Odyssey FZ1002BL combo rack

Odyssey FZ1002BL combo rack DJ Equipment Review

by Marius on Jun.05, 2009, under DJ Product Reviews

The FZ1002BL – Odyssey’s beyond cool combo rack

What comes to the mind of a working DJ when hearing the word "Odyssey"? Interesting question. I could think of a few answers, such as though, reliable, rugged, heavy, power, protection, or even thank God for Odyssey, if you’re one of those mobile DJs traveling overseas, in which case you probably appreciate Odyssey’s DJ equipment more than anybody else. Well, I’ll tell you what you should be thinking now about Odyssey… two words "Black Label". It’s a new series of DJ cases introduced to the DJ products market in 2009, out of which I’ll pick the FZ1002BL (the last BL probably stands for Black Label) today for a little one on one.

Before getting into anything too serious, I’ve even wrote an introductory post a while back about the Black Label series DJ cases from Odyssey, which you should check out, as it’ll give a nice background to what we’re going to talk about today, the FZ1002BL combo rack for working DJs on the move. You can check out that previous post here, and I’ll go on now about why the FZ1002BL deserves a working DJ’s attention.

I’ll shortly get over the Black Label essentials first, starting with the fact that the FZ1002BL is made at the same standards as the Odyssey Flight Zone DJ cases series, in that they’re ATA approved, all ready to pick up and fly. If you’ve flown a lot, you know what an airport worker on a bad day can do to a working DJ’s products, so being able to withstand all that is something that shold be appreciated by any mobile DJ out there. How the FZ1002BL takes that punishment? It all boils down to top quality material used in in the construction, which is an unbelievable 3/8" thick. The heavy duty ball corners and recessed handles and latches make for one though combo rack, which no airport worker is going to harm, no matter how bad of a day he’s had…

Odyssey Black Label FZ1002BL combo rack open

The FZ1002BL, as all other Black Label series DJ cases, has kind of a valley underneath the actual DJ equipment stored within, which makes for easier ventilation, which translates into minimized risk of overheating, not to mention the advantage of having some extra room to carry all those cables, and mobile DJs will know first hand how "lovely" not having where to put the cables can be. The last main upgrade of the FZ1002BL over other combo racks is the looks. As with all Black Label DJ cases, the FZ1002BL is anodized black, giving it a mysterious, if not frightening air, but one that nevertheless attracts like a magnet. The FZ1002BL might be the first combo rack a working DJ falls in love with.

Ok, down to the FZ1002BL specifics, to see if it’s the right Black Label choice for you:

the FZ1002BL has 10 spaces of slanted rack and it’s 2 spaces high
three port holes for easier acces, located on the left, right and backside of the FZ1002BL
a removable trap door
the though as nails Odyssey-made construction which will hang on no matter what
…and to reinforce that, a limited lifetime warranty
the rail to base height is 7.5" high in the front and 12" in the back
and interior depth of 18.25" from rail to back door

All in all, the external dimensions of the FZ1002BL are 21.50"W x 15.25"H x 24"D, which should be enough to accomodate many DJ products and the weight is at 36.4 lbs, but hey, what did you expect for all that protection? The main thing to remember is that no matter what kind of working DJ you are, if you need to move your DJ gear from one place to the other, the FZ1002BL is for you, so that later you won’t regret it, when the roads take their toll on the DJ equipment.