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Old 03-06-2018, 02:22 PM
hairpuller hairpuller is offline
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Default Calton Cases

Saw a cool feature on Acoustic Tuesday today on these killer cases made in Austin. No idea what they cost, but love all the options available.

Anyone have opinions on these and if they're worth the money...I'm assuming they are not cheap!

Thanks, scott
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Old 03-06-2018, 02:32 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Not cheap and kinda heavy.......... but almost completely bombproof in their strength. If you are a touring pro, that might be the way to go.

In my case, only traveling occasionally, I opted for an SKB i-Series case for ~$300. I'm NFL lineman sized and I can stand on mine without worry. It is heavy and bulky too, like the Caltons, but the wheels make it a breeze to drag around the airport. Plenty of cargo room for accessories too.
http://www.skbcases.com/music/produc...et=1&c=75&s=75
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Old 03-06-2018, 02:52 PM
hairpuller hairpuller is offline
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Originally Posted by Earl49 View Post
Not cheap and kinda heavy.......... but almost completely bombproof in their strength. If you are a touring pro, that might be the way to go.

In my case, only traveling occasionally, I opted for an SKB i-Series case for ~$300. I'm NFL lineman sized and I can stand on mine without worry. It is heavy and bulky too, like the Caltons, but the wheels make it a breeze to drag around the airport. Plenty of cargo room for accessories too.
http://www.skbcases.com/music/produc...et=1&c=75&s=75

Thanks for the info! Remind not to tease you in the future.
scott
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Old 03-06-2018, 03:00 PM
digman52 digman52 is offline
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I have 2 Calton's, one that came with my latest Olson. They are both very heavy, even before the guitar goes in, but I cannot imagine anything that would cause any damage to anything inside of them.

If I was flying with my guitar, it would be my case of choice.
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Old 03-06-2018, 03:46 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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They are quite pricey, but I figure my little Goodall is worth having a great case around it! I actually got a "deal" on mine, NOS, through one of Goodalls dealers in Texas, and it still cost me nearly a Grand...

I had heard that Caltons were "really heavy"; that turned out to be a loud of crap... nowhere near as heavy as those Armitage cases that Taylor used to ship the R Taylors in, at least by 20% or so... and, it turns out, just a slight bit heavier than my standard Guild hardshell cases from the late 70's.

If you need your guitar seriously protected, like you travel a lot, on planes or wherever, or you're touring a lot - then Calton is a great choice, as is Karura (even more expensive!). I've heard folks talk about a couple others (Hiscox?), but I don;t like the way they look.

I am very pleased with my Calton.

p.s. Had a mishap wth the side of a mountain last week, coming north over Mt. Shasta and the Siskiyou Summit... after my car slammed sideways, up an embankment and pinned against a wall of mud, snow, ice and tree branches, I first checked myself and my dog... and then I thought of my Goodall... and quickly realized that if the car was still "whole", then I didn't have a worry about the guitar, not in that case!
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Old 03-06-2018, 05:43 PM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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I have a Hiscox and a Calton. The Calton is better, but it is heavy and it is expensive (around $1,000).
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Old 03-06-2018, 10:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hairpuller View Post
Saw a cool feature on Acoustic Tuesday today on these killer cases made in Austin. No idea what they cost, but love all the options available.

Anyone have opinions on these and if they're worth the money...I'm assuming they are not cheap!

Thanks, scott
About $900. Worth the money if your guitar is valuable and travels in uncontrolled environments like the back of a van or an airplane cargo hold. Complete overkill otherwise. They're bulky and heavy.

TKL cases are more than enough for most casual use.

Ameritage cases are kind of the worst of both because I don't believe they are any more protective than a Taylor poodle case or a $125 TKL, but they cost $350+ and are super heavy, which means you're more likely to drop them.
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Old 03-06-2018, 11:05 PM
robey robey is online now
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When I toured, it was what I kept my guitars in. I had someone drop a Rhodes Stage 88 from stage level to the house floor on my D35 housed in a regular plywood case. The result was not pretty. Here's to glue, I salute you. After that, I never left home without my guitars in a Carlton. Yes, they are expensive.

Hiscox were not available at the time, and I don't know if they would handle the Rhodes 88 test, but I have a couple now for small guitars for when I fly and am forced to gate check.
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Old 03-06-2018, 11:07 PM
reidplum reidplum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rogthefrog View Post
...Ameritage cases are kind of the worst of both because I don't believe they are any more protective than a Taylor poodle case...
So I know that I have "Martin tunnel vision" and know nothing about Taylors, but a "poodle case" is intriguing. What is it, why poodles, and where can I find a pic?

Needing to know,
Reid
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Old 03-07-2018, 01:17 AM
BradleyS BradleyS is offline
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I have only owned one Calton case. The case was sold with the guitar. If I could afford it, I would own two Calton cases for my current guitars. The cases are amazing.
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Old 03-07-2018, 02:17 AM
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On the weight issue - I have cases by several different makers. On my bathroom scales (not the most accurate test, I’ll admit):

A 2007 Calton – 6.5 kg
A 2008 Ameritage – 7 kg
A 2015 Hoffee – about 5.5 kg

Oh, and 1 kg = 2.2 lb

All these cases were made for similar sized guitars, which were removed for the weighing. So not a lot in it. On personal experience the build quality of the Calton and the Hoffee to be ahead of the Ameritage, which in my case has a looser fit and a badly designed handle that quickly needed replacing.

My Hoffee goes onto planes and into planes inside its Colorado case cover.

Here is a link to a great review of lighter cases by Nigel Forster – scroll down the page until you get to it - http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...highlight=case

Col
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  #12  
Old 03-07-2018, 03:59 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Calton cases were originally made by Kieth Calton (a local guitarists here in southern England.
He made them in a shed at the bottom of his small garden in Surrey, and they came n grey or grey.

A hobby turned int a career and all were pretty much hand made, but it seemed that every traveling pro wanted one or two.

As orders from North America increased he got tired of shipping them abroad id and looked for someone to take a franchise in Canada.

Noty being an internet sort of chap he was unaware of the bad reputation his cases /business was getting due to poor quality and delivery f the Canadian franchise, and it was me , reading of complaints on this and other forums that told him about the issues.
There were two consecutive franchise holders in Canada and only one was problematic, so Kieth who had wanted to retire, hos to tour the US looking for someone to take over the business entirely , with the US and Canada being the largest sales area.

Ho found Jon Green In Austin who took over the business which has sadly now closed down in the UK, meaning that these British developed cases are ridiculously expensive in the UK, as they incur shipping Excise and import taxes on top.

Your gain is our loss.

I knew Kieth and had intended to buy a couple when they were locally made ...and now it is too late, but if I intended to return to the US, Canada or elsewhere - it would have to be a Calton.
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Old 03-07-2018, 05:16 AM
gitarro gitarro is offline
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It is important to note that the first north American franchisee operation under Al Williams gave exemplary service from all accounts for 20 years and made hundreds of calton cases most of which are probably still serving reliably to protect various guitars. My first experience owning a Calton was with two of their cases which set the gold standard at the time.

It was only for a few years afrer 2008 that issues were encountered by the next franchisee who had taken over after Williams retired but happily it appears that Calton is reaching the former heights again with the new cases under its new Texan owner.

Even the former franchisee seems to have landed on their feet and are producing flight cases of high standard under the Main Stage brand name.

So the story has a good ending in a way and long may that continue.
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Old 03-07-2018, 07:41 AM
dberkowitz dberkowitz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gitarro View Post
It is important to note that the first north American franchisee operation under Al Williams gave exemplary service from all accounts for 20 years and made hundreds of calton cases most of which are probably still serving reliably to protect various guitars. My first experience owning a Calton was with two of their cases which set the gold standard at the time.

It was only for a few years afrer 2008 that issues were encountered by the next franchisee who had taken over after Williams retired but happily it appears that Calton is reaching the former heights again with the new cases under its new Texan owner.

Even the former franchisee seems to have landed on their feet and are producing flight cases of high standard under the Main Stage brand name.

So the story has a good ending in a way and long may that continue.

Thanks for chiming in and defending Al Williams. Al retired and sold the franchise to Jim Laffolee [sp?]. Jim screwed everything up, and Al who sold it to him under a financing arrangement, lost everything for which he worked a lifetime. The company was sold to another group who market them under the name of Mainstage, and from my experience are doing a good job. Due to certain provisions in Canadian law, Al wasn't able to pursue anything against Jim, including when Jim was granted a license to start a Marijuana business.
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Old 03-07-2018, 08:54 AM
hairpuller hairpuller is offline
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Boy, I sure love the wealth of knowledge here! Thanks for all the helpful and interesting replies!

Cheers!
scott
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