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It sounds as though your experience with the Eastman fiberglass case has been positive. Mine, not so much. I found the cases that came with my 805 and El Rey 2 to be quite flimsy. I'd be far more confident in the well being of the instruments had they come in well padded gig bags or traditional wooden hardshell cases. For what it's worth, the wooden case that came with my later T186 is a very solid case that I like more than TKL alternatives.
Originally Posted by nopedals
Jay Wolfe told me that i wasn't the only one who didn't get on with the standard Eastman fiberglass cases. He said that while they were now shipping new instruments with well padded wooden cases, they also offered a deluxe version of their original fiberglass shells. The one he showed me looked to be a significant improvement over the original design as the fiberglass seemed a bit thicker and the padding was far superior.
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04-07-2014 02:50 PM
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At one time I was thinking of buying one of the Eastman cases because their price is not too bad, but unfortunately I had no way to make sure it would fit my guitar. They don't do a very good job advertising their case specs/prices, etc - unless I'm just not aware of a good source...if someone does know of a good source, could they share their knowledge?
I like gig bags for getting from A to B and playing once at B, but I don't trust them to leave my instrument in if I'm hanging around B (or C, D, etc) and doing anything other than holding my instrument. The BAM cases look good but they are very expensive - around $800.
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Don't get me wrong, I would be very nervous about checking an eastman case on a flight, and am very willing to believe they are inferior protection to a hard guitar case, but they offer far more protection than a gig bag, while being about as transportable.
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I found the Eastman fiberglass case to be very unwieldy to carry and for loading and unloading the guitar. Carrying it on your back with one or two straps was uncomfortable. Then you have to lay it on the floor to remove or load the instrument - not very convenient if there's not a lot of room for that.
The Continental RB is tons more comfortable - either with the hideaway padded backpack straps or you can attach a regular messenger strap to the provided D-rings for carrying it short distances where there is less headroom. Even carrying it with the handle is more comfortable - the handle is made with some special foam that feels much better on your hand.
But most convenient is that you can take your guitar in and out with the case in the vertical position - handy when you're in a tight space. As far as the protection it affords, I think it's more on a par with hard shell cases than with your average soft gigbag. It easily withstands any kind of bumps into door frames and such -- of course the trade off is that it is rather bulky but as I said, it is tons more comfortable to carry. I wouldn't check it with any airline (since I've seen bags fall off those luggage carts onto the tarmac where anything can run over it) but you could easily toss it into your car and toss a bunch of stuff on top of it without a worry.
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Looking at the RB website specs, it looks like the Classical sized Continental case may fit a 16 x 3 archtop. Its internal width is 16" whereas for the Dreadnaught model the width is 17". Though maybe the length would be an issue with the (usually) longer headstocks of archtop guitars...the Dread length is 42.5" while the Classical is 41".
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I know I already mentioned Probag, but I feel the need to repeat myself as it didn't seem to resonate with anyone the first time around: Probag.
Heck, I'll even elaborate: Great hand-made, custom, leather gig-bags, for a very good price (cheaper than some non-leather ones). They specialize in, among other things, leather gig bags for arch top guitars and will make one to fit the specs of your specific guitar for no additional cost. Plus, if you care about that sort of thing, they are made in the U.S.A.
They also make double gig-bags. I have one and have recently posted about it along with pics, elsewhere on this forum.
Website: probagwebstartscom
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The bag came and David B is so right! Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Glad you're happy with your choice!
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had a look round a mono dreadnought case
today , yes , a really well built case ....
so I'll get either that or a RBlues ....
thanks for the info guys
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You should do well either way you choose to go. I'm really happy w/ my RB Continental case!
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Proguitarshop.com is having a sale on Mono gigbags, and the Dreadnought size that I'm interested in is only $150. Do you guys think it would accommodate 17" Heritage Eagles and an Eastman 810?
Mono Cases - Brands
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Hey Klatu, thanks for the tip, these are great prices! I've been looking for a quality gig-bag for 14/15" guitars, so I just ordered the Classical/OM size. It will fit all my nylon string acoustics, my Carvin AC375, and my 15" archtop. I hope you did order the Dreadnaught bag, it looks like they're all out already. Originally Posted by Klatu
Last edited by Woody Sound; 05-08-2014 at 08:12 PM.
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Nope. Since I couldn't confirm that they would accommodate my 17" guitars, I didn't feel comfortable pulling the trigger. However, I'm glad someone on here was able to take advantage of the sale. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
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