box building help or plans?

[matthew]

Hi. I would like to build a 'road case' for a guitar amp head. Just a plywood box, with a hinged lid, that would be about 2 inches larger than the amp in all directions to allow room for some foam padding. I haven't been able to find any sort of plans for this. i'm pretty amature as far as woodworking, so I'd rather not draw up plans for this from scratch, as that seems a bit overwhelming... so my question is: does anyone know where I could find plans for any basic, hinged lid plywood type box, and I could perhaps modify to my own need? thanks for your time!
-matt

[daveferg]

Can only help with a few observations on the type of box you describe. First, the lids are usually a top and 4 sides, for stability. Second, most of these boxes, used over and over, had sheet metal on edges and seams to reduce the wood from fraying/splintering. Also, heavy, recessed handles and casters.

[matthew]

thanks dave, yeah i'm planning on protecting the edges for sure, and the lid idea should work out as well.. thanks for the reply.
-matt

[aawood]

Matthew, you might check www.cabinetmakeronline.com and do a search on their back issues. They did a story about four or five issues back (I think) about a shop that specialized in this type of product. The story was primarily about the shop but if I remember correctly, they had some good pictures and descriptions of just this type of product and some links to hardware. I will try to find the specific issue later tonight and post it.

[merickson]

A guitar head amp? I've worked stage crews and unless you are talking about a bass head, only the pickiest guitarists box their head amps. (We're talking about a pre-amp thing about the size of two toasters, right? With no speaker.)
As far as design, I'd go shopping for a steel case and see what they provide in the way of storage for pedals, cables, etc and incorperate that into your design.


www.geocities.com/wefnut

[matthew]

yeah, i'm talking about a guitar amp head... a marshall head, the actual 'amp' part of a 'stack'... i just want some protection for it while on the road, we toured for about 6 months last year, and I just loaded it right into the trailer loose everynight... we're leaving for tour in about a month, and i'm trying to get some sort of protection for this before we leave... thank you for the suggestion.

[merickson]

OK a tour box. Since it might end up as an improvised speaker stand or whatever, you want 3/4" plywood. I'd go with ACX (aka good on one side) or "cabinet grade" plywood.
This is a quick, dirty, functional design.

[img src="http://www.geocities.com/wefnut/out/box.gif"]

The amp goes in the left compartment. The size of the amp determines the size of everything. The right compartment is at least 4 inches wide and holds stuff.

The top piece of plywood is the top. It completely covers the edges of the sides. That way a spilt drink will run of the outside of the box rather than into the box.

The top and bottom are the same size. The front and back are the same size. The divider is the same size as the two ends.

Sand all pieces before assembly.
Glue and screw the bottom, front, back, ends and divider together. Countersink the screws. Use white glue to attach heavy foam rubber inside the left compartment.
Use "Plastic Wood" to fill the countersinks and any voids in the edges of the plywood. If you want a natural wood finish, use a combination polyurethane and stain to suit your taste. Otherwise, paint the case. Three coats minimum in either case.
Put "chest corners" on the lower four corners. Attach the top with two hinges on the back. Two catches go on the front. A handle on the top completes the case.


Happy touring!


www.geocities.com/wefnut

[matthew]

whoo hoo... thats awesome... thank you so much!!
-matt

[Steven Wilson]

If your seriously looking at protecting your investment then get an Anvil or Calzone case made for it. Yep, it's a bit pricey but unless your're planning on making a few of them it is actually cheaper to buy than build. To handle road use you need to build a strong box, one with good corner joints. I cut apart an Anvil case that was broken by British Airways (the bass survived, BA bought me a new case) and it was constructed of 1/2" baltic birch plywood with box joins for all corners. The case work then had 1/8" ABS plastic laminated to it and then aluminum angle rivited to the case on all edges. To top it off an good piano hinge was rivited, interlocking aluminum chanel was installed around the opening, steel ball corners added and good case handles and locks added, as well as good foam and fabric lining. The component parts for a road case are fairly expensive. I've built a few road cases for my bass rigs and my guitar collection so I've been able to knock down the price by buying parts in quantity, but for a one off it's cheaper to buy a case. You might look to Ebay for a used one. A good place to get the case hardware, chanels, foam, and stuff is from Reliable Hardware Company http://www.reliablehardware.com

[Furball]

There was a place in the L.A. area (maybe Pomona) called Anvil Cases that built boxes just for this.