SKB Gig Rig Rack Case Review

Howdy!

Today we are looking at a product that I thought would be really neat, but unfortunately turned out to be a miserable chunk of crap. This would the SKB Gig Rig.

SKB has sold a ton of the Gig Rig series mixer/rack road cases over the past 15 years, and the Gig Rig (model 1SKB19-R1208) you see here is based on their Mighty Gig Rig (ambitious name, isn’t it?). The idea is to keep all of your rack-mounted equipment and mixer in one compact, easy-to-use unit.

The R1208 Gig Rig has the mixer rails on top, and they are 12U high and mounted at a 7-degree angle. There are also front and rear facing 8U spaces for amps, effects, or whatever. There is enough space in the top rails that stuff that is plugged into the mixer does not have to be unplugged when the lid is put on.

The whole thing is made of molded black plastic, and there are handles on each end for horsing this beast in and out of vans or trucks. The lid and caster portion come off of the main body of the unit and can be stacked together to get this thing to a nice working height.

So what could the problems be with this thing? Let’s see…

1. The plastic is flimsy and the lid is really hard to separate from the body because the whole thing sticks together – to the point where I am afraid something is going to break when I am trying to separate the pieces.

2. The latches are flimsy and break easily. I do not care how good SKB’s support is, because this thing should not have busted a latch before I ever got to use it.

3. It is heavier than hell – 70 pounds of plastic, and that is with nothing in it.

4. It is hard to swallow the idea of spending $500 for a plastic case.

So, the high hopes I had for the Gig Rig were dashed when it came time to actually try to use one. If a product tries to do everything, than chances are good that it won't do any of it well. Live and learn, I guess…

Mahalo!

SKB 1SKB-300 ¾ Size Guitar Hard Case Review

Aloha!

I travel a few dozen times per year for my day job, and to keep my fingers in shape (and to kill the endless hotel hours) I usually take along a guitar on my trips. I used to take a Martin Backpacker, but it is such a miserable chunk of crap, that I eventually found a Little Martin LX which is a lot more pleasurable to play.

The Little Martin is a ¾-sized guitar that comes with a nice padded gig bag that fits in the overhead compartment or front closet on most of the flight I take. Unfortunately, on small regional jets there just is not enough room for it and it has to be gate checked, which makes me really nervous. I did some searching around the internet and ended up with a nice molded hardshell case, the SKB 1SKB-300, which took away a lot of the worry.

The 1SKB-300 is specifically designed for the Martin LX (Little Martin) and Baby Taylor models. It fits a lot of the other ¾-size guitars as well, but it will not fit the Taylor GS Mini. Trust me, I have tried. Generally, it should fit guitars with a lower bout of 12.5 inches, an upper bout of 9.25 inches, a boy length of 16 inches and an over length of 34.75 inches.

This SKB case is made of blow-molded plastic with an extruded aluminum channel that seals the lid to the body of the case. To further protect the guitar there is EPS foam insulation (like in a motorcycle helmet) and some sort of synthetic fuzzy stuff on the inside. Inside you will find a storage cavity that will hold a tuner or a strap (but probably not both) and a key for the typical useless guitar case lock. Outside there are three chrome latches, including one with the aforementioned lock.

When my case arrived, I put my Little Martin in it, and it fit like a glove. The neck was very well supported, and there was no movement at all when the lid is shut. Unfortunately, the lid has never set completely flat, so it needs to be pressed down a bit to get it to latch. This is common with these cases, and I am willing to live with it. The latches work fine, but I worry that they are stuck to the outside of the case with no ridges to protect them, so I do not know how they will hold up to regular baggage handler abuse. On the plus side, SKB stands behind their products with terrific warranties and they are really good about replacing broken hardware The molded plastic handle is comfortable enough, but it would be nice if there were eyelets so that a shoulder or possibly even backpack straps could be attached.

This does not seem like too much to ask, because the SKB 1SKB-300 is awfully expensive for such a small, no-frills case. The list price for one of these is $144.99 with a street price of $99.99. It you are considering one of these, it would behoove you to keep your eye on Amazon, as the price for this fluctuates quite a bit – I have seen them as low as $65 to $75, which is quite a steal, especially if you get Amazon Prime free shipping.

This case is one of the only games in town, so if you are looking for a hard case for 3/4 –size guitar, you might want to pick one of these up.

Mahalo!

SKB 1SKB19-P12 ATA Pop-up 12U Mixer Case Review

Aloha!

Mixing boards are covered with oodles of small knobs and fader switches, all of which are easy to break off if you even look at them funny. Once broken off, it is usually not easy to find direct replacements (in a timely manner), and it usually takes plenty of labor to disassemble the mixer and replace the parts, if it is even possible. It is better to protect your mixer in the first place, which is why I really appreciate products like the SMB 1SKB-P12 Mixer case.

SKB has been around since 1977, and they make molded polymer cases for most everything you can think of, from sporting goods to military applications to musical equipment. Many manufacturers (such as Fender and MusicMan) provided SKB-sourced cases for their instruments. SMB has tremendous customer support and offers a lifetime warranty on many of their products.

I got this 1SKB-P12 case to use with my Yamaha MC166CX mixing board, which is just about a direct fit for this unit. SMB specs this as a 12-space rack, and Yamaha says their mixer is 12 spaces tall. Somebody is wrong (Yamaha, it turns out), because after I installed it there was one space left at the top, which is fine because I can install a pre-amplifier or power conditioner in that spot. It is the standard rack width (19 inches) and it can handle mixing boards that are up to 5 inches deep.

The case it made of molded polyethylene (in fashionable black), and is pretty big on the outside. It measures 27 x 24 x 10 inches, and weighs a little over 16 pounds when it is empty. It has two latches with built-in TSA-approved locks, should you happen to feel comfortable turning your mixing board over to the baggage handlers (I cannot imagine a situation where I would actually need to lock it). The hinges on the opposite side of the case are designed so that the lid can be easily removed during performances. Oh, and there is a fairly comfortable handle provided too.

The best part of the case is that rack is mounted to a ratcheting mechanism, so it can be tilted up for easier viewing and reachability. The ratchet provides plenty of stops so you can find an angle that is best for you, and to return it to flat again, just pull the rack up to its highest angle and the ratchets will release and allow it to fold down.

Looking at the case, there is no way I am going to be able to break this thing, in fact it meets meets ATA 300 Category 1 specifications. This means it should be good for a minimum of 100 common carrier trips. And after using the case a few times I have no gripes. The ratchets and hardware are up to the task, and the material they made the case from is super tough. Plus I am able to fit a few extra microphone cables and my usual paperwork into the case, which makes my other road cases not quite as over-packed as they normally would be. I think it is a winner.

The 1SKB-P12 is a fantastic case, and it delivers everything that is promised, but man oh man it is expensive. It has a list price of $405, and a street price of $269 which is a lot of cash but it is worth it to protect your investment, not to mention getting all of your gear to the gig in one piece.

Mahalo!

SKB SKB-1200 Microphone Case Review

Howdy!

Today we are looking at yet another product that I do not know how I lived without: the SKB SKB-1200 microphone case. This is a very good product at a reasonable price.

For the longest time I stored my microphones in the little vinyl bags they came with and tossed them into a road case with the rest of my cables whenever I needed to take them somewhere. I finally decided that I had tempted fate long enough and started looking for a dedicated microphone case.

The SKB-1200 looked good in the pictures, and I decided to give it a try. It has a foam insert with individual spaces for 12 microphones, as well as two roomy compartments for cables, microphone clips, or whatnot.

It measures about 18-inches by 14-inches by 14-inches, and weighs in around 10 pounds empty. This is pretty heavy, as they made it to last from military specification polyethylene. This material is molded into ridges to stiffen the case and to protect the two lockable latches, so they are less likely to get torn off in transit.

It is an ATA-approved case, meeting 300 class Category I requirements, which is the highest rating they give. It is so tough that SKB gives it their unconditional lifetime warranty, meaning that if it is broken they will repair or replace it.

This case has done well for me, with just a bit of wear to the foam over the past few years. The latches and spring-loaded carry handle still work well, and there are no cracks in the case. Needless to say, I have not had any microphones broken in transit.

The MSRP for the SKB-1200 is $216.99 with a street price of $159.99. If this product keeps you from breaking a single beta microphone you will be saving money, so if you do any live sound work you need to pick one up pronto.

Mahalo!