hiscox GAD does not fit selmer sized guitar

shega

Hi everyone,

This is just a note to help out anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to mine. I am sure there are many of us with a Selmer-sized instrument who are looking for a reasonably priced flight worthy case. Generally, if you cannot afford $1000+ for a Hoffee, Karura, or Calton, you will probably end up looking at English-made Hiscox. Their popular Liteflight Pro II cases are under $300, and seem to be one of the cases that are recommended on every guitar forum.

Well, I was unable to determine what case in this line would fit my Dupont MD30. I contacted Hiscox and they simply told me the PROII-GAD (dreadnought case) would be necessary because of the 15.75 inch lower bout. I called Gyphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto (where I purchased my Dupont in 1997) and they told me they would test it out and get back to me. When I called them back, it did not sound like they had "tested it out" beyond thinking it through. They assured me that the PROII-GAD would be the best fit.

So I ordered one.
verdict: It definitely does not fit. The Dupont is swimming inside the case. It is not at all stabilized against shock, and the body compartment is 2" longer than the Dupont body. With the case closed, you can shake the guitar from front to back.

I will take this point to mention that the case is more impressive in person than it is on Internet pictures. It is sturdy, to say the least. The rivets are very stout, and the hardshell material exceptionally rugged (in appearance, at least). But it is not as light as I imagined it would be. On the web, everyone swoons over how light it is. It is actually heavier than the Canadian Case my Dupont came in back in the 1990s. And it is also very big. Significantly bigger than the Canadian Case.

Lastly, it has no secure way of standing on end. I prefer to stand my guitars up when at home, for better storage efficiency. The Hiscox cases have no rubber feet to support this position, and though they can balance standing up, it is in a very wobbly fashion. Too bad: it would improve the case considerably to me. I guess one more thing is in order: the latches are a weak point. Easy to bump open and hell on the fingernails to open.

Fortunately, Finecases.com is working with me on this. There was also a flaw in the seal of the case, so they are taking it back and reimbursing me the costs.
I may order the OM sized case to see if they offer a snugger fit. Some have used them to fit dreadnoughts, and preferred the snugness. I will report back with these results.

best to all.

dennis

sorry to hear about your case woes! That definitely sucks

I'm writing because I was at the Godin guitars head office on Friday and Robert, the big boss, gave me a TRIC case that they made. It's a brand new model that hasn't been released yet, I am the first and only person to own one; GJ guitars fit very well in it and it's super light and absorbs shock really well . It's the same material used in car bumpers or bike helmets... the cool t hing is that it's light and it's a softcase, if you travel by air, you can potentially bring it on board with you but if you have to check it in, it's fine too!

They told me they'll start producing these next week and hopefully it should be released sometime soon.. Not to be confused with the current TRIC cases in the market (which they make as well)

Here's a picture of mine so you can identify it..

BTW i was at their offices for an entirely different reason; one that will definitely interest GJ fans around the world, more details to come soon!

shega

Hi Denis,
Thank you for the news.

I have a TRIC case that came with a Godin 5th Avenue. I had always hoped they would release one that fit GJ guitars. They are amazingly light indeed.

Would you actually trust your guitar in this to be checked, though?

Regardless, given the likely price, I will get one when they show up. Perfect for around town--especially walking or on a bike, and they are supposed to offer superior thermal protection. Far more protection than a gig bag.

klaatu

It's odd that you can't buy a Selmer-sized case from Hiscox. The cases for the Manouche guitars (the UK ones, not the Dell'Arte ones) were made by Hiscox.

Bones

You could try to ask the company to make some extra custom pads that you could put on the inside to take up the extra space. I've had that done before by another case company so that I could use one of their standard size cases.

Good luck.

shega

Bones wrote:

You could try to ask the company to make some extra custom pads that you could put on the inside to take up the extra space. I've had that done before by another case company so that I could use one of their standard size cases.

Good luck.

good idea, bones. they didn't seem like they wanted to take much time with my queries, but maybe if I were specific they would find the interest to work with this style of guitar.

Gene Rawe

I have that same case coming for a Favino sized guitar; hopefully the added body size provides a tighter fit. I contacted Hiscox and wasn't really satisfied with their fit information; I assumed that a UK company might have more experience fitting Selmer or Favino sized guitars in their cases. Worse comes to worse, I have a great case for my dreadnought.

shega

Hey madpiper, please do follow up about the case and your favino sized instrument. It would be a great resource for the community.

shaun

Have any of you guys tried the moulded plastic shell cases advertised on Djangobooks site? They look great. Have shoulder straps and are designed for Selmer & Favino sizes. Just asking because I'm thinking of ordering. Anyone tried them out?

Archtop Eddy

Hi guys. I have a Hiscox Liteflite Artist Jumbo Acoustic for my '77 Favino. The model is LA GJ. As noted by shega, the inside of the case is about two inches longer than the body. However, side-to-side, it fits great. I stuff a tee-shirt at the bottom of the case and and the guitar snugs up with a nice tight fit. It's so hard to find a decent flight-worthy case for a Favino sized guitar, I'm glad to have it. It's definitely lighter than a Calton case but it's also bulkier. You could sit in a circle with some fellas, lay the case on your lap and have enough surface space to play cards like the scene in the J'attentrai clip.

By the way, I flew Southwest which let me take this case on-board as a carry-on and to my delight it fit in the overhead. AE

Gene Rawe

I will post an update on fit when I receive it. It is actually for a left handed Rodrigo Shopis Favino size guitar. I have had both Hiscox and Calton cases in the past and have been very impressed with both; I currently have Caltons in both Jumbo and dreadnought size so I'm curious to see what fits best. I've travelled with the Caltons and they are indestructible? cases; I'm usually more concerned of the airline loosing my instrument!