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  #16  
Old 12-05-2018, 10:45 PM
gitarro gitarro is offline
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Hello Jim

Why do you say that ameritage cases have better fall protection than hiscox cases?

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Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
I own Ameritage cases and a Hiscox case. Both are fine cases. The Hiscox certainly gets the nod for crush protection, but I'd give the nod to the Ameritage for keeping the guitar safer from damage in the event the case takes a nasty fall. So for me, it comes down to which is more likely to happen. In 45+ years of playing, I've never seen a case get crushed but I've seen some take some hard falls. My most valuable instruments are in Ameritage cases.
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  #17  
Old 12-05-2018, 11:46 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Originally Posted by gitarro View Post
Hello Jim
Why do you say that ameritage cases have better fall protection than hiscox cases?
I think they do a better job with the padding inside.
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  #18  
Old 12-06-2018, 03:29 AM
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colins colins is offline
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Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Of all the major case manufacturers, Ameritage is my least favorite. They’re fine and the quality is undeniable but they are unnecessarily bulky and heavy. Really heavy. The humidifier compartment isn’t really necessary. I frankly prefer a TLK case by a wide margin. They do the same job and aren’t anywhere near as heavy or bulky.

I generally end up with Hoffee cases for all my guitars, even though they’re expensive. With Hoffee there is almost no way your guitar can be damaged, and they are much lighter weight.

If I were Lowden, I would have stuck with Hiscox, but there may be business deals at play that we aren’t privy to. Although I feel my Hiscox looks a little cheesy, I LOVE the super light weight.
I'm with you Juston, except for the 'undeniable quality'. My Ameritage case handle broke pretty quickly and when I contacted Ameritage they did nothing to help me. I hope the quality and customer service has improved since then.

Col
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  #19  
Old 12-06-2018, 05:12 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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How you doing, Phil? Coincidentally, I had emailed Ryan a few days ago and he told me you picked up that Lowden recently - Congrats!

The Hiscox I have for my F-23 seems like it could withstand a lot of abuse. Do you think Lowden is dropping Hiscox to save a few bucks?
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  #20  
Old 12-06-2018, 05:45 AM
jazzguy jazzguy is offline
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Originally Posted by pukematrix View Post
I've personally had mixed results with Hiscox cases, so am not super passionate about the move away from them. Most recently my Lowden sustained a finish crack while shipping back to Virginia from Gryphon out in Palo Alto. It was packed by the pros and rode in a Lowden box and still managed to sustain enough of a bump to cause some slight damage. Who knows, perhaps a UPS truck backed over it and it only sustained a minor injury. A previous Lakewood also sustained a similiar crack while riding in a Hiscox. Having said that, for every story of an issue, there's probably a dozen where a Hiscox saved the day. Fine cases both, but sometimes stuff happens no matter how well protected a guitar appears to be.

Given a choice, I'd probably go with the heavier but less bulky Ameritage, mainly because my Hiscox cases won't fit under the bed.

Austin
I experienced the exact same thing with a Brook (soon to be up for sale after professional Luthery). My contention is that the Hiscox cases are too hard on the INSIDE of the case. Yes it may stand having a group of men or horses stand on it, but the inside is so hard I believe the crack was sustained simply because the force of the drop (by UPS....grrrrr) was transferred directly to the guitar.
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  #21  
Old 12-06-2018, 06:07 AM
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JayBee1404 JayBee1404 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Do you think Lowden is dropping Hiscox to save a few bucks?
Unlikely, when you consider the relative costs of Hiscox v. Ameritage cases. An Ameritage case sells for around double the price of a Hiscox Pro-ll in the UK.

I think it's far more likely to be 'up-marketing'.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.
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  #22  
Old 12-06-2018, 06:15 AM
gitarro gitarro is offline
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Would finish cracks be caused by drops? If anything i would expect a fall to cause actual cracks to the body or top of the guitar or damage the neck.

I would have thought that it is usually sudden temperature variances that causd finish cracks.

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Originally Posted by jazzguy View Post
I experienced the exact same thing with a Brook (soon to be up for sale after professional Luthery). My contention is that the Hiscox cases are too hard on the INSIDE of the case. Yes it may stand having a group of men or horses stand on it, but the inside is so hard I believe the crack was sustained simply because the force of the drop (by UPS....grrrrr) was transferred directly to the guitar.
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  #23  
Old 12-06-2018, 06:22 AM
BluesKing777 BluesKing777 is offline
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Funny thing happened with the Maton Hiscox cases - they use to come with the upmarket Matons for quite a while. Then Maton brought out a flight case of their own, not made by them, and the Hiscox were stopped. You could only get the new flight case, which personally I though looked like it held a rocket launcher or some weapon and would get you in trouble at a border crossing, if you know what I mean. People in these very pages have said they had one and liked it.

Anyway, the sneaky types would buy a used Maton for sale with a Hiscox, keep the Hiscox for their guitar and sell the other guitar on with their standard hard case. One is worth $50 and the Hiscox Maton case way more!

I considered this for my new Maton 808! A guitar can be hard work to sell, so I mentally gave up on the idea and actually rang a shop to order the new flight case, only to be told...ha ha, still can’t believe it, ha.....the new cases were out of stock and back ordered and they only had the Maton branded Hiscox cases for the Maton 808 size!!! You have to be kidding! Both my Maton 808s now live in Hiscox cases!

There may be a moral in this story for Lowden, there may not.


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  #24  
Old 12-06-2018, 06:50 AM
Parlorman Parlorman is offline
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This is pure speculation, but Lowden publishing the video makes me wonder if Ameritage and Lowden didn’t enter into some sort of agreement where Lowden gets a discount on the cases and in return promotes Ameritage cases.
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  #25  
Old 12-06-2018, 08:43 AM
SoCalSurf SoCalSurf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Parlorman View Post
This is pure speculation, but Lowden publishing the video makes me wonder if Ameritage and Lowden didn’t enter into some sort of agreement where Lowden gets a discount on the cases and in return promotes Ameritage cases.
I thought of something similar when I watched the video. I am enthralled with Lowden guitars and have much respect for George Lowden in particular. But the way in which the video was presented seemed a little over the top to me.
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  #26  
Old 12-06-2018, 09:24 AM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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My Froggy Bottom guitar came with an Ameritage case.

It's a great case, but I agree it's a heavy monster. Fortunately, I don't have to travel with it
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  #27  
Old 12-06-2018, 09:37 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkstott View Post
My Froggy Bottom guitar came with an Ameritage case.

It's a great case, but I agree it's a heavy monster. Fortunately, I don't have to travel with it
I also have one. Agreed about the weight. Well protected and good humidity control, but at a price.
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  #28  
Old 12-06-2018, 01:16 PM
philjs philjs is offline
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Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
How you doing, Phil? Coincidentally, I had emailed Ryan a few days ago and he told me you picked up that Lowden recently - Congrats!
Hey Dru...getting the O10 back was a bit of an opportunistic, if surrealistic, experience but is appreciated nonetheless! Thank you to "the powers that be!" This time, however, if Ryan wants it back again he might need to pry it from (to quote Charlie Heston) "my cold, dead hands!"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
The Hiscox I have for my F-23 seems like it could withstand a lot of abuse. Do you think Lowden is dropping Hiscox to save a few bucks?
I doubt it. The new cases are now for sale alongside the remaining stock of Hiscox cases in the Lowden Store. The new cases are priced exactly the same as the Hiscox Artist series cases so there won't be a lower-cost option in the future. Seems to me that that would add to the cost of the lower-end of the Lowden line...

And, I thought it was an F25...?

Phil
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  #29  
Old 12-06-2018, 01:27 PM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayBee1404 View Post
Unlikely, when you consider the relative costs of Hiscox v. Ameritage cases. An Ameritage case sells for around double the price of a Hiscox Pro-ll in the UK.

I think it's far more likely to be 'up-marketing'.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.
I just checked the Lowden site and they seem to be exactly the same price: $445.
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  #30  
Old 12-06-2018, 01:41 PM
Tony Burns Tony Burns is offline
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Ameritage case are great cases as well as hiscox -
you guys get to into this to much -its only a case
maybe he got a better deal on them or likes the looks better !
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