Some PRS factory cases are too tight on hollowbody guitars

[SonicBlue]

I bought a 2024 HB II Piezo Core and the factory case lid requires at least 15-20lbs of pressure on the lid to compress the interior padding enough to close the case.

I'm not comfortable with this on a hollowbody and having owned over 20 PRS guitars through the years, I have never had this issue before.

PRS sent a replacement case but it is basically the same, only the lid is slightly better aligned on the replacement and maybe a little less pressure to get it to close, but still too much.

Has anyone else experienced this?
If I can't get this sorted, what factory case would you recommend for a HB II Piezo?

Case is tagged CAS-0005 and is identical to the one below:

EDIT: I got a replacement case from PRS with the same issue, but they sent a 3rd one and it fit perfectly. They must have just had a batch of cases that were out of spec and I happened to get 2 hollowbody crushers in a row.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I bought a 2024 HB II Piezo Core and the factory case lid requires at least 15-20lbs of pressure on the lid to compress the interior padding enough to close the case.

I'm not comfortable with this on a hollowbody and having owned over 20 PRS guitars through the years, I have never had this issue before.

PRS sent a replacement case but it is basically the same, only the lid is slightly better aligned on the replacement.

Has anyone else experienced this?
If I can't get this sorted, what factory case would you recommend for a HB II Piezo?

Case is tagged CAS-0005 and is identical to this one:

Yeah, I don't like the scenario either (the pressure to close the case). As far as I am concerned, the case lid should be able to sit full closed with zero pressure. I have a 2021 594 HBII and that is how the case closes, without any pressure. This case is definitely different than the one that came with my 2021 HBII. I can tell by the handle alone. I don't know if the HBII Piezo usually came with a different case than the 594 HBII, but I would certainly be surprised if that was the case (no pun intended)! Do you have a dealership locally that you can go to so you can see if other HB Piezo's are doing the same thing?

 

[SonicBlue]

Dealers near me don't carry PRS core models.

Here's the inside, taken with flash to show the dark interior. There are 4 pads you can see that are what is compressing the guitar... 2 at the bottom, 1 under the neck joint and 1 at the higher frets.

Interestingly, the piezo battery door didn't close very well on mine and I had to get a replacement. Makes me wonder if the pressure of the case was a factor. If it's being crushed with pressure over time in storage, it's plausible it could affect the plastic battery door.

 

[rcsrich]

I ran into something similar with the first “multifit” case I ordered for my S2 sinclecut. I sent it back and ordered a lightly used case…the lid closes completely without force and the guitar is still held firmly. Hollow or solid body, I do not like cases that exert a lot of pressure on a guitar- no sir.

 

[Jo-]

I just recently bought a PS Hollowbody II and it’s the exact same problem. The guitar is so tight in the case that it requires pressure on the lid to get it in.

None of my other HB’s ever had this problem. They fight tight, but not as tight as this one.

 

[SonicBlue]

They must have made a design change on the case for a more snug fit and overdid it, especially if it's also on a PS case.

Beautiful PS btw, wowzers!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Here are some pix of my 594 HBII case. It was a WL from Ish Guitars, but I don't believe this case is any different than other cases for this core model.

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[SonicBlue]

Here are some pix of my 594 HBII case. It was a WL from Ish Guitars, but I don't believe this case is any different than other cases for this core model.

​

From these pics it appears the pad under the neck joint area is not as thick as on mine. Though it could be compressed from having a guitar in it longer. Even after a couple of months, mine didn’t compress much at all.

I briefly worked in upholstery and know that it’s not just the thickness, the material density and other attributes can make just as much difference. You could have identical spec cases made the same but they change the materials and it could put completely different pressure on the guitar.

And that is another beautiful guitar!

 

[RickP]

Mine looks like the one @Moondog Wily has (also purchased in 2021), with the smaller, offset pad at the base. Other than that pad and the huge handle on yours, it looks fairly similar. It's a snug fit on the sides, but the lid completely closes with no pressure on it.

 

[Jo-]

Let's see if I can get my case pics to come up... it's so black inside it grabs up all the light.

It's made in Costa Rica of all places

This is how far it fits in the case with a firm push

and this is how open the case is before applying what is in my opinion, way too much pressure to close it.

 

[SonicBlue]

Let's see if I can get my case pics to come up... it's so black inside it grabs up all the light.

It's made in Costa Rica of all places

This is how far it fits in the case with a firm push

and this is how open the case is before applying what is in my opinion, way too much pressure to close it.

Your photos match my situation perfectly. My guitar sits extremely high inside the case as well and i have to push it firmly to even get it to seat into the case past the edges which are also too thick. Then you can see the padding under the guitar raise it too high, then finally as you go to close the lid, you're having to forcefully smash the guitar between top and bottom case padding which is very firm. This can't be good for storage of a hollowbody.

 

[Jo-]

It's funny, I was going to post about this problem but then I thought ppl would have had the 'get over it, it will stretch out' or something, so I didn't
Glad to know it's not just me.

Where was your case made? Costa Rica as well?

 

[SonicBlue]

I have 3 factory PRS cases here for 2024 Hollowbody II guitars. 2 are defective and crush the guitars in an unacceptable manner. 1 is a perfect fit with no issues.

All 3 are made in Costa Rica by GWW Cases https://www.gwwcases.com/

Defective case 1 - Shipped with 2024 HB II Piezo Core
Model: CAS-0005 (all black inside and out)
Case Manufacture Date: June, 2023

Defective case 2 - Replacement PRS sent to me
Model: CAS-0005 (all black inside and out)
Case Manufacture Date: August, 2022

Non-Defective, perfect fit case - Came with 2024 HB II Private Stock
Model: CAS-0018-PAIS (private stock paisley)
Case Manufacture Date: March, 2024

(Case model number tags referenced are on the handle, which I never removed. Case manufacture date tags are inside the case lid edge)

 

[Greywolf]

my 594 HBII does sit a bit high in the case , but no case closure issues , but it's a black paisley so they may have a bit different dimensions.

 

[Rocketscientist90]

The SE version might also fit? The PRS Accessoires lists this model. (Not sure if this it the official accessoires store?)
Funnily enough, the CAS-0005 doesn't appear on that page.

 

[dmatthews]

I have a 2021 594 HBII and the guitar fits in the case perfectly. Nice and snug, and the lid closes with zero pressure.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Let's see if I can get my case pics to come up... it's so black inside it grabs up all the light.

It's made in Costa Rica of all places

This is how far it fits in the case with a firm push

and this is how open the case is before applying what is in my opinion, way too much pressure to close it.

Here is your case with exposure increased and shadows adjusted to see the interior better ;~))

 

[RC Mike]

Surely whomever is putting those guitars into those cases for shipping at the factory is aware of the issue. Ridiculous!

 

[Birdsofprey]

Agree with everything said above. I would keep sending the cases back until completely satisfied PS/WL/Core doesn’t matter. Details, details, details I don’t care about PRS picks, straps, glasses, tee’s, beer, vehicles wraps ( seeing if you were still reading) get the core of your business straight.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Details and additional examples in this thread lead me to believe that the case manufacturer has some tolerance/qc issues that need to be addressed. There is nothing I know of that can justify putting significant pressure on the face of a HB guitars body for storage (solid body electric, bring it on). Wood bends, and with consistent pressure, over time it will bend. Hopefully the powers that be are on it! As for @SonicBlue , I would send that "replacement" case back for a "replacement" and let them know they better test it with a similar model before shipping it out, else that one will be coming back as well!