The Ideal Guitar Case - If Only!

Wheels are good. I was thinking maybe a great case could be well under ten pounds.

PRS could defo go with better solution. I mean who really like these cases? The case I get a Fender AmPro with was awesome, molded plastic, light. Or EBMM... they bulky as **** but lighter than PRS. Shipping of PRS guitars has to go in bazillions
 
F'rinstance, what if there was a woven, but tough and hard nanoweb material that could be lined with a lightweight, padded (perhaps with a thin, closed-cell foam), moisture-proof lining? And what if it conformed closely to the shape of the guitar? It probably could come in under 8 pounds. That'd be great!
You got the point here and I hope people looking for biz ideas are reading PRS forum
 
PRS could defo go with better solution. I mean who really like these cases? The case I get a Fender AmPro with was awesome, molded plastic, light. Or EBMM... they bulky as **** but lighter than PRS. Shipping of PRS guitars has to go in bazillions
Well, traditionalists like a wooden case because wood's hygroscopic, absorbing and releasing moisture from and to the guitar, at least in theory, and it's a pretty good buffer against temp and humidity changes.

But there have to be other effective, rigid materials that'd work, and there are effective humidipaks on the market that do the same thing as a wooden case, only they do it better.

I have nothing against the molded plastic cases; their weight is great for my back (I have an EBMM bass with one, and used to have Martins that came with them). On the other hand, as you say, they're bulky and there are probably better options for what they do if someone put their mind (and money!) to making one.

If I was younger and smarter, I'd do it. Alas, I'm not the right person.
 
I should mention that I think a rigid case would preferable to a soft or hybrid case.

Crush resistance, especially when touring, would be a very desirable thing, for example. I've been on little puddle jumper flights where all bags had to be checked, including instruments. Without a hard case, that is a very risky proposition. Then, too, there are touring vans, buses and trailers where lots of heavy gear bounces and slides around, including heavy guitar amps and cabs.

"You said, 'rigid' heheh."

"I'm of course expecting the standard, lame, rigidity joke, and in fact, I'd probably make that joke myself if I hadn't originated this thread. In fact, I just did."

"It's good to stay ahead of your many detractors."

"That's kind of a backhanded compliment."
 
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I would probably go with a Pellican if I would leave my house with a guitar more often. Just for the sake of wheels. The reason I won't is this - I rarely jam and never gig. I would end up with yet another case I have no space for.

Decent gigbag maybe for those rare occasions where I socialise?

"Why Les is talking to himself out loud?"

"Does he knows I gonna milk his biz idea?"

"Can dog look up?"

"What the **** did Nickleback did to anyone?"
 
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I would probably go with a Pellican if I would leave my house with a guitar more often. Just for the sake of wheels. The reason I won't is this - I rarely jam and never gig. I would end up with yet another case I have no space for.

Decent gigbag maybe for those rare occasions where I socialise?
Decent gig bags are great for that.

There are times I travel and book larger studios, though not in the past few years for some reason. I'm a hermit otherwise.
 
I would probably go with a Pellican if I would leave my house with a guitar more often. Just for the sake of wheels. The reason I won't is this - I rarely jam and never gig. I would end up with yet another case I have no space for.

Decent gigbag maybe for those rare occasions where I socialise?

"Why Les is talking to himself out loud?"

"Does he knows I gonna milk his biz idea?"

"Can dog look up?"

"What the **** did Nickleback did to anyone?"
Hahaha! Thanks for that!
 
Calton? If I had the money, I go for one of theirs in a heartbeat.

 
Shrinkage? Just take it swimming in cold water.

You could wear an athletic cup to protect your...uh...pappy...if you're all that concerned about traveling with it.

But if you really want a case for it, you might have to decide if you want a hard case, or a soft case. Reunion Blues demonstrates a soft-ish case if you feel like throwing your 'pappy' off the roof of a building, like in their demo videos, but hey, what you do with your junk is completely up to you.
6:04 am and I just spit Coffee….Damn, this place is off the charts awesome….but now you have my design side attention…..hmmmmmm
 
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Calton? If I had the money, I go for one of theirs in a heartbeat.

They're great, highly protective cases, and I appreciate the quality and design details. They're a couple of pounds lighter than a wood case, which isn't much, but of course are more protective. Still, my ideal is gig-bag weight, or close to it. They're too heavy for that, though I'd buy one for a tour in a heartbeat rather than expose an instrument to serious risk.

Hoffee's carbon fiber cases are also killer.

Look into the Hiscox Hard Cases. Lightweight and very protective.
Excellent cases, and half the weight of a wooden case. Higher quality than the typical SKB style case that looks similar.

The only drawback for me? The aluminum frame on this style of case, which of course is required for its construction, probably because the molded plastic might flex more easily than carbon fiber or fiberglass. I've scratched guitars on the metal edging of SKB cases. It'd be great if they could cover that frame with a soft rubber or something similar. So, great cases, but not necessarily ideal.

If you look at the standard PRS wooden hard case, you'll notice that the edges are either the paisley fabric or tolex. If you accidentally hit that with your guitar, it's unlikely you'll get a scratch or ding, and the latches are set well below that edge; you're not likely to scratch the guitar on a lower latch.

It's a small detail, of course. But I'm clumsy.
 
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Wow, have guitar case prices gone up quickly.

I have a couple of the SKB cases. They’re nice and light for someone who isn’t built like Monty Burns and I feel like the guitars are well protected.
 
I wish someone would make this:

1. A case about as light as a gig bag; and,

2. Impervious to humidity changes (in terms of RH retention, using something like the Boveda/D'Addario humidipaks) similar to a hard, wooden case (most of the nicest gig bags cannot achieve this goal); and,

3. With the strength that it could be at the very least a carry on bag in the overhead compartment of an airplane, and if necessary, survive a trip in the baggage compartment of a plane; and,

4. With the ability to maintain a set temperature range during a flight or transport.

5. I do not want to look at bags or cases with ugly neon coverings, sorry. WTF, black cases work fine for me.

Impossible, right?

No!

Cases meeting these specs 100% exist in the classical music world. You'd think that will 3 or 4 million guitar players, a case like this would find a very ready market. Yet for us it doesn't exist. C'mon, man.

A Carbon fiber case like the Hoffee might be a fantastic platform, but it's still on the heavy side, as are the Calton cases. I don't want to save two or three, or five or six pounds over a wood case. I want to save ten pounds. Plus ability to maintain a set temperature? Not available.

"You rarely go anywhere with your guitars, Les, so it doesn't much matter."

"But when I do go to outside studios to work, saving my back would be totally worth the money. And then there's coddling my guitars."

"What about amps?"

"I would kill for a light weight but protective head shell. I mean... heavy plywood? WTF!!!!" I get that a wooden cab might help with tone that's expected from an amp. I'm fine with that. However, a head shell? No, it doesn't affect tone!!"
This is genius!! I'm new to playing guitars and found so many humidity control packs like Boveda and others to keep my wooden acoustic at decent moisture but was thinking there should be something better out there by now, like what you're mentioning.
 
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But how many guitarists would pay what something like this would likely cost? Looks like a nice case like you describe for a violin is in the couple hundred dollar range. Expand that to guitar size and you could be looking at some real money. Violinists will shell out $$$ for bows, but seems like guitarists are always looking for cheaper, excuse me, more economical items.
 
I love me the standard Strat/Tele case. But it doesn't fit a PRS. I wish I could swap out the molded insert
 
But how many guitarists would pay what something like this would likely cost? Looks like a nice case like you describe for a violin is in the couple hundred dollar range. Expand that to guitar size and you could be looking at some real money.
The violin case I was talking about was in the $1K + range. Since guitars are larger, I'd guess $1500 or maybe even more.

Given what I do, and have invested in my guitars, it'd be a justifiable expense to own one or two and use them with my PRSes when I travel or go to outside studios, since several of my instruments are PS models, and guitar playing is an important part of what I do for a living.

For many others, it might be overkill, and there's nothing wrong with deciding that an expensive case isn't worth the dough. No doubt, most folks don't need that level of protection, and truth is, most PRS players who don't tour or play professionally don't need it, either. They don't even need the wooden case, and would be fine with gig bags (provided that their rooms were adequately humidity controlled).

I guess that's why there aren't very many choices for this kind of idea on the market. Everyone has different, unique needs. No product is 'one size fits all'.

If I could have the case I want, I'd spend two grand on it, no problem, take my money, please!

And hey, if Hans designed it...I'd be in that "Gimme now' line!!! ;)
 
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