$750 Collings mandolin case at elderlys

[fatt-dad]

Just for the record folks, i pulled a damaged Gilchrist out of an undamaged Calton that was in a sea of bubble wrap in a cardboard box. The box dropped on end and the mandolin slid enough in the case to knick the northern-most tip of the back on the underlayment of the accessory box (stuff under the plush). The knick resulted in a back separation. Not making this stuff up. It was the mint green Calton that Gruhn used for the Model 1.

How can it be a flight case when it couldn't protect an instrument that was not only in the case but also in a shipping box?

I travel with my a3 in the original case and a small-dog cover. I know I tried to tell this story earlier, but it was a bit overlooked.

f-d

[foldedpath]

I agree that you can press the shell of a Travelite & make it deform because the wooden shell isn't very thick,but who's going to do that in real life ?. In some circumstances that could happen,but i'd avoid those situations with any case.

Well, all I can say is that I have often had a mandolin case carefully packed among heavy PA gear on the way to a gig, in a way where a sudden swerve of the car might deform a Travelite. And there's no way that could happen with a Pegasus or Calton. I like not having to worry about this stuff. Your mileage may vary.

[Ivan Kelsall]

FP - I'm a non driver. All my travel is done by UK public transport or by Taxi cab with my mandolin safely in my hands. Personally,i wouldn't place my mandolin in any case between any heavy objects,not just for the sake of the mandolin,but the case as well.However other folk 'need to do what they need to do'.

Fatt-dad - I can only assume that despite all the ''wrapping'',the mandolin in it's Calton case,wasn't wrapped in a way that would cushion the case when it was dropped. IMHO,if the mandolin inside the case had been cushioned by a good layer of 'whatever',it would have survived intact - you made a very good case (no pun intended), for the points i've been trying to bring attention to - It's not the outside that matters,it's the inside - every time.

I will say that in the cae of Cafe member Peter Jenner,when his mandolin in it's Hiscox case was dropped from an aircraft baggage hold,although the 'flight case' was quite badly damaged,the way in which the mandolin inside was held away from the sides prevented any damage to the mandolin,
Ivan

[Stop]

I saw one this past week-- very nice but not much padding and almost zero storage. Would I like to have one vs. my Calton ? Yes

[darylcrisp]

I saw one this past week-- very nice but not much padding and almost zero storage. Would I like to have one vs. my Calton ? Yes

just wondering if you looked at the inside compartment-under the neck region-did that storage area seem about the same as a standard hard shell case? (or anyone who has one of these)?

thanks
d

[Ivan Kelsall]

From TStop - "....very nice but not much padding and almost zero storage...". Those are the 2 most important parts of a case 'for me',especially the amount of padding inside. There needs to be some storage room as well,for a set of strings & a pair of wire snips - just in case.
Daryl - The Collings case isn't a million miles away from the TKL shaped case design & the storage compartment in the TKL case that i have is fairly adequate,& the latches work perfectly. The one that i own wasn't bought by me & i suspect that it's TKL's lowest price offering. The outer shell could be more robust & the interior padding is hardly adequate,
Ivan

[AlanN]

With all the buzz here, I'd sure like to see this case in person. In terms of padding, Calton seems to be the top, the NF Airloom is close. Hoffee is good, perhaps a bit less plush.

[Mandobar]

Unless you see this case in person, I'd caution you to not make a judgment. While I never put anything in the case, other than the mandolin, the storage space under the neck cradle is more secure, and perhaps slightly larger than the TKL case. The case is quite functional, and with a case cover it works very well. I did not think that I'd be using it every day, but I am. While it is not a Calton, it is a lot lighter, and the mandolin is held securely in place. I would call the case "substantial". If I were to order another F5 from Collings I would surely order it with this case. As for storage space, my luthier has been very quick to tell me that a case is not a "purse" and that objects roiling around in the case can have an adverse effect on the health of one's mandolin (especially pointy objects).

The thing that you need to remember about Caltons is that the case needs to be made for the specific instrument, therefore one purchased and adapted for use with your mandolin may not protect it as it should. (Al from Calton was very stern with me over this concept).

[AlanN]

Did you have the cover custom made for this case? And who made it, if can ask.

[Tobin]

As for storage space, my luthier has been very quick to tell me that a case is not a "purse" and that objects roiling around in the case can have an adverse effect on the health of one's mandolin (especially pointy objects).

Well duh, of course it's not a good idea to have loose objects in the main compartment with the instrument that could shift around and damage it. That's why people want separate storage compartments! It amazes me that so many mandolin cases are made with inadequate storage.

An instrument case may not be a purse, but one shouldn't have to carry a separate bag with their mandolin case just to have their essentials. Picks, spare set of strings, clippers, straps, tuners, capos (for those who use them), wiping cloth, etc. I find it odd that most modern violin cases are made with multiple interior storage compartments, and it's a selling point, but mandolin cases always seem to give us the same sad little under-the-neck compartment and nothing else. It isn't even big enough to lay an envelope of strings inside, without deforming the package.

There are some mandolin case options with more storage, of course, but it seems like the default recipe for the mandolin case is generally the same across the industry when it comes to storage. Maybe I've just gotten spoiled by the generous storage in my fiddle cases and banjo cases, but mandolin case storage seems really stingy to me. I wish that the makers would be creative and inventive with some additional storage options when they're designing their fabulous new cases!

[Mandobar]

Actually this advice was offered when an item that was located in the closed compartment (and I use the term "closed" very loosely as the fit was pretty poor on the case) wiggled its way out of the compartment and traveled across the face of a brand new instrument.

That said, there are mandolin cases made by violin case makers (Bobelock) that just don't seem all that popular with mandolin players. You also don't see people with the big square TKL cases. At some point, you need to choose: utility over comfort (meaning "weight" and bulk).

Alan, currently I am using a Small Dog case cover. This was repurposed from my TKL shaped F style case. While it is not a snug fit, it is close enough and works for my purpose (usage of the shoulder strap and for extra string storage, etc.).

[AlanN]

Even objects which you might think wouldn't come 'un-done', can and do become so. I had a mandolin shipped to me by a very well-known mandolin player. It was packed in its case, in a well-padded box. Upon opening it up, the tailpiece cover had popped off and skitted around inside during the trip, scratching the top a bit. I lived with it.

[AlanN]

Thanks, Mary. For this case, a cover is key - for protection and storage space. Same for the Northfield case, but more-so for protection. And re-purposing the Small Dog is a smart move, as buying a fitted cover from Small Dog would add ~ $200 to an already costly case. This cover cost more than the case (a tweed Guardian shaped case).

[darylcrisp]

Mary
thanks for the compartment report. by the pictures I thought that area looked longer in support for the neck, and figured that area would be as such.
on a regular TKL I have plenty of room for what I carry in the compartment: hemostats, cutter, tuner(polytune folds small and flat), dude stringwinder, picks. I put a set or two of strings, and 2 spare E's in the uppermost headstock area and lay a cleaning cloth over them-nothing moves. sheet music is kept under the mando body-yes, it gets bent on the edges, but its there when I need it.

the only "druther" I have on the Collings case would be two strap loops. I don't use case covers and I shoulder sling all my instruments(hence why I use soft shell cases more than not). if this case had those 2 strap rings like some older cases you see, I would have one for sure. need both hands free when going and coming and with instrument "in hand".

Ivan, might as well give it up, those interested in the Collings case are just that-I'd dare say every one of us have or has had a couple TKL's (have 2 in storage myself-brand new).

d

[Jeff Mando]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present a very, very special case..........oh, no, it only looks like a normal case.....it has magical powers, we're told...............

The wonderful benefit, to old age, experience, hindsight -- whatever you want to call it -- is these stories keep repeating themselves, no matter what the category or subject. Almost everyday on the "News" I look at my wife and say didn't we just deal with that 40 years ago? I forget there is a new generation who missed it the first time around......

There was a huge controversy 40+ years ago when Martin went to the infamous blue thermoplastic guitar cases. They were nick-named the "Samsonite" case due to their resemblance to the popular luggage of the day. Many jumped on the bandwagon and raved with glee at this "new" case.........others, did not.

But, as stated with all this "free" advertising on the MC forum, they may well sell an extra 5 or 6 cases........

[doc holiday]

You'll likely have to send them an outline of the case. I had to do that that with the TKL Collings 0 case. Small dog/Colorado case co.
I had one made for an early Hoffee CF shaped case (almost the same size as the Collings).
Jeff..... I can assure you the Collings bears no resemblance at all to the famous steal me Martin case.....but the memory of that blue thermoplastic sure makes me shy away from Hiscox cases...

[Ivan Kelsall]

Most folk on here who've read anything i've posted re.cases will know that my personal favorite is the Travelite case. However,they're virtually impossible to buy in the UK. As for the Bobelok cases,i looked at those when i was needing another case after i bought my 'used' Ellis "A" style. The case was just what i wanted,but the postal charge was over $100,way too much.
From mandobar - "You also don't see people with the big square TKL cases...".I use one for my Lebeda all the time now that my Travelite houses my Ellis. It is heavy,weighing in at 12 lb. That's due to it being a TKL ''American Vintage'' marketed by First Quality Music.It has additional wooden plies in the top & the corners are steel reinforced under the outer covering. I think that the rectangular cases have fallen out of popularity because folk fly with their mandolins far more than they used to & require a much smaller case,which will hopefully be allowed to be taken on board an aircraft. The beauty of the rect.case is that the mandolin is usually well supported around the body & the headstock is well away from the top end & sides,
Ivan

[Austin Bob]

So Ivan... when are you ordering the Collins?

[Jess L.]

A case... cover? A cover for a case? Huh. Never heard of such a thing until reading this thread. I thought the case *was* the cover. But now that I think about it, I like this idea of multiple layers of protection, I wonder if that concept could be applied to umbrellas too, an umbrella cover to protect a fav umbrella from getting splashed upon when being used for its intended purpose...

Well, anyway, seriously now the Collings looks like a nice high-quality item, so I suppose it's logical to want to keep it from getting unduly damaged, and as already mentioned a case-cover's over-the-shoulder straps would be a fuss-free way to carry an instrument. So maybe the case-cover idea is logical after all, but it sure didn't seem that way at first.

Misc. addenda: When I was much younger (a bazillion years ago) I wouldn't have been caught dead in public with a new-looking case, for that would imply that the case hadn't gotten much use which would imply that I was a newbie or didn't play very much or something. I *was* a newbie at that time, but I didn't want to advertise that fact by carrying around a pristine new unscuffed case.

[Drew Egerton]

Not to hijack the thread too much but to address the comments on case covers, I use a Colorado cover on my Calton. The main reason is the added storage and I feel like it also helps add to the thermal protection. My biggest Calton complaint is the lack of storage for anything more than a Snark and some picks. If I had a compartment like the Northfield case, I might not worry with a cover.

[foldedpath]

A case... cover? A cover for a case? Huh. Never heard of such a thing until reading this thread. I thought the case *was* the cover. But now that I think about it, I like this idea of multiple layers of protection, I wonder if that concept could be applied to umbrellas too, an umbrella cover to protect a fav umbrella from getting splashed upon when being used for its intended purpose...

I've never used a case cover either. For one thing, it wouldn't survive very long in good shape being slid in among other instrument cases and PA gear in the car when packing for a gig. It's also one more thing to keep track of during setup and teardown, and I have enough things to keep track of already!

From my perspective, I've never cared much about how the outside of a case looked. My Pegasus case is very pretty, but it's also scuffed a little here and there from being taken out of the house often enough. And it has stickers. That's another thing.... you can't put stickers easily on a cloth case cover.

[Mandobar]

A case cover serves other purposes. They add a bit of insulation, both for cold and warm situations. They also add storage space, make the case easier to carry, etc. While they have gone up significantly in price, when the situation calls for something sturdier than a gig bag (open mics can be full of people banging around with equipment) this is a good solution.

The case covers are sturdy, and I have packed my van full of gear (mandola, mandolin, guitar, octave, PA speaker, mixer, amps, mics, stands etc.) and no issues. They are designed for gigging musicians. Furthermore, the cover is designed to stay on the case, like a skin. So, no keeping track of it separately.

Like anything else, it's a preference.

[Jeff Mando]

The first time I encountered a case cover was in a picture in a magazine years ago. It showed Wes Montgomery wearing a raincoat and with him was a huge guitar case and the case appeared to also be wearing a raincoat. It caught my eye, for sure. Almost looked like some kind of a "fetish" wear........then I thought, naw, this man has some Jazz to play and he isn't going to let a little rain get in his way.......

Soon after, I saw a similar photo of Merle Travis with a case cover on his guitar case.....

Might be the start of a new thread -- Case covers spotted in old photos -- might be a short thread!??

[AlanN]

Always have used case covers, on the nicer cases/instruments, starting with a cool canvas cover that I bought for a square Superior case (blue inside) that housed my 1985 Flatiron F-5 Artist. Nice case, nice mandolin - no longer have either. This is the kind of cover I hope that I can get for the Northfield case. Don't need a fleece-lined, insulated thing, just something to cover the case with.

[Jeff Mando]

not mandolin related, but there was the trend in the 60's to encase your living room furniture with clear, see-through covers, the purpose being 40 years in the future, you can remove the cover and donate essentially a brand-new vintage chair to the Goodwill.....

also, the current trend of floormat liners for your truck/suv......to protect the carpet? your floormats?....not sure. I guess I need to work in mud more often.....