I grabbed one of the GC tenor cases for $29.00. Overall, it's pretty good, better than the sticky lid soprano case from ebay and more protective than a padded gig bag.
The good: the Ohana tenor body fits fine on the sides. The case has about 1.5" of empty space between the headstock crown and the padding at the top of the case . I suppose it could have been a inch shorter, but no biggie. The lid is not sticky, and easily opens with one hand. Finally, it has 3 clasps, I don't like having only 2.
The bad: although the neck support rest seems to be in the correct spot, it seems it might be a bit higher than needed, with the highest spot of the uke, the nut, sticking about 7/8"above the rim of the lower case, with about 1/2" of empty space below the heel/body joint. You can rock the uke when pressing on the upper bouts. The bottom end of the uke sits about 3/4" below the rim of the case. However, when I close the lid, there is no excess pressure on the nut area, where the strip of soft material padding slopes down on the lid, with the padding touching only the strings, not the nut, headstock or tuner posts. Overall, I suppose that the case is probably just a bit too deep, measuring at 5 1/8" exterior dimension at both top and bottom, while this particular Ohana tenor is 2.75" deep at the bottom. I guess they make them deeper to accommodate as many different brands as possible.
So I think it may be ok. It seems that adding about 3/4" of extra fabric/padding below the lower bout area will balance things out, by raising the lower part of the uke slightly.
Hey, still a heckuva deal for $29.00. Anyone know where to get a piece of that black velour material, maybe 1" thick, to add below the lower bout area in this case?
