chassis sources?

[krash]

ok ... looking for some help from the collective of "pro" amp builders out there. I know you're here

As some of you may know, I am ramping up to build some "production" guitar amps. I have built and shipped one production amp and have most of the parts to build a few more. The part giving me the most heartache at the moment is the chassis.

Is this the kind of thing I should be getting from a local sheet metal shop? I am looking for a 17x6.5x2.5 chassis with flanges, and I'd like it drilled and punched from the vendor. Ceriatone looks like a good source but the shipping is prohibitive. Is this REALLY the kind of thing that should be $40 unpunched and $80+ with holes in it? It can't be ... since you can buy an entire Valve Junior for $100 RETAIL which has not only a chassis, but lots of other parts!



I guess I would think a wholesale alu chassis punched and ready to go should run more like $50 or less per unit if I order in some kind of double-digit quantity. Am I really nuts on this? What's the going rate at local shops around the country?

Can anyone recommend a vendor (other than komboking, ceriatone, weber)?

[MarkB]

I worked in a sheet metal shop in the '80s that made chassis for electronics - that's pre-fancypants laser cutting, but the general idea is the same.

First, forget about the Valve Jr - unless you're planning on ordering 10,000 chassis from China.

Second, order size is everything. Design and setup is the major part of mfg., so the more parts you buy, the better the price will be.

Third, you're paying for overhead, not just time on the job. Those machines need to pay for themselves, and the office needs air conditioning. As a machinist, I could have put all the holes in a chassis to within a few thousandths of an inch in about fifteen minutes, but you'd have to pay a lot more than just my salary to get the part. The new machines could do the job faster and mroe accurate than that, but they cost a lot more than the machines I used back in the day.

I'd suggest you just get the yellow pages out and make some calls. You may find a shop desparate for work - the companies I worked in are all closed now. All gone to China.

[Allynmey]

Go to :

www.bloomfield.com

They will make you anything. They are very reasonable. i am having some chassis made for me out of steel with cadmium plate for around $58.00 thats punched and finished to my specs! Ask for steve

Allynmey

[krash]

thanks, guys.

i'll contact bloomfield and see what they can do ... prices similar to ceriatone.

$50 range is much more reasonable but i think the "overhead" cost is much higher when you are buying from some dude making the stuff in his spare time in his basement ... wait a minute that's a little too close to home

[lastwinj]

nother chassis source. woohoo!!!!

germ

[dehughes]

I had Ron make an alumium chassis for a custom build of mine....he does nice work..."r work" <rkwork@tisd.net> is his contact info, if you're interested.