Hard Case - Epiphone Les Paul Standard

[MediaMan09]

Are hard cases for electric guitars typically molded for a particular model, or are they generic?

 

Do EpiPhone or Gibson make any hard cases?

 

I will soon have an EpiPhone Les Paul Standard. I do not intend play out side the house, and thus likely don’t need one, but at time sI suppose I may want some extra protection versus leaving it on a stand.

[sexygibson]

By " hard case ", are you referring to the plastic type cases that Fender typically uses ? To my knowledge Gibson or Epi does not use these cases ( Gibson doesn't actually make cases anyway ). Now, I did buy a Gibson Challenger brand new back in the mid 80s that came with this type case but I don't think Gibson uses these cases anymore.

And to answer your question; yes, cases are molded and built to fit certain models. I'm sure you could find a hard plastic case to fit a L.P. on the web somewhere. Go to TKLs site and see what they have.

[pohatu771]

Hardshell cases, in most cases, are plywood covered in tolex or tweed. Quality varies, of course, but a large percentage of "hard cases" are constructed like that. Some are plastic shells filled with foam.

 

To answer the question, modern Epiphone and Gibson hardshell cases are of the plywood-tolex variety (you may get leather on the more expensive models), made OEM by TKL in Canada.

 

Epiphone cases are either arched-top or flat-top (more recently they seem to be flat-top) and have three-to-five latches. One has a loop for a padlock.

 

Gibson cases are very similar, but have combination locks, and include a "shroud" to cover the top of the guitar. They also seem to be a bit better-looking... they generally have some brightly-coloured interior (pink and white seem to be popular), while Epiphone cases are almost always grey inside.

 

I have two Epiphone cases (a 335 model and a LP model), and they're both very good cases.

 

Epiphone cases range from $50-$100, Gibson cases from $150-$200.

 

For a Les Paul, you will need a Les Paul case. For an SG, you will need an SG case.

[Dave]

SKB makes a good case for around $100. I have one and it's a plastic blow mold case with foam and soft fuzzy lining. It fits the guitar snugly and resists scratching well. A gig bag is OK if you are very careful with it, but a gig bag will not protect your guitar nearly as well as a hard case. You can still drop a guitar in a gig bag and break the headstock!

 

I've seen the epi had case and IMHO it's a good case, plus you get the epiphone logo on the side at a lower price than the other aftermarket cases. Since is is fiberboard, it will eventually show lots of wear and could begin to deteriorate.