Case closure question

[jseth]

Sometimes cases just don't close easily, and it doesn't mean that something is "wrong" enough to warrant returning the thing...

I've owned both my Mark Angus guitars for well over 35 years now; both were new when I bought them. They are the size/shape of a Guild F-40 and came with the standard Guild cases for each.

The case for the 12 string (1983) has ALWAYS been "just a little wonky" to close; with the guitar inside, I have to slightly apply a bit of pressure to the bottom of the case while fitting the top down correctly. There has been no harm done to the guitar from that issue, even though I've gigged, traveled, carried it around for all these years.

The case for my 6 string (1979) started out life with a perfect fit and easy closure... again, after all these years, that case has been banged around, slid into and then out of many, many vehicles, on many stages and airline travel, as well...

Within the first five years, the top and bottom of the case don't "quite" fit like they used to... now I have to do the same little "dance" with it as I do with the 12 string case! No harm, no foul... along the way, one of my latches broke; I had it repaired by a local "fix-it" man here in town and he jury-rigged a new latch from scratch... and it "doesn't quite fit perfectly", so now I do the dance with both the latch and the case!

Even though there a couple extra steps involved, it's rally become automatic for me at this point...

It may not be something to spend a lot of time worrying about or trying to get a free replacement... if you bought the guitar new, then I'd say return the case and get one that's "right", at least at the onset. Buying the guitar used, even lightly used, still means that the case has likely traveled more than a bit. I'd just continue with that case; figure out "how" it wants to close and what might need to be jostled to get it to do so... it may not be that big a deal for you to contend with...

As for getting a Calton? Well, I got one for my Goodall (2011) and, although I don't travel extensively at my age, it's still feels REALLY good to know that my guitar is gonna be just fine and dandy in that case! However, Calton's are built for a SPECIFIC MAKE AND MODEL, to exacting dimensions; don't plan on being able to fit something else in there. It might fit, but likely not fit correctly!

For a Froggy Bottom guitar, a Calton case makes a lot of sense, IF you have the $$$$ to spend for it.

[Maryc-k]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Interesting, any additional details? Assuming this to be the original case, it is in the right time frame.
Thanks,
David

Just a lot of QC issues where there huge spaces between the overlap between the top and bottom of the cases. This incited Bill Collings to make his own cases for a while. After much complaining, things got better. Horrible time with latches too. I sent a lot of cases back to Collings for replacements.

QC is better now, but some of the cases were just misshapen and macabre.

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by jseth

Sometimes cases just don't close easily, and it doesn't mean that something is "wrong" enough to warrant returning the thing...

So as not to mis-characterize my concerns or intentions, which you imply above, no where have I voiced a plan to return the case over this. If it were, I would have so stated.
I posted this question since I am am new to the guitar and wanted to know if a case that fits like mine is within the norm, especially given its variance from an identical case that houses a Bourgeois I own. The consensus is that it is not.
And to be plain, I am not troubled an ill-fitting case. I own lots of ill-fitting things. But I am concerned about a case top that must be pressured into position, which then transmits that compression to the strings and bridge in a potentially damaging way.
David

[Maryc-k]

Does the guitar make an imprint on the top of the case anywhere? Bridge? Nut? That might be concerning, but if it’s just a wanky (I know, what a word) alignment of the edges around the case, it could be the case has warped over time. They are generally made out of plywood. Plywood sometimes has a mind of its own.

I bought a barely used Froggy K, and I hate the case. It’s heavy, although newer than yours. I bought a Mono gig bag to tote it around, although not much toting going on right now, except from one part of the house to another.

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Sorry, gents. Yes, Froggy Bottom.
This is what it looks like with the guitar in the case - obviously before latching.

Attachment 34896
David

That'd be a Yikes with a capital Y and a Nope with a capital N in my book. I'd contact Froggy Bottom. For the prices they charge for their instruments, you can expect a case that closes well. Not even a $50 case from Guitar Center would look like this.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by rmp

I bought this Gator case for a Gretsch, The top was warped.. does this look familiar?

I like that sneer!

note how far off alignment the hasp is...

needless to say, we sent this back immediately..

Yep, I had a Taylor case like this. I asked the dealer to replace it. He called Taylor and they send another out immediately. We exchanged when it arrived. I had one from Gibson like this and asked for correction from the dealer. He switched it out before I left the store.

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Sorry, gents. Yes, Froggy Bottom.
This is what it looks like with the guitar in the case - obviously before latching.

David

Does anyone remember the over-tight Taylor cases around 2002? This was a perimeter that was too tight. You had to put the guitar in the case and then push down on the neck to get it to seat. It would puff out the air from around the neck joint as it squished in. You felt like the guitar was going to implode from the pressure on the sides. They initially didn't believe us here on the board but after a Q&A session Bob Taylor checked it out and it turned out there had been mold creep in the case shop. Bob corrected it. He also told us that the case padding would eventually crush enough to allow the guitar to easily slide in. I'm happy to report that that turned out to be true. It still takes a little push with one finger, but I like that.

Does anyone remember "training the tab?" We are talking about the ribbon the holds the top open with this one.

Bob

[Lkristians]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I like that sneer!
Yep, I had a Taylor case like this. I asked the dealer to replace it. He called Taylor and they send another out immediately. We exchanged when it arrived. I had one from Gibson like this and asked for correction from the dealer. He switched it out before I left the store.
Does anyone remember the over-tight Taylor cases around 2002? This was a perimeter that was too tight. You had to put the guitar in the case and then push down on the neck to get it to seat. It would puff out the air from around the neck joint as it squished in. You felt like the guitar was going to implode from the pressure on the sides. They initially didn't believe us here on the board but after a Q&A session Bob Taylor checked it out and it turned out there had been mold creep in the case shop. Bob corrected it. He also told us that the case padding would eventually crush enough to allow the guitar to easily slide in. I'm happy to report that that turned out to be true. It still takes a little push with one finger, but I like that.

Does anyone remember "training the tab?" We are talking about the ribbon the holds the top open with this one.

Bob

Bob, I SO remember the tab training! I recall posting to use hair spray on it!
Ah, the good old days, eh? And my 2001 614ce fits perfectly in its poodle case.
Unlike back then!
Best,
LarryK.

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

Does the guitar make an imprint on the top of the case anywhere? Bridge? Nut?

Good question and one I explored. The top shows a definite imprint of of the strings essentially from the head stock to the bridge. Much more pronounced than the identical case with my Bourgeois.

David

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

That'd be a Yikes with a capital Y and a Nope with a capital N in my book. I'd contact Froggy Bottom. For the prices they charge for their instruments, you can expect a case that closes well. Not even a $50 case from Guitar Center would look like this.

Thanks, mate, but as a reminder, I bought this used from a Reverb shop, not from FB.
Cheers.

David

[Arthur Blake]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

So as not to mis-characterize my concerns or intentions, which you imply above, no where have I voiced a plan to return the case over this. If it were, I would have so stated.
I posted this question since I am am new to the guitar and wanted to know if a case that fits like mine is within the norm, especially given its variance from an identical case that houses a Bourgeois I own. The consensus is that it is not.
And to be plain, I am not troubled an ill-fitting case. I own lots of ill-fitting things. But I am concerned about a case top that must be pressured into position, which then transmits that compression to the strings and bridge in a potentially damaging way.
David

That simply does not look right at all. I would be greatly concerned, but I'm fussy about details.

A properly fitting case is snug around the perimeter. For example if I place my guitar in the case it rests on top of the side cushions, and as I gently push down it slides easily into position due to a precise fit around the sides.

Your situation is different. It appears the guitar body depth is too large for the dimensions of the case, and you are forcing the lid to close.

Whether Calton or other, I'd be looking for another case that fits properly. The idea of keeping the guitar in the case when not in use is to protect it, and this is severely limited when the top is unlatched and sitting open.

Just my opinion of course.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

That'd be a Yikes with a capital Y and a Nope with a capital N in my book. I'd contact Froggy Bottom. For the prices they charge for their instruments, you can expect a case that closes well. Not even a $50 case from Guitar Center would look like this.

I agree. It really is as simple as that. This a Froggy Bottom. You shouldn’t feel wrong for bringing this up etc...They would probably appreciate knowing and have something useful to suggest.

[Guilty Spark]

It appears a relatively simple matter from my vantage point:

The case and the guitar do not fit well together. I would pursue another case.

[L20A]

I once had a case that did what this case is doing with the guitar inside it.
After several months, the guitar finally fit right.
It was a tight fit but that is good.

I can't say if your guitar will suffer any damage from the tight fit but mind didn't.

[WiseAxe]

Your case does not look to be a standard depth- but rather one for a slimmer body, not quite ES depth, though. Don't suppose there is a model number for it anywhere?
As you probably know, the shipping on a new case is almost as much as if there was a guitar inside. And since it's main duty for you is little more than a dust cover for your Froggy at home, you might consider an attempt to reshape the top by folding/rolling a towel with most of it's height in the center of the case, latching it, and leaving it in the bathroom a few times when the shower has been run. I've actually stuck a knee into the top and applied pressure to the top. Very therapeutic. If you'll eventually be getting a new case anyway, why not experiment.

I thought TKL/Cedar Creek cases were made in Oilville, VA and/or Canada:

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by WiseAxe

Your case does not look to be a standard depth- but rather one for a slimmer body, not quite ES depth, though. Don't suppose there is a model number for it anywhere?
As you probably know, the shipping on a new case is almost as much as if there was a guitar inside. And since it's main duty for you is little more than a dust cover for your Froggy at home, you might consider an attempt to reshape the top by folding/rolling a towel with most of it's height in the center of the case, latching it, and leaving it in the bathroom a few times when the shower has been run. I've actually stuck a knee into the top and applied pressure to the top. Very therapeutic. If you'll eventually be getting a new case anyway, why not experiment.

I thought TKL/Cedar Creek cases were made in Oilville, VA and/or Canada:

WA, OP here. I will give some thought to reshaping the top in some fashion. There is also a substantial amount of padding material concentrated in case bottom, beneath the top of the upper bout. Perhaps that could be removed or compressed so as to recess the guitar in the case.
BTW, the brown case you repost and reference is not mine. The black one is.Cheers
David