Best case for festivals

[Cary Fagan]

If you have a good mandolin, worth several thousand, and you're taking it to festivals, sleeping in a tent, dealing with heat and maybe rain, what case would you use? I use a gator light case most of the time and like it a lot but am wondering whether a hardshell case, like a TKL, would be safer (though heavier). A Carlton or equivalent is out of my range.

Any opinions?

[mandocrucian]

Three issues:

1) Protection
2) Weight
3) Indentifiablity

The more rugged the case, the more it's going to weigh. Lugging a heavy case around all day can become a chore. Also, these tend to be a bit bigger, and may not fit as easily into an oversize drink cooler. (A big instrument cooler with freezer packs is one of the convenient ways to keep your instrument locked in the car without having to worry about the heat damage. If the cooler is beat up and has "bait" magic markered/painted on it, it will disinvite break-ins.)

Having a unique case (color scheme, stickers, painted, etc) that stands out from the others of the same shape will help insure that you or some other drunk doesn't grab the wrong case at a late night jam. Real bummer to discover that you've got someone else's instrument and they've got yours. Too many rectangular black cases that look pretty much the same for my phobia, which led me to do a custom paint job on one of them - a reproduction of an old art-nouveau poster for absinthe. Nobody will grab that case by "accident". In the event of theft, it may help you track down the culprit, because somebody is likely to have noticed the case.

On the other hand - if someone wants your instrument it's going to be easier for them to track it and find where you are camped, or make on spontaneous opportunity grab.

If you are not a paid performer (and you need your best instrument), it's a lot more convenient all the way around to take a less valuable instrument or a beater with you instead. Babysitting an expensive instrument is a pain. But don't think there aren't professional thieves out there who will go after high-end instruments. There was the incident of Tracy Schwarz about 10 years back, where they trailed his van for hours from a festival and when he pulled of the interstate to make a phone call at a mall for less than 5 minutes, they broke into the van and cleared out every instrument he had. Being paranoid doesn't always mean that they aren't out to get you.

Niles H

[Rick Schmidlin]

Traval light not my Calton.

[Doug Edwards]

TKL Zero Gravity

[pickinNgrinnin]

I read on a previous Cafe post that Mike Marshall uses a Travelite Case for his Loar. See them here (http://elderly.com//accessories/items/TLC-F-MANDO.htm) I have one and it's a very nice case for the money. Good protection, well made/designed and very light as the name suggests.

[BlueMountain]

I take my black Calton, a white marker, and have my favorite mandolinists sign the case. Beats having them sign a CD. Hard to pick up that one by mistake, but some people might want to pick it up on purpose.

[Tim2723]

Travelite. #Light, strong, easy to grab by the handle and run like hell. Nice strong lock to keep the case closed while the thief is running away. If I had that much in my mando I could afford a Calton and a bodyguard and not sleep in tents. #If I had a mandolin like that I'd drive 30 miles to the Hilton and lock it in the house safe every night. But then again, I wouldn't take a multi-thousand dollar mandolin into that situation to begin with.

P.S. Look at my sig line. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[CES]

Not to resurrect an earlier post, but had to go there...

Lay some dirty lookin' drawers on that cooler marked bait, and ain't nobody breakin' into that 150 degree vehicle...unless, of course, they're scoping our posts...what was that you said about paranoia?

(Going totally on memory so apologize if I credit the wrong member, but think moderator JEStanek put the underwear deterrant out as a public service announcement recently.)

[Cary Fagan]

Thanks for the responses so far, though I'm not sure what they add up to! For the record, I won't have a car with me so no cooler. And my mando cost under 4--I'm not carrying around a Gilchrist (though it means as much to me).

As for theft, maybe I'll spraypaint the thing silver. Then nobody'll want it.

[eadg145]

Can anybody recommend a lightweight case for a Breedlove mandolin? Seems like most of the cases that get discussed here are for F-style mandolins. I have absolutely no idea what I'd use besides my huge rectangular hardshell case.

cheers,

David

[Tim2723]

Hey again Cary.

We're just messin' with you. Glad you've got a good sense of humor!

Seriosly though, it really matters more what you do when it's out of the case then when it's in the case. Practically no damage ever happens inside a case, though we're all pretty paranoid with good mandos. A TKL will give you the protection of real plywood at a low price (God bless the Canadians!).

[Tim2723]

David, I don't remember even reading about a lightweight case for a Breedlove, except maybe a gig bag. But those are, well...gigbags, ya know? Have you talked to the builder? They probably have some good ideas. At very least they should know what fits and what don't.

[evanreilly]

The Price-Nelson goes where anything that looks like an F-5 goes. Kind of like the Titanic, but it won't sink!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I bought my Eastman "Violin style" rectangular case just for this purpose.It's light,strong - it has a curved top for added rigidity & it has a strong nylon outer cover with an integral zippered pocket. If i had a mega-buck Mandolin,that's the case that it would be in,as it is,my 'Fern' is safe & sound in one of these,
Saska

[MikeEdgerton]

Can anybody recommend a lightweight case for a Breedlove mandolin? Seems like most of the cases that get discussed here are for F-style mandolins. I have absolutely no idea what I'd use besides my huge rectangular hardshell case.
I know that Breedlove has that funky pointed headstock but I have actually posted pictures of my Flatiron A and my Strad-O-Lin in a Breddlove case fitting quite comfortably. On the other side of a coin what keeps a Breedlove from not fitting in a Travelight as long as the pointed headstock has enough room, or is that the issue?

[TomTyrrell]

If you have a good mandolin, worth several thousand, and you're taking it to festivals, sleeping in a tent, dealing with heat and maybe rain, what case would you use? #I use a gator light case most of the time and like it a lot but am wondering whether a hardshell case, like a TKL, would be safer (though heavier). #A Carlton or equivalent is out of my range.

Any opinions?
A white or yellow fiberglass case. They are rain resistant and reflect a great deal of the UV heat that black cases absorb. I use a white Eastman that also has back straps.

THEN get or make a leash and keep it attached to you at all times. ALSO get a club or bat and if you feel somebody pulling on the leash give 'em a whack.

[foldedpath]

I use a Travelite for local sessions and I'll be bringing it to a festival later this month. The rigid foam doesn't have the same "can it survive someone tripping and falling on your case" protection as a Calton, but it's much better than a soft gigbag and is just about as lightweight. It's water-resistant enough that I don't mind carrying it a block or two from the pub to the car in a light drizzle, but it won't work for prolonged rain exposure. For that, you'd need a hardshell case with a good seal... although I'd question taking an expensive mandolin camping and playing outdoors in those conditions anyway.

If you get a Travelite I'd recommend yanking out the metal, two-pronged clasp. It might damage the instrument if you're not careful how you take it in and out of the case, and it's superfluous since the case has a zipper closure and a Velcro safety flap. Other than that, my only complaint about the Travelite is the lack of an outside pocket, but I glued a pouch on the outside and that works okay.

P.S. definitely do something to mark your case so it's uniquely yours, and not just another generic black case.

[MikeEdgerton]

The Gator Travelight-like case has an outside pocket on it.

[JiminRussia]

Bobelock, the last word in bullet proof cases. Very well padded. The mando is well secured in it's little nest. It isn't the lightest, but it's not a cinder block either.

[Uncle Choppy]

Too many rectangular black cases that look pretty much the same for my phobia, which led me to do a custom paint job on one of them - a reproduction of an old art-nouveau poster for absinthe.
When I first read the post, I assumed that you got someone to paint the case for you. However, when reading it again, it seems that you might have done that yourself.

If so - what stunning work!
If not, it's still stunning.

I looked it up, assuming the Absinthe Robette original was a Mucha, but found it was by Privat Livemount.
It shows that one can learn a lot here, and it's not all about mandolins!

Cheers
Brendan