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Thread: Lighter Case for F4

  1. #1
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    Default Lighter Case for F4

    I'm getting tired of schlepping my F4 in the really heavy Guardian case. The case affords good protection but it's really heavy! The mandolin has the short neck so it won't fit in most cases. I'm looking at a Hiscox ProII but no one around here has one to check it out.

    I know Calton and Cedar Creek will customize a case but I'd like to keep the tab below $250, if possible. Anyway, both of those are kinda heavy, too.

    Any suggestions? No gig bags.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

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    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    "Really heavy"?!? I must admit, I'm a bit incredulous. The mandolin is among the lightest of all the folk instruments. Try schlepping a guitar, bass, dobro, or banjo. The Guardian case you own is not exactly one of the heavier ones, either. Maybe you'd save two or three pounds by getting a lighter case. But that's too trivial to be worth it, IMO.

    If you don't want to use a gig bag, why not just get a Travelite or Gator case, or some similar hard foam case? But better yet, I'd recommend hitting the gym and working up some more stamina!

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    The mandolin is not heavy, it's the case. First is has a wood frame; second, it's relatively large. I have a Travelite and it won't fit.

    I'm 74, work out regularly and, yes, it's still heavy.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

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  5. #4
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    The moulded ABS 'Gator' cases are fine,but my Weber "Fern" is a tad cramped in the headstock area. However,if your F4 won't fit inside a Travelite case,then it won't fit inside a Gator case either. My larger than standard Lebeda "Special" fit inside my own Travelite with no problems,so i'm thinking that your F4 must be larger than normal as well. When i say my Lebeda is 'larger', it's 3/4 lb heavier than my Weber or Ellis, & that's quite a bit of wood !.

    I used to have a Hiscox case & they are very good - but bulky. I'd think that your mandolin would fit inside a Hiscox ok. The empty weight of a Hiscox case is given on their website as 7.78Lbs,
    Ivan
    https://www.hiscoxcases.com/product/...mandolin-case/
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    I can't afford a custom case and, according to Ivan, I won't be much better off with the Hiscox so I guess I'll stick with the Guardian. Like I said, it's a good case. It has lots of storage and is strong but I checked and it weighs 10.6 pounds.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by DHopkins View Post
    I can't afford a custom case and, according to Ivan, I won't be much better off with the Hiscox so I guess I'll stick with the Guardian. Like I said, it's a good case. It has lots of storage and is strong but I checked and it weighs 10.6 pounds.
    Good Grief my Calton only weighs 11lbs. I have thought of getting something lighter too, but not sure what to get. I have a shoulder strap on the case and rarely pick it up and carry it without using the strap and that helps.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    I have a Calton and, yeah, it's heavy. I have a Cedar Creek case for my octave and it weights 13 pounds without the instrument. Both are excellent quality and afford a lot of protection. Eddie Blevins, the luthier who hatched the octave, said he was surprised at the weight of the Cedar Creek case, too. Anyway, I guess I'll just live with it.

    Maybe I'll hire a roadie. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen.)
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

  9. #8
    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Gator and Travelite cases are made from hard foam, with either a flocking or fuzzy cloth applied to the inside surfaces to give them a sort of lining. So, they are basically just two molded pieces of solid foam, with a single top piece and a single bottom piece. They're designed fit the F5 shape snugly -- but you have an F4. However, there is no particular reason why you can't just take a knife (or razor, or saw...) to the inside of these hard foam cases to cut away any pieces to reshape them, as necessary, to fit your F4. In particular, you can accommodate the shorter neck by extending the area at the top that opens up for the peghead. After any reshaping, you can glue some pieces of velvet or other fuzzy lining cloth to to cover any areas where foam was removed. It ought not take a whole lot of work to customize a case to fit -- and these cases are pretty cheap to buy, anyway.

    If you're not willing to use a gig bag, and you're not willing to schlep a Calton or similar hard case -- and the extra weight of a few pounds truly bothers you (it doesn't bother most of us: mandolins are pretty light compared to almost anything except a violin), then this is probably an option you should consider.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by sblock View Post
    Gator and Travelite cases are made from hard foam, with either a flocking or fuzzy cloth applied to the inside surfaces to give them a sort of lining. So, they are basically just two molded pieces of solid foam, with a single top piece and a single bottom piece. They're designed fit the F5 shape snugly -- but you have an F4. However, there is no particular reason why you can't just take a knife (or razor, or saw...) to the inside of these hard foam cases to cut away any pieces to reshape them, as necessary, to fit your F4. In particular, you can accommodate the shorter neck by extending the area at the top that opens up for the peghead. After any reshaping, you can glue some pieces of velvet or other fuzzy lining cloth to to cover any areas where foam was removed. It ought not take a whole lot of work to customize a case to fit -- and these cases are pretty cheap to buy, anyway.

    If you're not willing to use a gig bag, and you're not willing to schlep a Calton or similar hard case -- and the extra weight of a few pounds truly bothers you (it doesn't bother most of us: mandolins are pretty light compared to almost anything except a violin), then this is probably an option you should consider.
    Travelites are not that easy to find any more and I really don't want to mess up the one I have. You seem somewhat piqued at my dilemma but some of us are a little longer in the tooth (I'm 74) and the older I get, the more the arthritis progresses. It's mostly in the joints so my fingers are good so far but playing 2-5 gigs a week is beginning to take its toll.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

  11. #10

    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    The problem with F-4's and F-2's is the shorter neck which won't fit most of the cases out there.

    A Hiscox case -might- work, but wondering what one of those weigh in at?

    If you've got a good case that fits now, I'd probably just stick with it unless you stumble onto something that you -know- is going to fit properly.

    Otherwise, it may become a game of "musical cases" and all you're gonna save is perhaps 2-3lbs.

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  13. #11
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by DHopkins View Post
    Travelites are not that easy to find any more and I really don't want to mess up the one I have. You seem somewhat piqued at my dilemma but some of us are a little longer in the tooth (I'm 74) and the older I get, the more the arthritis progresses. It's mostly in the joints so my fingers are good so far but playing 2-5 gigs a week is beginning to take its toll.
    Dave, So sorry if I sounded piqued. You're only a few years older than I am, for whatever that's worth. If you would use a mandolin case with a shoulder strap, then you wouldn't have to hold the handle with your arthritic arm. It's not really that little additional bit of weight that's your problem (it's less than 5 lbs difference), in my opinion, but the grip! I've equipped all my cases with shoulder straps: Calton, Hoffee, Saga, Eastman, etc. A strap makes a big difference. Also, many case handles are hard, thin, and unpadded. You may discover that adding some soft padding around the handle of your existing case makes a big difference, too.

    Finally, if you want a light case but won't use a gig bag, then Gator hard foam cases are pretty much the same as the Travelite ones, and they are not hard to find at all. There are other hard foam brands, like Durafoam (from Musician's Friend) that are quite similar, too. These cases are all low cost. I'm quite confident that you could adjust one of these to fit an F4 with a bit of judicious carving!

    But remember, a new case will only save you a few pounds over what you already have, at best. In my opinion, a shoulder strap (or some backpack straps) represents a better, more ergonomic option than trying to shave a few pounds off your case, if the real problem is that your arm and shoulder (but not yet fingers) are getting arthritic.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    sblock, a shoulder strap may well be the answer.

    I don't feel a gig bag affords the protection I want for the F4. It's a 1916 Gibson in really good shape.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Eastman makes a light weight case that fits an F-4.........

    https://www.elderly.com/eastman-fibe...dolin-case.htm
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  16. #14
    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by Charles E. View Post
    Eastman makes a light weight case that fits an F-4.........

    https://www.elderly.com/eastman-fibe...dolin-case.htm

    I own one of those cases -- it has rings mounted on it for a shoulder strap (or backpack straps). It is not remarkably lighter than the OP's Guardian case, however. The main deficiency of this style case is that it has no accessory compartment whatsoever, and the inside padding is very soft, and rather disturbingly thin in places. There are better options, IMO.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    The shoulder strap on my cases makes all the difference. If there is no mounts I make them. I have one on all my cases. I am not quite as old, but close and arthritis makes if difficult to do relativity simple things, especially weight bearing, that were easier when younger.
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    From J.Albert - " ...but wondering what one of those weigh in at ?". I posted that info. in post #4 = 7.78Lbs. The original Weber case that my Weber came in weighs 13 + lbs. That's why it's in a Gator ABS case.

    David - A question. Is your problem simply carrying the case around at festivals,etc.,or are you a gigging player ? - there's a difference. If it's carrying around at festivals etc. that you attend,then a top line gig bag might be the answer. If you're a gigging player,then there's all sorts of dangers around that could damage the mandolin,so,in that situation,a hard case is a 'must' (IMHO). If you travel by car,then again,a gig bag might be fine - unless you're travelling to a gig !.

    I'm a non-driver & use UK public transport,so,for me i need a 'compact' hard case. My Travelite is sturdy enough to compete with most things that i'll meet up with,my Gator ABS case the same. I still have & use the TKL ''American Vintage'' case that i bought 13 years back from First Quality. That's a tad bulky,but it's not too heavy. It's the case for which i've been looking for a replacement for,for a reduction in size,but as Travelite cases aren't available in the UK,my Lebeda mandolin will have to remain in that one,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
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  19. #17
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Bobolock arrow shaped case..........

    https://www.bobelock.com/cases/mandolin/b1029.html

    Many color options and weighs 7lb

    They seem to go for well under $250.oo
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Ivan, unfortunately, I don't have time for many festivals. We do between 2 & 5 gigs a week. (We're not getting rich. We play free for Veterans and Public Safety groups. That's about 4 or 5 gigs a month.) Depending on the gig, I'll take an octave and/or a solid-body F-style and always a regular mandolin.

    Guys, I'm gonna check all the suggestions. I'm still liking the shoulder strap idea, though. D-ring installation wouldn't cost a lot.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

  21. #19
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    If your shoulder strap has the standard spring catches on it,simply hook them through any metal part of the handle. I used to do that in order to carry my banjo in my once owned Mark Leaf case. It weighed in at 31lbs,& was sheer hell to carry by hand alone. The 'D' rings were too far apart on such a large case. The angle of the strap over my shoulder was so open,that the strap slid back & forth rubbing my shoulder to blazes. I hooked the strap through the handle & the weight hung straight down. That way my shoulder took most of the load & the strap stayed put. The only downside to that was that the case used to swing back & forth,hammering crap out of my right leg - i sold the case !!,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    If your shoulder strap has the standard spring catches on it,simply hook them through any metal part of the handle. I used to do that in order to carry my banjo in my once owned Mark Leaf case. It weighed in at 31lbs,& was sheer hell to carry by hand alone. The 'D' rings were too far apart on such a large case. The angle of the strap over my shoulder was so open,that the strap slid back & forth rubbing my shoulder to blazes. I hooked the strap through the handle & the weight hung straight down. That way my shoulder took most of the load & the strap stayed put. The only downside to that was that the case used to swing back & forth,hammering crap out of my right leg - i sold the case !!,
    Ivan
    I believe I would have sold the banjo, too.
    David Hopkins

    2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
    Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
    Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
    McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
    McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)

    The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.

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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Quote Originally Posted by DHopkins View Post
    Ivan, unfortunately, I don't have time for many festivals. We do between 2 & 5 gigs a week. (We're not getting rich. We play free for Veterans and Public Safety groups. That's about 4 or 5 gigs a month.) Depending on the gig, I'll take an octave and/or a solid-body F-style and always a regular mandolin.

    Guys, I'm gonna check all the suggestions. I'm still liking the shoulder strap idea, though. D-ring installation wouldn't cost a lot.
    I have straps on all my cases and didn't install a D ring. It's simple depending on the case you want to put a strap on.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

  24. #22
    Registered User mandotool's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    just got a new "Cross Lock"... Crossrock Fiberglass Mandolin Case.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0759MTKNM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/URL]
    fits Gibson snakes,F-5's,F-4's ..also very roomy for various odd shaped mandolins..
    it does not fit any of them snugly as with cases that are made for each model...but the quality is surprisingly very good for the price point...($172.00) its pretty useful for most travel etc..and it
    I still prefer my trusty Pegasus/custom to fit Gibson A's + F's


    Here's some weights..
    5lbs 8oz Cross rock
    8lb 10oz pegasus
    8lbs 14oz Calton (original style)

  25. #23
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    From David Hopkins - " I believe I would have sold the banjo, too. " . Choose your weapon Sir !!.

    Seriously,the ML banjo case weighed the same as my Stelling banjo (or very close to it).I still had the TKL banjo case that i'd bought for my once owned Gold Star banjo.The guy i sold it to didn't need it, so it came in very handy for my Stelling,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  26. #24
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    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    Here's some weights..
    5lbs 8oz Cross rock
    8lb 10oz pegasus
    8lbs 14oz Calton (original style)

    My Calton weighs 11lbs, it's an early Canadian made.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

  27. #25

    Default Re: Lighter Case for F4

    I use a Travelite, but since I live in a cold climate when at home in the winter I keep my mando in a case that will hold humidity and use humidipacks

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