This Is Solid Thinking

[László]

Where to begin...

One of my friends has a son who was trained as an opera singer. He's a wonderful young man. He loves music and lives in the world of orchestras and singers. He had this idea for a case for violins that would be impervious to shock, temperature, humidity changes, the whole nine yards, and would even include protection against theft!

So he invented a violin case that is built like a tank, and it electronically controls the temperature of the contents as well as the humidity. They've tested the case in every possible way, and it just freaking works.

It even has a built in GPS transmitter so that in the event it's stolen, it can be tracked via GPS by police, etc! And with fantastic follow-through, this young man brought the product to market. I take my hat off to him. And the cool thing is that he made the GPS tracking device separately available for any instrument case. Very cool.

Here's the link:

http://www.tempocases.com

As you guys probably know, a good classical violin is so ungodly expensive, that they make a six figure '58 LP look like a bargain. Most orchestra players who acquire instruments like these take out mortgages to pay for them, as they cost as much as a decent house in the suburbs.

So while the price of the case is quite high at this point to folks like us who live in the guitar world, it's completely worth it for someone with a six-figure violin made in the 1700s or 1800s.

I was thinking that it would be wonderful to have a case like that for a fine acoustic guitar like my PS acoustic, especially for a touring player who needs to have protection for an instrument, but also for a lunatic like me who thinks that temp and humidity should be constant no matter what! I'm working on my friend to have him at least consider making something like this for guitars.

I realize this kind of thing isn't for most of us, but I make my living with my instruments, and having something like this would absolutely be worth it to me, plus I think that making it for guitars would probably bring the price down, as there are several million guitar players in the US, and they could increase production and lower costs.

I want something like this for my fantastic PRS acoustic!

I've just learned about the GPS device I can put in my own case, that alerts the owner if the guitar is moved, if the battery gets low on the device, if it leaves a particular area, and other cool stuff. Evidently it works with computers or smart phones.

I would be terribly upset if any of my instruments was stolen, so an order is to be placed for that.

Incidentally, I did not discuss this post about this stuff with my friend, or his son, and I am not affiliated with the company in any way. In fact, I haven't seen or talked with my friend in a few months. They have no idea that I'm posting this.

I just think it's a great idea, and I've been thinking about it.

Note also that I'm not going to accept or request any referral $ or credit of any kind if someone here is interested in this stuff. And I'm paying retail like anyone else for what I'm ordering.

 

[sleary]

That's a great idea really. A temperature and humidity controlled case makes perfect sense. I'd even like to see one for electrics. Most players have to really hard to control both elements and if you have a large investment in your instrument then makes perfect sense. If you had a 59 les Paul then a case like that makes sense plus for all the private stock guys it would be perfect for.

Thanks for sharing

 

[garrettb]

That little GPS device is very clever. You could just pop it in the case of whichever guitar you're gigging with tonight.

My only concern with that temperature controlled case would be opening it in an environment that is vastly different from the inside of the case. I wouldn't want to pop that thing open for a gig outside on a 90+ degree day. Wouldn't want to see that vintage lacquer crack. But I guess you probably don't bring your $500k violin out for gigs in those conditions.

 

[László]

That little GPS device is very clever. You could just pop it in the case of whichever guitar you're gigging with tonight.

My only concern with that temperature controlled case would be opening it in an environment that is vastly different from the inside of the case. I wouldn't want to pop that thing open for a gig outside on a 90+ degree day. Wouldn't want to see that vintage lacquer crack. But I guess you probably don't bring your $500k violin out for gigs in those conditions.

If you had a gig on a hot day, you might not want to play it with your Strad, your PS acoustic, etc.

The good idea is that when traveling you can maintain an indoor temperature and reasonable humidity inside the case. These can be set to preference. That's only a good thing!

Wooden instruments seem to want to see consistency over the long term, and if the case temp inside is set to typical indoor temps - like 72 degrees or so - it doesn't get freezing cold in the winter while you go somewhere in a cold car, or on a cold street, or in an airline baggage compartment, or blazing hot in the summer. If you take a guitar out of the case to play a few hours, and the humidity is different, that shouldn't be a problem.

There isn't much you can do about making things absolutely perfect, but it's good to do the best you can with an instrument you love to play (at least if you're me).

And no one wants to turn around and find his or her instrument stolen! That would be a nightmare. How could I possibly replace something like my A-V? It'd take forever to find the right guitar. So yeah, getting one or two for the stuff you're taking out of the house would be plenty.

 

[jfb]

Cool stuff. I will check these out for sure.