Carbon Fiber Case that is Light?

[midwinter]

Hi all.

A while back I asked about cases and wound up getting a Calton for my banjo. Now, I'm looking for replace my Crossrock molded plastic case with something better.

Does anyone have experience with the Crossrock Air CF case—specifically, can anyone comment on how the latches hold up? My current case's latches are often loose and that's part of the reason I want to replace it.

Alternately, can anyone recommend a CF guitar case (this is for a Breedlove C25/SR custom shop guitar) that is under 10 pounds?

I gig 100-150 jobs a year and I need something that will hold up.

Thanks in advance.

[RP]

Emerald trusts most of their guitars to Hiscox cases....

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by RP

Emerald trusts most of their guitars to Hiscox cases....

I like the weight!

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by RP

Emerald trusts most of their guitars to Hiscox cases....

I was thinking the same thing - Hiscox. I looked into CF cases for my non-CF guitars a while back and they were surprisingly quite heavy. For my CF guitars I always just transport them in gig bags. No need for a hard case. But then again, I do the same for my wood guitars. 150 gigs a year, no issues. But also just me and the wife so minimal gear. Gig bags hold up much better to minor banging around into hard surfaces. Hard cases get all scuffed up and break after a while. Godin Trac cases are great and super light - if you can find one!

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I was thinking the same thing - Hiscox. I looked into CF cases for my non-CF guitars a while back and they were surprisingly quite heavy. For my CF guitars I always just transport them in gig bags. No need for a hard case. But then again, I do the same for my wood guitars. 150 gigs a year, no issues. But also just me and the wife so minimal gear. Gig bags hold up much better to minor banging around into hard surfaces. Hard cases get all scuffed up and break after a while. Godin Trac cases are great and super light - if you can find one!

My instruments live in the back of my truck on the way to gigs in some extreme weather (northern Utah can get very cold and very hot), so I really need something tough. I also occasionally fly with them.

[OnTheFidele]

If you insist on a carbon fiber hard shell case and money is no object, the Visesnut Elemental Series might be another option depending on the dimensions of your guitar: https://www.visesnutcase.com/index.p...ory&path=59_62

I would love one for my guitar but man, it's pricy, especially compared to Hiscox cases! And there looks to be very little room inside for stuff you might store in your current case/gig bag.

As some have mentioned above, hybrid gig bags might be worth a try. The only one I've tried was the Gator Legacy Hybrid, which I don't see mentioned at AGF very often.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by OnTheFidele

If you insist on a carbon fiber hard shell case and money is no object, the Visesnut Elemental Series might be another option depending on the dimensions of your guitar: https://www.visesnutcase.com/index.p...ory&path=59_62

I would love one for my guitar but man, it's pricy, especially compared to Hiscox cases! And there looks to be very little room inside for stuff you might store in your current case/gig bag.

As some have mentioned above, hybrid gig bags might be worth a try. The only one I've tried was the Gator Legacy Hybrid, which I don't see mentioned at AGF very often.

Oooh. Thanks!

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by OnTheFidele

If you insist on a carbon fiber hard shell case and money is no object, the Visesnut Elemental Series might be another option depending on the dimensions of your guitar: https://www.visesnutcase.com/index.p...ory&path=59_62

I would love one for my guitar but man, it's pricy, especially compared to Hiscox cases! And there looks to be very little room inside for stuff you might store in your current case/gig bag.

As some have mentioned above, hybrid gig bags might be worth a try. The only one I've tried was the Gator Legacy Hybrid, which I don't see mentioned at AGF very often.

And I like the weight.

[kanefsky]

I have a couple of the Visesnut cases and I can confirm they're really nice (nice enough that you probably want to order a case for your case in addition to the case ) They have different models with a big difference in prices and I'm not sure there's much real-world difference in performance. The carbon fiber model is actually heavier than the ones that use ABS (e.g. 4.2 vs 3.3 kg for the classical models) and I really doubt it's significantly more protective.

I'm with Methos1979 in that there are very few situations where a good gig bag (e.g. Reunion Blues, Mono) won't perform as well or better than a hard case (carbon fiber or otherwise). If you forced me to climb to the top of a ladder and drop my guitar onto a concrete floor, I would definitely choose to do it with a Reunion Blues gig bag before I'd do it with a Visesnut, Hiscox or any other hard case. Similarly if you asked me to walk around a building and intentionally bang the guitar into every doorway I went through I would go with the Reunion Blues bag without hesitation.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by kanefsky

I have a couple of the Visesnut cases and I can confirm they're really nice (nice enough that you probably want to order a case for your case in addition to the case ) They have different models with a big difference in prices and I'm not sure there's much real-world difference in performance. The carbon fiber model is actually heavier than the ones that use ABS (e.g. 4.2 vs 3.3 kg for the classical models) and I really doubt it's significantly more protective.

I'm with Methos1979 in that there are very few situations where a good gig bag (e.g. Reunion Blues, Mono) won't perform as well or better than a hard case (carbon fiber or otherwise). If you forced me to climb to the top of a ladder and drop my guitar onto a concrete floor, I would definitely choose to do it with a Reunion Blues gig bag before I'd do it with a Visesnut, Hiscox or any other hard case. Similarly if you asked me to walk around a building and intentionally bang the guitar into every doorway I went through I would go with the Reunion Blues bag without hesitation.

Ha! I felt that way about my Calton.

[Bluenose]

I have a Rainsong P12 that is my travel guitar. It came with a pretty stout hardshell case that I have never used. The P12 itself is nearly indestructible and that's why the first thing I did when I got it was buy a gig bag for it. It's a Boulder Alpine Series bag and it's very light even with the P12 in it.

[Marshall]

Hoffee cases

https://www.carbonfibercases.com/

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Hoffee cases

https://www.carbonfibercases.com/

That’s what I’m looking for. A little heavy but the weight is ok.

[colins]

Originally Posted by midwinter

...Does anyone have experience with the Crossrock Air CF case—specifically, can anyone comment on how the latches hold up? My current case's latches are often loose and that's part of the reason I want to replace it...

Can't comment on the Crossrock, but the latches on my Hoffee are excellent and the latches on my Visesnut (plastic not CF) are even better. Another nice thing about the Visesnut is the ability to tailor the padding to suit the instrument. My 00 has a really snug fit, which contrasts with my one experience with a Hiscox case. A drawback with the Visesnut cases is the storage compartment is a bit smaller than on other cases.

[kanefsky]

The most basic physics equation is Force = Mass * Acceleration. With hard cases you've almost always got more mass and more acceleration (i.e. the case has no give and comes to a more sudden stop if you drop it) and therefore the guitar is subjected to a lot more force.

The ABS Visesnut cases (not the carbon fiber) might be an exception because they're comparable to a gig bag in weight and the shell is somewhat flexible. On the other hand they have significantly less padding compared to a good gig bag so you probably still get a higher acceleration and thus the guitar is subjected to greater forces if you drop it.

The only advantages of the hard case would be if you were to stack really heavy stuff on top of it or shoot a crossbow at it or something. If you want the best protection from it getting dropped or bumped a gig bag will work much better. You're also less likely to drop or bump it in the first place if the overall package is lighter and has multiple handles, backpack straps, etc. which gig bags have and hard cases don't.