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CelloMum Registered User (10/6/00 12:14:07 am) Reply	Buying a hard case I have been playing cello for a year and would like to get a hard case for my cello. I know some cases wont fit like the Gewa already and so I was looking at both the Bam and Bobelock cases. Any comments that would help me make a sound decision in a quality case for a new cellist in a MODERATE price range would be greatly appreciated.
JanJan Registered User (10/6/00 7:55:48 am) Reply	Re: Buying a hard case Weber makes a nice case that's competitively priced. Good quality merchandise at a fair price, and excellent service. Check them out. http://www.webercaseco.com/ Janet http://www.nese.net
CelloMum Registered User (10/6/00 12:20:21 pm) Reply	Re: Buying a hard case Thanks, I will check into Weber cases. Are there any significant reasons to buy fiberglass over ABS plactic or wice versa? I want to buy a case that is going to last.
Andy Hamric Registered User (10/6/00 1:40:52 pm) Reply	cases Re differences, I think it depends on how rough you are on your case. I saw a friend's plastic case have problems. Somehow the little rubber stops on the bottom got shoved through the exterior; I don't know if it was ABS or not but was some kind of plastic. LeRoy Weber says on his site that ABS is more flexible than fiberglass and therefore not as likely to crack but instead to bend. I have a friend with a GEWA who tripped onto some stairs and slammed the end into the stairs, causing some exterior cracks but the cello was fine and she still uses it. The biggest issue is whether you intend to fly with the case. If so, you might contemplate a case which will fit inside one of those big flight bag case covers, made by Bam and others. I have a Bobelock hatchtop, plywood, which I don' think a lot of because it's both heavy and bulky and there aren't adjustable pillows inside. This means that sometimes after I load the cello and get ready to leave, I hear a clunk as my cello "falls" onto its side. To put it in other words, you load the cello upright but the bottom can move back and forth within. My next case is going to be a GEWA with the Fiedler backpack system which is really nice. There's nothing really wrong with my case, but I need a second case for a second cello I'm going to use as a teaching instrument. I believe GEWA makes a case which is "oversize" for larger instrments, as does Bam. See www.cellos2go.com for pictures, descriptions. I think EllenG has just about the best prices on the net for the case I want. The same thing at Shar [Gewa with backpack] is about $150 more than her price. I would not recommend anything by SKB.
matthias24 Registered User (10/6/00 9:27:05 pm) Reply	GEWA I might have a chance to get a GEWA case for extremely cheap (kind of. it all depend on how I negotiate with the guys at the music store. see my post on CC about an upgrade, if you want to find out what I'm talking about) I'm glad that you seem to have a good opinion of them. From all the cases I've read about, they seem to be the hardiest and among the best cases for cello, though that is based solely on Shar's descriptions. ~ Aaron ~
Tracie Price Registered User (10/6/00 10:28:25 pm) Reply	Re: GEWA I've had my Gewa for a few years and it'd held up really well. I like it, it's light, strong, fits in cars, and looks like a Stormtrooper. (or a bowling pin.) I did put a small wood block in the bottom for my endpin because my cello is a bit smaller, but it works well. The only thing I don't like is the fabric on the interior and the velcro for the neck. I think they've stopped using velcro though- the quality in mine is cheap- it doesn't stick at all and is very thin. The ones I've seen lately have a leather strap instead. O, and they don't have a music pocket. But I think those backpack things you can get for them do? Maybe?
Andrew Victor Registered User (10/7/00 12:06:24 pm) Reply	Re: Buying a hard case As others have pointed out, what you will be doing with the cello case has major impact on your selection. If you plan to carry your instrument by air, or have it shipped, than my experience is useless to you. I've had cello case "experience" for 50 years, having started with a completely unpadded canvas bag and a cello that was then about 75 years old that had suffered extensive damage (with several perforations of the ribs) - still own it )(but it has since been patched). Over the years, I graduated to another cello, a padded naugahide case (since contributed to some needy student) and finally: (1) my first cello "box" of the Heritage Stream Line style (2125) shown in the current SHAR catalog on page 36. At $275 today, the case is currently less expensive than it was for me originally (25 years ago). It has room for accessories and an internal music pocket. It is made of plywood and too heavy for easy portability, and a little too bulky for easy packing in many cars. The seven (7) latches are a real nuisance. The coating is black textured (fake leatherette) - the finish so common on inexpensive violin cases for much of the first half of the last century. It is a "shaped" case, and I bought IT because the fiberglass models I really wanted were so much more expensive at the time. As modest affluence continued (and before children's college educations began) I bought another box for the original cello: (2) Hard to find now, but this is a "Bluejay" 'hatch case. Only one latch for security, a permanantly attached canvas cover and very convenient zipper closure. The only similar case I find today in catalogs is on page 31 of the Ifshin 1999 catalog, listed as 1018, Bobelock cello case for $375 with plush lining ($415 with velvet lininig) if the pictures are correct. The main advantages of this case are the zipper (for convenience) and the permanant closure of the lower part of the case, which allows one to stand a cello up in the case for safety, without completely closing the case. This case is even slightly longer than (1) and so has some similar transportation problems, but it's smooth sides make it easy to slip in and out without catching on things. Although it has no internal music pocket, it does have room for a little music inside the case. When I bought my new cello at Ifshin this January, I happened to walk past a (3) shiny black fiberglass cello box priced at $349 (not in their catalog-as far as I can tell), just the kind I had originally coveted 25 years ago. This cas is about as small on the outside as a case can be and still hold a 4/4 (Strad-model cello. So, I took my new Chinese cello home in this new box. It too has the disadvantages of 7 latches, but it is light enough to carry quite easily, and it fits across the back seat of my old Toyota Corolla, so I don't have to use the van to go to cello events - or over exert myself pushing and pulling. There is no room for music inside the box, and I had to be creative to find a way to carry two rosins and a round "slip-stop" endpin stop (the internal accessory pocket is about big enough to hold a wallet), the major disadvantage of this Chinese made case is the extrodinarily strong smell of camphor that I did not notice until I got it home. I finally tracd it to the glue used to hold the padded neck support on. I removed the neck support, removed all the glue I could (solvents, microwave oven, and sunshine), and reglued it with white glue. It still smells enough that I never leave the case open while I'm playing --but it's much better. One warning, this case fits a Strad model, it might not fit some other designs--so one should inquire when purchasing a cello box. One other oddity, the velcro neck strap seems to have been mounted for a left-handed user, or else it was mounted without thought (more likely). All these cello boxes have internal "quivers" for two bows, and in a bind you can but two bows into each quiver (to carry 4, if you had some reason to). Before getting this latest box (and cello) I had bought a nicely padded black nylon cello bag for about $32 plus shipping from SouthWest Strings, to carry a cello to events away from home and avoid weight and car-loading gymnastics. It has a quiver for only one bow, but lots of music and accessory pockets. It's retired now, hanging on a hook in the "cello closet" - but it's not a bad way to go for certain requirements. The disadvantages of both my earlier bags, that exposed the cello ribs to potential zipper scratches has been eliminated in current designs. The advantage of black cases is that you can keep them in the car, when you are not in it if you have either shaded windows or it is after dusk, and the case cannot be seen from the outside. Of course, you would never leave an instrument in a car if the sun is shining for more than a few minutes. So, these are my experiences on cello boxes, and what I see as advantages and disadvantages of different models. In summary, I like my new smaller lighter fiberglass case. Were I still as strong (hardy) as I used to be, and had no automobile size limitations (I didn't even own the Corolla when I bought the first two boxes), I would still find the Bluejay hatchback the most convenient because it is so easy to open and close and use. Final observation - two small ladies I know with very fine instruments use very nice cello bags and keep their fine bows (which are worth more than my cello) in tubes in the external quiver to move their cellos outside their homes (I don't know what they have at home). These are the kinds of bags that sell for about $200 (discount). Andy
Andy Hamric Registered User (10/8/00 4:06:41 pm) Reply	Blue Jay-Bobelock Hey, nice name I believe I used a Blue Jay case when shopping for my first cello, and it was nearly identical to the Bobelock hatchtop I now own. One word about the bobelock: I'm not too inclined to leave my cello in it standing up with the case open unless I velcro the neck; the pillow in the bottom tends to push the cello in such a way that I'm concerned it will fall forward and perhaps tip over. Another couple comments about my Bobelock: the canvas cover is replaceable; I had mine replaced at a luggage repair shop; Really it wasn't worth the approximately $100 I paid, and the 'new' case looks just as bad as the old one with marks and scuffs now thatI've had it awhile. Also, If you leave the Bobelock open without a cello in it, it is rather unstable. I also find that if I let the hatch fall closed, it might nock the case over, being rather unstable as it is. ah
Andrew Victor Registered User (10/9/00 4:36:47 pm) Reply	Re: Blue Jay-Bobelock Andy Hamric I agree with what you have said about the limitations hatch-top style, except that once you have fastened the velcro on the neck it is a better case for stand-up temporary storage than any of the others. It's other limitation is that if you use fine tuners they tend to catch on the lower section when you replace the cello into the case, unless you are careful. The Bluejay is also unstable open without a cello in it. Andy (Victor)
Ellen G Registered User (10/10/00 8:56:41 am) Reply	Re: Buying a hard case There are differences between the properties of these materials, and that's why your usage matters when you try to select a case. If you have equal thickness of plywood, ABS plastic, and fiberglass, the plywood will be the most rigid and the heaviest. The fiberglass will be the least rigid and the lightest. The ABS will fall in the middle. If plywood takes a hard hit, it will crack; fiberglass will shatter, and ABS will deform. It has to do with energy absorption and construction of the material. Again, you have to compare EQUAL thicknesses of the materials if you are comparing plastic v. fiberglass. If one of the cases you are evaluating has thin ABS plastic and the other has thick fiberglass, you would be comparing one case to another, but not the materials per se. If you are keeping dust off your cello and your case will be standing next to the piano, you can pretty much buy anything that looks nice. If you have to carry it around campus in inclement weather, you have protection and weight issues. If it goes in your car to rehearsals and then sits at home, you could use a soft bag just fine. If you're flying with it or putting it in a bus cargo hold, that's another issue. By the way, Andy is right about the smell in that one fiberglass case. On an odorometer reading, it is off the scale!
ruthann Registered User (10/10/00 1:33:52 pm) Reply	Re: Buying a hard case Love this topic! I had a Weber case for about 20 years. I'm sure it was the cheapest model they made. It works great. I went to music school at the University of Washington in Seattle and didn't live on campus or own a car. Lots of time waiting at bus stops in the rain. The Weber case is very much rain proof, not particularly heavy as hard cases go. But I really hated those seven latches. When I was pregnant, I couldn't get my cello out of the case without assistance. So I bought a Hatchtop, made by American Case. Mine isn't the Bluejay - it's the more money than sense model whose actual name escapes me. Rather than velcro, it has rubber tubing that holds the neck in place. It's heavy, but talk about protection! You could drop this baby down a flight of stairs and still be in tune. Bows are stored tips up, which I really like, and the music pouch in the outside back is quite roomy - will also hold a folded-up music stand. It fits in the trunk of my Jetta quite nicely. cello_suttonr@hotmail.com
decorde Registered User (10/11/00 11:04:26 am) Reply	Case for flying Perhaps I missed this, but has anyone actually recommended a certain case specifically for putting a cello in cargo, while flying? Which are the best (cost not a factor)? What are the bargains (if any)?
Andy Hamric Registered User (10/12/00 7:22:37 pm) Reply	Re: Case for flying I posted about Kolstein on another thread. do a search. ah
MW Registered User (10/12/00 9:05:21 pm) Reply	GEWA I have a GEWA with the Fiedler backpack system. There are two backpack systems you can get: the Fiedler, which has no music pocket, and another detachable backpack system, which does. Though I'd love to have a music pocket, the Fiedler backpack has much better padding on the straps, and a handy seat cushion wedge that snaps onto the case! I walk a ton with my cello in the city (where I get nervous about getting jostled by hurried commuters), so the case is just about perfect for me.