Anyone else using these?

[daklander]

Guardian Featherweight Cases?

I love mine and it weighs only about 4 lbs.

[guitarist21]

The Epiphone Masterbilts (used to) come with a variant of those, or maybe they're the same. Anyhow I have one because it came with my Masterbilt and I love it. It weighs practically nothing and provides very good protection, which is good for a car-less college student such as myself.

 

Of course, it's no substitute for the proper protection provided by a regular hard case (i.e. I don't think I'd send my Masterbilt on a plane in this case. Maybe, but probably not.) but its pretty darn good.

 

Ellen

[outdoorgb]

For my BD last year my kids got me this Breedlove Hybrid Soft case. It has backpack straps two fwd handles and a standard handle. It's a real durable cordura and is rigid. It will not bend and seems to have great protection. The two front pockets hold a lot of music for me to butcher...I use it to and from work. Could not find a weight.

They got it at GC and paid $60. I would buy one of these without question.

[simplygoodmusic]

Never tried 'em, but I admit, weight is always a big factor for me.

 

Thing is I also fly a lot, so I don't know... how durable is it?

[Hudman]

I was going to buy one for my new Washburn classical but I got a great deal on a classical size Road Runner deluxe gig bag that I couldn't pass up.

 

The cool part is my other two guitars are OM sized and they fit in the Road Runner gig bag. That will come in handy when I have limited space when traveling.

[mrmoe]

not using one of those, but my 45 year old Epiphone dreadnaught is in one of these..... http://www.music-hut.com/trvltgtrcss389.htm similar weight and tough as hell....

[ENDYMI0N]

I have the Tric Case that came with my Simon & Patrick Showcase Mahogany. Its included with the upper acoustic lines from the Godin family (but can be purchased separately). When the guy first brought it out I wasn't impressed..."don't I get a hard case??" But after he talked about it and I took it home and gave it a once over... I loved it.

Its made of the same high impact absorbing material (Neopolen P expanded polypropylene) that they make bumpers and dashboards with. "The TRIC case provides a level of impact protection for your guitar that rivals the protection offered by many flight cases." It can be thrown around and dropped without worry of damaging the guitar inside. It also is an insulator so that changes in outside temp dosen't affect it. Imagine having your black filght case in direct sunlight in scortching hot heat, sitting on a runway for an hour, waiting to be loaded into a plane. Not a prob for this case. It also insulates from changes in humidity which could be devastating.

The material looks like foam but if you try to pick at it, it springs back and dosen't come loose. The inside material looks and feels like construction paper but its a thin and lightweight plastic that can't be torn. Mine came with an outer shell backpack with a large front pocket, that I'm getting to like very much. The handle was also thought out very well. Its angled in such a way that the guitar almost stands up parallel and hugs to your body if needed. Great for walking around people or through doorways (I used to smash my cases going though doorways all the time). All this in a case thats 2 1/2 pounds. Like I said, I love it.

[Broadus]

I have the standard, not deluxe, TRIC case, also, for my S&P Songsmith Folk. I like its light weight, but it is a bit bulkier, and I wish the handle were not so thick. Still, the lightweight case does its job. I hope the Thermal Regulated Instrument Case is all it's cracked up to be during the heat of summer.

 

Had I not the TRIC, Dak's Guardian case looks like a good option.

 

Bill

[simplygoodmusic]

Does anyone else HATE plywood cases? Fancy as they may look, with all the leather and tweed, they are really heavy, and really don't give all that much protection.

[ENDYMI0N]

Quote Broadus: "I hope the Thermal Regulated Instrument Case is all it's cracked up to be during the heat of summer."


I think that it will insulate very well indeed. It is a similar material to closed cell foam which is the best insulator for a rest pad when winter camping. Also they have made a dado joint of the material so that the sides just don't butt up against eack other. Makes for a good seal.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Guardian Featherweight Cases? I love mine and it weighs only about 4 lbs.

Just recently ordered one for my open-backed 5-string banjo, but they sent the resonator banjo case, instead...haven't decided if I'll send it back or just get a thick piece of foam to keep the banjo from moving around inside...

Nicely made, though.

[daklander]

Does anyone else HATE plywood cases? Fancy as they may look, with all the leather and tweed, they are really heavy, and really don't give all that much protection.

 

 

I don't necessarily like the weight but they're fine for most uses to protect a guitar going to a gig. Much better than a gig bag, IMO. Though I do use a couple of gig bags I normally only use one, if I'm just taking a guitar out to play and there is no other gear to bang up against it.

[simplygoodmusic]

I don't necessarily like the weight but they're fine for most uses to protect a guitar going to a gig. Much better than a gig bag, IMO. Though I do use a couple of gig bags I normally only use one, if I'm just taking a guitar out to play and there is no other gear to bang up against it.

 

 

I've seen some pretty nasty looking situations in which those things just cracked right open, strangley enough always when being sent while flying.

 

Funny thing is, I've shipped my guitar in one a dozen times, and nothing has ever happened, but I'm always freaked. I might go for a higher end case soon, fiberglass or whatnot... I don't like risking it, you know?

[0rbitz9]

I have one of the Guardian cases for my bass guitar. It definately cut down
on the bulk.

[babablowfish]

I have one that looks just like the Guardian, made by Rockwood for my Parkwood. I like the fact that it is very light. I wouldn't trust it on a plane.

 

I like the looks of the TRIC!

 

As for the wooden cases, I know they are limited, but I have a soft spot in my heart for them - I really like the way they look. I keep reminding myself that it is totally impractical to buy one of those made out of mahogany.

[simplygoodmusic]

Does anyone make violin like foam ones that you know of?

[Terry Allan Hall]

Does anyone make violin like foam ones that you know of?

 

 

A couple of options:

 

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/TLC-VIOLIN.htm

 

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/GVC1.htm

[simplygoodmusic]

Sorry, to re-word, does anyone make violin like foam ones for guitar?

[Arizona Ken]

Does anyone else HATE plywood cases? Fancy as they may look, with all the leather and tweed, they are really heavy, and really don't give all that much protection.

 

 

The other thing I noticed with the plywood cases is that they are also affected by humidity.

 

I noticed this when I got my Larrivee a couple of years ago from the pro shop here in Phoenix. They keep their acoustics in a well humidified room of course, but after I bought the guitar, they took the plywood case out from the storage room in the back and home I went.

 

I use the sponge and soap dish method for humidification and noted that the sponge needed replenishment after two or three days. I thought that was kind of funny, but put it down to living "in the dry heat" of Arizona. However, after about three weeks, I noticed that the sponge did not dry out as quickly, and stabilized at a week and a half to two weeks before needing water. I then realized that in the previous weeks I was bringing the dry plywood case up to a stable humidification level.

 

As long as you monitor your humidity it really doesn't matter what kind of case you use, although I would think that a fiberglass case or that thermo-regulated thingy would be the most air tight and let the inside atmosphere "dry out" the slowest.

 

Arizona Ken