Recently my wife and I took the time to go through all of the musical instruments, and recording equipment in the GuitarGearHeads test facility with the purpose of creating a tracking system. We took pictures of each piece and wrote down model numbers and serial numbers, and compiled a detailed snapshot on paper. Once this project was finished, we sat back and went over the results. They were impressive to say the least. Perhaps the most staggering statistic was when I considered what it would cost to replace all of this equipment should an unforeseen incident should happen. It reached into many thousands of dollars, and this number did not include accessory items such as cables, picks, and tuners which can be a considerable investment in themselves.

The reason I am sharing this with you is twofold. First off, I want to recommend that every player takes such an inventory. I would bet that you too will be surprised at the replacement value of your musical assets. Secondly, I want to once again jump on my soap box and preach about the vital importance of protecting your investment.

Since the beginning of GuitarGearHeads.com, Gator Cases has been our company of choice to safeguard the equipment in our test facilities. It seems that no matter what we need to protect, Gator Cases has a product with innovative features to suit our needs. Recently I called Gator Cases with a problem, and they immediately suggested a great solution from their product line. Read on to learn more.

Just about every product that we have reviewed for Gator Cases has been geared toward moving musical equipment safely from on place to another. We have looked at guitar cases, rack cases, pedal totes, and even their famous gig box. While these products have all met our needs and passed our testing standards, my new protection issue involved rack gear that for the most part would be stationary in my test facility control room.

Up until recently, I have been using Gator G-Tour shock case and a couple of their 10 space powered rolling racks set on a table in my studio. While these products have worked well to date, they are more designed for players who are on the road. These stage-worthy designs posed a minor problem for my studio application.

Due to the small size of my control room, the backs of the cases were next to the wall, and I had to wrestle them away from the wall to do any gear changes, or hookup modifications.

The good people at Gator sent me two of their recently released wall hanging metal rack enclosures. The models I received were the GR-WH4B1821TD (18 space unit) and the GR-WH4B12221TD (12 space unit). These racks would end up being just what the doctor ordered, and would transform my studio are in incredible ways.

When they arrived I unpacked them to get a good look at these new products. It was immediately clear that these products were designed for fixed installations where equipment would be installed on a long term or permanent basis. The case ships as two parts. The main case where the rack gear will be installed, and a heavy duty wall plate for installation.

The case itself is extremely durable due to its 18 gauge all metal construction and removable as well as reversible full front glass doors. (Metal door models are also available.) The door features a modern latching handle that folds flush with the font of the cabinet when not in use. Also incorporated into the handle mechanism is a keyed lock to keep unwanted fingers off you gear. When the door is unlocked, a push on the lock face releases the handle of the door latch.

The rack cabinet holds a couple of very well-situated extras. Both sides have removable side panels, and the back wall mount plate which becomes a part of the main case on installation has a hinge system which pivots the entire rack enclosure away from the wall for effortless access to the rear hookups of the equipment inside. Also included are several optional knock out panels of various sizes for cable entry and exit from the case.

The rack rails are depth adjustable to suit your particular needs, and each rack space is numbered for your convenience. The rails themselves are very strong and will hold even the heaviest equipment you may have. Just make sure you install the rack to wall studs to make sure the wall itself will support the weight of you equipment.

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Gear Guy Tip: Don’t think for a moment that an installed rack system would be less durable than a rack designed for portability. These enclosures are built like tanks, yet look like Ferraris. I would even say that they are more durable and protective than any road case I have ever seen, but their weight (due to their metal construction) would make them extremely inconvenient for portable applications. Of course, that is not what they are designed for, and that’s why Gator has many other rack products made for portability.

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Features at a glance:
• Hinged back double section welded frame construction
• 21.65" depth
• Adjustable depth front rack rails with maximum depth of 19.75"
• Available in 9U, 12U and 18U rack capacity
• 18 gauge removable side panels with spring latch
• 18 gauge cold rolled steel top and bottom
• Fan ready perforated top
• 11 gauge drilled and tapped front and rear rack rails
• Rack U numbers printed on the rack rail
• 10/32 rack screws
• 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 1" and 1 1/2" cable entry knockouts on top
• 5/8" knockout designed to be used for VHF/UHF antenna
• 10" x 10" rear access knockout for cable entry
• Rear door is removable for easy installation



Installation is not difficult, but still took me a few hours based on the fact I had to remove the rack equipment from the old rack case, and reinstall it in the new. Otherwise, the basic installation consisted of mounting the back plate to the wall and hanging the main enclosure on the hinge pins.

These racks are heavy, and will most likely be holding a great deal of weight. When I installed my first unit, the studs were not quite matching up with the predrilled holes in the back plate for my desired positioning. To correct this, I measured the width of the back panel, and cut two sections of 2x4 which I screwed onto the wall through the studs. At this point, I used a level and heavy lag bolts to install the back plate to the 2x4s. In this way I was able to install the rack in my desired position, while maintaining the peace of mind that it was safely secured to the wall.

Once the cabinet was on the wall, I realized that I was going to need the door to open to the left, so a quick adjustment to the spring loaded hinge, and I was able to flip it over and reinstall in less than a minute. I began adding the equipment to the rack starting with a Furman power conditioner in the top spot, and worked my way to the bottom.

The rack spaces are marked on the rails, and this process was very easy using the included mounting screws. Speaking of mounting hardware, even the washers for the mounting screws that Gator Cases provides are special. They come with thick washers that are recessed to allow the screw heads to fit snugly inside. I know that does not sound like much, but it sure looks cleaner than thin plastic washers I have used in the past that seem to squish out from under the screw heads when tightened down.

Since this rack had more spaces than my previous case, I asked Gator Cases to also send me a four space rack drawer (Model# GE-DRAWER-4U) which I installed as the last unit. This out of the way storage area was perfect for extra patch cables and other smaller items that cluttered my work area.

Once all items had been installed, I simply unlocked the side latch, and rotated the case away from the wall on its hinges. I now had easy access to the back hookup panels on all installed equipment for hooking up cables and plugging in power cords. This was so easy that it almost felt like cheating. I also removed one of the side doors which added an extra option for accessing the interior equipment. I should mention that there are several options for routing cables to and from the rack, and you can keep the power and signal cables separated fairly well by utilizing the cable punch outs efficiently. Once all cables and power cords were configured, I simple rotated the cabinet back into place, and locked the side latch.



Once finished, I stood back to get a good look at the final product. I was immediately impressed by how much this case added to my work area. It gave a very professional look to my control room while at the same time being extremely functional in all aspects. The glass front door allows you to see all of your setting while at the same time protecting all the knobs from being bumped or inadvertently changed. I have to admit that there is not just a little cool factor with the front panel lights of the Furman power conditioner lighting up the interior of the cabinet.

An added benefit with the wall mounting is that I have also opened up some desk space where the old cabinet used to sit. It is not a lot of room, but enough to store some books and CD’s underneath, and in any small work area, extra space is always welcome.

The only thing I found that could be a problem is that the side panels of the unit are metal on metal. While this probably would not be a big deal for most people, I found that my control room setup had one monitor pointing toward the right side of the cabinet. When sound was present in the speaker, I could hear a small amount of vibration from the side panel against the rack. In a mixing and recording environment, unwanted ambient noise needs to be kept at bay as much as possible. I fixed this by sticking a thin layer of felt around the edge of the side panel where it touches the cabinet. This knocked out the sound immediately. This would be the only improvement that I could suggest that gator Cases may want to consider for these products.



In my job of testing out musical equipment, I often have new rack equipment rotating through my control room and test facility. The new metal rack enclosures by Gator Cases are going to make it much easier to switch new rack products in and out. I no longer need to worry about fighting to turn a heavy tabletop rack to make modifications. The hinged unit is definitely a huge advantage, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a fixed location with rack mount equipment. A stylish professional look with extreme functionality; what else could one ask for? I gladly award the GR-WH4B1821TD and the GR-WH4B12221TD the GuitarGearHeads.com “Studio Ready” award for 2009.


Gary Allen