GibsonFan1337 Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Hi all, I'm wondering if any of you have thoughts on why there are only two hard cases available from Gibson store. While most of their guitars come with cases, there must be some demand for replacements for damaged or worn out cases or upgrades from old chip-board cases to protect that beloved old Gibson. All I see these days are the Les Paul, SG, and a gig bag available on the site and J-45 cases available anywhere else. Is it a transitional thing between model year stocking or do they do this normally? Best Ryon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Gibson does not manufacture guitar cases, they contract it out. For many years TKL has been the maker of Gibson OEM cases. Virtually any case TKL makes for Gibson can be bought in it's generic form (no "Gibson" logo or branding) from many TKL dealers and retailers (TKL does not sell direct to consumers). All you have to do is contact TKL and find out which model numbers of cases fit your guitar. Pick your general price point, good/better/best, and then shop your favorite retailers for that SPECIFIC model number case. You should also find the same model case, without the "Gibson" logo, will sell for 40% - 50% less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 there must be some demand for replacements for damaged or worn out cases or upgrades from old chip-board cases to protect that beloved old Gibson. If you just want to protect it around the house, Gibson cases are fine. But if you want real protection for travel, spend a few bucks more for a Hiscox or Carlton. :) See this: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/124721-new-case-design/page__view__findpost__p__1698969 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Gibson is really missing out on an opportunity to offer upgraded, custom, and/or replacement cases for their guitars, and Tolex, crushed velvet, and glue are not likely to come under scrutiny of the Lacey Act anytime soon. The cases supplied with the True Vintage series are nice, but the interior color can be a bit much. The case for the J-45 Legend is also a beauty, but try to find one. Perhaps these cases help set those guitars apart from the more standard issue guitars. Please report back if you are able to get in touch with TKL. They can custom make a case for you when ordered through their authorized dealers (Guitar Gallery, for ex). Even though your guitar might be a run of the mill slope shoulder Gibson, they'll still want you to still take a fairly exhaustive amount of measurements, as seen below: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Cedar Creek makes replica Red Line cases. I'd love to find the case my Legend was originally paired with when it came off the production line in December 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Cedar Creek makes replica Red Line cases. I'd love to find the case my Legend was originally paired with when it came off the production line in December 2006. Not sure how you find one of those, other than having Cedar Creek make one. Those replica redline cases are superb. My L-OO Legend came with one. They're actually nicer than original redline cases I've looked at. They are as good or better than the Cali Girl replica J-45 cases G&G built for Norman's Rare Guitars. Snagged one of those for my '48 J-45. The standard TKL slope-J case (four-latch, cat fur lining, hard plastic handle) is functional, but seems cheaply made compared to the TKL case that came with my 000-28 EC. I have several of those stock slope-J cases, and they are nothing to brag about. I haven't looked first-hand at the TKL Cali Girls cases that some models came with in the recent past. As mentioned above, none of these tolex-covered cases is a true shipping/airline case without additional protection. The tolex can tear, and the molded plywood body of the case can be crushed. Trust me on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I wouldn't try this with even one person on my Gibson case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 I wouldn't try this with even one person on my Gibson case. What about one little slightly reluctant dog? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Had a look at the TKL website as this might be something of interest in the future, but their site is nothing short of ****ing useless. Missing images, vague information...wonderfully helpful. It seems like you can't get the popular brown vintage case from them either; only the black tolex style. And I can't get any information about who might deal them in the UK / Europe. I found that Tokai-Guitar do reissue Lifton cases (which were on the original '50s?) so might look to get those in replacement, when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Had a look at the TKL website as this might be something of interest in the future, but their site is nothing short of ****ing useless. Missing images, vague information...wonderfully helpful. It seems like you can't get the popular brown vintage case from them either; only the black tolex style. And I can't get any information about who might deal them in the UK / Europe. I found that Tokai-Guitar do reissue Lifton cases (which were on the original '50s?) so might look to get those in replacement, when needed. I was going to import a case from the U.S. and it costs as much in fees as a guitar! So that is out. I think it was Dave F here on the forum who buys the foam lining and customises cases to his guitar...... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 There was another thread in the lounge where a guy (Capmaster) had a theory that one of the reasons Gibson stopped shipping cases with it's electric line was a shortage of cases. I think there may be some truth to this. Maybe caused by a price increase somewhere, maybe caused by changes in venders. Who knows. I don't, but it is interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumboluther Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I just bought a Advanced Jumbo Luthier's Choice that came with a case that fits a Hummingbird. The AJ bounces around in it like a pinball. Gibson customer service tells me this is the only case that comes with their square and slope shoulder dreads. I'm not the least bit happy about that. Maybe Gibson is having issues with cases. It's always something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I just bought a Advanced Jumbo Luthier's Choice that came with a case that fits a Hummingbird. The AJ bounces around in it like a pinball. Gibson customer service tells me this is the only case that comes with their square and slope shoulder dreads. I'm not the least bit happy about that. Maybe Gibson is having issues with cases. It's always something... That's odd. Is it a black case with cat-fur lining, or something else? The standard slope-J cases(black exterior, blue cat fur interior, four latches, Gibson Acoustic branded) fit my slope-J's extremely well, but I'm not sure they would fit a square-shoulder. I would not be surprised if a Cali-girl style case (tan/pink velvet) would be a universal fit, but good for one and mediocre for the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 The standard slope-J cases(black exterior, blue cat fur interior, four latches, Gibson Acoustic branded) fit my slope-J's extremely well, but I'm not sure they would fit a square-shoulder. That's the kind of case that came with my 2008 J-50. My square shouldered 1974 J-50 fits that case just fine. In fact, I can interchange the three acoustic guitars in my signature below in any of my three cases (Gibson Acoustic, Hiscox Pro II and Roadrunner). Not sure how the dimensions on the 1974 J-50 compare to a current AJ though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 That's the kind of case that came with my 2008 J-50. My square shouldered 1974 J-50 fits that case just fine. In fact, I can interchange the three acoustic guitars in my signature below in any of my three cases (Gibson Acoustic, Hiscox Pro II and Roadrunner). Not sure how the dimensions on the 1974 J-50 compare to a current AJ though. AJ should have the same body dimensions as every other modern slope-J (except for some deep-body models like the OJ and JB), to the best of my knowledge. It's long-scale, but that shouldn't matter. 1974 square J-50 should be the same body plan as the modern Hummingbird, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sitedrifter Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 There is no case by Gibson (made by TKL) that is high quality. In fact most are average and many are sub par with flaws. Sad that people think Gibson is perfection all the time, anytime when in fact, Gibson is far from it compared to other brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcntryblues Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Can you order a specific case through a dealer? I have an L-00 Blues King that needs a hardshell case. Could I not order just the case they are using on the new 2016 L-00 Standard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumboluther Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 That's odd. Is it a black case with cat-fur lining, or something else? The standard slope-J cases(black exterior, blue cat fur interior, four latches, Gibson Acoustic branded) fit my slope-J's extremely well, but I'm not sure they would fit a square-shoulder. I would not be surprised if a Cali-girl style case (tan/pink velvet) would be a universal fit, but good for one and mediocre for the other. It is odd. Yes, black case with fur (black in this instance, but there was one of the same thing with blue interior that fit the same. These are clearly square shoulder cases that seem to also be shipped with new slopes. Pretty shoddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcntryblues Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Hi all, I'm wondering if any of you have thoughts on why there are only two hard cases available from Gibson store. While most of their guitars come with cases, there must be some demand for replacements for damaged or worn out cases or upgrades from old chip-board cases to protect that beloved old Gibson. All I see these days are the Les Paul, SG, and a gig bag available on the site and J-45 cases available anywhere else. Is it a transitional thing between model year stocking or do they do this normally? Best Ryon Just to respond to your original question, and my own earlier comment/question, today I phoned my local Long and McQuade up here in Canada asking about ordering/purchasing a case for my Blues King. I asked specifically about the hardshell case they are using now with the L-00 Standard. The guy told me that it is a regular SKU item and therefore available through order. He quoted me $199, but could not give a timeline on how long it would take. I'll probably go that route - I don't need a super heavy duty hardshell case for travel, but just for better humidification control than the stupid gig bag the Blues King came with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 It is odd. Yes, black case with fur (black in this instance, but there was one of the same thing with blue interior that fit the same. These are clearly square shoulder cases that seem to also be shipped with new slopes. Pretty shoddy. Except for high-end cases, it is pretty common for a case to be designed to fit several different guitars. Looking more carefully at the inside of my recent stock Gibson cases, I can see that they might fit the square dread configuration as well. Don't know why your case doesn't fit the AJ well. My stock Gibson slope-J cases aren't the best quality in the world, but the guitars certainly don't rattle around in them. Maybe the black cat fur models are different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 ... Don't know why your case doesn't fit the AJ well. Just something else to thank the Big Box retailers for. Where do you think the cases go for those 200 guitars hanging on display..... in a BIG pile in the storeroom. Even if the cases ARE labelled, what do you think the chances are the sales person actually takes the time to find it. One time after bringing out a couple of wrong cases, I had to go into the storeroom to find the right one myself, and it took ME about 30 minutes. This is also why/where/how COA's and case candy disappears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 As I said above, my square shouldered 1974 J-50, round shouldered 1965 J-50 and round shouldered 2008 J-50 all fit in the blue fur lined 2008 Gibson case. None of the guitars are loose in that case. The 1974 is a bit more snug due to the square shoulders. Maybe the newer cases are larger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumboluther Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Just something else to thank the Big Box retailers for. Where do you think the cases go for those 200 guitars hanging on display..... in a BIG pile in the storeroom. Even if the cases ARE labelled, what do you think the chances are the sales person actually takes the time to find it. One time after bringing out a couple of wrong cases, I had to go into the storeroom to find the right one myself, and it took ME about 30 minutes. This is also why/where/how COA's and case candy disappears. This wasn't a big box store and the guitar was stored in the stockroom in the case. No mixup--it was intended to be in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 This wasn't a big box store and the guitar was stored in the stockroom in the case. No mixup--it was intended to be in that case. Could you possibly post a photo of the guitar sitting in the case, looking straight down into the case, and the open case with no guitar in it, photographed the same way? There should be several raised portions of padding in the case: over the fretboard, a thin raised pad over the top around the bridge area, and a fairly thick raised pad in the bottom under the upper bout. These pads are all covered by the cat fur lining, but they provide the support (in addition to the regular padding all around the body) that holds the guitar in position in the case. Plus, of course, the double neck rests in the standard case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I've found most stores, even GC, will label the cases they keep in the back so they at least know when they've found the one that came in with the guitar. A little plain manilla string hang tag. When I got my H'Bird TV from a GC store on our Left Coast they sent it in a new, upgraded after-market TKL with the padded leather handle. Clearly superior to the standard Gibson/TKL case that came with my J45C a few years later. The H'Bird was purchased by a fellow who bought guitars from them regularly, and returned the 90% he didn't like after a week or two. He kept the CaliGirl case though. But I wound up with a better case. I find my J45 and H'Bird fit in both cases. The foam gives in different places - but they fit fine. I have a used piano shipping crate I use for the SJ200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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