road case for head and 2x12 cab

[mchn13]

my rig has gotten very simple as of late, as im using no pedals at all now just guitar-head-cab. i see alot of touring acts come through with road cases with their head and several rack spaces, but they're the size of my mesa cab alone.
i was wondering if anyone made a road case that would hold a head and a 2x12 instead. i just think that would be the simplest rig ever for what i do, and have it all in one case.....
if i can find one im going to get rid of my mesa 4x12, and get a 2x12. hopefully it will all be the size of my 4x12.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

you can get whatever you want made as most of the case companies build to order.

 

[tom_h]

It's possible to get one made, but it's not something you're going to walk into a Guitar Center and find. However, you should consider the sensibility and practicality of such a setup. Do you tour or play locally? How do you transport your gear to shows? What type/size venues do you play?

For instance; if you're just playing in a bar band and take your 4 door sedan to gigs, it obviously doesn't make sense.

 

[mchn13]

we have a trailer and play as far as a few states away semi regular. i just saw a bunch of head/rack cases at the club i work at this weekend, and they were the size of my mesa cab alone. on a small stage thats a lot of wasted space. so i was thinking use a 2x12 instead of my 4x12 and have it cased with my head...... im moving basically one peice of ger oppossed to my head and cab seperate, and have them in a road case.
i can still bring my other 4x12 with us in the trailer for the other side of the stage if its convenient,

 

[billm408]

http://www.affordable-cases.com/

These guys are pretty reasonable and make a good product. I've gotten a couple of racks through them. Just keep in mind that a head + 2x12 in a rack is going to weigh a freakin' ton!

I've got a live in case for a head + 2 space rack and it's a two man job. YMMV.

 

[turmoil]

as long as you have band members to help you lift it i'd say go for it man! That thing is definitely going to weigh close to 150lbs or so...maybe more.
Lots of great case builders out there...i'm a fan of Crown Cases personally (http://www.crowncase.com). Made me a great case for my powerball.

 

[PaulyPanacea]

+1 for the Affordable Cases guys. they will make anything you want...as long as you supply them with all the dimesions. and you can beat the shit out of them too!!

 

[tom_h]

we have a trailer and play as far as a few states away semi regular. i just saw a bunch of head/rack cases at the club i work at this weekend, and they were the size of my mesa cab alone. on a small stage thats a lot of wasted space. so i was thinking use a 2x12 instead of my 4x12 and have it cased with my head...... im moving basically one peice of ger oppossed to my head and cab seperate, and have them in a road case.
i can still bring my other 4x12 with us in the trailer for the other side of the stage if its convenient,

Then I say go for it. As others have said; as long as you're prepared to deal with the weight and bulkiness of it. Just make sure whatever company you choose to have make it does quality work. Get the best cabinet grade that they offer (for the head). I'd also recommend (if available form the manufacturer you choose) a "fiberglass" exterior as opposed to ABS. In my experience it's been more durable.

Manufacturers I would recommend are:

A&S Cases
Encore Cases
Anvil Cases
Ultracase

I've have no experience with Affordable Cases, although I've been hearing/seeing their name quite often.

I highly recommend against Hybrid Cases of Long Island, NY (they use a few other trade names, as well and used to advertise as "Discount Distributors"). I had a 21 Space "Shockmount" rack built by them in 2001 and it was the biggest piece of shit I've ever seen. The inner rack would slide around on the foam, fall out and/or tilt over, because they used soft-density foam all around it and nothing was securing it to the rack. Everyday on tour, my tech and I had to push the inner-rack back in place. Their "ABS" exterior might as well have been standard Tolex covering. In some spots the covering had torn off and the cabinet wood itself is splintering apart.

I had a pedal board built by them as well and that thing completely fell apart after a month on the road. Very shoddy craftsmanship.

My current rack is an Encore Cases Shockmount.

Also, depending on whether or not this matters to you; on my road cases for my 4x12 cabs, I prefer the casters to be mounted to the back of the case. So that when stood up in position, the cabinet rests flat on the floor and no casters are visible. The only manufacturer I have seen offer this option is A&S Cases of North Hollywood, CA.

 

[NikLaw1]

I work for a road case company.

A lot of these "bargain" cases you find online are not worth there weight.
They cut a lot of corners that you may not notice if your not in a full-time touring band, but become very apparent when your on the road heavily.

*They use about 1/2 the amount of rivets most "reputable" company's use.
*Reputable company's also backup there rivets with washers for added strength. These company's do not do this either. Making handles/latches/corners..ect very very easy to come off.
*The kind of wood is usually greatly compromised. When observing the "affordable cases" page I immediately notice that the hardware is not recessed, but instead they use cheap "briefcase" style latches. These rip off really easy when in trailers/planes.
*The laminate is also usually bad quality. Cheap plastic laminates will crack in the sun and allow moister to get underneath and to the instrument. Fiberglass is the best option.
*Casters and wheels are usually greatly compromised too. Cheap company's will use any "Home Depot" Special they can find. Reputable company's use industrial grade casters and quality neoprene wheels.

Keep in mind, if your doing to keep your head "Live-in" your going to need proper ventilation for the back of the amp. Thus, the whole back will need to be a lid as opposed to the really cool "trap door" style commonly seen on the back of "live in" cases.

For the most part, you get what you pay for with cases.

Here are some very reputable case company's
A&S
Anvil
Kris Kraft
Clydesdale
R&R Cases
G.O.M.C.
Janal Cases

If you find yourself on the in L.A. my company deals with alot of these all day long, and I can swing you a deal on something good quality.

-Nik

 

[vchizzle]

I work for a road case company.

A lot of these "bargain" cases you find online are not worth there weight.
They cut a lot of corners that you may not notice if your not in a full-time touring band, but become very apparent when your on the road heavily.

*They use about 1/2 the amount of rivets most "reputable" company's use.
*Reputable company's also backup there rivets with washers for added strength. These company's do not do this either. Making handles/latches/corners..ect very very easy to come off.
*The kind of wood is usually greatly compromised. When observing the "affordable cases" page I immediately notice that the hardware is not recessed, but instead they use cheap "briefcase" style latches. These rip off really easy when in trailers/planes.
*The laminate is also usually bad quality. Cheap plastic laminates will crack in the sun and allow moister to get underneath and to the instrument. Fiberglass is the best option.
*Casters and wheels are usually greatly compromised too. Cheap company's will use any "Home Depot" Special they can find. Reputable company's use industrial grade casters and quality neoprene wheels.

Keep in mind, if your doing to keep your head "Live-in" your going to need proper ventilation for the back of the amp. Thus, the whole back will need to be a lid as opposed to the really cool "trap door" style commonly seen on the back of "live in" cases.

For the most part, you get what you pay for with cases.

Here are some very reputable case company's
A&S
Anvil
Kris Kraft
Clydesdale
R&R Cases
G.O.M.C.
Janal Cases

If you find yourself on the in L.A. my company deals with alot of these all day long, and I can swing you a deal on something good quality.

-Nik

I have a 2 head 12 space rack case from affordable and all my latches and handles are recessed. The laminate on my case is fine, has stayed in a trailer in extreme heat and cold - no bubble or crack. The 4" locking wheels on mine have been dragged about everywhere and work great. I'm not saying there aren't shitty case companies out there because there are but I haven't seen anything you're saying from affordable-cases.com
They might not be high end like those listed above, but I've had zero issues with mine. Funny enough, I tried contacting R&R 3 different times since they were kinda local to me and never got a reply or response from them.

 

[PaulyPanacea]

all my handles & hardware are recessed also. They offer a few different price ranges.. i think he saw the lower line (which does have cheaper hardware) . Like i said, all mine is recessed, hardware is all good (as good as i have seen) latches are all heavy duty. Yes, fiberglass is the best option..but not utterly nessesary. Industrial casters. and i beat the piss out of these cases. In & out of trailers, back of vans & trucks etc. over 5 plus years & after 500000 scratches, still work perfectly.

 

[mchn13]

thanks for the replies guys. i don't know if it is reasonable to do this now... it was just a thought to simplify my rig further, and a 150lbs+ case doesnt sound like fun lol. may just keep beating the shit out of my cab, and get a live in case for my head. at least right now i can move my rig by myself. may just get a live in head case and set a 2x12 on top of it.