Gravity and mando case surprise...

[dhergert]

Last night as we were parked and unpacking instruments for a gig, gravity and my mando case provided us with a very scary surprise...

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We opened the back of our SUV and out shot my F9 in the case, flying about 4 feet, hitting the corner of a cement curb straight on.

As you can see, the case received a 1"x4" open fracture along the back edge. There was about 1 inch of airspace, followed by an inch of body-shaped Styrofoam cushion immobilizing and protecting the mando from bow to stern. The mando was also wearing a tone guard.

The mando (and tone guard) were unscathed. The case did its job, it sacrificed its life for my F9.

This is a Gator case (716408500799 GC-MANDOLIN), http://www.gatorcases.com/p/16134-1359/gc-mandolin, not an expensive case but one I like a lot. Light, solid, lots of firm cushion space, lots of compression space. I like it even more today.

I've just ordered a new one of these cases this morning.

-- Don

[Tavy]

That happened to me last week - everything had shifted in the car's boot and the case fell out as soon as I opened up. Fortunately it fell on my foot and everything was fine (other than my foot obviously!)

Glad your mando survived!

[MediumMando5722]

10 years ago, I bought a near mint 20 year old Fender HM Strat. The seller told me the case "had issues." It seemed ok to me, until I picked it up and the hinges let go, spilling the guitar onto my driveway.

[CES]

I use that case as well. Got it with my first mando purchase back in 2004, and am still using it today. Latches and handle are still in great shape. Granted, I wouldn't want to check it on a flight, but it does well for day to day use.

[Jeff Mando]

Good way to look at it, Don. The case was sacrificed to save the mandolin. Cheap insurance!

[Rob Beck]

The same thing happened to me too unloading after a gig in the dark. It seems to be a common problem with tailgates with hinges on the roof of the car. A Hiscox Pro 2 did the job that day saving my Shippey A5. The Hiscox received almost no damage itself, just some very light scuffing. It was a useful reminder of what the real job of the case is! I don't worry about the scuffing at all :)

[Tobin]

OK, I can understand things shifting in the back of an SUV, and a case falling out the back when the hatch is opened. But how does it shoot 4' out the back?

[Jeff Mando]

The same thing happened to me too unloading after a gig in the dark. It seems to be a common problem with tailgates with hinges on the roof of the car.

Maybe one of those net thingys that hooks across bottom foot or so of the open tailgate would solve the problem -- if we can make a habit of using it.

[Richard J]

And that's why a hard case is better then a gig bag.

[pops1]

Years ago had the back come unlatched on the wagon and my Tubaphone slid out and went down the highway at 55mph. TKL case wore the feet off the bottom of the case, but nothing not repairable. LUCKY, I am sure that there are many of these stories out there, remembered this reading the OP's thread.

I know it's a banjo, but it was a nice old banjo:)

[Chunky But Funky]

And that's why a hard case is better then a gig bag.

Well, that is exactly why I have and really like my Reunion Blues Continental gig bag. In that scenario, it very likely would have allowed the mando to survive unscathed...and the case would have been unscathed as well. No need to buy a new one. On the other hand, the Reunion Blues gig bag is probably twice as much as the case in question in the first place!

Doug

[mandroid]

Just ABS shell cracked, It can be patched up ..

[Tobin]

Just ABS shell cracked, It can be patched up ..
I guess it could be patched up for aesthetics, sure, but I would wonder about its integrity. Kinda like patching up a motorcycle helmet that's damaged... you wouldn't ever want to rely on that helmet again for actual protection! I would think that anything with a hard outer shell that's designed to protect fragile contents should be replaced once the outer shell is compromised.

[dhergert]

That's my thinking too. As you've mentioned, my motorcycle experience may be influencing my thoughts about that.

I guess Acetone might work as an ABS solvent to fuse the cracks back together, but I'd have to find the pieces that used to be where the hole is now, and that might not be possible at this point in time. And even if the cracks were fused, there's no guarantee they'll stay fused, or that they will be strong there ever again.

I know my F9 isn't a huge investment, but I like it a lot -- definately well enough to order another case for it. My son works at a music store that carries these cases and he's offered to order it at his discount... And if that doesn't work, Amazon has them for only ~$95.

I like the concept of the Reunion Blues case and have one for my banjos... But I have been disappointed with how much movement is allowed for the instrument inside the case. I prefer body-shaped immobilization.

I was surprised to see the airspace within the edges of the shell with the Gator case. The inner Styrofoam had no marks on it, so the breaking of the shell must have absorbed the majority of the shock.

The other thing that has my attention is figuring out a way to prevent stuff from falling out of the back of the SUV when we open the back hatch. Prevention is the number 1 solution to this.

Thank you all for your shared thoughts here!

-- Don

[Bill Foss]

I guess that's why they always warn you about opening the airline overheads after a flight. Contents really do shift!

[dhergert]

OK, I can understand things shifting in the back of an SUV, and a case falling out the back when the hatch is opened. But how does it shoot 4' out the back?

That was my fault...

We had sound equipment as the first "layer" of junk in the back of the SUV, and then I put the instruments on top of that because I didn't want anything heavy on top of the instruments. And the sound equipment provided little or no friction to hold the instruments in place once the SUV hatch was opened.

I had had experience with the instruments shifting toward the hatch in the past, but my poor wife was the person at the hatch this time and she had no idea this would happen. So unfortunately she felt all the stress after it happened. I checked the mando out initially, and re-assured her that not only was it not her fault, but that the mando was fine and the case had done its job well. We were both a little unsettled until we started the music for the gig, but then we got into the groove and all went well.

We do have a net for the back to prevent this kind of thing from happening when the SUV hatch opens. I'll locate that and we'll use it in the future.

-- Don

[mcgroup53]

I didthe samething unloading for rehearsal. I had my Ellis F5 in a Hoffee case on a strap on my shoulder. Somehow, when I turned back to get something out of the car, the strap slipped and the case fell from chest height to the asphalt and bounced a couple of times. Once my heart began beating again, I got it inside and checked. A few scratches in the clear coat of the case, but no damage whatsoever to the Ellis. I had been thinking it was overkill and considering replacing it with a Travelite or something else. No way now.

[Jeff Mando]

Well, that is exactly why I have and really like my Reunion Blues Continental gig bag.

Doug, are you saying there is a gig bag that offers more protection than a hard case? Doesn't seem logical.

[dhergert]

Jeff, maybe this will help:

http://reunionblues.com/products/guitar-fretted/mandolin

(The "Continental" line is of particular interest for your question.)

-- Don

[JeffD]

Doug, are you saying there is a gig bag that offers more protection than a hard case? Doesn't seem logical.

I don't know about an A/B, but I have the continental and I would put it up against many a hard case. I am sure one could contrive a scenario where the hard case would fare better, and dang it that would be what would happen in my experience. :)

But yea, as a general statement I think the Reunion Blues Continental is one heck of a lot of protection.

[zedmando]

OK, I can understand things shifting in the back of an SUV, and a case falling out the back when the hatch is opened. But how does it shoot 4' out the back?

That's what I wondered...

[Bertram Henze]

That's what I wondered...

I guess the vehicle was either not parked on level ground but facing upward, or the case was shot like an arrow from the upright bass strings it was pressed against... :confused:

[almeriastrings]

If you have an SUV piled high with speakers, etc., and have a mando case right up on the top, it is quite a drop... they can slide out too easily.

Padded soft bags or semi-rigid cases like the Travelite are very good at protecting from shock... drops, etc., but poor at protecting from heavy crush damage or sharp penetrating objects, conversely hard cases might not be quite so good at shock protection. Ideally, you want the best of both worlds.

[dhergert]

Yea, and that was the scenario.

Plus, ABS cases are very slick, as the Gator case was, so there was very little friction slowing down its movement on the way out of the SUV.

I happened to glance from about 15 feet away as the SUV hatchback was opening, and it was like the mando/case was being spit out of the vehicle. It was all very fast, unless someone had actually been expecting and waiting for it to happen, it would have been impossible to catch. And of course my poor wife didn't have any idea that that was happening, so she didn't have a chance.

I don't see any option to packing the SUV that way, the heavy sound equipment has to be the lower level of junk. But the net will keep things from shooting out of the SUV in the future.

It is interesting about the Gator mando cases, being a teardrop shape they are pretty much like a Travelite inside of an ABS shell. So you get the shock protection of the Styrofoam, and you get the crush/penetration protection from the ABS.

That combination seems to have worked very well this time. We'll try to avoid a next time.

-- Don

[Chunky But Funky]

I like the concept of the Reunion Blues case and have one for my banjos... But I have been disappointed with how much movement is allowed for the instrument inside the case. I prefer body-shaped immobilization.

-- Don

This is the link (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?69267-New-RB-Continental-Mando-Case-introduced-at-NAMM&highlight=reunion+blues) to a post I had about this 5 years ago (post #10). Steve Miklas @ AMW in Pgh and I figured out that the tenor uke case was a MUCH better fit for an "A" style mandolin than their mandolin case. This was long before anyone, including Reunion Blues, mentioned it as an "A" style mandolin case. We should get marketing perks or something for that! How about a Dread guitar case Reunion Blues? Not as good as a fit for "F" style mandolins for the actual mandolin case though. Too much extra room. Agreed.

Doug

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have my Weber "Fern" mandolin in one of those Gator cases. It was my choice after Gremlin Music UK,the import arm of Hobgoblin Music & the imorters of SAGA equipment,flatly refused to import a Travelite mandolin case for me.That sort of damage could never happen to a Travelite with it's very tough Nylon,padded outer covering.
The interior of my Gator case has nothing like as much padding protection as my Travelite. The headstock scroll is also very close to the side of the case,so i put extra padding in there - a wrist sweat band,
Ivan;)
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[dhergert]

I guess I agree about the Travelite cases to some extent. I love the padding, no other case provides such thick secure immobilization.

I have had a couple of Travelite cases for dobros and banjos... And have consistently experienced trouble with the hinges and latch failing, and I've had trouble with the zippers failing and the handles ripping out. If the hinges and latch fail, and then the zipper fails, there's not much left to keep the case securely closed. Dobros and banjos are typically a lot heavier than mandos though, so maybe the Travelite case for mandos will fare better over time.

Oh, and I have cats -- they love to sharpen their nails on the Travelite cloth covering.

I won't say the ABS Gator cases are the best on the market, but I sure was impressed with how well it protected my F9. Impressed enough to replace the broken case with a new one. It seems like a great combination of hard shell support and Styrofoam immobilization, plus a little airspace in the corners. Someone here said it... It's cheap insurance.

I mentioned it elsewhere recently, but I did feel like the ABS Gator was a little too tight around my F9's peghead scroll. I squeezed and compressed the Styrofoam in that area until there was about 3/8" space, so there was not going to be any contact. I did the same around the bridge, around the pick guard and around the end pin and it happened naturally around the tone guard. I'm also using an ABS Gator banjo case for my main playing Mastertone and my wife uses an ABS Gator case for her D41, and we've also compressed the Styrofoam in appropriate places with both of these cases. The Styrofoam does remember compression, and it's probably worth the time and energy to "teach" these ABS Gator cases where to loosen up.

-- Don

[dhergert]

The new Gator ABS mando case for my F9 arrived today.

I took a little time shaping the Styrofoam around the peghead scroll and the end pin, there is good clearance there now. Space atop the bridge and pick guard and beneath the tone guard are fine. The fit is excellent. I'm a happy camper.

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This evening I'll locate and dig out the net for the back of the SUV and put it in place so this won't happen again. The new case represents a good lesson learned at a very low cost.



-- Don

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Don - I agree,the Gator cases are certainly not the best on the market,but they are a good case IMO. A bit more room in the headstock area would have been a good idea. The otherwise excellent Calton cases had a similar problem. I've not had any hinge or latch problem with my own Travelite,although i did remove the top part of the latch & re-fit it to align it with the lower part more accurately. The very obvious thing to do with any case of any make,is to be careful with it. I don't want to damage my cases any more than i want to damage their precious contents. My own Stelling banjo is inside one of the TKL banjo cases that First Quality Music used to have specially made for them. Previously it was housed in possibly the strongest make of case ever produced,a Mark Leaf banjo case that i bought in Owensboro back in 1992. The combo.simply got too heavy for me to haul around 33 lb & i sold it to an English guy who lives in the US. The TKL case,i'd bought to house a Gold Star re-issue banjo that i bought close to 12 years back. The guy i sold it to had his own case,so i was able to re-home my Stelling & sell the ML case,
Ivan;)
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[dhergert]

History repeats itself...

183825

Sunday night, late, I was unpacking the car and set the instruments on the ground, intending to come back for them. When I came back I couldn't see well enough in the dark, and tripped heavily over the mandolin and banjo in their cases. Stupid... I kicked the mandolin case hard, which knocked over the banjo case, and then I hit the cement hard with my lower left leg landing on the mandolin case.

The banjo and its Gator case were undamaged. Once again, the Gator mandolin case gave its life to save my F-9. The mandolin was completely undamaged.

Obviously I'm sold with the Gator cases, the new one arrived today.

(And, I'm happy I didn't break anything on me, too! :grin:)

[Skip Kelley]

Don, I’m glad it protected your mandolin as it is supposed to.

[HonketyHank]

Don, I'm glad you didn't break a limb. And glad the instruments are OK. I have a Gator and for my light usage of it, I like it a lot.

It's bittersweet to see Ivan's posts in this thread. I miss him. RIP.

[dhergert]

Thank you both for the kind thoughts... I feel very happy about the Gator cases and how protective they have been, and very lucky I could walk away with only some extremely minor scrapes and bruises. Honestly as hard as the instruments and I hit that hard cement, I expected more.

And yes, it took a moment for me to decide to add to this thread given that Ivan had been the last poster. I miss him too. But, I'm sure he would say "let's move along" or something like it.

:)

[Austin Bob]

I always like reading stories like these where the case did its job. I can see how it could have been much worse, it sounds like there was quite a bit of force on your F9.

I agree with you about trying to patch the case. If money were really tight I would give it a go, and I honestly think it would most likely be fine, but with a new case you also get peace of mind, and that is worth the modest price of these cases.

[dhergert]

Filed under "Still learning lessons at 65: Always keep the lights on while unpacking the car at night!"

[Bob Clark]

Filed under "Still learning lessons at 65: Always keep the lights on while unpacking the car at night!"

Hi Don,

Thank you for posting this cautionary tale. I am really glad you weren't hurt, believe it or not, even more-so than your mandolin not being hurt. You, me, and many of our friends here in the Cafe are of an age where we have to start being more careful. That's the take home message for me, and one I am trying to listen to.

At just about the same time you took your spill, a good friend of mine (also in our age group) also took a fall. He broke his hand. Think about what that would do for your playing. In his case, he is a professional pianist. Not good.

On a lighter note, being bearded as we both are (that is you in the avatar, right?), we have built-in gig bags for our faces. Might help when we do a face-plant, huh?

[Bertram Henze]

Filed under "Still learning lessons at 65: Always keep the lights on while unpacking the car at night!"

Either that, or: Always carry each item from the car to the house, leave the ground clear, leave the car locked. Whatever you put on the ground may no longer be there when you come back...

[Bertram Henze]

...we have built-in gig bags for our faces. Might help when we do a face-plant, huh?

yes, but it takes time to remove all that dirt and gravel afterwards. :crying:

[dhergert]

I always like reading stories like these where the case did its job. I can see how it could have been much worse, it sounds like there was quite a bit of force on your F9.

I agree with you about trying to patch the case. If money were really tight I would give it a go, and I honestly think it would most likely be fine, but with a new case you also get peace of mind, and that is worth the modest price of these cases.

Yes. I may seem a little cavalier about Gator cases, but they are relatively inexpensive and having seen a bunch of them for all our fretted instruments, they seem to be very (if not exactly) similar in their production details... I don't think many details on them are made by hand anyway (although I could be wrong about that). It's not that these cases are disposable, but I do see them as similar to bicycle or motorcycle helmets, where if they are used in a serious direct accident, they should be replaced. And to try to repair a fractured ABS covering is going to require adhesives that melt the ABS pieces together, producing somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle of parts; it may be watertight again, but I doubt it would be as strong as it was originally.


Hi Don,

Thank you for posting this cautionary tale. I am really glad you weren't hurt, believe it or not, even more-so than your mandolin not being hurt. You, me, and many of our friends here in the Cafe are of an age where we have to start being more careful. That's the take home message for me, and one I am trying to listen to.

At just about the same time you took your spill, a good friend of mine (also in our age group) also took a fall. He broke his hand. Think about what that would do for your playing. In his case, he is a professional pianist. Not good.

On a lighter note, being bearded as we both are (that is you in the avatar, right?), we have built-in gig bags for our faces. Might help when we do a face-plant, huh?

Thank you for the kind thoughts... Sorry to hear about your pianist friend, having just learned about arthritis in the hands this winter, I'm very sympathetic about hand maladies! And yes, guilty as charged, that bearded fellow in the avatar is me; my observation is that beards cover, but don't protect, it's unfortunately not like the Styrofoam cushion in my Gator cases.


Either that, or: Always carry each item from the car to the house, leave the ground clear, leave the car locked. Whatever you put on the ground may no longer be there when you come back...

This is a good consideration. My biggest problem that night was visual, but theft is also a concern. Our street is pretty quiet and safe, but you never know.

Anyway, gravity is alive and well and doing it's job!!! :grin:

[HonketyHank]

Too bad Gator doesn't make a piano case. Angela Hewitt really needed one a few weeks ago. Her $200k piano was dropped - total loss.

[LadysSolo]

History repeats itself...

183825

Sunday night, late, I was unpacking the car and set the instruments on the ground, intending to come back for them. When I came back I couldn't see well enough in the dark, and tripped heavily over the mandolin and banjo in their cases. Stupid... I kicked the mandolin case hard, which knocked over the banjo case, and then I hit the cement hard with my lower left leg landing on the mandolin case.

The banjo and its Gator case were undamaged. Once again, the Gator mandolin case gave its life to save my F-9. The mandolin was completely undamaged.

Obviously I'm sold with the Gator cases, the new one arrived today.

(And, I'm happy I didn't break anything on me, too! :grin:)

I am 2 months short of 65, and fell on the ice a couple of weeks ago, My comment was "I am usually not happy for my 'padding' on the rear of my body, but I was this time." Kind of a natural protective case, but we of a certain age need to remember we don't "bounce" anymore! I am also glad neither you or the instruments were hurt!

[FredK]

Too bad Gator doesn't make a piano case. Angela Hewitt really needed one a few weeks ago. Her $200k was dropped - total loss.

That was such a painful read when the article came out.

[Br1ck]

There is a great video review where a lady in the UK reviewed a Hiscox case she had bought for her prized guitar. Part two came after a trip to Australia. The case was demolished. She could not believe her guitar was not. Very happy to buy another $600 case with knowledge it could deliver the protection she needed.