$150 or less A style case

[John Adrihan]

What are some good case options for a Loar 400 at $150 or less? I was sorta looking at a TKL prestige for a gibson A5 stlyle for $119 but I don't no anything about cases at all. Looking for something that is considered good protection and like I said $150 or less
thanks

[Tim2723]

Hi John,

Most everything depends on just how much protection you need. After that it's a matter of issues like weight, storage, and other conveniences.

A basic $40 hard-shell case will serve most everyone who travels by car and is relatively conscientious about handling their instrument, like not putting it on the bottom of the stack of stuff in the car. There's no hard and fast rule, but for a $500 mandolin I would go with the MF hard-shell case. Here it is with a bunch of other options. They're all pretty decent cases but have different features that might appeal to you:


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navig...=mandolin+case

Some guys would even go the high-end route with cases like Calton or Pegasus, knowing that they could use the case for years and years for their upgrade instruments. Most important is to list the things you need the case to do, like carry extra stuff, be airline ready, stand up to touring duty, all that.

Personally, I don't tour but I play about 150 gigs a year. So my cases get pretty beat up. I like the TKL type cases because I can replace them every few years when they get all scuffed up. Despite my reputation, I've never, in forty years, damaged an instrument while in a TLK case. I'm actually careful enough that I could use gig bags without harming a mandolin.

[Big Joe]

The guardian hard shell case is readily available for about half what you are talking. The F style case will work perfectly for your mandolin, and it is built by the same company as builds your mandolin. Probably different factory, but same company. It is very comparable to the 200.00 case used by some of the US companies. It is what I would recommend as a hard case for the LM400. I usually have them in stock. You can also use a travelite or similar gator case, which is my personal preference. TML (Guardian) also makes these but they have been out of stock for a few weeks.

You should be able to get a nice case to meet your needs for 75.00 or less pretty easily.