# Music by Genre > Orchestral, Classical, Italian, Medieval, Renaissance >  Italian Bowl back case

## Tavy

Anyone seen these before?  I've just been asked if they're any good so I thought I'd ask the folks that know  :Wink:

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## Jim Garber

John: I haven't seen one in person but I would be wary of the two measly clasps to hold the cover closed otherwise you might see a bowlback bouncing down the stairs. Luckily you know someone who can fix them. Frankly I like my lightweight foam cases I get from a Chinese importer in Texas who goes under ebay name violinking. I wonder if anyone is importing those into the UK.

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## Tavy

> John: I haven't seen one in person but I would be wary of the two measly clasps to hold the cover closed otherwise you might see a bowlback bouncing down the stairs. Luckily you know someone who can fix them. Frankly I like my lightweight foam cases I get from a Chinese importer in Texas who goes under ebay name violinking. I wonder if anyone is importing those into the UK.


I don't believe so - the only ones I know of in the UK are the plywood ones that Hobgoblin sells - or else the fibreglass ones that violinking has - but the postage on those is as much as the case!

For the record, here's the one I linked to:



A lot depends on how well made it is: my Hiscox case only has two small catches, but it's so well made it would survive a fall down the stairs while dodging a nuclear blast  :Wink: 

Here's the Hobgoblin one for comparison:



I was also asked about this gig bag, any thoughts (I'm generally not taken with gig bags, but you never know...)



At least the zip should stop anything from falling out, but it looks a little flimsy to me...

BTW I am actually looking for a decent case in Italy as that's where the instruments been sent...

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## August Watters

Jim, the Chinese case you recommended appears to be a copy of the Dogal mandolin case from Italy. I got one last summer in Padua, but a quick web search isn't finding dealers. Maybe you could get one from Bernunzio? They have Dogal strings. They also have these roundback cases from Eastman:
http://bernunzio.com/product/eastman...itan-mandolin/

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## Jim Garber

> Jim, the Chinese case you recommended appears to be a copy of the Dogal mandolin case from Italy.


Maybe John could contact Dogal?

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## Marc Woodward

I've got a Gewa case which I'm happy with. Check out www.gewamusic.com -I bought it from Greenhalgh's in Exeter (John will be familiar with the shop but this won't mean anything to the rest of you!) where it had been unwanted and gathering dust...
I guess there must be a uk distributor..?

Marc

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## Tavy

> I've got a Gewa case which I'm happy with. Check out www.gewamusic.com -I bought it from Greenhalgh's in Exeter (John will be familiar with the shop but this won't mean anything to the rest of you!) where it had been unwanted and gathering dust...
> I guess there must be a uk distributor..?
> 
> Marc


Thanks Marc, it's on the Thomann site, but a quick web search didn't show up much in the UK.  There are some Italian sellers that carry it though which may help my correspondent.

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## Beanzy

I bought one very similar from Hobgoblin for £59.
The one in you pic looks better though as the trapdoor faces away from the body and looks likely to give support to the neck. 
I'm unsing a rolled up cloth until I've finished adapting mine.

Red's cool interior colour too.

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## Margriet

> Anyone seen these before?


Carlo Mazzaccara (Modena) recommended me once. He has contact with the maker.




> I was also asked about this gig bag, any thoughts (I'm generally not taken with gig bags, but you never know...)
> 
> Attachment 103022


I have two of such Rockbags, already for years. I like them, they are very thick.

Margriet

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Beanzy

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## Tavy

My Italian correspondent just found this RockBag which looks rather good:



Can't find many places that carry them other than an Italian eBay seller.

BTW I note that the Warrick/Rockcase catalog has cases for all sorts of bowl backed instruments - some of the lute and ude cases look ideal for bowl backed mandolas.  No idea where you would find them though...

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## Tavy

Update:  Warwick has an online store, with bowlback gigbags and hardcases both listed.

Prices are pretty extortionate compared to regular retail prices though  :Frown:

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## Luis Fernandez

There are many threads about bowlback cases, I decided to update this one as the Dogal is mentioned. I just bought one, so I can add some info and photos:



I'm not sure if is discontinued, I only saw them in two stores in Italy (miletti.it and milettiantonio.it) and is not in the Dogal website. Maybe contacting Dogal will clear things up.

The outside dimmensions are more or less:
lenght including metallic feet: 71cm (28")
width at the greatest place: 25,5cm (10")
height at the bottom: 21cm (8 1/4'')
height at the top: 15,5cm (6")

The inner dimmensions of the down half (without pressing the 1cm (0,4") foam):
lenght: 65cm (25 5/8")
width at the greatest place: 20cm (7 7/8")
height at the bottom: 13cm (5 1/8")
height at the top: 6cm (2 3/8")

Details of the outside cloth and feet (4 on bottom, side and back):
 

It has two straps in the back, which look solid:
  

Top (with one strap side) and lateral handles and key lock:
  

The inside looks like velvet:
 

It comes with a 2cm (3/4") padded piece to adjust for different mandolin sizes:


Velcro to hold the neck and avoid any movement:


And a pad that presses on the same spot:


Nice pocket, roughly 10x10x5 cm (4x4x2"):


And a hygrometer:



As Joe Bartl was looking for a case for his Pecoraro, I took some pictures with my Embergher. It fits perfectly using the additional padded piece. Without it, it moves a bit back and forth, but with it there is no movement at all:
 

And the headstock don't touch the pocket (which is padded by the way):


I really like it, It feels very solid, well made and easy to handle. It does not weight much, probably about 1,5 kg (3,3 lb), hard to tell. The inner cloth is very soft, and the mandolin fits perfectly thanks to the padded piece, and the velcro and top pad avoids any movement on the inside. I thought the inner bottom will be more padded, but i guess is ok. The outside cloth looks very good and durable, as the straps, handles and zippers. I'm not sure if the higher handle material will crack with time. Another thing is that when is open without the mandolin, it does not fall due to the weight of the cover, as do other cases i had (Gewa, for example).

If you have any questions or want any pictures, please tell  :Smile:

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bstanish, 

Eugene, 

Jim Garber, 

Joe Bartl, 

Tim Logan

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## Jim Garber

aliparla: where did you buy yours? miletti.it says not available (Non disponibile). The other store you link to says available in 1-2 weeks. Price is not too bad though I have a feeling shipping to North America might be prohibitive, like adding at least 50% to the price if not more.

I was very lucky to find some really nice foam bowlback cases from a Chinese importer (see post #2 above) on ebay many years ago. I think I bought about 4 of them. I am surprised that we can't find them any more. The other alternative was the Eastman fiberglass cases of which I also own three and which are no longer imported here. 

It would be interesting if Dogal will sell to distributors in the US. I guess there is still little market for these in the US.

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## Joe Bartl

aliparla, Thanks for the incredibly thorough review and pictures.  I've emailed milettiantonio.it asking the cost of shipping to Maryland.  I'm not hopeful that this will be reasonable.  On the other hand, the only bowlback case I've been able to find that would be readily available here is an inexpensive one at Amazon ... and I've hesitated about that because I'd really like to get something more substantial.  Meanwhile, I keep hoping something will appear here in the classifieds. Again, thanks for the great review.  

Joe

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## August Watters

I have one of the Dogal cases -- carried it everywhere, many airplane miles, with hardly any wear. Found it to be sturdy and light, and fit my Italian concert mandolin well. The hygrometer in mine never worked. Otherwise, the only downside was it is a bit bulky, and slightly bigger than it needed to be. But OTOH the straps are sturdy and that makes it easier to carry. 

However, about three years ago while visiting Italy I searched widely for the Dogal cases and was not able to find them in stores. While visiting the Dogal factory in Venice I asked them if these were available -- the Dogal people at that time said they did not have any more in stock, but were considering placing another order with the manufacturer (who was in Korea). I have occasionally seen identical non-Dogal cases in use in Italy, and presume they were made by the same Korean manufacturer, but have never seen these for sale. Maybe they'll come back into stock some day but I'm not optimistic.

Meanwhile, another good option has become available in the USA:  Thomann is carrying the Gewa cases, which are a bit more sturdy than the Viking case over at Hobgoblin. I have used one of these for years (it fits my 1902 Calace well), and have traveled much with it also. I recently bought three of these from Thomann UK, and with all fees they came to $105 each, including shipping and all expenses. I haven't actually seen them yet (since they went straight to my restoration guy), but the one I have seems identical to the one in the above-linked photo.

One thing I really liked about the Gewa cases is that they are a good size and shape for Italian mandolins, and also antique American bowlbacks. Eastman tried a one-size-fits-all approach, so their cases are big enough for German bowlbacks, but leave most of my mandolins swimming in extra space. Sure, you can put extra padding in, but if I'm paying for a high-end case, I'd rather see a good fit that also reduces the overall size and weight.

I hope this helps!   :Smile:

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DavidKOS, 

Joe Bartl, 

Luis Fernandez

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## Luis Fernandez

> However, about three years ago while visiting Italy I searched widely for the Dogal cases and was not able to find them in stores. While visiting the Dogal factory in Venice I asked them if these were available -- the Dogal people at that time said they did not have any more in stock, but were considering placing another order with the manufacturer (who was in Korea). I have occasionally seen identical non-Dogal cases in use in Italy, and presume they were made by the same Korean manufacturer, but have never seen these for sale. Maybe they'll come back into stock some day but I'm not optimistic.


Thanks August, that explains a lot.

I bought mine from miletti.it, and it is possible that it was their last one lying around.

Maybe the korean manufacturer is still selling them to another brand.

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## Jim Garber

> aliparla, Thanks for the incredibly thorough review and pictures.  I've emailed milettiantonio.it asking the cost of shipping to Maryland.  I'm not hopeful that this will be reasonable.  On the other hand, the only bowlback case I've been able to find that would be readily available here is an inexpensive one at Amazon ... and I've hesitated about that because I'd really like to get something more substantial.  Meanwhile, I keep hoping something will appear here in the classifieds. Again, thanks for the great review.  
> 
> Joe


You have a pretty valuable instrument. You might consider one of the custom makers like *Cedar Creek* or *Ameritage*. Of those two American companies I believe one of a friend of mine ordered a solid custom bowlback case for his Embergher 5bis—perhaps Cedar Creek? I think they may have inherited Harptones molds. I have two hardshell bowlback cases from Harptone from years ago. In any case you might inquire at either. 

Years ago when I was at my wits end with this same question I even consulted *Kingham* in the UK. They make excellent cases and will make cases for just about anything. They are a bit expensive but very high quality.

Here's an example of one of their bowlback cases:

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August Watters, 

DavidKOS, 

Joe Bartl

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## Kevin Knippa

Calton Cases has made cases for bowl backs. You would probably spend around $900 to have one made, though.

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## Jim Garber

> Calton Cases has made cases for bowl backs. You would probably spend around $900 to have one made, though.


I have never heard that or ever seen a Calton bowlback case. Can you post a picture? I may have even contacted them years ago.

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## Joe Bartl

Thanks to aliparla, August, and Jim.  I've not heard back from milettiantonio.it.  My Gewa case arrives tomorrow -- I'll use this for my Vega.  And I've ordered a Kingham case for the Pecoraro ... just have to do the drawings they request.  Nice to get this settled!  Thanks.

Joe

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## Kevin Knippa

I haven't seen one, but they used to list a pattern they described as a bowl back. I don't know which shell they would use and they have recently modified their website so I can no longer find a reference to it. I would imagine it would not like a typical bowl back case.

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## Jim Garber

> I haven't seen one, but they used to list a pattern they described as a bowl back. I don't know which shell they would use and they have recently modified their website so I can no longer find a reference to it. I would imagine it would not like a typical bowl back case.


I assume you are referring to Kingham? If so I posted the photo of their bowlback mandolin case above from their web site on post #17.

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## Eugene

Since this conversation has wandered a bit, my friend Tip makes occasional cases for me.  Early in his case-making career, he made one for my ca.1835 Neapolitan mandolin.  More recently, he made one for my ca.1890 mandolino toscano/bresciano.

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Jim Garber, 

Joe Bartl, 

Tim Logan

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## brunello97

Nice looking case, Eug.  What's it made out of?   Hopefully, not what it _looks_ like....
Mick

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## Jim Garber

> I haven't seen one, but they used to list a pattern they described as a bowl back. I don't know which shell they would use and they have recently modified their website so I can no longer find a reference to it. I would imagine it would not like a typical bowl back case.


Whoops! I just realized you were talking about Calton not Kingham. I am pretty sure there were no bowlback cases at least not in regular production and I am sure I contacted then and asked.

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## Eugene

Sorry for delay, Mick.  I just now noticed your comment.




> Nice looking case, Eug.  What's it made out of?   Hopefully, not what it _looks_ like....


It's thin layers of plastic around a foam core.  Very light and great rigidity, great resistance to torsion.  He sometimes coats the exterior with some synthetic veneer, as this is.

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brunello97

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## Tim Logan

[QUOTE=Eugene;1790392]Since this conversation has wandered a bit, my friend Tip makes occasional cases for me.  Early in his case-making career, he made one for my ca.1835 Neapolitan mandolin.  More recently, he made one for my ca.1890 mandolino toscano/bresciano.

WOW!!!!!

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Eugene

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## Louise NM

Does anyone have experience with these cases? They are available in the US from Hobgoblin.

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## Beanzy

Yes I have used this one https://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/...mandolin-case/
They're quite a bit deeper than you might need for most bowlbacks, I lifted the lining and slid foam up the sides until the mandolin sat level with a snug fit.
As it seemed a bit lacking I also did the same with the lining between the bowl and headstock area, plus a wedge under the headstock for support.
The good thing is that by lifting the lining from the bottom edges it's unnoticeable when tucked back down again after the foam is in.

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Eugene, 

Louise NM

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## Joe Bartl

I recently tried to order the bowlback case from Hobgoblin and was told they were out of stock and I should check back in about three months.

Joe

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## Jim Garber

> Yes I have used this one https://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/...mandolin-case/
> They're quite a bit deeper than you might need for most bowlbacks, I lifted the lining and slid foam up the sides until the mandolin sat level with a snug fit.
> As it seemed a bit lacking I also did the same with the lining between the bowl and headstock area, plus a wedge under the headstock for support.
> The good thing is that by lifting the lining from the bottom edges it's unnoticeable when tucked back down again after the foam is in.


The problem is that bowlbacks are proportioned differently. For instance IIRC Calaces are fairly large around the midriff whereas Emberghers are slimmer in general. But even those made by the same maker can be different. I have a standard Vega style 3 and it has a shallower bowl that my Pettine models from the same era. So, assuming we even can find a case, we may have to pad it or remove some padding.

The foam ones I can no longer get have a Velcro neck attachment which sort of steadies too much wobbling around inside. That may be the best I could do. When I had my Pandini it did not fit in the Eastman case at all and I was lucky to get a case from the maker.

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DavidKOS

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## Jim Garber

> I have a standard Vega style 3 and it has a shallower bowl that my Pettine models from the same era.


Here are my Vega style 3 next to one of my Vega Pettine models:

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DavidKOS, 

Eugene

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## Eugene

The Pettine looks almost Chicago-esque in its depth.

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## Jim Garber

> The Pettine looks almost Chicago-esque in its depth.


Probably more Rhode Island-esque.  :Smile:

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## Neil Gladd

I was recently scouring the web for roundback mandolin cases, and came upon this old thread. The situation seems to have become even more dire since the thread was started. I already had 2 mandolins with no cases, and recently bought a 1913 Calace mandolin that came with only a cloth gig bag. I would be afraid to leave the house with it in only that, and want more protection for it even IN my house. I ordered the bowlback case from Hobgoblin from their website a few minutes ago, and they wrote back a few minutes later to say that they didn't know when they would have any, so I canceled the order. I saw the GEWA cases for sale in Germany, and was surprised to learn that GEWA Music, USA is in Maryland, just a few miles away from me! Their site does not list any mandolin cases, but I sent them an email to ask, and am waiting for a reply. I had bought one of the Eastman cases in the old days, but they appear to no longer be available. Does anyone have any NEW leads on cases in the US?

If the only option is to buy a case from Europe, and pay as much or more for the shipping, then I will just make my own case. When I was making electric mandolins a few decades ago (I plan to start again, as a retirement project), I also made hard cases for them. They were easy, as it was just a rectangular box. One of my former students commissioned me to build a case for his roundback mandola, so I have done it, once. It was trapezoidal, and the case was also tapered to be thinner on the end for the tuning head. For a mandolin, I might leave the depth of the case the same, to allow for more storage under the neck. It was 1/2 plywood, covered with vinyl, and and I but foam weather-stripping around the rim of the lid, to make it more watertight. Inside it was a plush cloth over foam rubber. Even if I find reasonable cases for sale, I will still need to make at least one, as I just ordered a roundback mandola... that will also be arriving with just a cloth gig bag.

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brunello97, 

DavidKOS

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## brunello97

I'd enjoy seeing your plans or process for making bowlback cases, Neil.

I like your ideas for a water-seal around the top edge.  

I've been collecting images of wooden bowlback cases for reference.  Some are pretty complex geometries, others usefully straightforward as you describe.

I have made a few myself, out of basic pine boards, planed down to 1/2" or so with some felt covered foam inserts to nest the body and neck. 
They were for a couple of Neapolitan Vinaccia style bowlbacks which were almost identical in dimension, without some of the Calace or Sicilian exuberance / extensions at the headstock.

They tapered in both plan and section, but were pretty straightforward to make.

I think they turned out pretty well, but both went off with mandolins as gifts.

I've been thinking about building some more soon when I have some free time.  Likely in May.  Unfortunately, I'm not retiring yet.

Happy to share my drawings with you once I did them out.  I think I modeled it up in Rhino or something so I could stretch the dimensions should I need to.

Your post and my desire to clean out my office (where I have a number of partially complete wood cases that I attempted to get to complicated with) has prompted me to get back to work.

Mick

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DavidKOS

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## Jim Garber

I have found a few bowlback cases on this Chinese wholesale site: http://www.east-start.com/products/mandolin-package/

however, I have written to them three times and they dont reply at all. I am pretty sure they are ignoring me. Not even a reply to say that they dont sell to retail buyers. I dont get why they have this site. Thyew have the foam cases which I bought in the past from an eBay seller which are inexpensive and work quite well. They are light but still protective. They also have what look like the Viking cases that Hobgoblin wants to carry. Maybe the Chinese government it blocking them doing business over here? Not sure

I spoke to a guy recently who also tried to reach Gewa USA. I am not sure if he ever did or not.

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DavidKOS

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## Neil Gladd

If I decide to build any cases, I will take photos to document the process. I told the contact from Hobgoblin that it would be helpful if their website mentioned that they didn't actually have the cases. He was very apologetic, and said their website was controlled by the UK branch of the company, and they couldn't change it. He also said they have had 25 cases on back order for a full year. I told them that I was about to just make my own cases, and he said that he was about to do the same for one of his own instruments.

If the Chinese wholesaler will not sell to individuals, I wonder if I should approach him on behalf of my company, Neil Gladd Publications, since it is a licensed company? I had only intended to sell music and recordings that I produced myself, but since cases are so hard to get, I might think about it. I'm just a little hesitant to do business in China...

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## Neil Gladd

Ah , GEWA USA did reply, but it went into my spam folder:

"Thanks for reaching out! This is something we could potentially special order for you. We would have to check with Germany on the processing time, but it would likely be 6-8 months. Also, all special orders are final sale, so we would need to have a card on file to process the order and there won’t be any refunds."

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## vic-victor

> I have found a few bowlback cases on this Chinese wholesale site: http://www.east-start.com/products/mandolin-package/
> 
> however, I have written to them three times and they don’t reply at all. I am pretty sure they are ignoring me. Not even a reply to say that they dont’ sell to retail buyers. I don’t get why they have this site. Thyew have the foam cases which I bought in the past from an eBay seller which are inexpensive and work quite well. They are light but still protective. They also have what look like the Viking cases that Hobgoblin wants to carry. Maybe the Chinese government it blocking them doing business over here? Not sure…
> 
> I spoke to a guy recently who also tried to reach Gewa USA. I am not sure if he ever did or not.


Hi Jim. I have spoken to the guys in the past. They make some nice guitars I was thinking of importing (I did not in the end). Most Chinese companies would quickly reply to enquiries via alibaba.com and made-in-china.com Looks like the bulk of their orders come from there and they have English speaking staff monitoring the correspondence that come from alibaba enquiry forms. Give it a try.

Good luck

Victor

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DavidKOS

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## Jim Garber

> Hi Jim. I have spoken to the guys in the past. They make some nice guitars I was thinking of importing (I did not in the end). Most Chinese companies would quickly reply to enquiries via alibaba.com and made-in-china.com Looks like the bulk of their orders come from there and they have English speaking staff monitoring the correspondence that come from alibaba enquiry forms. Give it a try.
> 
> Good luck
> 
> Victor


They have a rep listed and an email plus a reply file. I dont  know why they bother having a web site if they will not reply to me if for nothing else to tell me they cant ship these items. I might try once again.

My favorite Chinese case was the foam kind which was very protective, came with multiple straps and lots of room for case candy and was under $50. I have at least three of them and my prized Embergher lives in one. I recall that Carlo Aonzo had a Japanese case that was very similar back in the 1990s that cost about $400 back then. This was a Chinese knockoff. East-Start has one like it.

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vic-victor

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## Jim Garber

> Ah , GEWA USA did reply, but it went into my spam folder:
> 
> "Thanks for reaching out! This is something we could potentially special order for you. We would have to check with Germany on the processing time, but it would likely be 6-8 months. Also, all special orders are final sale, so we would need to have a card on file to process the order and there won’t be any refunds."


Interesting that the Gewa case is listed on the Thomann USA site at this link: https://www.thomannmusic.com/gewa_mandolinenetui.htm

I doubt they are carrying them either if Gewa can’t get them. It might even be the same company (Gewa & Thomann)? I will inquire anyway just for fun.

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bstanish

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## Neil Gladd

Hmmm, it says in stock, I may order one.

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## Neil Gladd

> Interesting that the Gewa case is listed on the Thomann USA site at this link: https://www.thomannmusic.com/gewa_mandolinenetui.htm


I ordered one on Saturday, and they notified me that it has shipped, today, but I don't know where it is shipping from. Here's the total:

	1x Gewa Mandolin Case
Gewa Mandolin Case, for mandolins with round back, italian model, black plush interior, black saten artificial leather cover, metal feet, internal measures: width of the body: 20,0 cm, body length: 34,0 cm, total length: 66,0 cm, height: 16,0 cm.

Item no. 203420	USD 64.00
Shipping costs	        USD 69.29
Total amount	        USD 133.29

I WILL also be making a case, though, for my newly arrived octave mandola. I'll start a new thread on making a case, after I start it.

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## Neil Gladd

The case arrived, today. It appears that it was shipped from Germany, and the box was all torn up by UPS, but the case was fine and arrived in 6 days. I tried both my American bowlback and the Calace, and it works for either. It is a little wide, but both instruments stay firmly in place without moving around, so yes, Virginia, you can order bowlback cases in the U.S.! Shown with my Calace, which will now live in it.

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bstanish, 

DavidKOS, 

Jim Garber

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## Tukanu

Neil: do you think there is a little more room in the width? my Bresciano is 210 mm ( 8 1/4")

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## Neil Gladd

> Neil: do you think there is a little more room in the width? my Bresciano is 210 mm ( 8 1/4")


The case was wider than necessary for my Calace, but just THIS MORNING, I dropped the instrument (and the case) off to be repaired, so I can't measure it, now. My American bowlback is 8" wide and there was a lot of extra room for that, as well, so the case is at LEAST 8 1/2" wide, probably more.

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Tukanu

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## Neil Gladd

Just reviving this thread for a minute. The cost of almost everything, musical or not, seems to be going up, but I just happened to check on the GEWA cases, yesterday, and the price has gone DOWN! (Don't know about the shipping cost, though.) I paid $64 in March of this year, and now they are only $56. I thought a price drop of a hard-to-find item was information worth passing on!

https://www.thomannmusic.com/gewa_mandolinenetui.htm

In other news, I just got my roundback octave mandola back from the shop, so I will be building a case for that in the near future. I will start a new thread for that once I get started.

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sebastiaan56

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## Jim Garber

I am guessing that the price may have gone down along with the Euro dropping in value versus the US dollar.

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## Neil Gladd

> I am guessing that the price may have gone down along with the Euro dropping in value versus the US dollar.


I assumed the same.

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## DougC

That is very nice however have you seen the shipping costs? Yikes.

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