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Author Topic: Cheap eBay Cases  (Read 9604 times)

Chris Carpenter

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2011, 02:09:50 AM »

If I were to construct my own, where is a good source of corners, edges, handles, latches, and interlocking groves? I see parts express has most of this stuff, but am having a hard time finding the interlocking groves where the lid meets the rest of the case.

Also, any resources and reading would be helpful. I have access to the tools and people to build it, if I can get the parts.
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2011, 02:23:02 AM »

If I were to construct my own, where is a good source of corners, edges, handles, latches, and interlocking groves? I see parts express has most of this stuff, but am having a hard time finding the interlocking groves where the lid meets the rest of the case.

Also, any resources and reading would be helpful. I have access to the tools and people to build it, if I can get the parts.

D.B. Little (he posts here occasionally) - www.dblittle.com

Penn Fab - www.penn-elcom.com

Trans Canada Hardware - www.tchweb.com


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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

David B Little

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2011, 02:10:16 PM »

D.B. Little (he posts here occasionally) - www.dblittle.com

Penn Fab - www.penn-elcom.com

Trans Canada Hardware - www.tchweb.com

Tim, Thanks for the plug. Unfortunately I will no longer be carrying extrusions or case hardware once on-hand stock is depleted.

As you mentioned TCH is a source.
Penn-Elcom has their Pro Audio Stash http://proaudiostash.com/
and Reliable Hardware is on the west coast  http://www.reliablehardware.com/

David Little
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Randall Hyde

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2011, 03:14:04 PM »


You hit on the Road Ready cases pretty hard so I would have to wonder which line case you had. There are two, the lower cost being the value line which I would recommend for DJ use or jobs not so demanding, but not for pro sound.
No doubt it was the lower-end stuff. It always felt "cheap" to me.

Quote
The high priced spread has served me very well with no failures of any type. I make my own dollies for my cases so casters have never been a concern or a point of failure. I would wonder if you were using the manufactures dollies or if someone had simply screwed wheels to the bottom of the case, keeping in mind that Road Ready only has two (2) cases they install the wheels on. They also have a lifetime guarantee. If you still have those cases call road Ready. I've been told they'll replace them.
Naw, it was on the Road Ready dolly. The casters were a two-piece wheel affair and the outer part of the wheel separated from the inner part. I already replaced them with casters I bought from a local hardware store.  It would be interesting to compare their higher-end boxes against the OSP (which I really like, regardless of the low opinion people around here seem to have of the OSP brand).
Cheers,
Randy Hyde
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Randall Hyde

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2011, 03:17:50 PM »

Nice cases last a lifetime and are a pleasure to use because you don't have to 'fight' them to put the lids on, or get the "right" lid on the "right" side of the rack;
I have a (no name) rack case that has a "front" and a "back" lid to it. I used to swear at this thing all the time until I figured out that the two lids mate perfectly can could be stacked together protecting the inside foam from damage while they were off the case. My opinion of that "feature" changed dramatically once I figured that out.

As to getting the right lid on either side of the case, I just took a magic marker and wrote "FRONT" in big block letters across the aluminum on the case and the lid so there was never any confusion.
cheers,
Randy Hyde
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Nils Erickson

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2011, 02:00:39 PM »

I'm happy with my cases from Audiopile (I have 10 or so), they are holding up well.  My one and only OSP case had a problem on its very first gig.  The extremely thin black covering on the case cracked in sun.  I had to remove it completely and paint the front of the rack.  Bummer.
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Tom Duffy

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Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2011, 03:27:35 PM »

I always see these inexpensive mixer cases on ebay. How does the board feel about these? Has anyone given them a try?

I figure a cheaper case will have thinner materials and less robust components, but for the weekend bar gig, will they do?

I bought some TuffBox cases off eBay this year.  The first were a pair of oversized briefcases that I use to carry a pair of Altman 3.5Q fixtures in each.  I put a lot of foam inside, cut and crafted to hold the lights securely in place.
For this job, the cases are fine. I didn't want a big case to hold 4 fixtures, and they were otherwise just laying on the back seat of the vehicle wrapped in a blanket on the way to a gig, and took time to load/unload.

Then I purchased a case to hold 4 PAR64 fixtures (LED short barrel with O clamp attached).  I didn't want to spend $300 or more, so the price was the deciding factor.  Again, the main issue is shortening load/unload times by not having everything in plastic boxes or loose.

Grr, mistake on this one.  The walls are truly flimsy, there's no way I could stack anything on top of this case when it is in the vehicle.  The sizing seems to be off too, the PAR64s are really loose in their cubbys.
2.5" casters aren't going to be as smooth or as easy to push as the industry standard 4" wheels.

You don't need to go to full ATA spec cases for weekend gigs, and you don't need to think about truck pack sizes (in fact the smaller, odder the sizes, the easier they are to get in some vehicles when you don't have a truck).
I have a full ATA spec RoadReady case for my main console, and it is a heavy beast, so much so that I downsized my recording rig and the main console only comes out if I'm doing SR and recording at the same time.
I had a shock mount 16U rack from AudioPile, but with it loaded up, it was just too heavy for a one man gig where there are steps.
Measure the gear you know you need for your typical gig, decide what are the right size cases to divide it up into, then look for the right cases that fit that need. Price should  be last deciding factor between identical product, and then only when balanced against quality of the dealer's pre and post sales care.

Tom.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Cheap eBay Cases
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2011, 03:27:35 PM »


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