The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    The interior case on my JS has been damaged by a gassed out pickguard, leaving a "burned" area of about 8 inches on the lid. The damage was done years ago, I suspect, and the pickguard was replaced. I have read a few things on this forum that once the damage has been done to the case, it can continue to damage the guitar. I have noticed that the area where the pickguard gassed out is quite brittle and continues to flake. All my preservationist instincts (I was an archivist/historian in my previous work life) suggest that replacing the case to save the guitar is imperative. Thoughts from the group's collective wisdom? A friend of mine even suggested leaving it out of the case until I find a replacement. Not sure I can bring myself to do that. Years ago, I had my L7 on a stand for two minutes and during that time a rather large framed picture fell off the wall, crashing into the guitar. The damage was minimal, but taught me a lesson.

    Now, trying to find a case that fits a Johnny Smith has been the problem. Most of what I have seen - either new, used, or vintage - is either too large, too small, or too short. Trying to find a vintage JS case seems next to impossible. While I would love to keep the vintage vibe of a 70s era case, I am more concerned about preserving the guitar and doing no further harm.

    Any ideas for a case? I scoured EBay and Reverb without much luck. Some of the Canadian made TKL cases look similar, but seem to be slightly shorter than what I need. I have measured the interior length, lower bout, upper bout, and mid bout along with the depth (with and without the lid). Can't seem to find anything that matches up.

    As always, the wisdom of this group is always appreciated.

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  3. #2

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    Steve Kirtley runs a very nice facebook group here:
    Vintage Musical Instrument Cases Public Group | Facebook
    It's the place to get useful information or contacts for restoring the case (replacing the interior cloth on the case lid).

  4. #3

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    Fred, i have a Eastman case which fits my LeGrands perfectly, but my L5's are too big for it. Coinsidentally i found out that my 76 Johnny Smith also fits in, which was a big surprise to me as the case looks quite small. So maybe try out some Eastman cases too.

    I wish you good luck!

  5. #4

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    Am I wrong that any good 17" archtop case should work?

  6. #5

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    Cedar Creek, the custom shop of TKL, could make you if you were to provide them with measurements. You could try Calton Cases in Austin, TX. Calton have the mould for a Super 400CES with the large long headstock of the JS.

    You could try hunting for an Epiphone Broadway case. The Broadway has the long Tree of Life headstock. Access to this page has been denied.

    Maybe give up on the hardshell case and go with a Glenn Cronkhite JS padded gigbag.

  7. #6

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    Thanks for the info. I have several L5 cases and like yours, they are too big for the JS. I hadn't thought about Eastman cases but will pursue.

    Many thanks, again.

    F

  8. #7

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    o wow! Hadn't thought about replacing the lining. What a novel idea. Thanks for the link.
    Fred

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by FredH
    Thanks for the info. I have several L5 cases and like yours, they are too big for the JS. I hadn't thought about Eastman cases but will pursue.

    Many thanks, again.

    F
    Too big which way? Depth? Width? Length?

  10. #9

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    I bought this case for my '68 Johnny Smith from James Casella at Blue Note Music in Berkeley CA several years ago. It's a perfect fit and was made by TKL for a more recent Gibson model that I can't remember. Blue Note is no longer in business, but I did get a card from James for his new smaller shop: bluenote@sonic.net. He might be able to point you in the right direction. The case wasn't cheap, but I'm pretty sure it's earthquake proof. FWIW: You can see from the photo that the original finger rest discolored the lining. I've replaced the finger rest, but haven't experienced any deterioration of the new one at all.
    Attached Images Attached Images Replacement case for my 74 Johnny Smith-js-case-1-jpg 

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by gionnio
    I bought this case for my '68 Johnny Smith from James Casella at Blue Note Music in Berkeley CA several years ago. It's a perfect fit and was made by TKL for a more recent Gibson model that I can't remember. Blue Note is no longer in business, but I did get a card from James for his new smaller shop: bluenote@sonic.net.
    That's a Cedar Creek case. TKL, Cedar Creek, Harptone - all trademarks and different divisions owned by the same company. I'm sure Cedar Creek would be happy to take your order for a Johnny Smith case anytime. As would Harptone, I suspect.
    Cedar Creek Cases
    Harptone

    TKL-branded hardshell plywood cases are typically made in Montreal by Boblen, under contract. Boblen have supplied plywood archtop cases to Gibson for many years, and probably have a Johnny Smith case mold, but may ask you to order a couple of hundred cases, heh. Or not.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 02-27-2020 at 05:53 PM.

  12. #11

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    Not always. I have three L5 cases and the fit varies. All three the upper bout is too big...remedied of course with padding between the guitar and case. Sometimes the length of the JS is a problem because of the headstock.

  13. #12

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    I was in the same situation recently. I had Pick Guardian make a new pick guard for my PE-190 and didn't want to risk ruining it. I no longer use the (really good) case and bought one of these from Guitar Fetish. I will only use the new case for transport if needed; otherwise, the guitar will stay out of the case. This case is good enough. I was having a hard time finding a case of any type to fit a 17 upper bout and 13 lower bout. The price was right.

    https://www.guitarfetish.com/PREMIUM-ES-175-Red-British-Basketweave-Hard-Shell-Case_p_20635.html

    Replacement case for my 74 Johnny Smith-img_3319-jpgReplacement case for my 74 Johnny Smith-img_3320-jpg