Mandola gig bag?

[steve V. johnson]

In a thread over in the 'Celtic, etc.' music section of the Cafe msg boards Bratsche mentioned that he couldn't find a gig bag to fit a Troubadour Gervaise mandola...

Do any of you know where to find a selection of gig bags for a mandola?

Thanks,

stv

[Jim Garber]

There is a good reliable seller on eBay who often has German-made (I think Rockbag is the brand) gig bags for mandolas. his ebay name is evanp.

In fact, he has the mandola bag on right now.

I have the bowlback mandolin version and it is nick and padded and well-designed. Not sure if the mandola one would work for an OM tho.

Jim

[bratsche]

I have bought from evanp before; he is a reputable seller, as you say - in fact the soft viola case cover which protects the homemade plywood box I now use to house the mandola came from him!

The Gervaise, while large bodied for a (tenor) mandola, is "only" 28.5" long by 13" wide by 3" deep. The Rockbag "mandola bag" would certainly fit it - with room to spare, possibly doubling as an overnight bag! I asked Evan if the interior measurements of 33 x 15 x 4 were correct, and he said they are. Being German-made, I suspect this Rockbag is actually for an "octave mandola", not a regular (tenor) mandola. I was hoping to find something with a bit snugger fit, but haven't yet. Maybe I will get one of these, though, as it certainly does seem well made...

bratsche, who is a she

[wannabethile]

check out the blue heron cases. very spiffy, there is a post about them in the equipment part of the board.

[mad dawg]

I second the suggestion for looking into a Rockbag. I have Rockbag mandola bag for my 10-string mandolin (its body is too large for standard size mandolin bag), and it is no flimsy gig bag; it is solidly padded, and its cover is exceptionally durable. If there is any drawback, it is substantially heavier than your average gig bag, but it comes with well padded back-pack style shoulder straps.

[Mandobar]

i have both these cases. the blue heron is much nicer and there are fewer metal tags to bump your mandola on. i belive the evanp bag will fit a large sobell mandolin too.

[Dolamon]

I picked up an odd, really oversize mandolin gig bag off of eBay to fit my Hora mandola. This is just about 1/2 inch too short to be a loose fit but it will work. This was a TKL and came from a Guitarrizz in N.Y. Now that I have that one to fit this particular instrument, I think that a double, Prince Tennis Racket case would fit it. Those normally can be purchased for in the 25 to 40.00 range in the US. As for Blue Heron, excellent cases - but no matter what you order there is a custom charge so his prices are misleading - even his standard mandola case was a custom addition. For 220+ bucks - I could have done better. #

If you want a relatively inexpensive bag made for you, I'd take a look at Superior Case or check out the [URL=http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/BCSU-PONY.htm]"Pony"[/URL Banjo cases at Elderly . (Sorry, I couldn't put my hands on Superior's web site - I also don't know why that URL wouldn't link.)

[otterly2k]

I looked into buying a bag from evanp (the Rockbag), but I have a 'dola that is an unusual instrument... somewhat deeper than typical. I emailed him and asked if he would consider allowing me to return it (in pristine condition and immediately) if it did not fit, and he would not accommodate this request... so it put me off a bit, and I didn't pursue it. Still, it looks like the best low-cost option that I've been able to find when scanning, so I'm glad to hear that others have had good experiences with this seller and this bag.

[John Flynn]

Here is an off the wall suggestion that a Cafe' member reported having good luck with in an earlier thread: A mandola will fit very nicely in Dunlop "Bullet" multiple tennis racket bag, which can be found online for only $40 or less, I think. It also makes a good case cover for a mandolin in a shaped case.
http://www.courtsidetennis.com/cgi-bin....ID=2448

[Mandobar]

i got my blue heron mandola case for $145. bt this was for the mandola case that he lists on the website. (actually a friend of mine who owns a high end acoustic shop got it for me- although blue heron no longer gives dealer discounts, or so they said at the time we ordered it).

evanp's case is nice. the lining is very plush. (the lining is very velvety) it is rather big for a mandola the size of an old gibson though.

[steve V. johnson]

I first found Blue Heron when I was looking for bodhran cases for my wife's drums. They are just great!

I used one for my Santa Cruz OM PW guitar on our Ireland trip this year. I used a Calton case to protect the guitar from the airlines (even tho Aer Lingus is very nice to instruments!) and then broke out the Blue Heron when we got there.

The Calton for my Crump bouzouki came late, so the Crump couldn't go to Ireland this year, but the Blue Heron for it is genius. Fits great, has saved the Crump from harm several times.

Thanks for the replies for Ms Bratsche! <GG>

stv

[otterly2k]

Hmmm... now that I have some testimony that the Rockbag is on the large size, I might look into it again...

[Dolamon]

Anthony Rizzo has the TKL Gig Baglisted again on eBay. This will fit the Troubador Mandola - but it is a bit on the tight side. The price is definately right and the quality is up there.