Fibreglass A style mandolin case

[Nick Gellie]

I am looking for a fibreglass A style mandolin case. Anyone tried the Superior case at Elderly instruments for instance?

Recommendations are most welcome.

Cheers

Nic

[Ivan Kelsall]

Nic - Buy a Travelite case. That's what my own Ellis "A" style is in & it'll remain in one. You could always consider an SKB moulded 'A' style case similar to the one in the pic.
My preference for the Travelite cases is because they well padded on the inside & padded on the outside as well.The covering material is 'Ballistic' strength Nylon & it's as tough as hell !. The case is,as the name implies 'light' & if you use it with one,or even 2 shoulder straps,the weight simply vanishes. Mike Marshall apparently uses one for his Lloyd Loar,so my Ellis should be fine. It's only the fact that the Travelite's aren't available in the UK, that all 3 of mine aren't in one,
Ivan

[almeriastrings]

Hi Nic,

Among the lower priced fiberglass cases I have had both Superior and Eastman (in F-styles):



Here's an 'open' view of the Superior:



And an Eastman:



Now.. they have changed the design a bit in the last couple of years in that the fittings are now black, and (apparently) there is a bit more room in the neck area, though at the same time, the shell layup is not as heavy.... the original ones really had a very thick fiberglass shell for their price, much thicker than the Eastmans.

Both are good cases, though neither offers much accessory storage (the Eastman practically none at all).

They will both protect from 'light abuse', but I would not want to throw either of them down a flight of stairs. For day-to-day protection they are fine. One good thing is they both came in various colours, some more heat reflecting than others.

I am not really convinced that the lower priced FG cases offer any better protection than good quality ABS cases, however - and the latter are usually much easier to source. The extremely low priced GATOR ABS mandolin case might not look too fancy, but it is strong and very well padded, fits A and F styles, and does the job well. Nice sized storage compartment too. Available in Australia.

[MikeEdgerton]

Eastman "made" (as in past tense) an A style fiberglass case years ago. I had one and sold it and have kicked myself ever since. They rarely show up on the used market.

The one at Elderly looks pretty good. I may have to take a closer look at them.

http://elderly.com/accessories/names...FMC2-WHITE.htm

[Nick Gellie]

I should have thrown ABS cases into the mix. Thanks guys for some wonderful tips. I will check out the Gator ABS case. Looking from the photo it is only available as an F case? How well Andy does it fit an A? Have you tried it?

[Nick Gellie]

Andy - I would really appreciate your opinion as to whether an A mandolin would fit into the Gator ABS case. I can get it even cheaper online here for $151 shipped to my door from http://www.keyboardcorner.com.au/gc-mandolin/

[almeriastrings]

Nic,

No problems. I have an A-model living in one in one right now. They are very solid case. Very protective, loads of room around the headstock. Padding is thick semi-rigid foam, not "floppy" stuff. I feel these are one of the best cases in the "not too expensive" category.



A pretty decent fit and you can use the "scroll" area for an attached strap. If they are a bit too loose, easy enough to make an extra pad.

[Nick Gellie]

Great! I will get one then. I was waiting to see whether you housed an A mandolin in a Gator F style case and how well it fitted.

Cheers

Nic

[Tom Sanderson]

Although they are expensive and hard to get, I like the Pegasus A model case. I have one on order and have been searching for a used one. I have 2 Pegasus F model cases and I love them. I think that they are the very best cases made.

[almeriastrings]

One issue with cases is that they are really expensive to import....shipping costs are very, very high these days. Yes, Pegasus are great (I have one and use it as my main case), but if I was in Australia I'd be looking at the Presto Cases in the high end sector. Also extremely good. Only ever seen one, but it was very nice indeed! How much protection you get in FG/ABS/Carbon Fibre is rather debatable, however. So much depends on the kind of trauma...

[Nick Gellie]

I agree Andy - they are expensive to import. I have sent and email request to Presto cases to see if it is worthwhile to purchase one. I have a quote for $500 but given that I have an Ellis A5 deluxe, it may be worth the protection.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Almeria - Nic asked me about my Ellis in my gator case. I did try it,but it's a sloppy fit & i'd never use it. The Weber 'Fern' for which i bought it is a perfect fit. My TKL & Travelite cases seem to fit perfectly any mandolin i've ever tried in them. i still maintainthat 'for me',the Travelites are the best cases out there. One thing to remember,is that if we drop our cases or bang them really hard,we do it with the combined mass of the case & the mandolin. Less mass = less impact force = good = Travelite ,
Ivan

[Nick Gellie]

Good point, Ivan. I will consider getting a Travellite as well. The Presto case is not available until December 2015.

[Dale Ludewig]

One word or two about the Superior case. I got one from Saga a while back. It's smallish. This one is an F case and I can barely get a mandolin into it. There is little padding around the perimeter. And if you're thinking about putting a tonegard on a mandolin and getting it into the case, forget about it. It wouldn't have cost much money to make the case better designed.

In my mind, Pegasus is the best.

[mandroid]

Snagged a used FG eastman A5 case , but they are history.. My 'Plastic' Mix is carried in it, now.
3 D ring back pack option was a +..

Siminoff showed some that he sells it was in past classifieds , seemed retail priced as an Asian import would be.

[Nick Gellie]

I have decided to go with this version of the Presto case, seen here with a Duff F-5 inside it. I borrowed this from Peter Coombe's website - thanks Peter.

I had a great chat with Wayne Peters yesterday. They are flat out making cases so he must be doing well in his business.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have to admit to liking the exterior of the Presto case far more than the flat & glossy finishes of most f/g cases. They look terrific when new,but they show scratches & scuff marks like crazy over time & require a good case cover to keep them in good order.
A nice choice Nic,but ask Wayne Peters for a few inside dimensions in the body area. As i said, my Ellis is a sloppy fit inside my Gator case & you definitely don't want that with your new Presto. Either that or you could send him a few body measurements for him to use when making your case. ''One size fits all'' isn't applicable to all cases,
Ivan

[Nick Gellie]

I have to admit to liking the exterior of the Presto case far more than the flat & glossy finishes of most f/g cases. They look terrific when new,but they show scratches & scuff marks like crazy over time & require a good case cover to keep them in good order.
A nice choice Nic,but ask Wayne Peters for a few inside dimensions in the body area. As i said, my Ellis is a sloppy fit inside my Gator case & you definitely don't want that with your new Presto. Either that or you could send him a few body measurements for him to use when making your case. ''One size fits all'' isn't applicable to all cases,
Ivan

You get this impressive set of dimensions one has to follow:


Of course one has to be careful with measuring everythings carefully but this should ensure a good fit.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Nic - I see that the Presto cases ask for the same dimensions as are required with the Calton cases - very wise. It should ensure a perfect fit,
Ivan