Clara Hardcase Options

Kibes37

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Clara Hard Case Options

I was searching other past threads for info on hard cases for the Clara concert. I was wondering if anyone has any 2019 suggestions. Didn’t find much in other threads. Sorry, if this a repetitive post. Thanks for any info.
 
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I haven't tried it myself, but it is my understanding that the Ohana UCP-24 concert pineapple case will fit the Clara.

I think that Mim's ukes has some in stock. She also might just know if the Clara fits.
 
I have the Ohana concert pineapple case - fits Clara perfectly
 
Although not perfect (because of space for upper bout) a Crossrock ABS Concert hard-shell is a good "drop in" snug but not too snug and zero movement. Ohana and Kala ABS concerts also work fine.
 
I got an Ohana pineapple case advertised as “fitting the Clara” and the case is terrible. If you turn it sideways or upside down the Uke flops hard inside. Pissed me clean off. Best hard case option I’ve found, but crap. The case is low quality too. I got it from Mim, who I don’t hold responsible. I would do business with her again. She was nice and shipped it fast. However, In my opinion it should not be advertised as fitting the Clara. I’m going to have to stuff it with microfiber cloth or something. Super lame of Blackbird not to include a custom case. All Uke companies that produce Ukes 1k and up should look closely at Anuenue.
 
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Although not perfect (because of space for upper bout) a Crossrock ABS Concert hard-shell is a good "drop in" snug but not too snug and zero movement. Ohana and Kala ABS concerts also work fine.

I got the Crossrock ABS case and the Clara did not fit at all. The body of the case was way too small. Returned to Amazon. My Clara came with a really nice, well padded Gator bag. Since I don’t need to humidify the Clara, I don’t need a hard case. For airline travel, I got a Reunion Blues Continental semi-hard case that works perfectly, with a little extra padding to snug up the fit of the non-traditional Clara body. For kayaking/camping this summer, the Gator bag should be just fine.
 
I got an Ohana pineapple case advertised as “fitting the Clara” and the case is terrible. If you turn it sideways or upside down the Uke flops hard inside. Pissed me clean off. Best hard case option I’ve found, but crap. The case is low quality too. I got it from Mim, who I don’t hold responsible. I would do business with her again. She was nice and shipped it fast. However, In my opinion it should not be advertised as fitting the Clara. I’m going to have to stuff it with microfiber cloth or something. Super lame of Blackbird not to include a custom case. All Uke companies that produce Ukes 1k and up should look closely at Anuenue.

I have one coming from Mim soon, although she did say that she cannot comment on the fit of a Clara. I'm not concerned about a loose fit because it's easy enough to put some padding in there. Have you ever seen cases that come with padded inserts? Clever idea. Take a piece of thin foam and cover it with matching case liner.

Someday, I'm going to do this, but I have to find a uke/case combination that justifies it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRfFB3Pz3o
 
My Clara came with a really nice, well padded Gator bag.

I don't like gig bags - probably not rational, but I like more protection. I have a pile of bags that have been replaced with hard cases. I've noticed that the Glarry is very popular. It's cheap - $25-$30 - but it's still a hard case, and it comes in yellowish and black. My most expensive case is an Ameritage tenor, which cost $250, but it came free with a uke, and that was probably a mistake made by the salesman.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N48I96I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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I have one coming from Mim soon, although she did say that she cannot comment on the fit of a Clara. I'm not concerned about a loose fit because it's easy enough to put some padding in there. Have you ever seen cases that come with padded inserts? Clever idea. Take a piece of thin foam and cover it with matching case liner.

Someday, I'm going to do this, but I have to find a uke/case combination that justifies it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRfFB3Pz3o

The case does work for me cause it just lives in my closet. If I want to take it somewhere in the future it’s no good. The case padding is very minimal and cheap. I don’t want to spend $80 and have to add padding. I hope it works well for you Jerry. Just wanted to let you know with time to return.

By the way, I can’t stand gig bags too. Hard cases are the only way in my Uke world.
 
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The Gator bag is a step up from most gig bags in terms of padding/protection. I was on the fence about just using it for my airline flight from Utah to Florida last month. I wanted something with backpack straps for "hands-free" carry. In the end, I decided that the Gator wasn't quite enough for the overhead bin on an airplane. I got the Reunion Blues Continental which is a hybrid between a padded gig bag and hard shell, and it has the stow away backpack straps.

I did try the Crossrock zippered ABS case first. It has D-rings that I could have attached backpack shoulder straps to. However, the inside dimensions of the case were no where near a fit for the Clara. The Clara body would not fit inside the case at all. I have returned several cases to Amazon recently that had real life dimensions that didn't match the dimensions listed on their Amazon page.

Except the Clara, my other ukes live in hard cases in my office. Mainly because I live in a dry climate and have to humidify. They are lined up, standing against a dresser, and the cases protect if they get knocked over. I use gig bags when I take them out of the house to play, because I'm almost always carrying a lot of stuff and the gig bags have back pack straps. Gig bag on my back, hands full of gear. However, if it's snowy and icy out, I'll stay with the hard cases. I have a vision of me slipping and falling and landing on a uke.
 
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The case does work for me cause it just lives in my closet. If I want to take it somewhere in the future it’s no good. The case padding is very minimal and cheap. I don’t want to spend $80 and have to add padding. I hope it works well for you Jerry. Just wanted to let you know with time to return.

By the way, I can’t stand gig bags too. Hard cases are the only way in my Uke world.

I'll let you know what I decide to do with after it arrives.
 
I have a Clara and found that the larger sized concert hard cases fit it great. I had 2 that worked perfectly. Could be convinced to let the brown one go (brown interior). Here's some pics.
 

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