Cases For Mandolins

[Torpedotom]

Is there a rule of thumb about case price versus mandolin price? I realize that one wouldn't invest in a Calton case to put a $250 mandolin in. So if you folks end up with a caseless mandolin, how do you determine how much to spend or how nice of a case to buy? I'm not sure my next one is going to have a case. If I buy a KM272 anywhere other than The Mandolin Store, it won't.

[colorado_al]

I buy cases based on fit and quality to get the best value for the money, not just based on price. This is a great fit for the Kentucky km272 and well made.
Only $35 right now
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/acces...-mandolin-case

[George R. Lane]

I have a Weber Yellowstone and I keep mine in a $80.00 Travelite case. By the was Mike Marshall uses one too, for his Loar.

[JeffD]

I know what you mean, but I don't think there is a useful rule of thumb. To add to the confusion I am not convinced that spending more always gets you a better case.

It has to match the mandolin, sure, but it also has to match what I intend to use it for. A case strong and sturdy enough to check my mandolin on a flight for example, may be too heavy to schlep around at a festival. The case I take them in to the jam need not be what I need to keep them in the living room.

I could justify a lot of different cases at various price points, depending on a lot of things.

Sorry, but yet again the real answer is: it depends.

[MikeEdgerton]

I keep my Rogue that I have modified with a James Tailpiece and Waverly tuners with pearl buttons in a Calton. It doesn't seem sensible to keep a mandolin that is now worth $600.00 in a lesser case.

Just buy a case you're comfortable with that meets your needs. If a $35.00 Musicians Friend case will work, go for it. There's no magic instrument price vs cost of case. My Gibson F5G was delivered to me brand new in a Travellite. Over the years it's been in an Eastman and now a Calton.

If you're going to fly and check it then your needs will change.

[colorado_al]

I keep my Rogue that I have modified with a James Tailpiece and Waverly tuners with pearl buttons in a Calton. It doesn't seem sensible to keep a mandolin that is now worth $600.00 in a lesser case. :cool

No Cumberland bridge on that sweet Rogue?

[MikeEdgerton]

No Cumberland bridge on that sweet Rogue?

Amazingly enough I thought about adding that

I should have mentioned the Thomastik-Infeld strings too I guess.

[Torpedotom]

I keep my Rogue that I have modified with a James Tailpiece and Waverly tuners with pearl buttons in a Calton. It doesn't seem sensible to keep a mandolin that is now worth $600.00 in a lesser case.

Just buy a case you're comfortable with that meets your needs. If a $35.00 Musicians Friend case will work, go for it. There's no magic instrument price vs cost of case. My Gibson F5G was delivered to me brand new in a Travellite. Over the years it's been in an Eastman and now a Calton.

If you're going to fly and check it then your needs will change.

If you have a James and Waverlys on a Rogue, that is super cool. I've been thinking about hot rodding my KM150.

[sblock]

Mike: That Rogue cries out for a ToneGard, too, and an inlaid armrest -- not to mention a Lakota Leathers elk strap. After installing the Waverly tuners, James tailpiece, Thomastik strings, and Cumberland Acoustic bridge, why be so stingy about these other critical modifications? And did you get a speed neck on the Rogue?

[MikeEdgerton]

Actually the ToneGard and armrest are portable. I COULD recommend those because they could move to your next mandolin

The pearl nut was a nice touch too.

I'm thinking this might be a good project for me.

[sblock]

With all the mods, you could call it a "Rogue One" -- a star wars mandolin!

[Mark Wilson]

If you do buy a nicer than needed case, one justification is you can keep that case the rest of your life to keep your mandolin de jour safe and snug

[JEStanek]

I have taken to armoring my travelite case in Bluechip Picks like snake scales.

Jamie

Seriously, I'm in favor of a case that does the job I need it to do. I think Paul Prespotino with Peter Paul and Mary kept his Stradolin ina Calton. But, he travels more than me and that is his mandolin baby,

[mandroid]

I got a fiberglass Eastman A case *, for my Carbon Fiber Mix A 5.. I like the back pack carry option..

* it's Green.


By the way Rogue is available in Kegs or by the pint-pounder-glass, here..

[CES]

I got a Travelite for Christmas and am really liking it so far. Gator makes a similar one that gets good reviews. The first mandolin case I ever bought was Gator’s oblong hard shell. It’s protected multiple mandolins well through the years (about 15 now) and still looks new. The shoulder strap is nice, though it’s more unwieldy than the Travelite. TKL makes some decent budget cases as well.

Avoid chipboard cases if possible. Also, the gig bag my Eastman 315 came in is great for portability, but offers minimal protection.

At the moment my 315 is in the Travelite, the Silverangel is in the Gator, and my Flatiron 1N is in an a-shaped TKL with some additional t-shirt padding since the case is really too big for it. But, it’s fine for sitting in my music room...

Mike, looks like all you’ll have left to do to make that Rogue a keeper is radius the FB and replace the fretswith EVO Gold or stainless steel

[DHopkins]

I keep my "home" mandolins in plain ole cases. Nothin' fancy. The "traveling" mandolins are in the better, more protective cases because there's a better chance they'll fall, get stepped on or something like a mixer, amp, speaker, etc., will fall on them.

[MontanaMatt]

If your band drinks, consider a bomber case like a Price. Saves money in the long run, likely.

[Jim Garber]

I have taken to armoring my travelite case in Bluechip Picks like snake scales.

I am considering buying a Calton case to house my collection of Blue Chip picks.

[DHopkins]

If your band drinks, consider a bomber case like a Price. Saves money in the long run, likely.

If the that becomes a problem, I'm gone. That costs money in the long run.

[MikeEdgerton]

I got a fiberglass Eastman A case *, for my Carbon Fiber Mix A 5.. I like the back pack carry option..

* it's Green.

I loved those cases. I bought a green one on the Cafe years ago for my Strad-O-Lin but it didn't quite fit. I sold it in the classifieds. I wish I'd kept that. I could add it to my collection of things I have sitting waiting for the perfect A that I will find someday.

I think Eastman would have sold a ton of those things if they'd kept importing them.

[Austin Bob]

To me, the most important consideration when choosing a case is what you want it to do.

By that, I mean that no matter how inexpensive your mando is, putting it in the hold of an airplane in a gig bag is just a bad idea.

Conversely, lugging around a Gilchrist in a full fledged flight case at a festival is probably not the best idea either.

Once you know the amount or type of protection you need, then if you have a mid priced mandolin, pick a mid priced case that offers the level of protection you need.

[Macabre]

I think a Hiscox is very reasonably priced and will do the job.

[Jim Garber]

I buy cases based on fit and quality to get the best value for the money, not just based on price. This is a great fit for the Kentucky km272 and well made.
Only $35 right now
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/acces...-mandolin-case

I have a few of my mandolins in those MF cases. I usually grab one or two when they go on sale. For my better instruments I generally go for TKL which have a bit of arching to them.

[Jim Garber]

Of course, for those of us who play bowlbacks cases can be a big problem. Over the years we di have those nice Eastman cases but no on carries them any more and most likely Eastman will not bring them to this country. I had a sympathetic ear of one of the Eastman reps here bunch of years ago and I got acquired about three of them. No, no more.

For awhile there was an importer on eBay who had some nice foam Chinese cases that were perfect and reasonably priced but theu don't seem to be around any more.

[JEStanek]

The only real fail on the Eastman cases is they did not work for their short neck (oval hole instruments).

I have a yellow F5 style Eastman fiberglass case now and nothing to put in it! (My 805D is on loan.)

Jamie