Gibson Cases

[slk]

Has anyone noticed that in the Gibson cases the mandolin sits at an angle with the tuners to the far top side (latch side) of the case? I would have thought they would be centered but have been told that Gibson did that to keep the scroll away from the bottom (hinge side) of the case. I only ask because when I pull out the instrument it drags on the D tuner getting it out if I am not careful. Seams to me eventually that will get it out of tune. I can live with it, but was just curious.

Steve

[Benski]

I recently received a 2015 Sam Bush from the Mandolin Store and the shaped Gibson case is as you described. I think its very weird and I find the same thing...the tuners hang up when the mando is lifted out. I didn't fret about it (bad pun) since that mando promptly moved into a vacant Hoffee case I had here (which is the only reason I didnt call TMS to complain about receiving a "defective" case.)

Overall, a pretty dopey idea, IMHO.:disbelief:

[slk]

For what the instruments cost you would think the cases would be a little better quality. I did call Gibson customer service to ask about it. They requested a picture of it, which I sent promptly to them. Haven't heard a word back. That doesn't surprise me either....

Steve

[almeriastrings]

What do these cases look like?

Photo?

[slk]

This is what we are talking about. So not sure if it is an intentional design or a design flaw. The instrument is pushed over to the latch side of the case. Now if you are not thinking and you just go pull it out of the case you could advertently cause the lid to close on your mandolin and one of the catches could cause a ding. It does drag on the tuners going in and out. You just have to be mindful of what you are doing.

Steve

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc434/hunter12407/001_zpswqosse3w.jpg (http://s1211.photobucket.com/user/hunter12407/media/001_zpswqosse3w.jpg.html)

[Austin Bob]

My Custom F5G is from 2012, and came with the same case, with the same design "feature."

I bought a Hoffee case for better protection, so it doesn't bother me.

[BrianWilliam]

I have that "feature" as well.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/683/22611550585_a3b822af8d_k.jpg

[allenhopkins]

Good sharp blow against the side of the case may break off the small peghead scroll. I had this happen twice on my three-point F-2, which was a little too long for most standard F-model cases. I got a Canadian (Levy? Can't remember) case that fit the body pretty well, but the headstock was right against the case side. Twice I hit the case against the car trunk when unloading, or had it slip and fall maybe a couple of feet to a hard surface, and both times I had to have the peghead scroll glued back on.

Finally had the padding of a fiberglas rectangular case reworked to fit the F-2, and traded in the shaped case. Should be some space between the headstock and the case side, on both sides.

[slk]

My thoughts exactly. There should be some space on both sides. I don't think it would take a rocket scientist to come up with a better design. The little piece on the top of the mandolin tuners could break also....

Steve

[sgarrity]

I'm pretty sure that Gibson isn't making these cases. They look like the cheapest case available (TKL? Imported?) with a Gibson pull tab installed.

[mandroid]

Yea whats the Point Here ? at least its off-centered to where knocking off the little dollop is less Likely ..

[mandopops]

I got the Custom F5g wide nut, a 2014. It came with a rectangle case. Don't know why. Doesn't sound like that was the norm. So I'm lucky I don't have that problem.
Joe B

[almeriastrings]

I'm pretty sure that Gibson isn't making these cases. They look like the cheapest case available (TKL? Imported?) with a Gibson pull tab installed.

Yes.. the lining looks like that on the "Canadian" cases.

http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/MCEV.htm

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used to have TKL "F" style case & it was perfectly 'central' in the way the mandolin sat,& the interior was Black & more 'fluffy'. However,i have to admit that the TKL "A" style case that my Ellis was shipped up in,leaves a lot to be desired. The mandolin is a pretty loose fit in the body area & the padding is way too thin. I was surprised really, because the TKL ''American Vintage' rect.case that i bought from First Quality 10 years ago,is excellent in every respect. If i had a case like the OP's,i'd buy another case,most likely because they have the largest headstock room of any case i've seen (used) a Travelite. Not the most 'glam' case,but tough as h**l,well padded inside & out, & light. Or,if you don't mind the bulk,a Hiscox,
Ivan
140274140275
Photos.courtesy of Cafe members Ron McMillan -Travelite & Almeriastrings - Hiscox

[BrianWilliam]

The space near the tip of mine seems too small too. I'm going to try a travelite.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Brian - I doubt that you'll be disappointed if you do buy a Travelite. As i said,they're very un-glam. in appearance,but personally,i think that they look very 'professional'. I've had all 3 of my mandolins in my 8 year old case from time to time,& it's the one i 'play out with',i just swap cases if i'm playing anywhere. There's also plenty of space in the centre compartment.Mine currently holds 2 full sets of strings / a small pair of pliers / a small pair of wire snips / a Dunlop Turbotune string winder & a Snark tuner,plus a small tin for spare picks. You can also use it with either 1 or 2 shoulder straps & carry it like a back pack if needed. The outer Nylon covering is ''Ballistic grade'', originally made to protect military personnel from flying debris,so it's pretty darned tough stuff :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_nylon.
The inside holds the mandolin solidly & securely in place, & there's plenty of headstock room as well. It's a bit weird really,because every mandolin i've tried in my own case,has fitted perfectly. Mine currently holds my Ellis "A" style,but if i could have got them here in the UK,all 3 of my mandolins would be in one - i think they're that good, & you can stick case stickers on them !!,:grin:
Ivan;)
140318

[AlanN]

I agree with every positive Ivan has listed about the T/L case. The lightweight ease of carry and use alone makes them perfect for 99% of mandolin case need. Throw in the price (relative to the boutique cases) and there is little to complain about. The one downside I have found, over time, is the degradation of the cushion pillows, particularly on the one nearest the headstock. On my case (several years of use by now), that small cushion has fallen down, so that the mandolin neck rests a bit on the thinly-covered, likely wooden stuff box lid, as evidenced by a visible indent line there. I could easily place a soft material on the cushion to make up for the deflation, haven't done that yet.

[carleshicks]

The reason for the peg head not being centers in the case is because Gibson F-5's built to Loar specs have a neck that does not share a common centerline with the body of the mandolin, it is slightly angled toward the scroll. The cases are made for a mandolin that has a neck and body with a concentric centerline as some modern builders make them.

[Bernie Daniel]

This is what we are talking about. So not sure if it is an intentional design or a design flaw. The instrument is pushed over to the latch side of the case. Now if you are not thinking and you just go pull it out of the case you could advertently cause the lid to close on your mandolin and one of the catches could cause a ding. It does drag on the tuners going in and out. You just have to be mindful of what you are doing.

Steve

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc434/hunter12407/001_zpswqosse3w.jpg (http://s1211.photobucket.com/user/hunter12407/media/001_zpswqosse3w.jpg.html)

The cases are made by whoever makes TKL (aka "Canadian") cases not Gibson. Oops already covered in post #10! That said however for as much as one pays for a new Gibson mandolin I would think better QC on the cases would be a good idea and be expected by most buyers.

The folks who are the movers and shakers for Gibson mandolins follow this forum so maybe the topic will be addressed and fixed.

[allenhopkins]

The cases are made by whoever makes TKL (aka "Canadian") cases not Gibson. Oops already covered in post #10!...

Don't think my Canadian case was a TKL, though. I remember it had a tag or label with a pine tree on it, at least that's what I remember from nearly 30 years ago. Bought it at the Vintage Fret Shop (http://vintagefret.com) in Ashland NH, 'cause the owner there said it would accommodate the slightly larger body of a three-point 1910-or-so Gibson F-2. Which it did, but the headstock rested tight against the (inadequately padded) side of the case, with results detailed in Post #8 above.

[Benski]

140356
As noted above, I recently purchased a 2015 Sam Bush from TMS. I have to say that the mandolin is really great and kudos to Dave Harvey and his team. And the transaction with TMS was typically smooth and effortless. But there is no excuse for this case. I can only guess that Gibson got some great deal on a bunch of defective TKL/Canadian cases and rather than do the right thing, passed them off to us consumers. Like a lot of the posters above, I moved my new mando into a new (Hoffee) case, but I have to feel sorry for Harvey and his crew for working so hard to produce a quality product only to have it packaged in an inferior case that was undoubtedly approved by some bean-counter at Gibson. For the money (around $10K!), a case designed to properly protect the instrument is a reasonable consumer expectation. If this configuration was by design, somebody should have his engineering license revoked. If it was an error, Gibson should make good on it, by recalling and replacing them. But, at least until convinced otherwise, this is just another example of Gibson's bizarre and disconnected business practices.

Sad, bordering on pathetic.

Dennis: please feel free to pass my sentiments on to the Gibson rep when you speak with him/her next.

OK...time for more coffee....~o)

[mandopops]

Ivan & Alan, I have a couple questions on the Travelite cases. Do they work for an F5 and an F4? How are they for travel/flights? Sturdy, yet lightweight? Hence the name?
Thanx,
Joe B

[AlanN]

Never have tried an F-4 in one. Gibson F-5 and Gilchrist Model 5 fit like a glove - no play/movement when seated, headstock touches nowhere, easy to maneuver and lightweight. I would never check in baggage; always carry-on and place in overhead.

[Timbofood]

The reason for the peg head not being centers in the case is because Gibson F-5's built to Loar specs have a neck that does not share a common centerline with the body of the mandolin, it is slightly angled toward the scroll. The cases are made for a mandolin that has a neck and body with a concentric centerline as some modern builders make them.

Carles, I'm not so sure that would be the issue (I almost said case, ooh, sorry) the amount of "pitch" off center is not so great as to make an asymmetrical case necessary as far as I can see. Willing to be proven wrong but, I might see that in period cases (which we do not see allowances made for the offset degree) I think this is simply lack of precision and care in production of new cases.
The off center neck is not often reproduced by many newer makers, it's such a tiny amount of variance many people out there don't even see it.
I am surely not picking a fight here but, I lay the blame at cheap manufacturing over design flaw but, I very well may be wrong.

[Chunky But Funky]

Well, as others have said, it's almost certainly not the mandolin manufacturers error. Attached is a picture of my Collings MT20 cream top I purchased from The Music Emporium following last years winter NAMM. There is no scroll to break off, but it is an obvious quality control problem. Both The Music Emporium and Collings were very responsive to my concern and forwarded a new case the same day. Someone at Collings made a comment along the lines that they could basically employ someone full time to replace the poorly cut neck blocks they receive in their cases. Possibly part of the reason they started to design their own cases. They apparently have to be fixed on a regular basis140359.

Doug

[carleshicks]

No offense taken. I just assumed that was the case. ( I had to use it)

[Timbofood]

We're good! At least I will have company standing in the "punsters" corner!
Sorry there hasn't been any "Garage Mahalling" of late, everyone has been busy with all sorts of projects and duties.

[mandopops]

Alan, yea was just thinking in terms of carry on. Would consider if it fit both F4 & 5.
Joe B

[Relio]

I dropped my Collings MT in a TKL case and it broke the tuning machine. I felt lucky it didn't hurt the headstock or neck. Upgrade that case ASAP.

[Timbofood]

I most certainly do not mean to imply any shortcomings of handling instruments but, I've hauled my entire bands load of "stuff" for years and never broken anything in the whole life of my band other than a banjo machine (tuner)when the player had a spare banjo seventy five feet away from the gig.
I will acknowledge the fact that traveling with an instrument in generally not in my pervue. I am not so addicted that I must be joined at the fingertip when away from home. Most of my visiting is with family and an "away from home jam" isn't critical.
I am happy to host any visitor to Kalamazoo, and should an instrument be damaged in transit, the talents of some of the best are within a couple of hours drive. Sorry, that does sound like an excuse for a visit to Elderly!

[mandobassman]

I don't think this issue is limited to just Gibson. I have a Saga hard shell case for my J Bovier A5 I have the same issue. The E tuner buttons almost touch the edge of the case. With my case, the issues is clearly the fault of the neck rest, which is off center. You can see in the photo that the distance on either side of the neck is different and that throws off the position of the headstock. But I have seen this problem with very expensive Calton cases. I have read several stories about head stocks being broken in Calton cases. I can understand the lack of quality control in cheaper cases, but there's no excuse for this in a $500 case.

140376140377

[Benski]

140379


OK...Looking at the way any mandolin fit in this ridiculous case (see pic in my post #21, above), I determined that it was the neck block that was forcing the mandolin to sit on the weird angle. Since I also figure that most things can be fixed by judicious application of a Boy Scout knife and Elmer's Glue, I decided to do a neckblockectomy.

I cut the neck block free of the case and then removed the fuzzy cloth from around it, exposing the piece of styrofoam that cradles the mandolin neck. What immediately caught my eye was a red marker line that was drawn along one side of the block. Eyeballing it, I got the impression that that was where the block was SUPPOSED to have been cut at the factory to allow the mandolin to be centered in the case.

So, taking the block into the kitchen, I cut along the red line. I replaced the block back in the case and lo-and-behold, my guess proved correct...the mando was now perfectly centered.

At this point, I haven't decided to just reattach the fuzzy cloth and glue the newly-cut original block back in place or to shape a whole new one from some scrap styrofoam packaging material I must have somewhere in the garage. Because I believe jobs should be done right, I will likely do the latter.

At this point, I can't help but think that this is a sloppy manufacturing, quality-control issue at whomever Gibson purchased these cases from. But more so, I have to say I'm also disappointed in everyone along the food chain who passed a case like this off as acceptable.

[Ivan Kelsall]

mandopops - I have no experience of an F4 in a Travelite case,but i'd think that the shorter neck would be a problem. The Travelites are built for F5 / A5 styles = longer neck. I have a feeling that a ''Hiscox'' case might take an F4 very well - see pic.
From Relio - "I dropped my Collings MT in a TKL case and it broke the tuning machine.". Which style of TKL case was it ?.
Personally,i really dislike the 'shaped' cases unless,as in the case (no pun intended) of the 'Pegasus' cases,there's plenty of headstock room. The TKL rectangular cases are excellent,if a bit weighty compared to some others.
Benski - For me,that's still too close for comfort.Purely my opinion of course,but i'd be looking for a different case completely. Sorry to sound like a broken record,but go for a Travelite case with it's 'larger than most'' headstock area. A friend of mine over here in the UK just bought one for his recently aquired Gibson 'Sam Bush' mandolin. Either that or the excellent Hiscox case.
Ivan
140388 Photo courtesy of Cafe member Almeriastrings ;)

[AlanN]

140356
As noted above, I recently purchased a 2015 Sam Bush from TMS. I have to say that the mandolin is really great and kudos to Dave Harvey and his team. And the transaction with TMS was typically smooth and effortless. But there is no excuse for this case. I can only guess that Gibson got some great deal on a bunch of defective TKL/Canadian cases and rather than do the right thing, passed them off to us consumers. Like a lot of the posters above, I moved my new mando into a new (Hoffee) case, but I have to feel sorry for Harvey and his crew for working so hard to produce a quality product only to have it packaged in an inferior case that was undoubtedly approved by some bean-counter at Gibson. For the money (around $10K!), a case designed to properly protect the instrument is a reasonable consumer expectation. If this configuration was by design, somebody should have his engineering license revoked. If it was an error, Gibson should make good on it, by recalling and replacing them. But, at least until convinced otherwise, this is just another example of Gibson's bizarre and disconnected business practices.

Sad, bordering on pathetic.

Dennis: please feel free to pass my sentiments on to the Gibson rep when you speak with him/her next.

OK...time for more coffee....~o)

Gee, just read/looked at this, in detail. Simply horrid.

[slk]

This is a memo I just received by a customer service person from Gibson:

Thanks for your patience. I wanted to let you know that our OAI division has reviewed the photos and verified that the case does appear to be consistent with the other F-5G cases.

I replied back with: "So you are telling me that all the cases you have there are defective as well?" She said they would replace the case, but I said why replace it with one that has the exact same issues. She is checking into it again.

Steve

[Timbofood]

Welcome to corporate legalese lingual " no part of nothin'"
Since, they do not actually make the cases and, for whatever reason not enough people have seen fit to state their "case" (sorry, I hear my corner calling) regarding the manufacturers lax QC standards, which would require responsibility from someone, I am guessing that there will be quiet "forgetfulness" with respect to your concern. ( I almost said case again!).
I apologize for the extensive use of commas but, it was an unusual albeit rambling, statement.
You get my point.
Now, I will stand in my corner for punctuation and the terribly pun like use of "case".
Have a lovely evening,

[BrianWilliam]

I liked the case pun. Let me reuse it:

Let me state my case for a Travelite case.