crunchee Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Stratacus' No Doubt road case finds reminded me of something that's been bugging me for the last few years...back in the day, if you got a Hamer guitar with an original, traditional hardshell Hamer logo'd case, it was made in Canada by TKL, and you could tell where it came from by the little tab on the case accessory pocket. If you had an older Hamer with the original Hamer case, it might not have a TKL logo (though it was probably still made by TKL) on the tab, but it WOULD have a 'Case Made In Canada' mark on the tab. In the last few years, I've noticed that 'traditional' plywood construction hardshell guitar cases that come with new Gibson guitars that USED to be labeled as being made by TKL in Canada AREN'T anymore...nowadays, they just have a 'Gibson' logo embossed on the compartment tab, and no indication on where it was made. I've also noticed some newer, traditional-styled plywood TKL-labeled aftermarket hardshell cases up for sale that kinda look like the older cases, but don't have 'Made in Canada' (or anywhere else, for that matter) markings inside. Fender also made changes for their 'traditional' plywood guitar cases in the last few years, when they introduced the 'Pro Series' cases...from the outside, they more-or-less look like the older USA-made Fender G&G guitar cases, but inside they have two accessory compartments, with a channel through the middle of the case for cradling the guitar neck, and also no indication of where they were made inside or outside the case. Traditional-style G&G plywood cases for Fender have a more traditional-configured interior (one accessory compartment with the guitar resting inside the case at an angle) and have a metal plaque riveted inside the case that tells you that it's a Made-In-USA G&G case. Maybe I'm nit-picking, but I'm not convinced that the non-USA, non-Canada-labeled cases that I suspect are made overseas (China?) are in the same league quality-wise as the older, USA/Canada-made cases. I'm also not happy that these more recent 'mystery'-sourced cases seem to be priced as least as much as what the older USA/Canada-made cases used to be...and this was true long before any talk about tariffs on imported goods. Anybody have any pro- or con- insights about these newer, 'mystery' sourced guitar cases, and can you tell the difference performance and durability-wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratacus Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 It appears TKL still manufactures some guitar cases in the USA and Canada. Per the TKL website, the Vectra molded polymer cases are made in the USA, and the LTD and Premier “wood” covered cases are still made in Canada. If you sort the product listing by price, it shows the USA Vectra series are the most expensive, followed by the Canadian built LTD and Premier series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchee Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Thanks for the info! I didn't think of looking at their website, that's good to know! Usually, manufacturers aren't that forthcoming about where their stuff is made...unless of course it's made in USA or Canada. I'm not a fan of the molded polymer cases though, so that could save me some significant money by skipping them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shark Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I love G&G... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchee Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 1 minute ago, The Shark said: I love G&G... So do I, but I'm not spending over $150 for a used case, especially when they used to be bought on Ebay for under $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Custom Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 20 minutes ago, crunchee said: So do I, but I'm not spending over $150 for a used case, especially when they used to be bought on Ebay for under $100. I stoped buying bread when it went over $1 per loaf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shark Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I don't really buy cases. They come with the guitars I purchase... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy p Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 TKL makes some cases less than 5 miles from me in Oilville, VA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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