guitar case types- what is best?

Subject: guitar case types- what is best?
From: ermintrudeclaire
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:05 PM

any thoughts on moulded plastic guitar cases vs the 'stitched' together board type?

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:10 PM

Calton, SKB and Martin Gieb style are among the best.
The guitars sit nice and snug in them, as opposed to the looser, jiggly feel of molded fiberglass cases.

More stuff here.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Ed Pellow
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:11 PM

best for what?

details of the type of guitar, what you want the case for (home storage vs. heavy gigging), what sort of budget you have etc.. would be helpful

Ed

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:12 PM

Another thing. TKL's are nice as well. I believe they are the ones being made for Martin's higher end guitars, and Martin refers to them as 5 ply "Gieb" style.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:14 PM

Best for traveling, flying, storing the instrument, and overall durability.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Ed Pellow
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 04:17 PM

but perhaps not best for a limited budget...

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: kendall
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 07:33 PM

Whatever it is UPS will cream it!

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 07:45 PM

Ed, did you try the link? Justa Picker has covered quite a price range in his suggestions - I'd reckon there is a choice for most budgets there.

For me, if I was to invest in a new case, looking at those choices and prices, I'd consider trying to scrape the $$$ for an SKB if only there was a Tenor Banjo model!

Jon

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 07:50 PM

I suppose if you're travelling around the place by plane you need some kind of a reinforced glittering coffin.

But for carrying round with you to sessions and gigs and festivals and that a padded fabric one is a better bet, I'd say. With a few pockets for tuners and strings and words and socks and so forth.

Like on this Hobgoblin page, around £20/£30. Keeps the rain and the sun off, strong enough to protect against the odd knock on doorways and so on, and a lot lighter and flexible in a crowded environment - you can stuff it under a chair or hang it on a coat hook on the wall.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Ed Pellow
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 08:01 PM

Jon,

I confess that I didn't - it was late and I was cross.

sorry

Ed

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 08:01 PM

McGrath, I wonder what the "odd knock" is - I've always considered myself far to clumsy to be safe with the padded type.

Incedentally, my tenor banjo case is without a handle - it dropped off! I find it easy enough to carry without one though. Just a thought (and one that I doubt would concern guitar players) though, some instruments, like my banjo which is basically a Gibson Mastertone copy in terms of pot construction are heavy - the weight of the instrument could be a consideration when choosing a case.

Jon

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: RichM
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 08:13 PM

Have a look at
First Quality Music

"FQMS SuperCases are built with seven different foams and plastics and a three-ply waterproof fabric exterior. The result is tremendous impact and thermal protection in one of the lightest packages around."

I use one for my guitar. It's not as impact resistant as a Calton, but it's about a third of the price, and has much better thermal protection--which to me is much more important than impact resistance.

Rich McCarthy

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Marion
Date: 15 Jul 01 - 11:31 PM

Here's what www.frets.com has to say about the different kinds of cases:

What's wrong with guitar cases?

Marion

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Terry K
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 01:46 AM

Recently had to take mine on a plane so I bought a hard case (board type). It survived the journeys but as Kevin says it really is like a coffin. I guess I have to have it, but it takes up so much space that I need to store it in the loft. Which I suppose means that I now need to buy the soft, padded type as well.

Cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: BlueJay
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 03:56 AM

As Ed Pellow says, it depends on your needs. My plywood Guild case has served me well for 25 years, as evidenced by the poor exterior condition of the case and the survivability of the guitar.

Gig bags may be fine for some folks, but not around my house. I bought a Baby Taylor for my ten year old daughter for christmas, and it came with a gig bag. A few months ago, while examining the Baby T, I happened to notice that the normally convex back seemed to be concave instead. I figure that one of the many 3-5 year old kids who frequent our house probably sat on it while it was in the gig bag.

I loosened the strings, pushed on the inside of the back of the Baby T, and there was a startling "pop'. Fortunately, the wood was intact, though the back separated from the sides in a few places, which we were able to re-glue with no problem. Fortunately, the Baby Taylor has no back bracing. The curvature of the back seems to take care of that need, so the repair was simple.

It plays fine now, but all in all I wish it had a hardshell case. Thanks, BlueJay

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Lanfranc
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 05:14 AM

I was lucky, my Baby T came in a hardshell cradle!

I have a Calton that I use for my Dreadnoughts in vulnerable circumstances, but it is HEAVY and not particularly well balanced. It has helped my guitars survive BA, EasyJet, Olympic, Go, KLM and Air2000 and the associated baggage handlers, however, with only a few scratches to show for its ordeals.

Does anyone make a carbon-fibre reinforced case, which should be lighter, and stronger.

I also use gig-bags at festivals and MudGatherings, but not for the Martins.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 10:57 AM

I have a no-name gigbag that I use for my traveling guitar(a Japanese dreadnought from a yardsale) and it has survived 10 transcontinental flights and 6 transatlantic flights--I tend to carry it on, but it has ended up as checked baggage a lot--it does have the heavier foam--I had another guitar I used to travel with, in an older, heavy duty plywood case, but it suffered considerable, and was finally completely disassembled in transit, under circumstances that have never been adequately explained.

Blue Jay, I must point out that a gigbag is a bit harder for a 3-5 year old to open than a hardshell case. Anyway, any guitar that can't withstand the damage that a child can do should be locked away in the closet.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: English Jon
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 11:22 AM

What you really want is a 1922 Martin 00028 Case, although some say that the 30's Gibson Cases protect instruments just as well. For my money however, the Big bodied Hagstrom cases are par excellence. Lovely tone and sustain...

Sorry - couldn't resist it.

See thread: Best manufacturers of wrest pins etc...

EJ

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 11:22 AM

I got a Calton banjo case about 6 or 7 years ago, it cost me about £120/£140 pounds. It is pretty well indestructible, but it is VERY heavy. This is made worse because the strap and handle fittings are off-centre, making it unbalanced for carrying, and therefore it feels even heavier than it actually is. So basically it offers great protection for your instrument, but if you need to carry it around you should think about it (although, of course, a guitar would be a lot lighter than a banjo).

Brian

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Grab
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 12:40 PM

Got a fancy Hiscox case for my main steel-string. Nice case, and ultra-tough, but (a) it's big, and (b) it's damn heavy. Both factors to be taken into account if you need to carry it some distance.

One thought - Tom Paxton has a song called "Thank you Republic Airlines". Apparently he was off on tour, opened up his guitar case in the airport, and found the baggage handlers had actually managed to break the guitar neck! He went to complain, and the airline rep said, "Well, how do we know it wasn't like that when you put it in there?" Yeah, right.

On a more optimistic note, my little classical survived Greek baggage handlers clad only in an almost unpadded gig bag. So miracles do happen...

Graham.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: bill\sables
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 01:08 PM

Both Ian Stephenson and myself carry our hand made Docherty guitars in "Hiscox Liteflite" cases, They came with the guitars and are padded for each guitar they are expected to hold so there is no loose instrument. They are lightweight but you could jump on them and no damage would occur to the instrument inside. Having said that, I was in Elderley Instruments when an Irishman brought his Louden in for repair after a flight to Chicago from Dublin. It looked as though the luggage handlers had taken a sledge hammer to the case. I usually carry my Vega tenor banjo to the USA in a padded bag inside a hard shell suitcase with clothing around to keep it from moving. This seems to fool the handlers as they don't know that there is an instrument inside it just looks like normal baggage.
Bill

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Dan Keding
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 01:33 PM

I use a Calton case and it has weathered dozens of plane trips with no harm to the guitar. I also cover the Calton with a Small Dog case cover - gives a bit more thermal and impact protection. The guitar was with me when I fell off the front porch about four years ago during an ice storm. I broke my wrist in five places. The guitar went hurtling thru the air to bounce a few times on the sidewalk and then onto the lawn. The guitar was in tune when I opened the case. Too bad I wasn't wearing a Calton case omn my arm! Dan

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Midchuck
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 02:42 PM

One or two people on the flatpick list who have to travel a lot by air, with a high-quality guitar, use the trick of travelling with a Calton and a gigbag. You put the guitar in the Calton and pack your clothes in the gigbag, for the trip. When you get where you're staying, you switch them, store your clothes and stuff in the Calton unless there's a dresser or whatever where you're staying, and carry the guitar around in the gigbag until it's time to switch back for the flight home.

In any event, I would not fly with a guitar worth more than 3 or 4 hundred $US, if it had to be checked as luggage, in anything but a Calton or one of those flat flight cases that weigh even more.

Peter.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 05:17 PM

Midchuck makes sense there - have it both ways, if you have to have a case for flying. I suppose you are safer with a solid case if it's going in a plane baggage compartment, - though from some of the stories I've heard I think there are baggage handlers who see this kind of thing as a challenge.

But in a crowded pub a case the size of a baby grand piano is a menace, taking up room needed for musicians and punters. And I'm sorry for the poor buggers who have to carry them round.

But if you do have a posh quality case I'd advise doing what you can to make it look scruffy and cheap, otherwise it's a clear incitement to larceny, indicating there is something worth pinching inside.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall)
Date: 16 Jul 01 - 10:45 PM

Here's a nice softshell case. I've got one for my bodhrán, and I'm given to understand they make good cases for musical instruments, as well.

Blue Heron

It has a good 3/4 inch of padding all around and resists rain really well. (Use common sense and don't leave it out in a thunderstorm, though!)

Rich

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: GUEST,Extra Stout
Date: 17 Jul 01 - 07:56 PM

I nominate snug hardshell cases whenever an instrument goes out of the house. A gigbag is light and convenient, and would serve well to carry the pieces of your axe to a repair shop or guitar cemetary. I've avoided air travel with instruments so far, but Pete Seeger in" How To Play The 5 String Banjo" recommended a deliberately coffin-shaped case. It seemed to inspire some respect. Good luck, everybody.

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: MarkS
Date: 17 Jul 01 - 09:19 PM

Whatever you do if you travel by air, detune your guitar and stuff enough sox, underware, towels, etc around the head to make it secure. Nothing will ruin your day more than to open your case, and find everything intact except the head is broken off at the nut because somebody dropped the case flat on the ground.
Then there is the story about the guy who did all this, and on opening the case later found the guitar back in tune! Somebody in the baggage area of the airline threw a nice concert!
Mark

Subject: RE: guitar case types- what is best?
From: mooman
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 05:42 AM

I have used a Calton case for my mandolin for 20 years and it is very tough although an assistant in a shop at Waterloo Station in London managed to take a chunk off the corner of it by dropping heavy bottles on it from a height. Epoxy filler and some matching paint have fixed that however and it has just returned from another trip round Ireland! The downside is that Caltons are heavy and rather expensive. For a mandolin this is not a problem but could make carrying a guitar easily a problem.

I go along with Bill Sables on Hiscox Liteflite cases. My Lakewood guitar came with one and it appears very strong indeed and is much lighter and cheaper than a Calton. The case is specially padded inside for my "M" size guitar.

My other guitar (a "Japanese" Lowden) has a traditional "domed" plywood case which has served well over the years but which is now beginning to fall apart and is patched everywhere with gaffa tape. It seems that the fabric/vinyl covering of these types of cases helps to keep them in one piece and when that wears through you can be in trouble.

Where air travel isn't an issue I took up the advice in a thread here some months ago concerning good quality, highly padded gig bags and bought a "Rockbag" made by Warwick of Germany. I used this to bring my octave mandolin across from Belgium to the May Yorkshire Gathering with the advantage it has shoulder straps and enabled me to cart both it a a week's work-related paraphernalia. I have used it since for local sessions but don't think I could trust it for air travel unless allowed to put it in the overhead bin. Fortunately I still have its original hard case for such eventualities although I would insist on loading it myself.

All the best

mooman (back and much refreshed from 18 days in Ireland!)