You know those big black boxes you see on the side of the stage at a concert? You know the ones with the industrial strength caster wheels, latches, and handles with the band or artist’s name stenciled on the sides? Those boxes they call “road cases” aren’t just for the touring pros on the nation scene! Any gigging musicians should all have them, too. I’m a guitar player, and use road cases for just about everything now. Not only guitarists, but keyboardists, bass players, drummers, DJs, etc. can all benefit from having road cases. I’m writing this from a guitarist’s perspective, but much of the info can be applied to other professional instrumentalists’ situations.

Even if you aren’t making a whole lot of dough at first, as long as your baby is being transported in the back of an old Astro Van or in the trunk of your ride gig after gig, your amp’s exterior and unfortunately interior (tubes, springs, delicate electronic components etc.) are going to take a beating. Even if it’s not noticeable the first few outings with your amp, you will begin noticing marks, scratches or tears that you know weren’t there before, and then you get sort of bummed out because you liked the way your amp looked without the big scratches or dings in it.

In my case, the tolex (finished black material covering the amp) was in perfect condition of this vintage late 1960’s, hand-wired SANO amp. Now it’s all ripped up along the bottom and sides, and even though I had road cases for all my other gigging amps, I thought I could take care of this amp without a proper case. I used towels, blankets, cardboard, and pillows all at different points to try and keep it in mint condition. But after a few weeks of gigs I noticed some light scratches and tears. And after a few months, larger scrapes and scuffs. To a lot of people and punk rockers, it’s not a big deal, but to a collector, condition is everything, and I happen to be a collector of sorts. I’m an optimistic guy, and I think of those scratches and tears and dings as “character marks” and they remind me of how much fun all those shows with that amp were. But if I could do it again, I would have gotten a road case for it, but for more than just the aesthetics and collectabilty. I like having road cases for several other reasons:

FOUR WHEELS ARE BETTER THAN TWO

Before my first road case for my main gigging guitar amp, I used several different brands and models of fordable, collapsible dollies. They worked, but not great. They’re good on space, but bad for balancing the 50-60 pound amp with a guitar on your back, and a pedal box in the other hand. Curbs on the street were always tough to hop over. My tubed Fender Deville 212 amp at a cost of around $800, took a few spills over the years because of curbs, uneven street corners, and cracks in the sidewalks.

Another problem with using a two wheeled dolly instead of a four wheeled road case is the wideness factor when engaging in forward motion. When using a dolly you are forced to load it with the speakers facing either forward or reversed, and some amps are a bit wide. This leaves it somewhat troublesome to get though certain narrow doors of the bar or club because of such a wide load. Once you finally squeeze through the door, you have to wheel it past all the patrons in the bar, usually saying “excuse me” or “coming through” and usually getting caught up on the corner of at least one or two chairs in the dining area to get to the stage.

Also, with road cases, you can push it forward and keep you eyes on the traffic ahead of you at all times. When pulling your amp, you always have to look at the amp behind you to make sure its not tipping over or getting caught on something that can tip it over all while looking where you are going.

WEATHERPROOF-ISH

Now that I’m in Los Angeles, this isn’t such a problem, but when I’m in any other part of the world with possibilities of rain and a gig to play, I’m so glad I have my road cases. Rolling up to the side of the club in poring down rain, and having to wait for the stage hand to open the door could be pretty rough as is, but imagine only having a blanket or garbage bag to stop your amp from getting soaked. The Blanket gets only slightly more drenched than your amp does, or you roll up with your $800 amp in a trash bag—classy.

INSTANT RESPECT

When you show up to a gig with a road case, you are automatically taken seriously. Even if you suck at your instrument, you will have respect from the time you load-in up to at least your first few notes of the night. Like my uncle told me about golfing. “Always show up with nice clothes, shoes, but most importantly a really nice bag for your clubs, and everyone will say, “He must be good, he looks the part and has a really nice bag.” The only the people in the country club that actually know you suck are you and the 3 other hacks in your foursome.” Moral of the story, look good and people will think you are good. This impression may be short-lived, but if you actually are good, people will certainly respect you more with a road case in stead of high quality rubbish bags! First impressions make a huge impact.

Believe it or not, it may translate into a sale of merch at the end of your gig. “Wow! That band last night was so sick. They sounded pro, and looked pro too. They had professional cases and lighting. I bought both their CDs and a shirt from them! You should check them out in town while you have the chance before they blow up and tour the world!” I’ve sold CDs in places I never thought people would ever care about an up and coming band. But we had pro cases and a tight sound. And every bit of professionalism adds up even subconsciously in the minds of new potential fans of your sound.

THICK PADDING AND PROTECTION

Road cases offer several layers of protection. Steel corners and edging are riveted to about a quarter inch plastic sheet reinforced with industrial strength glue to about a three quarter inch thick cut of wood or plywood forming a box frame. A medium firmness foam lines the inside of the box giving your amp a nice shock absorbing cushion strong enough to support the weight of the amp and soft enough to absorb any shock en route to a gig or back home. You can whack it with a baseball bat as hard as you can a bunch of times, and your amp will remain safely nestled in the depths of your road case, and it would be protected from the blows not just aesthetically, but internally too because the thick foam will absorb the shock from the blows. I don’t recommend this, as your case may take a beating, but that’s its purpose in life.

CONVENIENCE

Before I got my road cases, loading everything in the vehicle was so time consuming and nerve racking. I grew weary of always having to be super careful not to scratch this amp with that mic stand or covering this piece of gear with that pillow or stacking things only a certain way just to keep other things from getting nicked up or punctured. Now that each piece of all my gigging gear has a road case, the order I stack stuff up doesn’t matter rendering a faster and easier load in and load out.

“Easier” is debatable because a road case adds extra weight to the piece of gear. In our case an amp which is usually heavy if it has tubes and more than one speaker. The only tough part is getting it in and out of the vehicle. And that can be solve by:

• 1. At home before the gig, ask someone else in the home with a little muscle. Maybe a brother, a cousin, a dad, or a manly mom
• 2. If you are by yourself, depending on weight and dimensions, you may be able to tilt the amp in and have it rest on its side, tall ways, with the wheels now facing you. (that’s what I do loading my heaviest box in the van)
• 3. At the gig, ask your band mates or stage hand to give you a quick lift-
• 4. For loading both at the gigs and at home, if necessary, make a simple ramp out of some wood and rubber or metal edging (I’ve seen this mostly with vans or anything with a tailgate or hatchback). The longer the better, but remember you may have to take the ramp to the gig too. So account for the space your ramp will take up in your gigging vehicle while designing your ramp. I personally don’t need a ramp, so I don’t have much first hand experience, but I know, to prevent slipping, you may want to include some sort of rubber stoppers or triangle supports at the ends of the ramp.

STACKABILITY

Another nice thing about road cases is once you aquire a few, chances are you can stack some of the smaller ones used for pedals, merch, guitar stands, Echoplexes, etc. on the larger wheeled case making less trips to the stage and your ride. Less trips is good!

DOUBLES AS AN AMP STAND

Keeping the amp in the tray usually works for me. The tray is the bottom part of the case where the wheels are attached and the lower latches are found on the case. The lip of the tray doesn’t really block the speakers because its shallow enough. But if the stage has a slope (mostly at temporary festival stages on uneven ground at peoples back yard parties), you risk your amp rolling away. But my amp never rolled away. The most my amp ever vibrated away was probably only a few inches. For a super tilted stage, I’ve seen guys take the lid or the top of their case, turn it flat speaker side down so to speak, and place their amp on the edge of the case. I don’t suggest this as an everyday practice, because the open end of the case gets slightly crushed and after a couple years of heavy use, the case gets a little bow in it, and the side you have been putting the amp on has trouble closing without having to kick or smack the case into place to get the latches to line up. But depending on the size, you may be able to still use the top without turning it to the side. It won’t do any damage to the case, and it allows you to hear your amp a little better than when it’s on the floor. This added height allows your ears to hear your amp better than your feet and the back of your calves hearing it on the ground,

There are a few downsides to owning road cases, but they aren’t so bad upon further investigation:

COST

Usually they are expensive brand new. There are many companies that make them. The most famous is Anvil. They are indeed the most expensive that I know about, but I don’t have anything by them. When I need any new cases, I personally prefer to order them through Get Off My Case Co. owned and run by bassist Hank Rafetto of Elwood City, PA. because they are more affordable, his cases demonstrate amazing hand-built quality, and I like to give my business to local folks as much as possible. I also bought a few used cases I found at yard sales and flea markets for under $40 (just randomly- not even particularly looking for them) since living in Los Angeles, the land of both dreams and broken dreams. Some one else’s trash or “broken dream” can be your treasure. So, don’t let cost intimidate you, good deals are out there.

WEIGHT

Road Cases are heavy. But most good things in life are heavy… Les Paul guitars, Hammond organs, and women. (Just foolin’- I like my women slender and gorgeous- personal preference- don’t take offense- plus I’m not even in the market- I already have a beautiful gal on my arm!). Road Cases can definitely be heavy depending on the size of the case and the size of your arms, but you must think about how much you are going to actually lift it. Keep in mind, after a certain size, you automatically get wheels. You will be pushing it around on the 4 ball-bearing caster wheels most of the time, not carrying it. So if lifting it into the gigging vehicle is your main concern, just remember how we tackled this issue above with ramps, friends, muscles, etc.

BULKINESS

Road Cases are bulky and take up a little space. But if music is your life, then those road cases should be a welcomed addition to your life. Make room for them. (actually an upside is, the medium sized ones make for a nice temporary end-table and accents the room with a rugged touring musician vibe (much more welcomed than some cheaply assembled IKEA bullshit!).

STAIRS

Stairs can be rough with a big case. Here’s a few way’s I tackle the occasional, dreaded staircase:

• 1. Look for an elevator.
• 2. If no elevators are available, ask a friend, band mate, or stage hand to help you.
• 3. If you are by yourself, have no friends, and are desperate, you can take the amp out of the case, carry them both up the stairs separate one at a time, and reunite the two at the top.
  Nothing is Impossible!

So, go get the dimensions of your amp and order yourself up your first road case! You will be so glad you did in the long run, because you will be able to roll up to a gig with a sharp looking case (gaining you respect), set up the amp on the lid or the top of the case (using your free amp stand), and finally be able to relax and play the best gig ever (winning you fans, women, money from merch) all because you aren’t dreading loading out now with your new protective, wheeled, and cherished road case!