Sometimes I get myself into interesting but frustrating situations. This is one of those times.

The quartet just bought an awesome CD player with two decks, pitch control, and lots of other bells and whistles. It’s exactly what we’ve been needing; trying to use a home stereo deck for live performances is just asking for trouble. We also got a very nice rack case to keep it all safe and contained.

I built a table to place the unit on according to the specs of the person who uses it. But as soon as she saw it, she got this sheepish grin on her face and said, “Would you kill me if I suggested building a box instead? That way we could put some of this stuff inside and have less equipment to have to store and carry.”

Honestly, I had already thought of the box idea — and for precisely that reason. Gig rigs are very cool, but very expensive, and heck, I can slide a sheet of plywood through a table saw with the best of ‘em. The problem is the doggone thing is going to be heavy. VERY heavy. And once we fill it, we may need a pack mule, several feet of fiber cable, and a forklift to load it in and out of the van.

I’m going to give the box very sturdy side handles and mount it on locking casters so that we can roll it around once we get it down the steps and out of the vehicle, but if anyone has any suggestions on how to make it weigh less without spending $700 on a molded plastic model, I’m all ears. Thanks!