Musician Friend's basic guitar hard case. UPDATE w/PHOTOS

mikesr1963

Gonna walk my dog, you?
Got this cheap for $49 on the Father's Day sale. I've bought 5 of these over the last 15 years and each time they have lessened in quality. My first came in black and was made like the tweed case with heavy vinyl ends and tolex middle. The next two were similar to the one picture but the corners are more square. The wood used was heavy because it didn't flex. My son still uses it. In fact 13 years ago he strapped two leather belts around it and used it as a flight case for his guitar on a trip to South America and it came back solid. The one after that had a lighter grade of tolex and after a couple years the glue started to fail and I've had to use duct tape on it. Still, the wood was heavy and there was no flex. The one I got today 6/20/16, is floppy when opened. The stitching around the top has long loops with gaps of black as long as the stitches. The others I have like this have tight, short stitching with no gaps. The handle has been down graded as well. Sadly, when on sale they are no longer the bang for the buck cases I've gotten in the past. I'll try and remember to add pictures to this later, but now I have to go.
 
Personally, I'd send it back. I pick up used cases all the time on some of the other forums and they're usually in great shape. Lately I've been moving over to the SKB style cases with the big TSA style latches.

They don't scuff or tear like a tolex covered case, they're lighter, and they load up easier.

61VV9hdMQlL.jpg


This one is a decent price:
https://reverb.com/item/1894223-skb...ll-case-tsa-latch-over-molded-handle-sku-4972
 
Personally, I'd send it back. I pick up used cases all the time on some of the other forums and they're usually in great shape. Lately I've been moving over to the SKB style cases with the big TSA style latches.

They don't scuff or tear like a tolex covered case, they're lighter, and they load up easier.

61VV9hdMQlL.jpg


This one is a decent price:
https://reverb.com/item/1894223-skb...ll-case-tsa-latch-over-molded-handle-sku-4972

I like that SKB makes the same cases as gig bags. I have the dreadnaught sized one for my Taylor. If they made a double electric gig bag, I'd be all over it.
 
This case is just for the home. I have others to use if I'm going any distance or taking something to the shop. I've never taken anything to the shop, always done everything so far. Unfortunately, it is actually a 50 dollar case as it stands today. It's just in the past the quality was there you know and it was a treat to get something that seemed better.
 

In total that case is a $130 and it's just not worth the expense for what I was going to use it for. The best case I have is for my odd shaped Schecter guitar that I paid $72 for because it was an open box. Regularly it was $125. I'm not a road dog and just don't need something like that. Don't get me wrong, it's a tank and worth it, just not in my case.
 
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In order of the cases I've bought from MF over the years for $49. How the outside has changed.
 
Case flex. I put each case on that chair in the photo. With the top open and the guitar in the case I measure how much each case flexed when I lifted right corner. When the left corner started to lift off the arm of the chair I snapped the photo. 1. About 3/4 inch of flex. 2. About 1 and 4/16's inches of flex. 3. About 2 and 5/16's inches of flex.
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The last two cases are more alike in the way they were constructed. See how on the newer case (bottom photo) they use less stitching around the top.
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