Calton Casers - Austin, Texas

[houseworker]

Mr. Magill is talking about a different company. Main Stage has nothing to do with Calton.

Except that they appear to be manufacturing unlicensed copies of Calton cases, using moulds they acquired from Workhorse, who also made unlicensed copies of the same cases, and that Workhorse didn't have any rights to those moulds which were the property of Keith Calton.

[Mike Bunting]

Except that they appear to be manufacturing unlicensed copies of Calton cases, using moulds they acquired from Workhorse, who also made unlicensed copies of the same cases, and that Workhorse didn't have any rights to those moulds which were the property of Keith Calton.

I realize that, I got the impression that Mr. Green regarding the Magill post was assuming that the post was about Calton. IP stuff aside, and I don't agree with that kind of theft, Main Stage is a different company and are not claiming to be a Calton manufacturer. I got my Calton 20 years ago when Al Williams was the Calton guy in Calgary and have gotten most of my info from him. The fellow who took over the franchise and moved the operation to Moncton certainly created a mess of epic proportions and I hope that the Main Stage guys can clean up the legal situation once and for all. And you're right, I don't think that they should operate without straightening things out.

[Ryk Loske]

Dwain,

You mentioned a meeting coming up with Jon. This is more guitar oriented than mandolin but ..... when i first ordered guitar cases from Al & Trudy they came with headstock pillows above the nut which held the headstock firmly in place. These have disappeared over time and they REALLY ought to be brought back. (The Moncton Calton folks had NO interest in supplying them.) I shipped one of my Grevens back to John for some work and when i got the guitar back it had been damaged in a whiplash like "accident" in shipping. Very inexpensive solution to a heartbreaking and expensive problem.

Thanks again for the thread,
Ryk

[Mandobar]

only that they have infringed on Keith's patent rights. It's not only the name that Al and Jim after him were licensing. Those cases were made on the "Calton" machines, that's why they look like they do. Shame. Keith's a good guy and this Workhorse debacle just never seems to end.

those are not copies there. they are leftover stock.

[scapier]

This is great news! I have a mando fiddle case that needs refiberglassing, will they do that you think? So glad the New Brunswick jerk got the heave ho.

[Dwain HCG]

Dwain,

You mentioned a meeting coming up with Jon. This is more guitar oriented than mandolin but ..... when i first ordered guitar cases from Al & Trudy they came with headstock pillows above the nut which held the headstock firmly in place. These have disappeared over time and they REALLY ought to be brought back. (The Moncton Calton folks had NO interest in supplying them.) I shipped one of my Grevens back to John for some work and when i got the guitar back it had been damaged in a whiplash like "accident" in shipping. Very inexpensive solution to a heartbreaking and expensive problem.

Thanks again for the thread,
Ryk

Ryk,
That question did not come up in our discussions(pillows). We do meet next week and part of the reason for posting on the forums was to get responses to try to help gauge how people feel about this, get concerns, and suggestions and so on. It is the fastest way to get input. Jon wants to know and can make changes it will just take a little while to implement some of this. So short answer yes I will bring this up.

So keep posting concerns, and issues all of you are a focus group. Thanks for the post.

[Dwain HCG]

This is great news! I have a mando fiddle case that needs refiberglassing, will they do that you think? So glad the New Brunswick jerk got the heave ho.

I believe this is going to be done. It will be after the first of the year sometime after all the major cases are in full production

[houseworker]

only that they have infringed on Keith's patent rights. It's not only the name that Al and Jim after him were licensing. Those cases were made on the "Calton" machines, that's why they look like they do. Shame. Keith's a good guy and this Workhorse debacle just never seems to end.

those are not copies there. they are leftover stock.

We're pretty much agreed on this. For clarity though, the company Main Stage Cases Inc are still manufacturing cases using moulds owned by Keith Calton without any license to do so. They are trading from the same premises formerly used by Workhorse Cases Inc and before that by Calton Cases (North America) Inc, which suggests that they are to all intents and purposes Workhorse, just trading under a new name and ownership. They are most certainly not selling off any leftover stock dating back to when production was still licensed to CCNA. "Leftover stock" is an unprovable claim that evades their legal responsibilities and deflects the moral responsibilities of buyers. Jim Magill's recommendation is a case in point.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Cheryl - To re-shape the cases,a whole new suite of tooling would have to be made. New moulds for the upper & lower case mouldings & maybe 'trimming' fixtures & drilling jigs = expensive.That's most likely why Keith Calton hasn't re-hashed the shape to date. If,as Dwaine implies,mandolin headstock room has been talked about,it remains to be seen if the new US built cases will have extra room around the scroll,which can only be a good move,
Ivan

[Golffool]

I will never own another Calton mandolin case. When the strap came loose and the case fell from my waist to the floor, the peghead scroll on my Skaggs DMM snaped off as if it were cut with a very fine knife. (I have had 6 Calton cases). I have switched to the Carbon Fiber Hoffee and love it.

[AlanN]

*Way* too many horror stories. Now that a new venture is afoot with this case manufacturer, the headstock issue is critical to address. Now or never, as they say.

[Wilbur James]

I purchased a new England made Calton and have been very pleased, no headstock issues, the England case also has new shock absorbers on the outside to help with any possible impact from dropping, if they stick with Keiths newer additions I don't think anyone will be disappointed, I have had many mandolins, but my Calton has stayed with me when the mandolins have moved on.

[Bob Clark]

I, for one, congratulate the Calton folks for taking on this brave investment and am watching with great interest. I hope this proves to be a profitable move for them and am glad to see them seeking input in this way. This is exactly the type of engagement with the playing community that can lead to product improvements, and is likely to lead me to spend my hard-earned dollars on this particular brand in the future. I'd love to own a Calton case and, the way this appears to be going, I may well buy one in the future.

Best wishes on this exciting endeavor, Bob

[Mandobar]

My issue with the Hoffee is that the latches open if you brush them. Not good. I've had this happen several times. Good thing I noticed before the case flew open while i was walking.

Hey, Wilbur

can you post a pic of you Calton?

[Dwain HCG]

The new Caltons come with bumper gaurds on the front and rear of the case. As posted earlier they have come up with a tapered rubber that stops these latches from being hit and being broke off. They are the same latches that the cases have had. I do think if I remember our conversation correct with Jon that he may be offering a TSA lock for the center latch. In the next couple of weeks we will be doing a video of the manufacturing of the cases and some of the process.

[MikeEdgerton]

Mayhaps the mando-headstock-maulings will be a thing of the past?!

Actually the headstock issue was resolved years ago but lives on here, generally carried forward by folks that suffered under the misplaced hinge rivet of the past and those that don't know any better. My Calton with my Gibson in it has been dropped, kicked and every other thing imaginable and is still in very good order. I understand the folks that suffered, I don't understand the folks that have never owned one.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

I'm afraid it's not just the misplaced hinge rivet. (My CA-Calton, indeed, has this hinge rivet issue.) Older UK-Caltons didn't have that particular problem, but instead they lacked a proper neck support. Keith Calton, a great fellow BTW, supplied some plush, so I could install some neck padding on my old 1987 UK-case. I certainly trust this old UK-Calton more than the Canadian one. Do the recent Caltons hold the mandolin just as tight as the recent Gary Price cases? My Price is really great.

[Cheryl Watson]

It seems that there are a few expensive brand cases that are close but till have problems and US Calton could raise the bar by correcting/ironing out a few issues with the headstocks/necks. The hinge rivet can be moved away from the scroll and effective neck support/padding would stop the possibility of whiplash. I like the idea of the rubber bumpers too.

I know that it is just asthetics, but honestly, I much prefer the crushed velvet interior to the "plush" interior of the Price case. I don't know if Price or Calton is the heavier case, however, especially since Price now has a "slipper case."

[Mike Bunting]

If I had to buy another case, it would be another Pegasus for me.

[Mandobar]

If I had to buy another case, it would be another Pegasus for me.

the creeping interior keeps me from buying another.........it's annoying to have to reglue. Plus the price is prohibitive (on top of the import duties).

So, if Calton Texas can solve the case problem, who can we get to solve the tuner problem? Anyone? there's got to be something between the $100 and the $500 tuners.

[Mike Bunting]

the creeping interior keeps me from buying another.........it's annoying to have to reglue. Plus the price is prohibitive (on top of the import duties).

So, if Calton Texas can solve the case problem, who can we get to solve the tuner problem? Anyone? there's got to be something between the $100 and the $500 tuners.

I've had no problem with the interior part after 3/4 years. Maybe because I keep it in the humidified room with the instruments, I don't know.

[almeriastrings]

Yep... the OLD Calton's had no neck support at all. Just a flat board under the neck and covering the accessory box. They also used a very 'cushy' foam that quickly become loose, allowing rotation - and hence contact at the curl of the headstock.

This is an old one, around 35 years old in fact:



As you can clearly see - nothing at all under that neck.

The foam was thin, and soft around the headstock:



These are the cases that suffered from the 'headstock' problem.

The NEW ones are different. They have the rubber 'bumpers':



Very firm support under the neck:



Headstock has much more resistance to rotation:



I'd still prefer to see just a bit more room in that area, though. Good case, regardless. We're just waiting for the PERFECT case....

[Ron McMillan]

Actually the headstock issue was resolved years ago but lives on here, generally carried forward by folks that suffered under the misplaced hinge rivet of the past and those that don't know any better. My Calton with my Gibson in it has been dropped, kicked and every other thing imaginable and is still in very good order. I understand the folks that suffered, I don't understand the folks that have never owned one.

There really does seem to be a propensity here to continually moan about long-resolved issues.

[Loudloar]

This is a welcomed development - looking forward to the USA Calton cases. I do hope they use the tapered rubber bumpers that Keith developed for the UK cases. I bought a UK mando case with them and the bumpers are really nice. They're much better than those goofy long rubber feet that had been used on the North America Caltons, and which were prone to getting busted off.
Steve

[Mandobar]

I've had no problem with the interior part after 3/4 years. Maybe because I keep it in the humidified room with the instruments, I don't know.

Mine is too. Not sure that's it. It has something to do with the glue.