Anyone ever make a guitar case?

[sean79]

Has anyone here ever made a case for a solid body electric? I've got three electrics and one case - and good new cases are kind of pricey.

Might be a stupid, non-cost effective idea, but I'm thinking about making one. Could just be another one of the "projects" that I waste time thinking about, and never get around to doing. But, if anyone here has made one, or if you have pics of a homemade case, I'd appreciate whatever you can share.

Sean79

[The String King]

Never tried it but you've got me thinking.

And FYI it should be cheeeeap as long as you stick to a wooden rectangular case covered with tolex. The lining should be pretty cheap aswell. Sounds like a good idea to me. Take the measurements of your old case to B&Q or whatever you have near you, and i'm sure they will be happy to cut the bits for you. I am sure somebody has done it before...

[endzone]

That's something I never even thought of making. Soft or hard case? I just bought a HSC on ebay for my tele partscaster. I looked hard for one. Based on what I saw out there, I was leary to buy one w/out seeing it. Musicians Friend has the Fender style for $59 but after reading the reviews, I was afraid that they were built real cheap. The Gator brand was tempting for around $69. I finally found a practically new Carvin Tweed case that I won for $51. (They sell for $138 new at Carvin direct). I'm not sure you could build one for less than that.

[BradKM]

It would be hard to buy one that's as light as a new manufactured case for less than the cost of a new one.

If you're thinking of making one out of plywood, it's going to be heavy...and the hardware, lining, and covering aren't going to be cheap.

[bebopalula]

i've thought of it...ran down some of the hardware,
tolex coverings, and poodle lining stuff.
i think you also need some minor foam padding (1/2" thk
hi-density of some kind??)under the poodle
where the lid and lower part carry the guitar body.

1/4 luan ply isn't very expensive.

the typical G&G uses hardware like a briefcase:
handle,hinges,and keyed snap latches,
with one pull catch near the handle.

making 4 or 5 at a time would possibly help
you keep the cost down.

keep in mind with any DIY...
the first try is almost a throw-away...
gotta get your chops down.

:D

by the fifth one, they may start to look fairly professional,if not quite $120/$140+ G&G quality.

the tricky part is building up the frame
you wrap the tolex and the poodle over.

there's an edge detail that lets the lid
mate well with the lower portion...
not tough if your good with a router table...
possibly do-able on a table saw.

another tough detail for a G&G imitation is the stitched leather ends... not sure how to tackle that one.

i'm gonna bookmark your thread...i gave some thought to this one a little while ago.

still interested.

feel free to PM me if you like.

[The String King]

[quote="endzone"] Musicians Friend has the Fender style for $59 but after reading the reviews, I was afraid that they were built real cheap.quote]
Yeah. The Fender(C) ones are real cheap. A friend of mine dropped one and two of the hinges broke! there is only one hinge and two bits of string holding it together now! (The bits of string are so you can't open it too far...

[sean79]

Where can I buy the toltex? Isn't that the rubbery-vinyl covering material that you see on a lot of amps?

I was thinking about making the frame out of solid 1x material and the top and bottom out of luan. I thought I might want to avoid pine for the side frames as new pine/spruce/fir seems likely to twist and warp. Oak's kind of pricey, but I was thinking poplar...

Might be able to find a donor suitcase or something at the Goodwill for the handle, hinges, latches...

How are the mating edges between the top and the bottom done? Is there a lip of some sort? The only case I have to look at is a cheap one that came with my first guitar (bottom of the line Ibanez in 84), and it's got a funny shape and stitched edges.

Sean79

[The String King]

They sell Tolex at StewMac and possibly Warmoth.

Handles hinges and latches are real cheap at StewMac aswell.

[chickenpicker]

If I was making a case, I'd use 1/2" birch ply for the sides and 1/4" or 3/16" birch ply for the lid & base. Birch ply is much better than tropical ply for this kind of job. With access to a bench circular saw, I'd make the whole box up as a solid construction (nailed & glued; proper woodjoints at the corners, plus internal reinforcing blocks at the corners), then split it into two on the saw, making sure to avoid any nails. This would produce a case whose lid was lipped identically to its base. Any inaccuracy in the one would be mirrored in the other, so the case would look ok and should open and close ok.

As for lining, beware of furniture grade foam. I once re-lined a case with this, and the foam attacked the guitar's paint.

Finally, I wouldn't try to make the case look expensive, as it could be a target for thieves.

Having said all this, if I needed a case, I'd buy one.

[bebopalula]

sell both tweed and tolex.


the tweed's not cheap:

1 yard,at 66" wide is US$55.00...
you'll probably need a bit more to make a case
(if you wanted tweed,that is)...
i haven't checked the dimensions
for the amount fabric to do a case.

Speaker Cabinet Fabrics - vibroworld.com


there are other(and possibly/likely cheaper) places
to buy fabric/vinyls/tolex on the Net.

do a search.

[Val-tone]

I need to make one for my Danelectro doubleneck, and whenever I get around to it, here are my thoughts for building it so far. Maybe someone here can add to or critique them:

- Make two cutout tracings out of pink board insulation, one for the top and one for the bottom. The top might only have holes for the knobs and what-not.

- sculpt or shape a decent neck rest out of extra insulation pieces

- attach luan or light masonite around the styrfoam--I don't know what kind of glue... the top might have an extra border lip to overlap the bottom box.

- line the inside with faux-fur

-I haven't figured out the hinge or locking system.

I made something like this for a dulcimer and I just used two old belts wrapped around the whole thing. And to get it to line up and not shift, I drilled holes through the whole contraption and glued dowels to one of the halves that inserted into the holes on the other half. That seemed to work pretty good but it wasn't like I was going on tour with it or anything.

Okay, I'm at work so I gotta go-

[endzone]

Guys, I can't for the life of me, imagine that you could build a decent HSC for what you could buy one for. Have any of you priced a sheet of plywood lately? By the time you factor in everything it just seems worth it to me to find one for $100 or a used one for less. I saw a used Fender case go for $60 this week on Ebay. Just my opinion. I've seen someone using a metal double wide gun case with the foam inside. It made a great case for a smaller guitar and you can pick those up used or at WalMart. Like I mentioned in another post, you can buy the hard plastic Gator cases for $65. One of the local shops in my town will sell them for the same price so there's no shipping for me. Ask your local shops what they have and ask them to make you a deal. Lots of stores have odd stock cases they might make a deal on.

[BradKM]

If I was making a case, I'd use 1/2" birch ply for the sides and 1/4" or 3/16" birch ply for the lid & base. Birch ply is much better than tropical ply for this kind of job. With access to a bench circular saw, I'd make the whole box up as a solid construction (nailed & glued; proper woodjoints at the corners, plus internal reinforcing blocks at the corners), then split it into two on the saw, making sure to avoid any nails.

That would be a very, very heavy box.

Like I stated above, making one light enough and strong enough takes skill. Have you ever taken apart a quality case? The really good ones custom bend thin, light sheets of ply and are often reinforced with with very light but sturdy metal frames. That's all hidden under the tolex, foam, and fur.

You may be able to get raw materials for a little less than a new case, but once you factor in tools, time, and effort, you're better off just buying one.

Endzone makes a great point about cheap gun cases. Some bow cases could work as well. I've seen a few big enough to hold Teles and Strats for less than $30, new. Of course, most of them had pictures of turkey and deer on them, but for that price, c'mon!

[sean79]

Yeah... you guys are probably right. It's probably not worth it from a "save money" aspect. I really should be working on about ten other projects right now anyway.

I've seen someone using a metal double wide gun case with the foam inside.

If anyone tries this, be careful. I've never put a guitar in a gun case, but I have a Beretta 12 ga. with a synthetic stock and an aftermarket recoil pad. The foam in its case is somehow reacting with the plactics on the gun and pad- they're sticking to each other. Don't know what it could do to a guitar finish.

Ask your local shops what they have and ask them to make you a deal.

I really wish that was an option, but there are no guitar shops in my town. I've checked some out on eBay - might go that route. I haven't completely ruled out making one, but are those hard plastic Gater cases any good?

Sean79

[bebopalula]

"The really good ones custom bend thin,
light sheets of ply ..." - Brad KM

Brad -
is that how G&G makes the rounded over shape of the long edge of the cases' tops and bottoms?...
it would make a strong edge without a lot of extra steps...ply is strong,and formed ply is stronger.



regarding the buy vs. build arguement...
...i'll make a few other comments:

1)
why mod/make you own TELE?
hmmm?

2)
time-wise,cost of parts/materials and skill wise..
you ARE better off buying a G&G Quality case at $140.-
IF you have ONE guitar and/or a substantial GAS fund.

let-the-experts-be-experts.

BUT...

if you learn HOW to build one,and well,
WITHOUT expecting perfection...can you argue with a $50.- case?...
or,for 6-10 of them....
300 to 500 vs. 840 to 1400

there's a couple extra guitars in that slop,non??

one can argue time,but how much time do ppl spend
on eBay looking for a "bargain"???

____________

Sean -
depending on what you want the case to do
(looks/durability/price) the "fake" vintage tweed
and black tolex cases Musician's Friend offers
are probably a pretty goo deal (under $60.-oops...
prices have gone up..."under $70.00" now)...
caveat: i don't own one..and the regular complaints are:

-funny smelling glue for some customers.
-guitar can end up sliding around inside
for some customers
-questionable durability for National arena tours

other than that...give them a look....

Musician's Friend Deluxe Electric Guitar Case

[f69tele]

a bandmate of mine bought one of the MF tweed cases for $60 or so $$ a few years back. He hauled it in the back of his truck with all the other equipment. The only complaint was that the tweed got marred and dirty. They are not super-high quality, but they do the job. Lot's of times they have these on sale for $49.

[endzone]

Originally Posted by sean79

I really wish that was an option, but there are no guitar shops in my town. I've checked some out on eBay - might go that route. I haven't completely ruled out making one, but are those hard plastic Gater cases any good?

When I looked the Gator cases, I almost bought it because I felt it was a good buy. Case seemed sturdy and durable. Hardware seemed OK. I wouldn't trust it to take on a world tour, checking in airport baggage but for normal guitar hacks like me, I think it's great.

[chickenpicker]

Originally Posted by BradKM

That would be a very, very heavy box.

I have one (not made by me), and it's quite light.

[eryque]

I used to lurk on the Musical Instrument Maker's Forum (mimf.com), and this thread would come up periodically since lotsa folks there are making guitars with very unique shapes. The consensus by those that had successfully completed their cases was that it was very difficult and expensive to make a case that offered decent protection, and almost all of them said that next time they'd just use a gig bag.

I'd be interested to see someone's attempt, especially if they posted pics while in progress. But my project guitar (if I can ever get it finished properly) is probably going in a gig-bag.

[kingnimrod]

I picked up a couple of really good Studiologic hardcases a while back from some guy on ebay who goes as russnroll or something like that. Cases are the same kind of material that they make durable trash cans from - not the kind that cracks easily. It should fit a strat or tele perfectly, plus gives you a water-proof seal to boot. For protection, I don't think you could do much better at this pricepoint - I think I paid $130 for 2 including shipping - I dealt with the guy outside of ebay and he was very quick and reliable.

Save your time for building guitars, not cases!!

[Les Pierce]

Always one to do it the poorboy way, I made one out of 3/4" plywood, years ago, and yes, it was heavy.

It was just a plain box for a Strat, about 6" deep. The guitar laid in it with the headstock in one corner, and that kind of held it in place. It had plain department store door hinges, and window sash locks to hold it closed. No Tolex, just sealed it with Ebony stain/sealer. For the inside, I took stiff cardboard, put on a layer of foam, and glued some orange fuzzy material on it, and glued the carboard side to the walls of the case. The handle was one made for a window, also.

BTW the lid was just a lid. I didn't try to split the sides down the middle, and I'm glad I didn't, because then it would have eventually became sloppy, and start falling open. The sash locks wouldn't have worked, either, in that scenario.

I carried it on the road for years. It's probably still out there somewhere.

Les

[BradKM]

[/quote]Brad -
is that how G&G makes the rounded over shape of the long edge of the cases' tops and bottoms?...
it would make a strong edge without a lot of extra steps...ply is strong,and formed ply is stronger.

I can't speak for all of them, but I've got a 60's Fender case that has a few exposed bits, and that's how it appears to be built. It looks like both halves are bent, then reinforced on the ends and edges.