New Calton Quibble

[jmkatcher]

Just bought a new (Sonic Blue, very cool) Calton for an equally new (and very cool) Ellis A5 Special.

I have an older Calton so I can see the many improvements, but the compartment under the neck has been shrunken! In the older one, it's easily long enough to fit a few sets of strings, tuner, etc. Now it's not long enough to fit a package of J74s and let the compartment lid close completely.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[UsuallyPickin]

Yes ... I keep a set of strings under the headstock where there is room to do so. The compartment holds a tuner and a small box for picks but that's about it. Since we are quibbling here I am not fond or the latch surrounds myself. But the case hold up well to travel . Which is of course the point. R/

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have a similar problem with my moulded ABS 'Gator' case. I stick 'em under the headstock. My ''Travelite'' case on the other hand holds 2 sets of DR strings,a Polychrome tuner,a Dunlop 'Turbotune' string winder,a small pair of wire cutters & a small pair of Snipe Nosed pliers & a small tin with spare picks in it. Sometimes you get what you pay for,sometimes you get less for more cash !. The Travelite will also keep my mandolin perfectly safe if used sensibly - as will most cases,
Ivan

[UsuallyPickin]

I ordered and paid for a Travelite mandolin case and ordered a Travelite guitar case in October. I am still waiting on on the Saga corporation to deliver. Is this a thing with my local vendor and their supplier or are there larger problems? R/

[AlanN]

My ''Travelite'' case on the other hand holds 2 sets of DR strings,a Polychrome tuner,a Dunlop 'Turbotune' string winder,a small pair of wire cutters & a small pair of Snipe Nosed pliers & a small tin with spare picks in it.

I forgot how large the stuff box is on this case (haven't used it much lately...). One niggle is that to open the box lid, 2 hands are needed, at least on mine. That means the mandolin needs to be set down somewhere.

[Ivan Kelsall]

If a case order hasn't been delivered,then i'd check with your dealer. Many times,shipments get held up in customs. Be thankful that you can actually order them - they're totally unobtainable in the UK.

Alan - I have to take my mandolins out of all 3 of my cases to get into the 'bits & pieces' compartments. The TKL 'American Vintage' case that i bought 10 years ago from First Quality has a compartment half the width of a string pack !. My strings therefor have to go under the headstock, covered with the folded up case 'blanket'. The only case that was easily ''getatable'',was the one in my once owned Hiscox case,
Ivan

[AlanN]

I, too, have to remove the mandolin to get at the stuff boxes (including the Leaf case), but with all cases except the Travelite, I can hold the mandolin with one hand and open the lid with the other. Not so with the T/L; need both hands: one to hold the case down, the other to lift up the lid cover. An annoyance.

[Jeff Budz]

I'm not sure what is up, but Travelite cases seem hard to come by since December. Before that you could get all of them on Amazon or on other sites.

[rdb8847]

Does it help if you take the strings out of the cardboard box? Just a thought.....

[Ivan Kelsall]

From above - " Does it help if you take the strings out of the cardboard box? Just a thought..... ". If you're stuck for space why not ?. Just slip a rubber band around the set(s) to keep them together,
Ivan

[vince f]

Big problem with delivery of travelite. I waited 8 months and finally cancelled my order. Greg Boyd happened to find one that had been on their shelf for some time so I bought it from them. I called Saga and they told me thy are still available and shipping, but I am certain that is not true as NO ONE (musicians friend, Amazon, etc) could get one from them. If anyone has had a Travelite Mando case delivered in the last year, I would love to hear about it.

I think this is a problem with some Chinese manufacture. They sign a contract to make a few thousand, and then move on to something else. Good luck getting your second order filled. I have seen this a lot. They either disappear, or they start ripping off your designs (Flint Hill/radio King?).

I ordered and paid for a Travelite mandolin case and ordered a Travelite guitar case in October. I am still waiting on on the Saga corporation to deliver. Is this a thing with my local vendor and their supplier or are there larger problems? R/

[Ivan Kelsall]

Vince - ''Gremlin Music'' is the UK import arm of ''Hobgoblin Music'' in the UK & they import goods from Saga. I asked them directly if they could obtain a Travelite case for me. The answer was no !!. Saga will only ship a minimum quantity of 30 cases per retailer,& who the h**l is going to order 30 Travelite cases ??.

It's not the Chines makers,the cases are obviously there - it's Saga's ordering policy - it's totally wrong !!. I always thought that running a business was about making profit,but if Saga's ordering policies are so restrictive,then they're counter productive,
& IMHO,it helps nobody.

Also don't bother trying to contact Saga yourself - you can do it,but you'll never receive a reply = they don't give a damn !,
Ivan

[Mike Conner]

I received a Travelite case in November from Musicians Friend. I had ordered it quite a few weeks before and had actually forgot about it. Have another on backorder status with them.

I am really fond of durafoam type cases. Light weight, shoulder straps, and much better thermal protection then a standard hard shell case at about the same price range. Wish Wolfpak offered a F mandolin version, the acoustic guitar cases are a perfect fit for my 16" archtop guitars.
//mike