Guitar Case Builder

Guitar Case Builder


I heard from headless guitar players...

Wait the guitar players aren't headless,
the guitars they play are headless.

Anyway, there is a shortage of hard cases for these guitars.
They are much shorter than a regular guitar and would
be good for travel, If they had a smaller case to carry.
So they all own special small soft cases and want a small hard case.

One company in china sells them on eBay for 300 bucks and that's just too much.
So I wondered how one might go about making the most common type of case.
I imagine laminated wood veneer to get the rounded edges.

Once again Cheetah helps to visualize it.
 

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Nice idea. Will you build one, or is this just a case study?

There’s a guy that shows up to most to most of the festivals here that makes cigar box electric guitars. I’ve always wanted to make one of those. I just don’t have a workshop space at the moment.
 
Nice idea. Will you build one, or is this just a case study?

There’s a guy that shows up to most to most of the festivals here that makes cigar box electric guitars. I’ve always wanted to make one of those. I just don’t have a workshop space at the moment.

Actually I'm posting on Kiesel Guitars forum hoping to inspire someone to do it.
If not a forum member then maybe Kiesel themselves might consider it.

Check these guys out, may be something there. Link

 

Oooh, I just found this, washtub guitar owned by Justin Johnson.

There's a video of him playing it and it sounds great.

 

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Slick!:tongue: The oil can does sound pretty good. I knew a guy that use to play slide guitar with a beer bottle. It usually still had beer in it too.

I’ve never seen either one of those type of guitars. Meet stuff!
 

Here are more images of the case design.
Very round compared to the standard case.

I had a great Idea to cover the outside of the case with LineX.
I mocked up an orange LineX like material.

 

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Thanks Frank, how much weight do you think it
would add if it where applied to just the outside.

I'm sure it's heavier than Tolex. But would it be too heavy?

 
I´d expect a vinyl layer of Tolex adds a noticeably amount of weight while I doubt the spray will be the same weight for that surface. I don´t have any experience with both products and I´m not sure I´d go for any additional coverage - love wood. I once used heavy urticant on a (poor plywood)-case I made for a Dulcimer I built. I´d think more about edge protection and a foam inlay as a shock absorber. ;)

Cheers
Frank
 

I did some checking to see what veneers are available in 4 x 8 sheets.
I can't find anything cheaper than 35 bucks a sheet for red oak.

Strange they don't mention the veneer
thickness, only the backing in 10 or 20mil.
So I wonder how many sheets I would need. :confused:

I was shocked to see 4 x 8 sheets of
ebony, but at 700 bucks per sheet. :(

I need some really inexpensive sheets for
the inside and one nice one for the outside.

 
I had some 60years old ebony sawn veneer - it needs to be sawn due its brittleness. It can´t be touched without fallen into ruin. I have to ditch it along other packs while we removed. :cry:
I´m with you seeing it still available - not of the price tag BTW - it´s much cheaper here: 315x97x4mm/35,50€ - but that it´s still cut down.

Thinking longer about the case I guess I´d go for solid wood covered with textile; kerf-bending if you familiar with it. Solid and multiplex should work depending on the used species.
Or when you can make a sturdy mould (positive+negative minus fabric) and don´t mind chemicals glass fibre will be a choice as it´s light weight and super robust (with some adjuvant case interior of course).

Cheers
Frank
 

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Just dreaming, not going to actually build it but I can work out the
possibilities, and find if and where the supplies can be found.

And checking prices to see if it's feasible in any way.
Then maybe I can contact case makers for their help.

Kerf bending is a great idea.

I received some woodworking instruction from James Krenov
many years ago at the Franklin Institute's artisan program,
I think he would have told me to cooper it.

I'm set on the LineX look, but a line of custom exotic wood cases would
appeal to high end buyers. Then I could make a case for the case. ;)
 
James Krenov (1920-2009) you say; OMG - now I´m jealous! :D I have some great books here which I love and keep as treasure.
Depending on the diameter at the corners I´d conceive using a solid stab, glue-in in the sides, top and bottom and do a good rounding either on the router table or manually like so:

Cheers
 

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I was a ceramics major, minored in woodworking and jewelry.
On breaks I would play ping pong with him, he always beat me.

He could cooper a cabinet door and keep the
grain across the face, it would look like one piece.

Thanks for another great alternative method.

 

I came up with some new ideas for a lid/hinge/latch design
that can be opened from either side or totally removed.

Then a second lid with glass could be put on
so it could also be used as a display case.

I'm still working on the hinge mechanism.

 

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