Travel Case to fit Guild dreadnought

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About a year ago, I purchased a used GAD D-150ce after the theft of my Martin D-28. I'll probably replace the Martin at some point, but I've been more than pleased with the Guild, and it's my primary gig guitar now. I have to fly for a gig in October, and have been watching Craigslist for a deal on a travel case. Today I tried to purchase a Gator travel case in brand new condition, but, the D-150 was too large to fit in the case.

So, two questions:

1. Are Guild dreadnoughts known to be larger than their counterparts from Martin/Taylor/etc?
2. Anybody know of a travel case that would fit? I'm pretty sure the D-150 is built to the same specs as the D-50, so I'd welcome input from you folks with real Guilds (lol).

Thanks in advance to anyone that cares to chime in...
 

Rich Cohen

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Good advice geoguy. However, airline baggage handlers can be insensitive to the obvious delicacy of a guitar in transit through their system. I would recommend Mr. Toad to continue looking for a hardened case for travel via airlines. There are a number of them out there.
Rich
 

dreadnut

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As for the scumbag who stole your Martin D-28 - may the fleas of a thousand camels infest his armpits.
 

adorshki

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So, two questions:

1. Are Guild dreadnoughts known to be larger than their counterparts from Martin/Taylor/etc?
I'd never heard of that before and was tempted to just jump in and say "No" yesterday, now I'm thinking that if that was the case (so to speak); I'd have heard of it long ago.
I'm about 99.8% sure the problem is an inaccurate description of the Gator case rather than an oddball size for the Guild dreadnoughts.

2. Anybody know of a travel case that would fit? I'm pretty sure the D-150 is built to the same specs as the D-50,
Yes. Any variation would be fractions of an inch, and likely only in body depth if that.
Just to corroborate your perceptions.
Other guys have already offered insights into the durability considerations.
As for the scumbag who stole your Martin D-28 - may the fleas of a thousand camels infest his armpits.
I would suggest even more painful locations.
But maybe not out loud, here.
 
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Airline travel is tricky--automated baggage-handling systems are very tough even on conventional hard cases and murder on anything less sturdy. About the only handler-proof case is going to be a $1200 flight case (Calton or Hoffee), though the less-bulletproof Hiscox cases have their fans.

My approach is to never put a guitar through checked baggage but (if I can't actually carry-on) to gate-check it--and to use my sturdiest case. For dread-size guitars, that's a SuperCase (no longer available), and for classic/reso-size a Travelite polyfoam--they make a dread size (TL-50) as well, though all their cases are getting hard to find. Gator makes a rough equivalent, but I haven't seen one in person, so I don't know whether they're as sturdy as the Travelites.

Short of a Calton or Hoffee, I prefer foam cases over rigid-shell wood or molded designs--the foam absorbs shock better, though it's less crush-resistant than a good hardshell. My SuperCase is a hybrid design, with rigid top/back reinforcement for crush resistance, and I trust my archtop to it (though I also remove the bridge, just in case).
 

txbumper57

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I'm sure you can find a flight case for a Guild Dread for less than $1200 if we are talking about the square style that has the butterfly latches and aluminum edges with the foam insert cutout for the guitar like amp flight cases and such. You could probably pick up a used one for a couple of hundred bucks if you look hard enough in great shape. I would think that the Guild dreads are very similar in size to other Dreads. The only difference I would see is the depth if your guitar had an Arched back which a GAD D150 or a Guild D50 do not.

Here is the link to an Anvil case that sold for an idea of what I am talking about. Anvil is one of the top of the line road cases made.

https://reverb.com/item/993527-anvil-acoustic-guitar-flight-case

Here is the link to a Pro Stage Gear Road case. You could cut your own Form fitting foam to insert into it made to your specific guitar shape and save a bunch of money. Just an Option.

https://reverb.com/item/15430050-psg-acoustic-guitar-road-flight-case

You could also get either of those companies being Anvil or PSG (or any others for that matter) to make you a Brand New case with the foam cut to your specs as well.

When I was touring I had two Road cases for my Guitars, One for two acoustics and one for my two electrics I would carry with me on the road. Honestly it is the safest way for them to travel that I have found as I never had any issues with damaged guitars whether I was flying and checking them or carrying them on the bus or in the trailer.

Best of Luck!

TX
 
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Guildedagain

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But maybe not out loud, here.

I believe Karnac the Magnificent would say "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your crotch", which I think covers everything ;)))

I used to do side jobs for this old fixture in town, Grant L., he owned "Antique Auto Ranch" on Dollar Rd. Old time fiddler, and a nudist... odd combo, but whatever, you know like when you're working on a 1920 Dodge Bros truck and some 80 year old and his slightly younger (but not much) female companion would walk around completely starkers in his secluded back yard with a dream shop complete with overhead trolley/electric hoist.

So Grant had a D28, at the time acoustics weren't of that much interest to me. Him and his identical twin brother Clair (not a nudist, but a two by two*) were both high echelon old time fiddlers in this area, going back to the mule team logging days of N. Idaho.

*Religion.

Clair owned L's Violins and they went to every old time fiddle contest in a Orange/Mustard 70 something VW Camper Van which I repaired on lonely roadsides here and there. The VW Van had been how I met them, a 16 yr grandkid had busted the stud that holds the sump screen attempting an oil change (remember, lefty loosie), which would normally require someone to pull the motor to fix, but they were heading out to "Wieser" and I McGuyvered it, and I got a job with these two guys for life. I was on the violin shop payroll 40hrs a week for keeping their family selective logging operation in the hills going with a 1953 D69U, and similar vintage IHC D-6, plus old trucks, that the same grandkid rolled in front of the whole family on the way to a wedding driving up in Sandpoint.

One day, while Grant was having lunch in the kitchen, getting ready to go to one one the "revivals" he always wanted to me to come play, he watched some ahole steal the guitar out of his car, chased him on foot, well he was 80 and the guy got away.

But the real heartbreak was every song he'd ever scribbled on a note of paper was in that case.

How I wish I could watch him play now.


RIP Grant, and Clair.
 
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CocoaPicker

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1. Are Guild dreadnoughts known to be larger than their counterparts from Martin/Taylor/etc?

When I bought my Westerly D55 used at GuitarCenter, it was sold without a case. I asked the salesman if they had one to fit it, so he brought out their standard-issue, no-name dread case. It fit in the width and length dimensions, but the guitar was a bit too thick for the lid to close. He wound up giving me a tattered and frayed TKL case that fit it like a glove, no charge. I’m guessing it was the case that came in with the guitar, which was also pretty tattered and frayed until fixit went to work on it. I digress, but it’s a data point on your size question, if a vague one. Just make sure you try before buying, or buy from someone with a good return policy. Good luck!
 
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Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful replies! I can't justify spending big money for a flight case, since I almost never fly for gigs. I'm leaning toward not taking the Guild, and instead buying a soundhole pickup for one of my Japanese Martin-knock-offs, and just gate-checking it per Russell's suggestion. I doubt that anyone in the audience will know the difference anyhow, and let's face it, shopping for a pick-up would be much more fun than shopping for a road case :)

Thanks also for the bad-karma wishes toward the Martin thief. The police have the serial number, I keep hoping that it'll find its way back to me...
 

adorshki

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But the real heartbreak was every song he'd ever scribbled on a note of paper was in that case.
Funny you should mention that , when my Fender F-210 was stolen it was the lyrics in-process and some finished lyrics that music hadn't manifested itself for yet, that were the REAL losses.
I liked my F-210 well enough but at least the theft led to me shopping for my first true US-built "lifetime keeper", the D25.
But a couple of those poems were never gonna get faithfully recreated.
 

jgmaute

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I really like the Godin TRIC cases. I usually fly Southwest if I'm not driving so I can carry my guitar on however I have checked guitars in a Godin TRIC case with no damage. You might want to check it out, they are sold by many dealers, here's a link to one on Sweetwater's site. and you can always give them a call with questions.
 

davismanLV

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I really like the Godin TRIC cases. I usually fly Southwest if I'm not driving so I can carry my guitar on however I have checked guitars in a Godin TRIC case with no damage. You might want to check it out, they are sold by many dealers, here's a link to one on Sweetwater's site. and you can always give them a call with questions.
Joan, haven't heard from you in a while. How have you been?

Musicians Friend had standard dread cases on sale last week. You might check with them. But it's just a regular case. Nothing fancy. Checking it would worry me a lot! Good luck!!
 

jfilm

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Just to add a bit about luck and the airlines, when I was in college I went back and forth from the US to England a few times, and put a Martin backpacker in its flimsy gig bag into a huge duffel bag, surrounded by clothes, and checked it - it was fine, there and back. Later I bought two dreadnoughts (at different times) over in London, and instead of selling them (which I should have done, they were cheap £90 guitars, a Yamaha F310 TBS and a Vintage V400), I wrapped them in clothes, stuffed them in their normal, padded gig bags, and handed them to the airlines to bring home. And yes, they both made it back in one piece. Of course, if the guitars were a bit more expensive, they probably would have been smashed to bits.
 
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6L6

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All of my dreads now live in HISCOX PRO II cases.

Very lightweight, VERY strong, and equipped with "D" rings to hook a strap onto. I've made many international flights with these and no guitar has ever had even a scratch. At around $300, you can't beat them.
 

Ardor13

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About a year ago, I purchased a used GAD D-150ce after the theft of my Martin D-28. I'll probably replace the Martin at some point, but I've been more than pleased with the Guild, and it's my primary gig guitar now. I have to fly for a gig in October, and have been watching Craigslist for a deal on a travel case. Today I tried to purchase a Gator travel case in brand new condition, but, the D-150 was too large to fit in the case.

So, two questions:

1. Are Guild dreadnoughts known to be larger than their counterparts from Martin/Taylor/etc?
2. Anybody know of a travel case that would fit? I'm pretty sure the D-150 is built to the same specs as the D-50, so I'd welcome input from you folks with real Guilds (lol).

Thanks in advance to anyone that cares to chime in...



I have a Mono case for my Electric 12'ers. I will probably get one for my Guild accoustic. A pro session guy who is a friend of mine swears by his Mono and mine has never let me down. Have not tried for accoustic, but I'd trust them. Other option is an SKB flight case. less likely to fit in an overhead, but get that if you have to check. Get the Mono if you are doing carry-on. They are safe to gate check, unless someone goes purely ape.
 

binod30

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Hey Mr. Toad:

Good day. You probably already have an answer to your question. If you want a soft case (ie Gator, TLK), Guild dreadnoughts will fit into a 12-string case. Longer headstock.
 
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