Any Hardshell Cases made to properly fit bigsby?

[gtroates]

I just got in from a long trip to the South (Savannah and Orlando) and the SKB "Freedom" case I was using to fly my Bigsby Telecaster there and back was basically totalled on the trip back to Seattle. The hinges by where the Bigsby is located are stretched and the case itself has multiple fractures in the plastic to the point it couldn't protect the tele from rain now. I have travelled with the case on numerous trips when the tele had a standard bridge and there were no problems with stretched hinges or a purforated plastic shell until now. I figure I need a tele case with more room for the bigsby, do these exist?

 

[tele salivas]

try a hard gun case

 

[Jack Wells]

Here's a Bigsby Tele in a Fender shaped case. No problems with it at home but it hasn't been subjected to the rigors of traveling. Plastic cases have white styrofoam under the plush lining. You could crush the styrofoam in the lid above the Bigsby. A few whacks with a ball peen hammer should relieve stress on the hinges.

......

 

[Tim73]

Also note the way the bigsby is postitioned - it has to be right back around like this and you shouldn't get too many problems. Please ignore if I am stating the obvious here!

 

[beep.click]

I figure I need a tele case with more room for the bigsby, do these exist?

I don't know if they make them special; I keep my Bigsby Tele in a cheap Road Runner PLYWOOD case that I picked up at GC. Just a generic rectangular job.

For anything with a vibrato bar (mostly Strats, for me), I've found appropriate cases by trial and error. I like to leave the bar in, and some cases work fine -- others, I wouldn't even attempt it.

As others have noted, on anything with a Bigsby, I spin the arm around backwards when it's in the case.

 

[gtroates]

Thanks for the replies, I think I could have avoided the hinge stress if I had properly arranged the bar and crushed the foam, I just wasn't aware it would do this until I had already damaged the case (Doh!) At least now I can buy a regular SKB case again, crush the foam above the Bigsby unit's highest point and start remembering to position the bar before I close the case instead of wasting money looking for a "Bigsby deluxe specialty case" or whatever the salesman was trying to get me to buy at GC, he said it was special order