Violin cases- Any recommendations?

January 22, 2008 at 04:32 AM · I have a shaped Gewa case in addition to my Musafia, and it's great for travel/schlepping around. It's pretty sturdy--maybe not as sturdy as a Bam hightech, but it does the job and was fairly inexpensive.

January 22, 2008 at 07:04 AM · My daughter had two bam hightech cases. The first one had trouble with its latches: they opened up unexpectedly and the violin would be dangling suddenly by its velcro collar-- yikes! Apparently, that design flaw was fixed when the new ones came out.

But the new hightech case melted. That sound more dramatic that it was, but during an orchestra tour when all the violin cases were propped on by the vanity mirrors in the various dressing rooms, only bam cases had light-bulb size holes seared into their tops. It looks very strange. When I called the company they said, "Of course you should never expose our high-tech cases to heat". Which I guess means that I had a different working definition of "high tech." It should be noted that on that fateful day, none of the other (non Bam)cases suffered any harm from their proximity to the dressing room lamps. Bam cases look cool, but they're very expensive and seem unduly fragile, at least in my personal experience. My daughter used her insurance money for the melted Bam and purchased one of Shar's new Lang series.

January 22, 2008 at 09:32 AM · I've had that same thing happen to my old case; it was a cheap brand so I wasn't surprised. I've had the BAM hightech contoured for about a month and love it. No problems with the latches and they lock so if you're traveling you can just lock them if you're concerned about them coming open. It's very light, easy to carry, and makes you minimize your junk :)

If you have a larger violin, though, I'd recommend you try one out to see if your violin fits before purchasing it. The only downside to this case, as far as I can tell, is that it doesn't have a music pocket. But actually that can be a good thing because it keeps you from over-stuffing.

January 22, 2008 at 10:37 AM · Musafia has constantly improved their product...the newest cases are much lighter than their older counterparts.

I currently have a 2007 Master Series case for my violin weighing in at 6.6 pounds (and over the past few years I've had several dart and oblong models from them), and it's quite manageable given everything that's actually in the case!

Now, for my viola, I got ahold of a BAM shaped hightech case which has been great to carry, but it scratches very easily. If I put enough pressure on the lid I can make it flex slightly...makes me somewhat worried as I don't think it would survive someone falling on it. :(

January 22, 2008 at 02:46 PM · Bobelock cases are good and inexpensive.

January 22, 2008 at 03:51 PM · ...and huge.

January 22, 2008 at 04:56 PM · http://www.bobelock.com

See "Find A Retailer" at the top of the page.

January 22, 2008 at 08:41 PM · I had posted back in November wanting recommendations for a lightweight case. I looked into the Bam Hi-Tech but decided against it because of the lack of storage and "stripped down" appearance. I went with the Artonus Elipe, which is sold through Southwest Strings. It is *extremely* lightweight and has excellent storage. (And is nice looking, to boot!)

FYI, my previous case was a Bobelock--great case, but too heavy for me to lug around. I sold it to a fellow v.commer!

January 23, 2008 at 04:03 PM · THANKS to everyone for the great comments and sharing of your experiences. I am now re-thinking what direction I plan to go with purchasing a case. Will keep you posted on my decision!

January 23, 2008 at 11:52 PM · For quality/price/reliability it's hard to wrong with an American Case Co. Manhattan. For $250 you get great suspension protection and a liftetime warranty. Who could ask for more?

January 24, 2008 at 12:05 AM · I just purchased a GEWA Maestro Oblong case - slim, light, made very well. It came very highly recommended from a friend who plays a Vuillaume and has traveled from Oregon to New Zealand and back (along with many other places in between) with it.

January 24, 2008 at 12:11 AM · Had a bad experience with the Manhattan case by the American Case Co.. It fell apart after about a year and they wouldn't honor the warranty. The stitching that holds the metal rings and straps on the case failed. The violin fell to the ground two times while being carried because of these failures. They don't guarantee anything on the exterior of the case. We replaced it with a Musafia case which is much lighter and of a far superior quality. Musafia sells slightly used cases and cosmetic seconds on their website at reasonable prices.

January 24, 2008 at 02:32 AM · I just got a Gig bag. It's really, really lightweight and comes in fun, funky colors - like orange!. The integrated backpack straps are very comfortable and the outside compartment holds lots of stuff including a small looseleaf full of music, electronic tuner, eye glasses, etc. I got it online for $99 - free shipping. (ebay sells it for $99 but they charge for shipping.) They make a big deal about the bows being stored in an outside compartment in the back which I find a little inconvenient. (It takes me longer to pack up.) I also have a Bobelock case which has a nice spot inside designated for the shoulder rest. With the Gig bag you have to keep the shoulder rest in the outside compartment. All in all, for traveling around town (NYC subway system), it's very comfortable.

January 25, 2008 at 12:33 AM · There's another thread about "Instrument Acquisiton Syndrome - I.A.S." - a disorder I surely have. But I also suffer from "C.A.S.E - Case Acquisition Syndrome in Extremis"! As many fiddles as I have, I've got still more cases than instruments. Some are collector's items, like an old gator case and two antique wood ones. But even among practical cases, I'm still searching for the perfect case.

Different cases fulfill different functions. I recently bought a really good Chinese double case, with suspension features. It's also relatively light for a case of this type. Relatively. I'm also something of a pack rat, and by the time I'm through loading a case with an instument, bows, music, and sundry paraphernalia, I've ususally doubled the cases' original weight!

But as a nice, basic light-weight case, I'd recommend a "Travelite" that i bought recently for only about $100. It's oblong, with a music pocket, suspension, etc. The only thing is that it's a bit tight. If you have a violin with a pretty wide lower bout, it may be a tight squeeze there.

January 25, 2008 at 08:55 AM · I love my ARTONUS oblong case. (I think they are Polish made or something) But not masses of room for music to go in, which could be a draw back. I think this is one of the best lightweight good quality cases that we have aroung here at the moment ... and mine also survived (along with my best violin!!!!!) being in the hold of the plane 2 Summers ago when there were all those problems due to the London bomb threats.

If you want REALLY maga-light you might want to go for the case that they sell the the Yamaha student violins in. The kit with violin costs around 260 euro, but I managed to get just the case for my daughter who is 12 and has to get on the bus with masses of other stuff to go to conservatory. The heavier case had been killing her. This YAMAHA case is actually pretty protective against bashes and falls and weather conditions but probably not against crushing (although it also survived being in the hold of the plane)

January 31, 2008 at 08:12 PM · THANKS AGAIN, everyone for all the great advice! The decision seemed harder than it should be, but each case I looked at had its pros and cons. I finally settled on a GEWA Maestro Oblong case which I ordered through Johnson Strings. I have yet to get the case, but will give you a "final report" when I get it. My second case option, at the opposite end of the price spectrum was the Musafia Ultraleggero, but no one I contacted had any in stock. If anyone knows of a dealer that consistently stocks Musafia cases, please let me know.

January 31, 2008 at 08:39 PM · I have a Bobelock Oblong Wooden Hill Style case http://www.bobelock.com/violinCases/1017.html and while nice and roomy it s HUGE like someone said, it looks like a case for cello... Seriously it has to weigh 12 pounds. On the website it lists the size as 6" thick, 31 inches long, 9.5 width with an arched top (7.5lbs) but Iw ould dispute that, the ting is a beast. My wife tipped it over once when it hit the ground it sounded like a redwood falling. The violin seemed to jar out of it's pocket a bit even undoing the velcro, it sounded pretty violent. Luckily the violin was fine.

Also I am a real stickler for attention to detail and the hygrometer and "Bobelock" plate inside the case were both crooked, which really irked me. For a $240 case someone should take the time to at least glue that on straight. But it wasn't worth the money to ship everything all over again so I try to ignore it, but not a day goes by that the crooked hygromter and plate don't drive me nuts.

So if I had to do over again I wouldn't get a Bobelock Case, they are now made in the Phillipines and the quality has suffered because of this no matter what anyone says.

I also briefly had a BAM case but my violin did not fit inside, the top of the case was pushing down on the bridge of my violin. So I second that if you're going to get a BAM bring you violin in and try it out first.

My favorite case so far was a $50 Meisel student case but I sold it with my old student violin outfit, oh well...

February 3, 2008 at 05:04 PM · I just bought a Jakob Winter oblong wooden case. Cost me $200. It's very light-weight, weighing as little or even less than my old cheapy chinese case when EMPTY! And that is with my violin, 3 bows and all my accessories inside! It also has a hygrometer inside and a humidifier, which I think is a cool feature.

The build quality seems to be very solid, but this is my first week with the case so time will tell!

Is there any way to judge what is a good-case, as far as how tough it is etc?

February 6, 2008 at 09:32 PM · Wanted to give you some feedback on the Gewa Maestro Oblong case that I recently purchased. Overall, it is a great case! The quality of the construction is excellent. The padding is really high quality and very protective. I would recommend that you try your fiddle in the case prior to buying to make sure that it fits properly.

In summary, THANKS for all the great feedback! I think for the price, the Gewa is a great case!

Eric