Review: Superior Deluxe A-style Case
As discussed in another thread, I recently came into another Mandolin, so I needed a case. I decided to shop the market and get a nicer midrange case for my Silverangel and use the Guardian case it came in for the new-to-me Jacobson. I settled on the Superior Delixe A-style case (CD-1521). It usually reatails in the range of $110- $120 and is a black, Tolex covered arch-top made of (if I remember correctly) poplar ply, lined on the inside with a thick padding covered in a green crushed velvet, with a shaped leather handle and gold colored hardware... very fancy IMHO.
Firstly to comment on the vendor: terrible customer service... I placed the order with Instrument Alley and received a confirmation email. After several days passed with no word from them, I tried to inquire when the case would be sipping out. I emailed, no reply. I called no answer, no reply to my voice mail, I tried the site's live chat option 3 times and every time it timed out with no response. Finally I got an email reply from one of the timed out chat sessions saying something to the effect of "we are running a few days behind. You'll get tracking info early next week..." I heard nothing again until out of the blue I got a notification from Fedex that they were delivering today. I'm the kind of person who likes to be aware of what's going on, and though the case is not SUPER expensive, I don't like being 100% in the dark about when I'm getting my purchases. So needless to say, even though I got what I paid for (though no payment has actually gone through on my PayPal acct), the service was severely lacking and I won't be purchasing from them again. If you're the kind of person who can order something and not think about it again until it shows up, they may work for you.
Now to the actual case:
Excellent for the money!!! You can tell it is strong and rigid and will really protect the Mandolin! The fit on my SA is absolutely perfect. If it were lined with rubber rather than velvet, you'd probably hear a POP like a cork coming out of a bottle when you pull the instrument out! There is a nice groove for the neck in front of the standard compartment, it has enough give to fit well with the Tonegard and armrest. It has a really cool vintage look and feel and overall I am very pleased with my purchase. I worked hard to be able to afford the Silverangel and I really feel as though I'm doing it justice with this case. I may refrain from putting stickers on this one!
So far my only criticism is of the small gear compartment. It seems a little smaller than most I have experienced and is a little difficult to open and close because the "lid" seems a little large. Also I typically store an extra pack of strings under the headstock, but the standard J74 packaging won't fit there, so my extra strings will live in the recess under the instrument body as seen in the pictures. I can also say that if the headstock were any bigger it would be too long. My SA is 27" tip to tip and is just a small fraction of an inch from touching the far front end. I know some of Ken's other SA's have a longer point on the headstock and would probably not fly in there..
I know it's not a Calton or a Hiscox, but I am satisfied that my instrument will be very well protected in this case and I agree with the one who recommended it to me over other options (thanks to Robert Fear) that for the money, this case is VERY nice and worth more than every penny!
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Originally Posted by seankeegan
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