then you'd probably be safer to get a shelf. But as you start adding more rack mounted kit they can rest on top of each other.
Click to expand...
I don't understand how adding more items will help...?
Do you have a rack yourself Carnage?

My worry is that the entire weight of the amp will be suspended on the rack-ears, which are at the front of the amp. (Obviously the rack should be designed to cope with this weight.)

(1) Do items of rack kit actually rest on top of each other? I thought the whole idea was that the frontal screws were what kept them in place?

(2) Surely adding more items will make the problem worse? I.e. either additional weight will be put on the amp, or the weight will be applied to a less sturdy item below? Thus putting extra pressure on the rack ears?

Sorry if this is really obvious stuff but I've never had a rack before!!
 
the different items in a rack will not rest on each other, they should have a gap. and the rack ears will support the weight. i've got a mesa boogie guitar preamp rack mounted, with a (non-rackmount) stereo amp sitting on top of it, so the rack ears are supporting both the mesa and the amp, and there's no problem.
 
If you are good with woodworking you can buy the metal rack rails by themselves at music stores. Thats what I did and I built a wood case around it out of cheap particle board. Then I painted it with cheap black spray paint because particle board soaks up a lot of paint. Next I painted it with black flexstone paint. Its this stuff that has textured flecks inside the can. Its very sturdy and looks pretty cool too. Cost me less than $50 to make. Here are some pics:
http://users.ev1.net/~puttersonly/nicerack.html

If you're not so handy w/ woodworking then this is the cheapest rack I've seen and it sounds like what you're looking for:
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MUPRB7030

I HIGHLY recommend buying quiklok rack screws because they come w/ nylon washers. This prevents your rack gear from getting all scratched up around the holes. Also on lighter gear it is not necessary to tighten the screws as much as possible - just get a snug fit. Goodluck!
 
yea... if you get an all metal rack.. you'll defaintly want those plastic washers ( you can get them at home depot or any supply store)

metal gear in direct contact with metal racks has been known to make funny noises show up on recordings :) nylon washers break the contact there and will fix the problem
(usually doesn't happen till there is alot of gear there)
I have my CD decks and a racked mixer on my....

got a gemini rack box. handles on teh side, and a removable lid for when i feel the need to grab my gear and throw some hosue parties ;) great to throw in the back of the car and off we go :)
 
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