Calton Flight Cases

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by pagedr

My experience with Calton and other similar grade cases (Hoffee, Karura, etc) is that they are built to the exact measurements of a specific guitar, making it difficult to fit anything other than that guitar inside. With the J-45 and Martin D type guitars having different body shapes/sizes, even though they are relatively minor, I'm not sure it's something Calton would be able to do. I know when I see them listed on places like Reverb, there is always a distinction between their cases made for square shoulder or slope shoulder dreads. That said it's worth reaching out to them to see if they have a recommendation or could accommodate your request, they're really helpful people.

You might consider looking at cases like Hiscox that have a bit more versatility in terms of the body sizes they can fit. They're also a bit cheaper (and heavier) than Calton, but are plenty protective.

Hiscox are significantly lighter (typically 3-4kg on average depending on size), than Calton, against the latter's 6-7kg (15lbs; that's heavy!). A lot cheaper too; around £150 for the Pro II against around £1000+/-.

[B. Adams]

I have a Calton, and it's definitely heavy. I'm very confident in its ability to protect my guitar though.

Anecdotal story that I've told before: I worked a show for the band America a few years ago (FYI, they rock a lot more than their records indicate, and they put on a great show). Anyway, they had at least 20 guitars, maybe closer to 30. It was a fly date, so they didn't bring much gear other than the guitars. There were a few Calton cases (maybe half a dozen), no Hoffee or any other "premium" cases, but their guitars and basses were in mostly SKB i-series cases. I asked the guitar tech why they liked the SKB so much, and he said they've had guitars get broken just as often in a Calton as an SKB, so they didn't think it was worth spending 4x the money on nicer cases when they don't do a better job.

He also pointed out that almost none of them had the air vent intact. His theory is that TSA employees don't notice that there are latches on the end of the cases and they think the vent is a lock they don't have a key for, so they break it off trying to open the case. He's not too worried about it, but it doesn't say much for the TSA.

I think Calton offers a little more protection than SKB, but probably not all that much. Calton are definitely better looking, and they're my preference. That said, I think SKB makes a jumbo sized i-series case, so that might be an option for you.

I've never owned a Hoffee, but I've seen one or two out there, and they look really nice. I can't compare their durability to Calton though, since I don't have first-hand experience. My Calton is built like a tank.

[blindboyjimi]

I have a Hiscox, Calton, and Karura. I think they all offer equal protection if we’re talking about the upper level Hiscox and protecting the guitar going from gig to gig. But if I had to throw one of my guitars out of a van like LJ then I probably would choose the Calton. The Hiscox is the lightest followed by the Karura and then the Carlton is the heaviest. The Karura is the highest quality and the latches are the best but the fit of my Caltons are absolutely exact. I bought all of mine used and they generally go for about $650 so you may be able to find two used Calton cases for the price of one new one.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

I have a Hiscox, Calton, and Karura. I think they all offer equal protection if we’re talking about the upper level Hiscox and protecting the guitar going from gig to gig. But if I had to throw one of my guitars out of a van like LJ then I probably would choose the Calton. The Hiscox is the lightest followed by the Karura and then the Carlton is the heaviest. The Karura is the highest quality and the latches are the best but the fit of my Caltons are absolutely exact. I bought all of mine used and they generally go for about $650 so you may be able to find two used Calton cases for the price of one new one.

Hi bb

I'd prefer to not have one launched out of the back of anything! But for sheer toughness while still protecting a guitar, the Calton is designed for it.

And years ago they had a testimonial on their site of a guy who had the guitar being carried in a Calton next to the engine comparment of the band's bus, and the engine caught fire. The outside layer of the Calton was burned off, and the guitar was fine.

I don't do that kind of road-work anymore, but have zero regrets owning a couple.

I actually owned an Anvil case for my Dreadnought for 20 years, which weighed 22 pounds empty! That thing flew with me all the time. And it was Purple (which means 'hard to lose').

It had a minimum of 2" of velvet covered foam (5.1cm) from any part of the guitar inside. And I could carry a preamp, cables, a strap, and 2 changes of clothing in the pick drawer (not kidding).

That was back in the day I would find the porter at the airport and hand him/her $10 to deliver it to the baggage loading area of my flights. That was back when they didn't charge for your personal luggage.

They just don't make things like they used to…