Transporting Amp Safely

Pat Carlson · Post by **Pat Carlson** » 19 Sep 2005 7:03 pm

Will it harm a Peavey Nashville 1000 Amp to haul it in a pickup topper laying down on its back side? This of course is on a bed liner and some carpet for padding.Trying to decide wether to get a topper or tonneau cover for my new ford ranger. If i get the tonneau cover will get better gas mileage.
(Had to put the old 8 mile per gallon Bronco out to pasture)

Mike Brown what is your advice on this? Also will cold temperatures to 0 farenheit harm the amp?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Sep 2005 2:06 am

FWIW, I almost always transport my amps (including a NV1000 and NV112) laying down (back down). I currently have a Mercury Mountaineer so it's not in the weather.

I would think the main thing is moisture that would affect the speaker and electronics. If I were transporting it in the back of a pickup I would want a "waterproof" cover. In the winter you could open the rear window in the pickup (if you have one that will open) and that would get some heat into the back and help control moisture.

The last band I worked in, in Kansas City, Mo, had an unheated trailer and it kept everything dry, although we had some "contact" problems with jacks on equipment occasionally. Most of the time the equipment was hauled 50 miles or less, I don't know what it would do if it sat overnight or on a longer haul.

Michael Garnett · Post by **Michael Garnett** » 20 Sep 2005 5:15 am

I've always heard to place the amp with the speaker cone facing either up or down. Any bumps you hit will naturally make the speaker flex in its natural direction, not damaging the speaker coil. Personally I lay mine down with the speaker facing the truck bed, so I don't have to worry about something falling on it and knobs breaking off or something going through the speaker.

-MG

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 20 Sep 2005 6:01 am

I have owned a Chevy S-10 with a hardshell cover to prevent moisture from damaging it and unwanted eyes from seeing it overnight. Is that what is called a "tonneau"? If so, I learn something new every day.

Anyway, I always laid my amp on its back and never had a speaker failure as a result.

Don Discher · Post by **Don Discher** » 20 Sep 2005 7:06 am

All my band equipment stays in the trailer summer and winter and it gets damn cold up here in the winter and my amp stands straight up amongst the other stuff and have never had a problem in over 30 years playing. The only things I take in the house are my guitars and fiddle.I usually run an interior heater in the trailer for a few hours prior to a gig just to take the chill off the power amps etc.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 20 Sep 2005 8:20 am

I thought that the 'golden rule' was to always lay an amp face down (after laying on some sort of padding to protect the knobs). That way, a severe bump in the road wouldn't allow a heavy speaker to wrench itself away from the baffle.

I learned this the hard way - my old Fender Vibrasonic suffered such a fate many years ago. Now, my two 112s travel face-down (in padded amp-covers) on the trunk-floor of the Town Car - that's a pretty soft ride, anyway, so I think I'm covered. If my gear's on a tour, it's a wheeled flight-case standing upright.

RR

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 20 Sep 2005 9:19 am

I always tried to remember to reposition the jack and lug wrench and other tools before I "threw" my amp into the trunk. I usually transported my amps face down because I had so much "crap" in the back of the amp (cords, volume pedal, strings etc)that they would fall out if the amp was transported face up.

I never to my knowledge, had an amp malfunction because of it's mode of transportation. (The well known base player leaving a glass of beer on top on the amp was another situation.)

I even had a Fender amp "fly" off the luggage rack on top of the car one time and bounce on the highway, but I was able to make it work for the job that same night.

Those amps are surprisingly able to withstand almost any trauma.

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Russ Cayen · Post by **Russ Cayen** » 20 Sep 2005 12:04 pm

I also have a small pick-up with a box cover and liner. I lay my 1000 down on it's back and have had no troubles in over a year.

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Pat Carlson · Post by **Pat Carlson** » 20 Sep 2005 5:48 pm

Thanks for all the good input guys!
Think I will go with the tonneau cover and save on gas.
Mike here is what a tonneau cover looks like. www.unicovercaps.com

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