Official Luthiers Forum!

Anybody familiar with these?

Case Extreme Clam Cases

Perhaps useful for shipping too.

Any thoughts?

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I have one I use when I travel with my guitar.  I have found it very useful as it suspends the case inside.  The foam 'U's that are set around the case inside have a tendency to shift during transit but never really let go.  The velcro holding the detachable wheels will slip after a period of time and heat.  All in all I would not put a guitar in the hold of an airplane without one.

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

Pat. I use them for traveling to shows. Pack my guitars in them and check, yes check, them on to the plane. Once while sitting on the tarmac in Dallas, I watched one fall out of the plane, probably 15-20 ft, onto the pavement below. Absolutely no damage. I HIGHLY recommend them.
The only down side is that they are huge and hard to carry.
Oh, I shipped one guitar back from HGF in one. I just wrapped duct tape around the buckles so they wouldn't get caught in anything. Worked great.

I used one to travel to and from the Romanillos course in Spain this past August.

I packed it with an empty guitar case (well, it did have t-shirts and underwear in it...) and lots of guitar wood and materials on the way over. On the way back it was basically the completed classical guitar in the case within the Clam.

It was excellent.

I agree with Paul that they are difficult to carry. Definitely get the Deluxe with the wheels. I'm also thinking about how to modify the pull handle to make it easier to roll as well.  

Good info. Thanks.

Any idea what they're made of?

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

The outer cover is a corrugated plastic.  I think it is polyethylene.  Probably wrong.  But if you buy one get the wheels.  It is big and bulky.  It uses most if not all of the trunk of a mid-sized car.

The strong point is that it isolates the guitar in its case from rough handling. 

Even with the CaseExtreme be sure that your case supports the neck not too close to the headstock.  Or use something to keep the headstock from moving relative to the neck.  An instrument dropped where the neck end hits last can snap the headstock off.

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

[QUOTE=burbank] Good info. Thanks.

Any idea what they're made of?[/QUOTE]
It's a double walled corrugated plastic. Similar to those signs that contractors put in your front yard.
Most of the others have said to get the ones with wheels. In my opinion, they are next to worthless. They velcro onto the case with heavy-duty velcro. But I've found that if you hit the slightest bump, they rip off. If you are traveling through an airport with it, get one of those smart-carts and roll it around that way.

I like them too and have had no problems with the wheels coming off.  It does make for a wide load to roll in a crowded airport though.

Like Paul said, they are large!  It can be impossible to get them in some cars.  The upside is that you are back to your regular case once you get where you are going.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Definitely going to look into these.

Muchas gracias.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

They're big, but bulletproof. Great for traveling to shows, etc where you
might not return with the guitar, but want to get it there safely. Put your
suitcase in it on the trip home.
-C

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