Do any of you people make basses that don't fit into a standard case? If so where do you get large size or custom cases?

For basses over 14 1/2" wide or longer than 48" I build my own. It's really a simple process.

Get a Jackson flying V case, and rip out the innards, keep the shell.

Get a couple cans of Great Stuff and a huge plastic bag. Cover the entire bottom of the case with the Great Stuff, and let it start to expand for around 5-15 minutes. Then, drape the plastic bag over the foam. Carefully lay your bass onto the plastic bag, to push in the bass' body profile into the foam. Push it down deep enough to get the body top flush with the opening of the case. Kinda like, positioning the centerline through the thickness of the body, along the centerline of the case's opening seamline. Keep checking the bass and the plastic bag to make sure you didn't rip through the plastic bag and get foam sticking to the bass. Keep pushing it down for the next hour as the foam continues to expand.

Then, start on the case lid, by flipping everything over and starting again.

Once the two general shapes of the foam have been formed, you can carve in some accessories pockets. Strap pocket, picks, batteries, strings, whatever.

Then once everything is figured out and the foam's completely hardened, go buy some fuzzy fur fabric to glue to the foam. Cut the fuzz with an inch excess, to tuck between the edge of the foam and the inside of the case shells.

Once the two general shapes of the foam have been formed, you can carve in some accessories pockets. Strap pocket, picks, batteries, strings, whatever.

Just a thought, what if you made a few thin wooden boxes, and put them in with the bass while the foam was expanding. Would that be easier than carving and whatnot?

For basses over 14 1/2" wide or longer than 48" I build my own. It's really a simple process.

do share! I think we need a tutorial ....hint, hint, beg, BEGGG!

Just a thought, what if you made a few thin wooden boxes, and put them in with the bass while the foam was expanding. Would that be easier than carving and whatnot?Sounds like a good idea, as long as it's not too hard to press in the bass and the boxes at the same time.

You could use a couple of paperbacks or VHS tapes taped together, too. Or the inverted top of a CD spindle case to do a round depression.

Maybe for these other non-guitar objects, you could just put some heavy things right on top of them (free weights, etc.) instead of having to press them in.

Sounds like a good idea, as long as it's not too hard to press in the bass and the boxes at the same time.

It seems to me that if you put in the boxes, then the foam, it would expand around the box and help to hold it in. But yeah, if you put some weights in the box it would hold it down pretty well. This seems like a good idea

Here's a thread from projectguitar showing how a few guys made their cases.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=18734&hl=

Just a thought, what if you made a few thin wooden boxes, and put them in with the bass while the foam was expanding. Would that be easier than carving and whatnot?

If you plan ahead, definitely. If you've got a few square objects, like Kleenex boxes or a stack of DVD cases or VHS cases taped together into large blocks, it would be awesome to try.

It seems to me that if you put in the boxes, then the foam, it would expand around the box and help to hold it in. But yeah, if you put some weights in the box it would hold it down pretty well. This seems like a good idea


If your bass is resting on the shell, there's no guarantee that the foam will expand underneath the bass completely. A complete layer of foam is more trustworthy and protective.

Great Stuff dries quite slowly. Once you've filled up the shell, it's gonna be quite mushy and wet for a long while before it hardens, giving you plenty of time to wiggle your bass around and make sure everything fits right. Also, you can mush back the foam around the tuners to assure resting it into the case doesn't detune your bass every time.

As soon as I finish one of the 6 strings I am working on, I will do a case tutorial, just for you Will....LMAO

Ok guys, I'm convinced. I'm going to build a case.

Pine edges
1/4" ply sides
Truck bed liner spray paint outside with logo milled in relief
Foam interior with red velvet liner

Better than paying Custom Case Company $350 :crying:

Hambone did a case build thread. Not sure if it's linked in the forum how-to sticky.