#128612  by JustinJohn
 
I recently picked up an MC250 and I'm curious how I should box it up and make it "road ready"...

My initial inclination is to get a solid, sturdy pine "cabinet" for it - basically a rack cabinet - and mount that sucker in there somehow... Which brings up a couple questions:

~ is this the wisest solution for a rig that gets a LOT of use?
~ if so, how should I securely "mount" the mc250 inside the cab?

Thanks!! =)
 #128667  by Jon S.
 
Considering same issue now for my MC50. For those who put them in rack units, how do you mount/attach them to the units (if at all)?
 #128668  by hippieguy1954
 
There are several ways to ensure the Mc doesn't move around in the cabinet or a rack. I built a cabinet, so I just located three small wood blocks that the Mc2100 sits in between and the back of the Mc is against the back of the cab, so the Mc cannot move side to side or front to back and like you mentioned, Jon S, I do not have it secured to the bottom. I have a heavy duty handle on each end of the cab. Works perfect unless it gets turned upside down :lol

Here is a good idea if you have to have it secured to the bottom of a rack or a cab.
forum/viewtopic.php?f=419&t=13738&hilit ... ig#p123735 Scroll down and you will see.
 #128677  by mgbills
 
I had some blocks of high density shipping foam come in right when I was setting the thing up. I cut blocks that eliminate movement during travel, then I just remove the front block (for show) and the top block for adequate air flow. I like the idea of a permanent mount, but I'm waiting until I find an Mc50 for a hard mount.

Peace
 #128679  by Pete B.
 
If you had a case to safely transport it in, you could pull it out of the case and set it on top of you speaker cab at the gig.
It should fit perfectly on top of your cab (you may need some rubber feet for the bottom... Ace Hardware).
Mine has a little speaker jack mount with two 1/4" inputs right in front of the terminals, for easy speaker hook ups.
Mine was shipped to me with "L" clips screwed into the chassis holding it to a piece of wood, so there are ways to mount it to the bottom of an 8-space road case, but I like to see that "McIntosh 250" logo loud and proud on top of my cab.
:cool:
 #128688  by JustinJohn
 
Ideally, I want to mount it in a sturdy box (Mc logo facing forward :cool: ) and put my 2x12 cab on top of it when I play - a little added height for my speakers. My only concern would be vibrations from the speakers having a negative impact on the Mc?

I think some variation of the pics hippieguy linked to is probably the road I'm gonna go down... Tho the "L" clips idea is interesting as well... Where is MacGuyver when you need him! ("McGuyver"? :lol: )
 #128692  by Pete B.
 
See those 3 small bolt-screws on the bottom front/back?...
Those were the connection points for the brackets (the brackets were in a side-ways L shape, and were screwed into the side of a piece of plywood).
I'm guessing any one of the holes in the bottom could be used for mounting, also.
 #129259  by JustinJohn
 
I finally finished the shock-mounted road case for my McIntosh MC250 - I suppose it could be better, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

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Firstly, I found a 6 space rack case at a local used gear store. The case itself is composed of 1/2" plywood and contained in a rugged vinyl bag with a good amount of cushioning in it. However, the wooden box itself was held together only by 12 wood screws, and the only way to carry it was with a strap attached to the bag. I made it a priority to reinforce all the joints with a ton of quality steel angle brackets with 1/2" wood screws, I also drilled holes to mount quality steel handles to carry the thing.

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Next I got some high-quality 3/4" ply wood.

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I cut four 3" x 5" pieces to serve as the "feet" for the MC, then I removed the bottom chassis from the MC and figured out - using the 1/4" holes on the bottom of the chassis - where I was gonna attach each foot. Once I had all my holes measured and drilled, I painted the feet black and attached Tnuts (recessed) for the 1/4" bolts.

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After everything was dry I attached the feet the the MC chassis via 1/4" bolts into the Tnuts, and 2 additional woodscrews in each foot for good measure.

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With the MC on it's new feet, I slipped it into the reinforced box and measured where to drill the mounting holes - Centered, and fairly close to the front to show off the logo. :cool:

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For the shock mounts, I used industrial foam discs that were intended to support heavy furniture on carpets (rated at 1000lbs) - two 1/2" discs for each MC foot, for a total of 1" shock mounting! I drilled 1/2" holes in the center of the foam discs.

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Lastly, I used four 1/2" x 3" grade-8 bolts and nuts to mount the MC into the box atop the foam. I used neoprene washers on all contact surfaces for additional vibration dampening.

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Worked like a charm, and the entire package is fairly manageable, even solo!

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As I said, I'm pretty happy with the end result, and it seems that the MC is in there pretty securely. I use a 1m 1/4" to RCA cable from the Twin to the MC, and an 'elbow-jack' IEC cable - both are secured to the inside of the case - there's almost no moving parts and everything is plug-and-play! As a bonus, I'm placing my 2x12 cab atop the MC case for extra speaker height, and with a 2" lift at the front of the speaker cab, I get direct sound up at ear level! :smile: :smile: :smile:

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 #129274  by rugger
 
oooohh, fancy pants with a klon :P Just kidding, I have one too. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics of your progress. I love this stuff. Everything looks great, I epecially dig that Strat.

Out of curiosity what's your signal chain?

john in san diego
 #129294  by JustinJohn
 
My signal path is like this:

Guitar > Waldo TPC-1 pedal (w/ fx loop) >

~ Loop Off:

Waldo pedal (loop bypassed) > DL4 > TS9 > Switchazel > Amp.

~ Loop On:

Waldo pedal (loop out) > Q Tron > OC-2 > Small Stone Nano > Distortion + > Centaur > Waldo Pedal (loop in) > DL4 > TS9 > Switchazel > Amp.

:smile: