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I recently took about ten years off my life when I saw a moron drop a music pad on my guitar case top. Luckily, the guitar was in my hand - but I saw the lid deflect to an unbelievable degree. It was time to get a new case!
I looked at the abs and fibreglass cases and I could never get a fit that 'looked right' for my custom build Archtop guitar. I then found a plywood case (bear with me) that had a properly shaped lid and base, so there was adequate stiffening just by the geometry alone. The neck was supported well.
The main issue was that the sides were a bit 'snug' around the upper and lower bouts and the sides of the case could be deflected to (potentially) put load on the sides of the guitar. I am investigating the options to add stiffening to the outside of the guitar (I am open to suggestions how best to do this).
I am also interested in how 'snug' the guitar should be against the lining of the case. If it is too loose, the guitar will 'rattle' in the case but too tight and the case may put the guitar body under load. At the moment, if I rest the guitar inside the case, I have to gently push the body/neck area to fit the guitar - this 'feels' right to me. (by 'gently', I mean no more force that you would need to pick up two good sized apples). The lid shuts easily and I see witness marks of the bridge and strings on the fabric covering the inside of the lid of the case.
Opinions please, would you say this case was adequate for normal use (no airline baggage handling use!)
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02-21-2026 01:32 PM
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If it feels right, then go with that judgement. I'm not acquainted with the meaning of putting a guitar 'under load'.
I forked out quite a lot for a hard case for my classical guitar which is snug - I wasn't aware that, short of actually being too small, a case could be too snug since I had thought snugness could only be a good thing.
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IMO rattling around in the case is a much bigger risk the vast majority of the time than pressure on the case from outside. Leaning a case against something with the guitar inside and having it fall over or get knocked over in roomy case is going to be generally a more common occurrence that something dropped on a case in my experience. In the case of carbon fiber or fiberglass cases the shell should provide way more than adequate rigidity to protect from outside pressure. I think most wooden construction cases would as well.
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This is why I just carry my axes in a gunny sack.
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My $0.02 is that any force required to put the guitar into the case is too much force. If it were my case, I'd investigate opening up the fabric and shaving a very small amount of padding in the appropriate areas.
To solve my "70's Gibson HS case doesn't fit worth a damn" issue, I have begun stuffing the case with many-times-washed (to soften the fabric) flannel pillowcases and pieces of cotton t-shirts to reduce the rattling-around-in-the-case. I still like a little bit of looseness to avoid pressure on the guitar, but excessive rattling around in the case caused by a poor fit has always struck me as a liability.
This is just my "common sense" $0.02 (with a grain of salt, if you like mixing metaphors) - I don't claim to have any sort of expertise.
SJ
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By "music pad" do you mean a computer tablet? A Real Book? Something else? I'm figuring that a 30-page spiral-bound notebook would not deflect a hardshell case, so just trying to understand the scenario.
Originally Posted by nbevan3
And I'm glad the guitar was in your hands instead of in the case!
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I think the case should be snug enough that the guitar does not move if you shake the case with moderate force. If it takes a gentle push to settle the guitar into the case fully, that’s good. The biggest risk in the case is to the headstock and immobilizing the guitar is the best preventive.
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I got some firsthand experience in this field. It's understood that a case is supposed to meet a number of requirements that may be in conflict, meaning it's a question about priorities.
Protection is just one of many criteria, but you have have to prioritize what danger you like to protect it from; theft, scratches, dust, rain, flooding, fire, heat, cold, mold, gassing, impact collision, or pressure etc. Maybe you like to protect the guitar from yourself, let's call it the human factor. (Don't slam the lid, be aware of "case bite". Don't leave the case standing so that it could fall to the side).
Fit/snugness is also a question about priorities; mainly if you think pressure is needed to keep the guitar safe, or if you rather would prefer no pressure at all...again, it's about the human factor, because if the guitar could talk it would tell you; "please don't squeeze me".
The case squeezing problem is real and could cause many problems; fret damage, bridge damage, broken switch tips, wood cracks and not least; we don't want the case to bend the neck and under no circumstance do we want one way pressure applied onto the headstock.
You know, it's not just a matter of snugness, it's also about how soft the lining is, if the padding is a thick, elastic cushion or if the guitar has to fight for survival inside rock solid walls. There are many types of foam; some put more pressure onto the guitar than others. Traditional white styrofoam is good for temperature insulation and some types of impact protection, but is not very elastic. Once compressed and deformed, it gets hard.
So, if you detect imprints in the lining, it's evidence of some level of snugness, but it won't be sufficient to tell how much pressure the guitar has to resist, because that's a question about the softness, elasticity and thickness of the padding.
(I use traditional wooden hard cases for storage and make sure that setup is never compromised due to an overly tight case, meaning I adjust the case when required. I store my guitars in cases standing upright in room temperature, but secured so that they cannot fall. I prefer a padded gig bag for travelling; the guitar is never "rattling around" inside a gig bag. The gig bag is easy on my back and never squeezes the guitar. I once bought a guitar from an on-line store, it was shipped in three boxes; a case in a box in a box, with a bit of styrofoam in-between, a most adequate solution for shipping. The outer cardboard box had damages from cargo handling, but the guitar inside was well protected.)
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it was a pad the size of a real book but inside a cardboard box Originally Posted by starjasmine
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Personally, I think you're overthinking it. If all it takes is gentle pressure to snug the guitar into the case, I'd say that's a good fit.
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I agree with this. All of my hollow guitars are kept in their OHSCs and all of them require a very slight push to fully seat them. I've never had a guitar that slipped into its OHSC with no effort at all. As my cases all came with the guitars when new, they're exactly the right size and shape. If your guitar is a custom build and it doesn't conform to standard / common dimensions, your best bet is a custom case if you're really uncomfortable about the way it fits into a standard generic case. The luthier who made it probably has a source of such cases for his or her products. Originally Posted by FourOnSix
Access sells padding strips for interior case customization. They come in various shapes and sizes, and you use them to take up space around guitars that are loose or not well supported in a given case. This is another approach you could take. Calton and Ameritage will make custom cases, but they're pretty pricey. They both start at about $1500 and go up from there. One of my archtops came in an Ameritage Gold custom, and it's a real work of art. I will say that I would never have paid $1500 or more for it. It's a very heavy 6 ply wooden case that's solid as a rock, with leather trim and 6 top notch closure devices. But it's an unnecessarily expensive storage container.
I use Mono gig bags and love them. But seating a guitar in a Mono bag requires a little push too, and it's even a bit more than is needed to seat a guitar in a factory supplied OHSC (especially into the Vertigo series).
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hmm, unless they didn't come w/the orig cases you must not remember your old Gibsons, they never fit even remotely snugly until the mid 70s Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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My first Gibson was a new '57 LG-1 that came in a chipboard case. My early 345 (bought well used in 1960) came to me in its OHSC and it fit perfectly. The only way I could afford the much better used 175DN my dealer soon found for me and for which I traded the 345 was to take it in an oversized and very used gray Gretsch case - so I used towels around it to keep it stable. The next Gibson I bought was a new L-5CN in '70. It was probably a 1969 - most of us didn't pay attention to year of manufacture back then. 8th Street didn't have any L-5s, but Zapf's (where the bass player in the Music Associates band with which I regularly played worked) had this one coming in already and sold it to me in a perfectly fitted OHSC. Originally Posted by wintermoon
After a wonderful L-50 that came to me in a non-original case and a '73 or 4 LP Custom (bought new) whose OHSC was well fitted, the next and last Gibson I bought was a black 165 in the early '90s (not long before I discovered 7 strings and sold all my 6s).
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they may have fit but I guarantee you didn't have to push the guitars in even a little bit in a pre mid 70s Gibson case, they just fell in. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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You may be right - I don’t remember that. But I would have taken exception if they were loose - I’m just that kinda guy Originally Posted by wintermoon
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Thread Drift: I made the mistake of reading and replying to one of those threads about Hard Case versus Gig Bag, which do you prefer? on another forum a few years ago, and I apparently had the audacity to suggest that modern gig bags like the Mono M80, Protec Contego, etc. offer more protection than a traditional plywood hardshell case, in part because they are reinforced so as not to deflect when something drops or presses on the top. Originally Posted by nbevan3
Well, some folks over there got their panties all in a bunch at that comment of mine, such that after a bunch of puerile back-and-forth accusations and insults, I actually went to the effort of shooting a video of me pressing gently on the top of a stock Fender plywood hardshell case, showing that it clearly deflects, and far enough such that the top of the case will come into contact with the instrument inside.
After the first "fake video!" response, I gave up trying to convince anyone.
But yeah, your eyes did not deceive you.
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And for good reasons, because back then people understood that the case should not squeeze the guitar. This knowledge got lost over time. In the early days of e-commerce people tried to find safe ways to ship guitars by post mail and the definition of "snug fit" was revisited; some hard cases from this era squeezes the guitar like a vise. Originally Posted by wintermoon
If you remember the "chain saw" cases from the late 70s, the fit was not very tight, but those cases did a good job protecting the guitar and are probably more popular today than they were in the 70s. Still most customers expect to receive a "vintage" wooden case when buying an expensive "vintage" guitar model.
The problem is that a traditional Gibson wooden case was never intended for rough cargo handling, but the customers still expects to receive a traditional wooden hard case together with the guitar when buying on-line.
It must be understood that this subject is not just about protecting the headstock. The broken headstock syndrome is far less common than what some people think, but there are other problems that come with a case too tight; like a squeezed bridge and setup stability problems, broken switch tips etc.
Then Gibson came up with a solution:
Foam wedges were added inside a traditional loose fit hard case for the purpose of stabilizing the guitar when shipped. You could through away those wedges or use them (if you think you need to protect the guitar from yourself).
The problem with statements like "snug fit" or "gentle push" etc, is that those words are not absolute, i.e your "snug" may be different than mine. Also note that it may require a "gentle push" to close the lid even when there's no guitar inside...
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Alternate take:
-How to protect the guitar from its hard case?
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OK, I'll say it. Hard cases suck. They don't fit or protect well, and are heavy and hard to carry. For true protection as airport baggage, flight cases are the only thing that really does that. For storage and general schlepping around well padded and reinforced gig bags are much better than the typical OHSC. If you drop a Gibson in a Mono M80, Reunion Blues Continental or similar, the headstock has a better chance of surviving than in a treasured Lifton or similar.
I know I'm in the minority, but I think the fixation on "OHSC" and the associated pricing is bonkers, as is the insistence that high end new guitars "deserve" the new equivalent (TKL, Cane Creek, etc.). When I buy a guitar, I actually look for deals that DON'T come with a hard case. For me, "OHSC" just means something I have to figure out how to get rid of, plus the additional cost of a good gig bag.Last edited by John A.; 02-23-2026 at 03:48 PM.
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My experience of good, conventional plywood hardshell cases is different. Most of my guitars are quite well fitted in these cases. For me, great for storage and general schlepping to and from gigs. Same size as many gig bags. I think they are quite easy to carry if their handles are in the right spots.
I do agree that pricing on some of them is bonkers. Cedar Creek plywood case pricing is just plain silly. Boblen (TKL) plywood cases are far more affordable, lighter, and do the job. I have lots of both. I also keep most of my guitars in their cases, and can see how storage may be an issue for those in tighter living quarters if gig bags are also used.
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Ouch! Originally Posted by nbevan3
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Which is another way of saying some of my guitars don't fit in these cases, which is how this thread got started. Originally Posted by Hammertone
="great if you don't plan on leaving the house with it" Originally Posted by Hammertone
... if you are driving to the gig and parking is close on both ends ... Originally Posted by Hammertone
= "bulkier and heavier than a lot of gig bags" Originally Posted by Hammertone
The correct definition of "handles in the right spots" is "backpack straps and grab handles/loops where the neck and body meet". If you have a hard case with those, cool. Originally Posted by Hammertone
My POV is colored by living in a place where living space is generally tight, bandstand/backstage space is borderline non-existent, and people mostly don't drive to and fro, so I grudgingly concede that it might be different elsewhere and that hardshell cases may not always be entirely useless Originally Posted by Hammertone
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For many, living in NYC involves compromises in terms of living space and transportation options. Having spent plenty of time there, I understand that. These days, I live in the middle of a big city, but am fortunate enough to have plenty of space for the far-too-many archtop guitars that I currently own, as well as space for a car or two. I drive to my gigs, and can easily fit a guitar case, a mid-sized amp and a go-bag into the back seat area.
Regarding case snugness, both the Cedar Creek and higher-end Boblen cases offer excellent and snug fit for my standard-sized (Gibson-sized) 16”, 17” and 18” archtops. Boblen also makes cases with fuzzy lining materials, which has lots of give and allows slightly different body shapes to fit well. I have found these particularly useful for various West German and East German archtop guitars (which often came with no cases or with terrible oversized cases) as well as for old Epiphone archtops, which are typically wider than equivalent Gibson models.
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that’s exactly how I shipped some 100 plus guitars. I folded Amazon boxes in half from top to bottom surrounding the case. I always triple boxed any guitar I shipped. Originally Posted by JCat
the cost wasn’t that much more expensive. It simply was peace of mind. You’re going to war with the shipping company and better be prepared for it. Better safe than sorry. Even shipping worldwide I never once experienced any shipping damage. Knock on wood. FedEx rules again.
you want to have the guitar snug inside its case. Every case and every guitar is different. And don’t forget to put support beneath the headstock should you ever sell and ship it.
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And make sure that headstock padding is both behind AND in front of the headstock. A headstock/neck crack could happen just from forward force with a completely stabilized guitar without the face of the headstock being secured. The headstock will become the object in motion that tends to stay in motion when the rest of the guitar stops. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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