Moving a console interstate?

[Sammas]

Hey chaps,

Does anyone have any experience with this? I have a pair of large desks I need to move... and as keen as I am to hire a truck and fetch them myself, its an expensive task! Does anyone have any recommendations, etc. Its from Melbourne to Sydney.

Cheers!

[The Tasmanian]

It will be more expensive to get someone else to do it - Although, if you load it on to a container yourself and ship with a shipping company then it it may not be too expensive.
Removalists with a truck will cost a lot as they wont be able to share the load with other goods - you would not want lounges, fridges, furniture etc laying on top of the consoles.
Good luck - there's no cheap way out except doing it yourself with a hire truck - and doing it in 48 hours.

[Manning]

Having recently moved a console all the way from one part of Sydney to another part of Sydney, I must agree with Chris. There is no cheap way - the quotes I got for the Sydney move started at $500 due to the number of people needed (they won't allow you to use your friends to help with lifting).

If you are looking for a truck, I'd recommend Budget. I've used them for other purposes. I used Balmain Rentals to move the console and I will never make that mistake again. (How that truck passed rego I have no idea.)

[Linear]

I would probably organise it with a furniture removalist, but just explain to them what it is and the fact that it needs it's own space on the truck (ie nothing loaded on top of it). If you find a decent company then they are more than willing to accommodate, usually smaller family-owned companies are the best.

Personally I'd probably fly down to melbourne to get the console ready, help load it on and make sure it's well protected. Then fly back and be ready for the delivery (if you're time poor).

Chris

[jkhuri44]

KOPE sensitive freight? i think thats how u spell em.

last company i worked for used to use it to move $150,000 franking machines from our Auburn showrooms to the CBD....

[stosostu]

I used a removal firm to move a large console from Melbourne to Adelaide last year, it cost $300.00, though I did pick it up from their depot, it would have cost more to have it delivered to my premises. I can't remember their name, it is the company that Mixmasters use. It was well packed by the seller, a T'Rocker of course, so it made the journey unharmed.

[Thirteen]

Having recently moved a console all the way from one part of Sydney to another part of Sydney, I must agree with Chris. There is no cheap way - the quotes I got for the Sydney move started at $500 due to the number of people needed (they won't allow you to use your friends to help with lifting).

If you are looking for a truck, I'd recommend Budget. I've used them for other purposes. I used Balmain Rentals to move the console and I will never make that mistake again. (How that truck passed rego I have no idea.)

I use Balmain Rentals all the time. You just have to get used to their vehicles. Once you have driven a few trucks off their lot with the oil light on and no first gear you kind of get the hang of it. Sometimes there is even enough fuel in the tank to make it to the petrol station in Annandale before it stops. There is a certain charm to it and they have a cat called Snappy Tom in the office.

[Hookemeister]

Hi Nath

Make sure you remove all the modules, bubble wrap them and box them.

Don't try and move it with the modules in, you could do some major damage, depending on how the modules connect to the motherboard.

It will also make it a lot easier to move.

Hope this helps.

[audioio]

Make sure you remove all the modules, bubble wrap them and box them.

Here's to that. Taking everything out of a Ta@#$% M5000 40-ch turned the frame into a two person lift!

[Kurt]

Consoles are constantly on the move all around the country in roadcases.

[Hookemeister]

Consoles are constantly on the move all around the country in roadcases.

Yes that's true... but they are sound reinforcement consoles... they are designed to be moved and as you say, they're in roadcases.

Trust me, you don't want to move a console from one state to another, set it up in the new control room and then find that you've got broken edge connectors or the motherboard is out of alignment. I saw this happen with a Quad 8 Coranado... an expensive mistake.

Another advantage of removing all the modules is you can give everything a good clean.

[Kurt]

If you strip all the modules out and the frame gets twisted you still have a non-functional desk. I think a rigid frame (like a roadcase) would be a good idea...

[waitup]

Just don't do it this way: http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=42855.0

[Ben M]

Just don't do it this way: http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=42855.0

ooo yeah. Ann Mincieli was on pensado's place recently talking about that console...but no mention of the catastrophic f**k up when it was shipped. How that console was shipped with plastic wrap (and nothing else) is a mystery and a lesson in organising things yourself.

[Hookemeister]

If you strip all the modules out and the frame gets twisted you still have a non-functional desk.

Hi Kurt

A large format frame that's designed to carry the weight of 40 to 50 modules won't twist under it's own weight when the frame is empty.

It's the weight of the modules and lifting the console unevenly that causes the twisting.

[Hookemeister]

Hi Nath

The first thing you need to do is ascertain how the modules connect to the motherboard.

If they connect with ribbon cable then you're reasonably safe to move it in one piece, but make sure that everything connects with ribbon cables. I would suggest removing 3 or 4 modules next to the master section. By doing this you should be able to see if the master section is also connected with ribbon cable.

If they connect with edge connectors, that are part of the module PCB, then you need to remove the modules before moving it.

Don't forget that when you get to Sydney you then have to get the console from the truck into the control room and that may involve negotiating stairs, hallways, doors and other obstacles. All that will be accomplished a lot easier with an empty frame. An empty large format frame can usually be moved by 2 people, unless it's an old Neve.

Hope this helps.

[The Tasmanian]

When I bought a 60 channel Neve V1 from Paris - it was packed and shipped by Funky Junk - I thought they would remove the modules for shipping - but they insisted that the modules remain in the console for safe shipping - the modules had no ribbons attached and slotted straight into the motherbooard.
All arrived safely.

[Hookemeister]

Hi Chris

You are talking about a Neve... they're built like battleships... and I'm sure it was crated for shipping.
Also I'm pretty certain that Funky Junk would've had a couple of hundred thousand dollars worth of insurance on that Neve so if something did go wrong everyone was covered.

Most consoles are shipped from the manufacturer with the modules in place and it is quite safe to move them that way when they are crated up by the manufacturer, or in the case of second hand consoles, by someone who knows what they are doing... ie Funky Junk.

What we are talking about here is getting a bunch of removal guys to walk in and pick up the console and manhandle it into a truck. It's not going to be in a crate, so there is a good chance of it getting damaged.

I saw a Quad 8 Coranado delivered by removalists back in the 80's that had to have the motherboard realigned and 3 edge connectors on the motherboard replaced.

[The Tasmanian]

It is a precarious situation, I suppose its really down to each type of console design depends on how to ship it.
I also had a Coronado and the way the modules slotted into the motherboard was a bit dodgy, and the design of the way the modules were supported was nowhere as good as the Neve V1 (designed a decade later) -
I think the Coronado was one of the first (if not the first) consoles to have a full module instead of smaller modules - so they were really sussing things out in the design stage back then - I also moved the Coronado twice - and took the modules out for removal.
Moving consoles makes me very nervous......

[GlennS]

When we imported the Neve for Milk Bar (I think from Canada) it came in a container with all of the modules removed and pretty much just stretched wrapped. But it was the only thing in the container & was ratchet strapped down so it couldn't move. We simply forked it onto a flatbed truck (I remember hanging on to the modules to balance them) for delivery to the studio.

Anyway, unless I missed something Sammas hasn't let us know what consoles they are and what state of packaging they are in, if any.

[Sammas]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the info. I have so many potential options it is hard to narrow them down.

The consoles in question are a pair of MCI JH600s. Pretty weighty. Edge connectors straight to motherboards, etc. But pretty rigid I imagine. I will pull the modules just to be safe.

Has anyone ever moved an MCI JH600? How many people will it take to lift it with all the modules pulled from it and the legs removed?

[rob]

I lifted a 28 channel by myself into a trailer once ....well kind of wiggled it to the trailer edge then tipped it in.
They are heavy .. four strong people I reckon if you want to actually carry it.

[Hookemeister]

I lifted a 28 channel by myself into a trailer once ....well kind of wiggled it to the trailer edge then tipped it in.

I just made a mental note... never let Rob Squire move a console for me.

I'm sure that quote will inspire a lot of confidence in your customers... just kidding.

Are we talking about a 28 channel MCI or a 28 channel be!@#$%^&.

If it was a fully loaded MCI, then I'm giving you the Arnold Schwarzenegger "Just Do It" Award.