Cases for ukuleles

I've been trying to find a case for our old Harmony bari. Sam Ash had a hard foam case for a bari, but it wouldn't fit. We got a cheap gig bag, but that's all I can find.
Also, we have a Kamaka 8 string tenor, which is in a padded gig bag, which I don't trust with an instrument that expensive. Where can I find hard cases for a ukes like these?

Nickie said:

I've been trying to find a case for our old Harmony bari. Sam Ash had a hard foam case for a bari, but it wouldn't fit. We got a cheap gig bag, but that's all I can find.
Also, we have a Kamaka 8 string tenor, which is in a padded gig bag, which I don't trust with an instrument that expensive. Where can I find hard cases for a ukes like these?

Click to expand...

Kamaka has its own cases made for its 8-string tenors. Perhaps they'd be willing to sell you one of those cases. Alternatively, I think a Kamaka 8-string tenor might fit into this Oahu hard case available at The Ukulele Site (Hawaiian Music Supply).

I'm afraid I can't help with your Harmony baritone as I don't know what the dimensions are for that ukulele, but Oahu makes a baritone hard case with the following specifications:

upper bout- 8" or 20.3cm
bottom bout- 10" or 25.4cm
length- 32.5" or 82.5cm
headstock- 5" or 12.7cm

I have a concert and soprano version of this, they're great cases for the money...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/musicians-gear-baritone-ukulele-case

I just received my Gator case for my KPK tenor. Other than a scratch on the top that I believe was done during shipping it is perfect.
The Four latches are strong and look like they will take some abuse. The front latch is keyed if you feel that you need to lock it up. The handle is leather and seems like it will also hold up. There is brown leather like material that goes around the lid opening which matches the handle. The lid opens enough to keep it open when you load or unload your uke.
To make it even better it comes with a shoulder strap also.
The interior is blue and very soft with adequate padding. My KPK tenor cutaway fits in like a glove with no slop at all. The neck is well supported and plenty of head room. There is an internal storage space with lid that fits my tuner, slide, picks and strap. There is also room under the neck and head where you can store a cleaning towel too.
The case even has "feet" on the bottom side and all the hardware is antique bronze giving a kind of vintage look with the burlap cloth material covering the case.
As an added bonus for "Gator" fans...it even has a bronze "Gator" metal tag next to the handle.
The weight is just around 5 pounds but seems to be built like it is 100 pounds.
I would not hesitate stowing this in the overhead compartments on a plane but would never consider checking any instrument to the care of baggage handlers unless it was made of high impact material like those used for expensive photography equipment and even then think twice.
It was a toss up between the Crossrock ABS ($89) and the Gator.
I personally liked the more vintage look of the Gator and feel like I made the right choice for me. Hey and it was $10 cheaper than the Crossrock! $79 for the tenor with free shipping (pretty cheap insurance in my opinion).
Just a note....If I put a dish towel to pad the body end I would not hesitate to use it to transport my Epiphone Les Paul concert either.
There is also a lifetime warranty if one should need it which suggests these are made to last.

Just make sure you compare the dimensions of your bari with the case - see what mds725 wrote above. Most case listings give the inside dimensions. I've been watching this one for my Alida tenor jazz uke. The lower bout is way too large for a tenor case. I think the Harmony would look cool in this retro-looking brown gator case. Kala cases are on par with Ohau. There are cheaper bari cases out there though....some nice yellow tweed ones if you like them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400760660776?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Here's a decent Stagg gold tweed case from Butler for $59.90 and free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stagg-Gold-...846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b045115fe

Gordon Mayer with Mya Moe did a really good video discussing his trials at finding the best cases for their custom instruments. He makes several good points on how to best protect the instrument. I think it will help you decide which case will serve you best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U04_XIWzM94

They finally had custom cases made for their ukes. Unfortunately they do not sell the cases separately.

One big design feature of their custom cases is a slight recess in the padded lid of the case to eliminate pressure on the bridge. Some cases. Some cases have actually have a pad right over the bridge, and the bridge is a very delicate part of the instrument. The recess they built into their cases protects the bridge in the event of an impact against the outside of the lid surface.

Good luck!

Rick Turner mentioned recently that he has seen some stringed instruments cracked or broken in a certain pattern just below the nut when the cases they're in land hard on their backs. He described it as a sort of whiplash, where, if the case has a neck support thing near the headstock, the headstock continues to move through space backward after the case has come to a sudden stop by hitting the ground, and the neck stresses at the point of the neck rest. He suggested that if your case doesn't have any headstock support but it does have a neck rest near the top of the neck, consider placing something, like a cloth or a sock, behind the headstock that would support the headstock the way headrests support heads in car crashes.

Nickie said:

I've been trying to find a case for our old Harmony bari.

Click to expand...

Most bari cases are meant to hold newer, 20" scale baris. I have an older-style 19" bari, and after I long time searching I found a bari player at the Port Townsend Uke fest with this:



http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-CG-044-UB-Vintage-Hardshell-Baritone/dp/B001BNTQG4/

It's the best I've been able to find. Dimensions are here: http://guardiancases.com/cg044.html

It fits my bari comfortably (ie., not 2-3 inches of unnecessary space above the head), and yet even fits my 20" Kala bari just fine.

Case quality isn't going to win any craftsmanship awards. Made in China, the body is fine, inside lining is fine, latches are a little gaudy, and the handle is wrapped in thick leather which looks/feels ugly, but is secure so far.

What do you mean by "it wouldn't fit". Was the instrument too big or too small for the case? The polyfoam cases are pretty big. If the instrument is too big for that then you well may have a tenor guitar. Not a baritone ukulele.

Also 8 string tenor ukulele specific cases are available. They have more headstock room than a regular tenor ukulele case.

Anthony

Anthony, the uke was too big for the case. It is a bari, and not a tenor guitar. It has friction tuners, which make the headstock, in effect, narrower, but since they stick out the back, the uke may rest too high. My Ohana which has friction tuners does not like being in one of my caeses, it's shallow and knocks the uke outta tune.

OK, so the baritone uke does fit in the case lengthwise, its just that the headstock sits too high in the case and you want a deeper case. Is this correct?

I'm not sure what to recommend but if everyone knows exactly what the issue is then someone will be able to give you good advise.

Anthony

if it sits too high at the head, you can unscrew the neck support and cut some off the bottom. the made in china ones are just styro with some thin plywood and are easily modified with a razor knife. I haVE HAD TO DO THAT WITH A FEW OF THE CHEAP musicians friend cases. they are not a BAD CASE FOR $40 and so far seem to hold up well.