No more Hiscox cases for Lowden...

philjs · #1 12-05-2018, 02:23 PM

I was surprised to see a video yesterday of George Lowden introducing his new non-Hiscox cases for all new and currently-shipping Lowden guitars...

George may be on to something but I recently reacquired the '91 O10 that Ryan and I have been trading back and forth for the past 5 years and Ryan had replaced the old smooth-surface Hiscox case with a new branded case. I LIKE Hiscox cases, all of my guitars have one, and the Lowden-branded cases are superb protection, even better than stock Hiscox cases.

So I just ordered a Lowden-branded Hiscox case for my O23c before they're gone like the dinosaurs...

YMMV

Phil

dneal · #2 12-05-2018, 02:50 PM

I think the whole thing is kind of odd. It’s one thing if you’re Collings and start building your own cases, but making a polished video just because you switched from Hiscox to Ameritage is another...

zmf · #3 12-05-2018, 03:02 PM

Have to admit I've never tried running over a Hiscox case with a truck, but they seem both solid and lightweight.

Has there been some issue with them?

JayBee1404 · #4 12-05-2018, 03:18 PM

They started issuing Ameritage cases with their 'flagship' 50-series guitars some time ago. There was a great deal of interest shown in the Ameritage cases by Lowden acolytes, certainly at least on the Lowden Owners FaceBook Group, and I'm guessing that this has influenced them to make the change across the whole range. It adds a hint of 'luxury' to their instruments - Lowden are aiming at the high-end of the guitar world, and it's probably a marketing ploy to add a slight air of 'exclusivity'. Plus, why would a builder use two different brands of case - one would expect that an exclusive deal with one manufacturer would produce financial benefits?

"I think the whole thing is kind of odd. It’s one thing if you’re Collings and start building your own cases, but making a polished video just because you switched from Hiscox to Ameritage is another..."

I'd call that 'Marketing'...

Listening to George's comments in the video about latch-performance, I also suspect that they may have been unhappy with the frequency of Hiscox latch-failures - they are prone to the spring breaking, which necessitates having the broken latch rivets drilled out and a whole new latch pop-riveted in (don't ask how I know this several times over!).

That's my take on this new feature. I could well be wrong on all counts though!

sevenpalms · #5 12-05-2018, 04:16 PM

I like the Hiscox as they seem to handle weather (ie cold) very well....However I had one of those Ameritage cases...and they are superb!! Really really nice....

justonwo · #6 12-05-2018, 04:32 PM

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.

El Conquistador · #7 12-05-2018, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justonwo

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.
.

I could not agree more. Not only are they waaaaay too heavy, they really don't provide much protection. I would take a Hiscox over an Ameritage all day any day.

Steve

Silly Moustache · #8 12-05-2018, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justonwo

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 agree.

My Santa Cruz "RS" came in an Ameritage. So heavy, and so little room for strap etc. I'd gladly swap it for a TKL if I could find one.

I find it strange that Lowden has forsaken Hiscox for a foreign make.

I think Hiscox cases are good, but I find them light but bulky - I have two or three in the attic.

I prefer the TKLs that came with my Martin and my Collingses.

BluesKing777 · #9 12-05-2018, 05:29 PM

Well, isn't that a surprise out of the blue?

Number one Lowden and Hiscox fan here.

Are the Lowden Hiscox cases custom size?

Maybe George has lost his marbles? He has been on the cutting edge for a long time. My O22 is a big lump of a guitar in a big lump of a Hiscox, and I can't imagine how heavy it would be in the new case. I just trundled all over the place the other week to get hold of a Maton branded Hiscox for my 808. Scored 2! The standard Maton case is a huge heavy lump and tricky to swing into my guitar rack. I told the guy at the music shop with the Hiscoxes he could have the old cases - he gave me some Elixirs. Saved by the Hiscoxes (Hiscoxii?)

On the plus side, the current Lowden Hiscox will probably outlast Armageddon. (On the Lowden site, they are still selling Hiscoxes.)

BluesKing777.

pukematrix · #10 12-05-2018, 06:35 PM

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

v32 finish · #11 12-05-2018, 06:39 PM

Slightly off topic, but... I'm not really familiar with hardshell cases. Which brand makes the Gibson acoustic cases ? (wondering if it's one of the above brands and I can't find a company name anywhere on either the black one or the brown/pink one)

was pretty happy with the Taylor-branded one that came with my 710 ltd. best fit and just seemed light and sturdy.

Also a HUGE fan of the case that came with my Washburn, although it's a little unfamiliar, it's really slick. I like that it's flat and easily stackable, the outer material is .. hard to describe, almost like a faux-leather, but not a cheap, hard or brittle kind, a sort of soft and somewhat nice, plush, dark brown matl. Very nice case for a washburn.

Sorry. didn't mean to intrude, I'm just mainly curious if one of the above brands mentioned makes either the Gibson acoustic cases or the Taylor branded ones from some years ago, as they seem similar to each other and are the ones I am really familiar with.

Yrksman · #12 12-05-2018, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justonwo

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.

Agree with almost all of this, my only difference being that I prefer Calton Cases including the new versions manufactured in Austin Tx.

dneal · #13 12-05-2018, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I'd call that 'Marketing'...

That's actually what I think is odd about the whole thing. I've never based a guitar purchase on the case that came with it. Trying to market a switch from Hiscox to Ameritage is silly, IMHO.

gitarro · #14 12-05-2018, 09:15 PM

I dont get this move to ameritage. Firstly Lowden is dropping a case that is made on nearly the same geogrqphical area in favour of a case that is made thousands of miles away across the atlantic. Not only is that not supporting a local manufacturer, that isnt particularly environmentally friendly.

Secondly ameritage may look more luxurious and prestigious than hiscox, but it does not offer better protection as it is basically a plywood case. On the contrary the hiscox has better crush protection - in fact the best among any hard case that is not a true flight case like calton or mainstage or hoffee or karura. I once owned a hiscox case and liked its weight to performance ratio very much. About the only thing i didnt like about hiscox cases was the aluminium valance that looked hazardous to guitats if the case ever closed on a guitar that is partly out of the csse.

Thirdly ameritage has long been known gor being really heavy. Now one can accept the extra weight if it comes with the level of protection of a calton case for example but when it does not, then there is no point to the extra weight and one is liable to leave the case behind when takjng the guitar out which defeats rhe purpose of a case.

If lowden really wants to go the premium route for their cases, they could have tied up with Pegasus fibreglass cases which is in the UK to makentrue flight cases for their highest specced guitars.

jim1960 · #15 12-05-2018, 10:37 PM

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.