Close call

I left my JP-2C and vertical 2X12 cab at my drummers because we've been doing a series of rehearsals for a gig this Friday.

Sunday, I was getting nothing from my amp. Checked the back and noticed the speaker cable was bent pretty badly - I thought that was the culprit, but then noticed my input jack on my cab had been pushed in and the nut came off. WTH?

After unscrewing the back and putting the jack back in place, my drummer sort of fess up and said the whole cabinet had been knocked over, front first. He said nobody was around when it happened (not buying it, but whatever).

So, after screwing on the back and firing it up everything worked fine. Some scuffs on the head, nothing bad, the cab took a little more damage to the grill cloth and some more scratches and scuffs, but no worse for the wear.

I asked him why he didn't tell me - he said he figured he would let me plug it in and if it worked he wasn't going to say anything!!! I almost blew my top - I've known him for 25 years, best friends in high school and we've been jamming together almost the whole time since we've met. I told him to always let me know - he knew 5 days before I did that it got knocked over. If the thing happened not to work, I would've never had time to get it into the shop before the gig.

Anyways - Mesa builds some tough equipment - and I'm never leaving anything at my drummers. For now on rehearsal is with my 1X12 cab.

Glad to hear your amp is OK!

I would want my drummer to tell me ASAP if something happened. Your amp could've been damaged and you may not have been able to rehearse or worse, gig! I would assume it was knocked over by accident and he was embarrassed to admit it. Just goes to show, even if you think you really know a guy - they'll surprise you at the worst times. :roll:

What some drummers don't understand is that they only spend 2-3k max on their kits, while guitarists spend 4-5k on their rigs. I'm figuring 3K for a Mesa half stack, 1K for a guitar and 1K for effects/accessories - not to mention multiple guitars if you have them and possibly a backup amp too! I probably have spent about 10k-12k in guitar gear over the last 20 years.

If you're concerned about equipment damage and don't want to haul around gear, might I suggest the Blackstar TVP 60 or 120? I have the TVP 60 and it is loud, sounds very close to a tube amp, built-in effects, tuner and programmable settings editable by computer software.

I did that with a Mark IV combo while I was playing though it, had the casters in place and was moving the amp and it fell over backwards. Had replaced the 90° plug and speaker cable with a new one that had a straight plug. The weight of the amp pushed the plug though the chassis, broke the plastic nut and pushed all of the hand wired tube wiring together causing a short and blown fuse. Replaced the Jack nut with a new one, straighten the wire looms and bent the unshielded wires back into proper shape. New fuse and it fired right up without any issue. Lesson learned, do not move your amp while it is on casters and plugged in. I normally leave the casters in place on my half stack, but if on carpet with a thick spongy pad, I will take off the casters as it is more stable that way. Mesa makes some of the most durable and well made amps and cabinets on the market.

If it were me, and depending on what amp and cabinet is used, I would just take the amp head home and my guitar(s) and leave the cab (412 or horizontal 212, I would take the vertical 212 though).

The vertical cabinet can become top heavy if the casters are still on the cab especially if it is on spongy or deep pile carpet. Yet I find it stable enough to leave the casters in place at home. I used to take them off (on my 412 cabs) but found them difficult to move if I needed to get behind the amp for what ever reason.

I play drums too. Drums can range from 300 up to 16k or more. It all depends on what it is you want. Drum heads are also expensive compared to guitar strings. Most if not all drums have two heads, and when you add it all up the cost is more than you would think.. Then you have to get cymbals, stands, and other hardware that is not included in the cost of the drum set. I can mic a guitar amp with one or two mics. Does not work with drums all that great. I need to get 10 mics and a mixer yet so I can record my terrible drumming, it helps to hide awful guitar skills and lame bass techniques, but yet it sounds good when mixed together.

If there is one person to blame, pick on the bass player since their gear does not cost as much.....Yeah, I play bass too...so it is my fault. :|

I pick on my singer - because all he needs to bring to a show is a microphone. Even his rehearsal PA is something you could probably pick up at radio shack.

Cabinet was on concrete floor in basement. I almost always bring my head home, but haven't the past few rehearsals because I've been dialing in my Helix floorboard with some FRFR speakers at home. It's my backup solution if the amp goes down - it's crazy how close modelling has gotten.

I've definitely got over 10K invested in my gear. I don't have a lot of it, but everything is definitely on the more expensive side of things. I know guys who easily have 50K to 100K invested in their gear.

As far as practice - for I'm bringing my 1X12 to rehearsal and just leaving that there. Not on casters - and a small footprint. I had there there for over a year - but the 2X12 is fairly new to me and I was getting the head dialed in on it for our next show (tonight). I unfortunately don't get a lot of time to crank up at home - another reason I've been using the Helix more and more...

I will not try to understand how you can topple over an amp and cab on concrete, but with the rollers on the floor anything is probable.

At least your amp is still working. I have not pushed over a amp in a while so I am good. It still comes to mind though after my combo incident but they have a much smaller footprint (actually about the same size as the Vertical 212 but not as deep).

If I tallied up what I had spent in the past 4 years on guitars alone I would be ashamed. I think I need to curb that habit.... well perhaps after I get my needed gear for recording a 7 pc kit and at least one more amp. Oh yeah, I was thinking about another custom build and have a great idea what I want. :|