Hard Case for Squareneck Tricone

[pdxdobro]

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest, where it always rains, the Timbers aren't finding the back of the net this season, and the crumpet shop is right down the block.  Much like England except that there is a pot shop next door to the crumpet shop so, purely in theory, if one gets the munchies, there are crumpets.  But this is far from the point...

PW Blues posted this same question last year but the weather was warm and Michael, though he usually is a Socrates*, whiffed on this one. 

"Pete, there are many options. There are proper hard cases, hard foam cases like the ones I use for all MM Guitars, or there are some very good gig bags. Let's speak on the phone, it's easier than typing on a hot afternoon."

I am the happy new owner of a 1929 style 1 tricone that came in its original case in all its glory including de-laminating plywood and long-since-snapped hinges.  I really do need a hard case and I think I need to order it online.  The darn thing doesn't fit in my square neck Dobro case due to the thickness of the neck.  Leophonic mentioned a TKL case, but I would love to be sure that the fit would be decent before I order.  I am hoping to stay on the inexpensive side...

Many thanks in advance!!

Richard


*The Greek one, not the Brazil captain from 1982

[mendax]

pdxdobro--you sure timed this right. As I had my squareneck tricone out for the photos, I just removed my Dobro 16H from its TKL case and put the National in it--if anything, the slightly wider neck locked it in even better than the Dobro! I have the deluxe tweed TKL squareneck case, but I should imagine the innards are the same in the more standard versions. I bought my case from Beard when I got the fiddle edge, as it had no case when I won it on eBay. Hope this helps.
Mendax

[leeophonic]

National resophonic also could supply recommend some nice cases as when they made some new squareneck tricones a few years back they came in nice tweed cases.

Lee

[Michael Messer]

Hi pdxdobro,

You are being well advised, but I will give you my thoughts on this subject.

Unless you are buying an expensive case like a Calton, Hoffee and one or two other brands, and you particularly want a hard case, a plywood hard case will do the job fine and all plywood hard cases are pretty much the same. I have been into this in a serious way because I have run a guitar company for the past eleven years and I know, certainly in China, who makes cases for most of the brands. Martin, National, Fender, Gibson and numerous dealers that have their own brand of cases, all go to a small group of manufacturers that make instrument cases. So, if it's a plywood case, whatever the label says, it probably came from the same factory as the one with another label on it. Some of the major guitar companies order enough to get the cases covered in their own choice of material, but most are just generic sases with the guitar company, or the dealer's name on the cases. One such company is this one - www.guardiancases.com/index.html - don't try and order direct, I am just trying to show you that all these cases are the same. All the cases for my MM guitars are from Guardian and their stuff is excellent. They manufacture cases for most of the names I have already mentioned.

Personally, for taking my guitars around in the car to gigs I very rarely use hard cases anymore. For my National and National-style guitars (square neck tricone, round neck tricone, 12 & 14 fret single cone) I use Reunion Blues RBX-E1 gig bags. These are high quality, well padded electric guitar gig bags and they just fit National guitars. I have one for square neck tricones which I have adjusted the neck cradle to fit a square neck and I also have glued two pads in each case to raise the front of the case away from the strings on the body. I have toured extensively with these for the past four years and they're fantastic. I would NEVER use them for any type of unsupervised handling, such as checking them in at an airport, or anywhere that I am not handling them.

I hope that is helpful information.

Shine On
Michael.

[pwblues]

Hi pdxdobro

In the end I bought a pod-style hard foam case, classical size, for about £45, and just cut away the accessory compartment to accommodate the neck. Does the job for gigs etc as well as any hard case would...until I eventually get a calton case for it.
Wishing you many happy hours of tricone magic.

[Michael Messer]

I was going to mention pod style cases as they are what I use for all MM guitars, but I ran out of typing energy!

Also... don't bother with Hiscox or any of their impersonators. That is really a myth and so is standing five grown men on a case. That proves NOTHING!

Thanks PWB :-)

Shine On
Michael

[lonelyjelly]

Hi Michael, all. I’m curious about your comments re Hiscox cases...are they no good? Or at least no better than the plywood cases mentioned above? They’ve always felt a bit stronger and safer to me, albeit at the expense of extra bulkiness! Interested in your thoughts :-)

Cheers
Lew

[Pickers Ditch]

There's an old story from years ago when a certain distributor brought in some supa dupa 'indestructable' guitar cases.
He set up a big demonstration in London, invited the press etc. put an expensive guitar in this 'indestructable' case and then drove a Land Rover over it.
Result was that the case survived with only a great tyre mark on one side and road grit indentation on the other side.
However, on opening the case the expensive guitar was in bits!!!
Yes, the case was tough but it was not crush proof as thought.........
Be very careful, children.

[Michael Messer]

I have seen H cases damaged too many times to be able to speak highly of them. They're fine for carrying guitars around in the car, but then so is a cardboard box. I am sorry Mr H, but standing six men on a case in a controlled environment does not prove anything. I have seen chunks taken out that look like a large animal has bitten them, and many of the "this airline broke my guitar" stories have guitars in H cases. I have seen catches knocked off them and bent rims. Okay, they are not sold for unsupervised handling, but they are promoted as being better than most.

I have their top of the range LifeLite artist case, which I bought a few years ago because I needed a giant case for my arch top guitar and didn't feel like spending £1200 on a Calton that week. It is large and extremely clumsy and dated in its design. It's a good case and it is good for taking a guitar in the car, but I would not check it as baggage through an airport, no way!

A friend of mine bought an H case to ship a valuable guitar to a luthier for some restoration work. The guitar was in the H case with bubble wrap, which was then packed in a box with bubble wrap and sent with a well known UK courier. When it arrived the case itself was broken! Now I know courier companies are not great and handling guitars and I occasionally get MM guitars damaged by them, but they are not in £250 cases!

So was the £250+ GBP I spent on it worthwhile, I would say probably not. I may sell the guitar someday and if I do the case will go with it.

Shine On
Michael.

[lonelyjelly]

Cheers for getting back to me. I was just curious about cases for the back of the car or van that would be mixing it up with other gear such as amps, drum shells, accordions etc on the route to and from gigs. I appreciate a Hiscox is not advisable for flying The story about your friend’s one getting damaged in transit via a courier is rather off putting!

I like the gig bag I have, and the pod style case too, but I find the outer material a dust haven haha!

Cheers all

Lew

[Michael Messer]

Lewis, in the back of a van with a load of other gear, the Hiscox is absolutely fine and probably better than most. Certainly better than a pod case in that environment.

What I said in my previous post about them not being for unsupervised handling - eg...flights. Well I was wrong, Hiscox do have a whole instruction page on their website about flying with guitars and their cases. I am amazed that they dare do that!

Shine On
Michael

[lonelyjelly]

That’s a huge risk on their front! Fortunately I can’t afford to fly anywhere so not a problem! Thanks Michael, appreciate your advice. Should I ever gig again I might just sack off the band!! 🤣

Cheers

Lewis

[creolian]

Mar 31, 2019 10:03:57 GMT Michael Messer said:

Unless you are buying an expensive case like a Calton, Hoffee and one or two other brands, and you particularly want a hard case, a plywood hard case will do the job fine and all plywood hard cases are pretty much the same. I have been into this in a serious way because I have run a guitar company for the past eleven years and I know, certainly in China, who makes cases for most of the brands. Martin, National, Fender, Gibson and numerous dealers that have their own brand of cases, all go to a small group of manufacturers that make instrument cases. So, if it's a plywood case, whatever the label says, it probably came from the same factory as the one with another label on it. Some of the major guitar companies order enough to get the cases covered in their own choice of material, but most are just generic sases with the guitar company, or the dealer's name on the cases. One such company is this one - www.guardiancases.com/index.html - don't try and order direct, I am just trying to show you that all these cases are the same. All the cases for my MM guitars are from Guardian and their stuff is excellent. They manufacture cases for most of the names I have already mentioned.

.

This might explain the glut of orphan name brand new guitar cases for sale via craigslist in the US southeast.

I agree with Michaels assessment but after seeing a couple of guitars damaged in auto accidents, I dont use a gig bag and my guitars wear their seatbelts....

Last case I bought was a decent chainsaw type to ship a guitar I sold on ebay. 45$ at a local pawn shop.



I dont like the idea of shipping guitar shaped cases; between the steal appeal and that they dont stack... For the discerning roadie, guitar cases are a pain in the... 😖

.Found this alternative a while back. SKB I series guitar case- link

Best,

Jeff

[pdxdobro]

Wow --thank you all so much. I often overpack the car for festivals, so I worry a bit about gig bags. I have never had an issue with a generic hard case in my car but (you can skip this story) many years ago my then seven-year-old son had a tiny mandolin in a wimpy gig bag that fell between the luggage and was crushed in the car on the way to a festival. Happily a friendly luthier glued it back together for him and then, the next day we won a mandolin in a raffle. The Reunion Blues gig bag looks like a fortress compared to that gig bag.

I am intrigued by the pod cases. They look like they have significantly more protection in a packed car. Is there a make and model that comes to mind that handle the thick necks of old tricones?

Again, many thanks!

Richard

[Michael Messer]

Hi Richard

I don't know what the brand would be in your neck of the woods. They are called hard foam zipped guitar cases and are available with various brand names.

Here's a UK store selling Kinsman branded ones

www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Kinsman-Classic-Hard-Foam-Guitar-Case-Black/VES?origin=product-ads&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiMW5-eys4QIV5pXtCh3NCwO-EAQYAyABEgL-g_D_BwE

Regarding fitting square neck guitars into them, you just have to do a bit of jiggery pokery on the existing neck cradle/bits box and they work fine. I usually take off the little wood lid and cut the polystyrene neck cradle to fit. I will post a few pics sometime of the insides of my Reunion Blues gig bags and Pod cases.

I agree about gig bags being a bit risky to use in packed cars, but you know after so many years of carrying heavy and bulky equipment around, I am just happy to have lightweight easy to move gear. Anything that resembles a heavy box does not go out with me. I do pack the car so the gig bags are in a relatively safe position in an impact situation.

Shine On
Michael