alternatives to Par-Metal?

ricercar.record · Post by **ricercar.record** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:50 pm

so I need to order a 19W x 11D x 3.5H chassis with a black faceplate for a G9 tube preamp I'll be building. Unfortunately I ran into some issues with par-metal. First they were not responding at all, then responded with apologies for having issues with their email and order processing dept., then informed me they wouldn't be able to provide me with a finish on the chassis, it would be bare aluminum .... hm bummer. I have always used par-metal for my enclosures and have been quite happy with their chassis' and service in the past.... but looks like I'll be needing to buy from somewhere else this time. So does anyone have any other sources for their project chassis' in the US. I definitely prefer being able to get a finish on the enclosure and preferably black faceplate for this one. Where do you guys buy from? Thanks.

Drone · Post by **Drone** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:24 pm

Are you talking rackmount chassis, or chassis in a headcase chassis?

ricercar.record · Post by **ricercar.record** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:51 pm

rackmount chassis. 3.5" = 2 RU , this is going to be used for a 2 channel tube microphone preamp. sorry for the confusion.

digitaldrummer · Post by **digitaldrummer** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:07 pm

I go down to the goodwill computer store [@35&183], then I get a 1U or 2U aluminum plate from Redco. Not quite as fancy but gets the job done and you can feel good about saving another hunk of metal from the landfill.

Mike

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:29 pm

Middle Atlantic make the best options I've seen for off-the-shelf, outside of ParMetal. If you're working it with hand tools, be sure to get the one with the aluminum front panel.
http://www.parts-express.com/cat/rack-chassis/617

Circuit Specialists also sell some rack enclosures - The prices aren't bad, but I've never used them. The knock-down ones look a bit like ParMetal...
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/rack-mount-cases

Hammond, Vector and Bud all have rack chassis options, but nothing as nice, nor as affordable, as the MA ones.

Drone · Post by **Drone** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:35 pm

You don't have a friend at Lucasfilm do you?

http://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB/vi ... =5&t=45657

sorry, never bought a rackmount chassis. Oh Hey, follow the links and got this

http://www.mpja.com/Rack-Mount-Case-2U/ ... 7812%20BX/

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:49 pm

Par-metal's warehouse went up in a fire earlier this year, and I don't think they've totally recovered yet. Hopefully they'll be back up and running soon...

earth tones · Post by **earth tones** » Thu Apr 18, 2013 4:08 pm

I believe that they (Par-Metal) are currently accepting orders once again, per the statement on their website:

"[3/7/13] We are taking orders but lead time will be around 3-6 weeks. "

I will find out next week when I attempt to place an order.

Matt C. · Post by **Matt C.** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 10:25 am

http://collectivecases.com/

Nate Dort · Post by **Nate Dort** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:14 pm

Drone wrote:
sorry, never bought a rackmount chassis. Oh Hey, follow the links and got this

http://www.mpja.com/Rack-Mount-Case-2U/ ... 7812%20BX/

Avoid those mpja cases. The rack holes aren't standard, so they don't fit in a rack without drilling new holes in the right spots or reaming out the existing slots a bit.

I've almost always used par-metal as well, but I recently switched to collectivecases.com because the cases are much easier to work with. They don't have that lip in the front of the top and bottom covers, so you can place stuff near the top and bottom edges of the front panel without having to do any notching. I think it's worth the extra $20 or so to get the pre-punched IEC and XLR sockets in the back panels. It looks way nicer and saves about an hour of metalwork, which is my least favorite part of racking anything. I've used them on the last three PM1000 racks I've done for clients, it saves a lot of headache.

I've also used these Chinese ones from ebay in a pinch: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2U-19-Rack-Moun ... 3a7b6138f3
They're alright from an assembly standpoint. The fit and finish isn't as nice as the par-metal, and the collectivecases chassis are even nicer than the par-metals. It only makes sense to buy multiple Chinese chassis at a time though because of the shipping costs. There's a slight shipping discount for multiple items.

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alternatives to Par-Metal?

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