[LUTE] Re: Hard shell lute cases for air travel
On Mon, Jun 15, 2009, angevin...@att.net said: So what I wonder is this. Does anybody know of a company Kingham seems to have a good share of the market with a sterling reputation from what I have seen over several decades. Makes cases for many makers, including David van Edwards. See the website for details, they encourage custom work. Mention themaker and model, they may have experience with it before; but also do the tracing thing as they detail. If you have a webpress printer handy (I not only do but used to work there) you can probably get a 'butt' for free; when the paper rolls get too small to use at the beginning of a job they are replaced by full rolls and trashed; take one away and you save them some landfill cost and have at least a few yards of blank newsprint - wide paper good for templates of all kinds, scribble paper for visiting children, sewing projects, full size drawings of lute parts...Rolls are used in a variety of widths, weights, and paper quality. Inquire at the back door, be patient, unless you are lucky and catch them at break you will be interupting work. http://www.guitarplans.co.uk/FindACase/Kingham/KinghamIndex.htm yes, they are in england, and their work is not inexpensive. Your cases first trip will be empty. Frankly, I would opt for horsehair over foam if allowed; less formaldehyde fumes (foam takes months to cure). An aluminum exterior is tougher than fiberglass, fiberglass is lighter, but doesnt pass the gorilla test. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Hard shell lute cases for air travel
Maybe I'm a belt and suspenders sort of person, due to my engineering background. But my lute(s) already HAVE Kingham cases. I'm looking for something way stronger and more sturdy. A year ago, when I last attempted to solve this problem, I even corresponded with them abit. They also make padded travel cases to go OVER the regular hard case. Can't remember if they have one for lute or not, but I don't see why it couldn't be done. But does anybody else out there really think that just a plywood case with a little foam on the inside is really enough to protect a fragile instrument in the hands of the airline baggage handlers Anybody out there who has actually successfully checked a Kingham case more than once and had it come out the other end OK? Suzanne -- Original message from dem...@suffolk.lib.ny.us: -- On Mon, Jun 15, 2009, angevin...@att.net said: So what I wonder is this. Does anybody know of a company Kingham seems to have a good share of the market with a sterling reputation from what I have seen over several decades. Makes cases for many makers, including David van Edwards. See the website for details, they encourage custom work. Mention themaker and model, they may have experience with it before; but also do the tracing thing as they detail. If you have a webpress printer handy (I not only do but used to work there) you can probably get a 'butt' for free; when the paper rolls get too small to use at the beginning of a job they are replaced by full rolls and trashed; take one away and you save them some landfill cost and have at least a few yards of blank newsprint - wide paper good for templates of all kinds, scribble paper for visiting children, sewing projects, full size drawings of lute parts...Rolls are used in a variety of widths, weights, and paper quality. Inquire at the back door, be patient, unless you are lucky and catch them at break you will be interupting work. http://www.guitarplans.co.uk/FindACase/Kingham/KinghamIndex.htm yes, they are in england, and their work is not inexpensive. Your cases first trip will be empty. Frankly, I would opt for horsehair over foam if allowed; less formaldehyde fumes (foam takes months to cure). An aluminum exterior is tougher than fiberglass, fiberglass is lighter, but doesnt pass the gorilla test. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Hard shell lute cases for air travel
All, I'm going through the same thing. Too many people are telling me that Kingham cases are no match for what the gorilla baggage-handlers can throw at them. I'm thinking of approaching guitar makers instead. My guitar is housed in a case made by a Canadian company called Calton, and it's the best guitar case I've ever seen. The only drawback is that for an archlute or theorbo, it could get heavy enough either to be difficult to carry or be too overweight for the airlines. Given the size of a theorbo or archlute and the bulk required of a case to protect it, I'm not sure if there is a way of getting around the problem. I'll let everyone know what I find out. Best, Graham Freeman On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 11:54 AM, [1]angevin...@att.net wrote: Maybe I'm a belt and suspenders sort of person, due to my engineering background. But my lute(s) already HAVE Kingham cases. I'm looking for something way stronger and more sturdy. A year ago, when I last attempted to solve this problem, I even corresponded with them abit. They also make padded travel cases to go OVER the regular hard case. Can't remember if they have one for lute or not, but I don't see why it couldn't be done. But does anybody else out there really think that just a plywood case with a little foam on the inside is really enough to protect a fragile instrument in the hands of the airline baggage handlers Anybody out there who has actually successfully checked a Kingham case more than once and had it come out the other end OK? Suzanne -- Original message from [2]dem...@suffolk.lib.ny.us: -- On Mon, Jun 15, 2009, [3]angevin...@att.net said: So what I wonder is this. Does anybody know of a company Kingham seems to have a good share of the market with a sterling reputation from what I have seen over several decades. Makes cases for many makers, including David van Edwards. See the website for details, they encourage custom work. Mention themaker and model, they may have experience with it before; but also do the tracing thing as they detail. If you have a webpress printer handy (I not only do but used to work there) you can probably get a 'butt' for free; when the paper rolls get too small to use at the beginning of a job they are replaced by full rolls and trashed; take one away and you save them some landfill cost and have at least a few yards of blank newsprint - wide paper good for templates of all kinds, scribble paper for visiting children, sewing projects, full size drawings of lute parts...Rolls are used in a variety of widths, weights, and paper quality. Inquire at the back door, be patient, unless you are lucky and catch them at break you will be interupting work. [4]http://www.guitarplans.co.uk/FindACase/Kingham/KinghamIndex.htm yes, they are in england, and their work is not inexpensive. Your cases first trip will be empty. Frankly, I would opt for horsehair over foam if allowed; less formaldehyde fumes (foam takes months to cure). An aluminum exterior is tougher than fiberglass, fiberglass is lighter, but doesnt pass the gorilla test. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:angevin...@att.net 2. mailto:dem...@suffolk.lib.ny.us 3. mailto:angevin...@att.net 4. http://www.guitarplans.co.uk/FindACase/Kingham/KinghamIndex.htm 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Hard shell lute cases for air travel
you can try Jiri Bednar in the czech republic http://www.ika.zrns.cz/catalog.eng/default.htm I have one of those for my archlute it works very well when flying. Good luck Patrik www.patrikkarlsson.se Its getting to be summer workshop season. I'm not going anywhere this year, but thinking ahead to next year. Air travel in the US has become nearly impossible, from what I can tell, at least on United, with a lute. Some people do it by only having a small 6 course lute that may fit in the overhead bin, whether its strictly legal or not. I've tried various things, including checking the lute in a custom built shipping crate, and also buying the lute a ticket (the airline's preferred option I'm sure.) The shipping crate is now large enough to invoke the oversize penalty fee, and if I'm not very careful how I pack it, maybe also the overweight penalty fee. I checked the United web site, and the current prices for these are $175 for over size, and $125 for overweight, and of course they are separate and you might be charged for both. Oh, and that's one way. That's a minimum of $350 for using my shipping crate, and a random ticket price for Cleveland (thinking LSA next summer) was around $400. Now the time I paid for a ticket for my lute, even though I called and booked through the United call center, they failed to give me/us bulkhead seats, which is a requirement when you are strapping in something like a lute case. And now, of course, to book directly through United costs an extra fee. :-( So what I wonder is this. Does anybody know of a company that will make custom fiberglass instrument cases, that might be able to make a lute case for checked baggage on the airlines? I have in mind the sort that you see cellos in that seem to be fiberglass on the outside, and custom shaped foam on the inside. Any thoughts? Suzanne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Hard shell lute cases for air travel
On Tue, Jun 16, 2009, Graham Freeman freeman.gra...@gmail.com said: All, I'm going through the same thing. Too many people are telling me that Kingham cases are no match for what the gorilla baggage-handlers can throw at them. not that kingham cases are shabby, far from it, just that those gorillas, are well practiced at what they do. Rock stars travel lots more than we do, and their electronic toys need protection just as much as their instruments. The casemakers for amps and other such have met the gorilla challenge head on and some of them have had success. look online for reviews. sorry, no personal experience. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
