Anybody Building their Own Bass Cases?

I have thought about it as well, but haven’t ventured down that path. I’m more of a gig bag guy myself, but some folks have a strong preference for a hard case.

I will say that I have found a foam vendor I really like that will do 2D and 3D cutouts for you if you provide a drawing, which would be handy in a hard case. I use them now for packaging material. In case any of you are interested it is foamfactory.com, and I’m using the firm charcoal foam.

 

I nearly always cheat and build basses to specs that will fit in an existing case. Most of what I build fits in P-bass dimensions. But I'm not a fender fanboi...I swear.

I'll follow this as I do need to build a case for my WBO airspace build because that one's 16" wide on the lower bout and has a slotted headstock, so it doesn't fit any of my cases, including my large hollowbody case - the head's too thick.

 

Providing a fancy hard case takes a bass build to a whole new level. The difference between a £1K build and a £3K build is perception...the case is 50% of that experience.

 

I've built hundreds of speaker enclosures (sealed, ported, PPSL, LLT, Tapped horn, front loaded horn, co-entrant horn etc), and I'm not really seeing the crossover, at least to well braced enclosures not just an unsupported 6 sided box.

If I wanted a case to actually protect the instrument, moulded ABS is what I'd use as in my experience they are strong and well damped and take a lot of abuse with minimal weight. I'm usually a good padded gigbag user in preference of a HSC, especially if I'm using the 'Bergers as I can get 2 in a strong, padded dual shotgun bag for about $US35.

That said, one of the instruments I'd like to build in a year or so when I get some more hands on skill, is a guitar for a friend who did me a great kindness (and she has no idea she did) so I have planned a display case in Victorian Ash for it. So far I have nothing but notebook sketches which I'll clean up and post if interested.

 

I've seen a few go by here, usually as part of a build thread, not standalone. I built one for the upright, but it was somewhat built to a specific task - surviving bus travel, and was a beast as configured for that job - there's a tolerably lightweight 2x2 frame with 1/8" luan over and various foam padding/spacers inside, with the bass in its soft bag. 7/16ths OSB was attached to the outside of the frame to make it beastly (there were folks who could move it.) A big, heavy box. Without the overlay it's a big box, but not one I'd want unsupervised in rough conditions.

"Flight-case-light without breaking the bank" sounds to me like a hard foam + fiberglass shell (giant plastics-molding equipment tending to break the bank) and the interior sculpted out for soft foam and liner fabric. Should be plenty of local foam/fiberglass knowledge in a place as boat-y as Cape Cod, I'd expect.

 

Subbed, thought about doing this for my acoustic EB. It came with a gig bag but the foam broke down, turned to dust and stuck to the bass.
A light hard case would be nice.

 

My Calzone flight case for my Alembic is 30 yrs old and the foam has turned to a messy dusty…mess. Also the latches have always bothered me as they are just folding kind (not twisty) and they even stick out past the edge, so the case can never lay flat on that side.
Ive had it on my to do list to get new foam and cut in recessed twisty latches for some time.
Its basic construction appears to be aluminum corner stock held together with rivets.

 

Thanks a lot. Because my brain wasn't scattered in enough directions already. Now I'm mentally trying to build a homemade case too.
Fwiw, I've built about 3 in my head so far this morning and they were all miserable failures.
I started a 4th that involved expanding foam, but it made a huge mess and I didn't finish it.

 

I am sure you guys know this but be careful with certain types of foam in regards to finish damage over time. I have some K&M stands with some type of near-clear soft flexible plastic and if that could be used to create bass-specific inner case molds it might be the ultimate solution.

 

Linc Luthier built his own and those weigh 300 lbs +/-

 

This thread brings back memories of a fellow who bought a knock-off longhorn years back and hire a mechanic to built him a case. He used 5/8' plywood and painted it 7-up green. With all the hardware, the empty case was well over 20 pounds... but on the bright side, it would have been stampede proof.

 

Hmm, the recyclist in me is thinking that brazing together an old set of de-chromed Reynolds or TruTemper golf club shafts into a triangulated exocage from which to suspend a semi-tightly fitted leather skinsuit would be both pleasantly bizarre looking and effective.

 

All my cases are in the attic and now I use only gig bags. My favorite is Reunion Blues because of its protective inner structure, plentiful storage, and backpack straps. I can literally go to the gig in one trip from the car with my bass, TE Elf, iPad, strap, tuner, cables, roadie tool, and extra battery in one bag.

 

I have. My first case build was for a box-shaped guitar and therefore probably one of the simplest designs out there. Birch plywood and a styrofoam layer on the inside make it a very utilitarian case, no tolex or anything. It gets the job done, but of course it doesn't stand up to a proper flight case.


I have found that it is a lot of work and I don't enjoy it as much as building instruments. If I can find a suitable off-the-shelf case, I'd always prefer that. There's plenty of aftermarket cases for the standard shapes (Fenders, Gibsons, etc.), and many can be fitted with some extra foam on the inside to get a good fit. The only instruments I would ever consider to build a custom case for are my Billy-Bo guitar and bass, because their bodies are longer than than any standard-shaped box, and the Gretsch cases are very rare.

 

A couple of quick notes:

If you are looking at building a flight case style case, pro-level quality, check out Reliable Hardware Company. They are near me here in North Hollywood, CA, but do mail order. They carry everything you need to make a flight case; hardware, foam, fiberglass-coated wood panels, super light plastic panels, etc. A great company to deal with.

Reliable Hardware Company E-Commerce Web Site

If you are looking to build classic hard shell guitar cases, there are two main styles of construction. I call them Fender style and Gibson style. Either style is easy enough to build the wooden boxes. The hardware is easy to find. The more difficult parts are: covering the outside of the shell with some kind reasonably tough fabric and trim, and fitting the plush fabric interior. Both usually involve some sewing machine work. That's where the labor is. There are cheaper alternative methods, but most of the cost of a nice hard shell case is for the sewn & glued plush interior.

My own Scroll Basses have always been a real problem to find cases for. At times over the years, I've thought about getting into building my own cases. I've researched the methods and materials, and it doesn't look to be very difficult. But I haven't gotten around to it.

I've got a friend of a friend here in the Secret Underground Lab who's been looking to start up a small woodworking type business. I've talked him through the idea of becoming a custom instrument case builder. He's thinking about it.

 

Just MHO & FYI I have a very good friend that makes road cases For a living! I asked him to build me a case for newly acquired Bass find,He suggested SKB case, custom road cases are only necessary if your going on the road! Its overkill for gig travel! He made a case for his brother & it was like 10X heavier than a SKB!! I asked him if there was a lighter option, he seemed annoyed, like he gets that alot and that I was being a PIA. Soon after that I discovered "MF" had a deal on HSC molded cases I got 1 cheap! Nice case but stil a lil' heavy.
I didnt hold it against my friend, as for myself, Im n my profession I get A LOT of propositions for work, but get asked "is there are cheaper options?" Ugh! Thats the price, Bub! so I understand his pat answer of get a MF's case! I only asked him cause I knew at a different shop they made Soft/fiber type cases, but he did not at His new Shop! it seems in his Business he get hit up for making othertypes of cases! but his bread & butter is Pro Road cases!