BEST hardshell case?

EricStetson

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Hey guys, I just got bestowed upon me a major uke upgrade, a Kanile'a KT-1, getting a fishman undersaddle pickup installed today and then its miiine. I'm looking for the best hardshell case out there because I fly a lot and gig around. Figured you guys would probably have an opinion...
 
Hey guys, I just got bestowed upon me a major uke upgrade, a Kanile'a KT-1, getting a fishman undersaddle pickup installed today and then its miiine. I'm looking for the best hardshell case out there because I fly a lot and gig around. Figured you guys would probably have an opinion...

The Ko'olau cases are excellent - I've got both my KoAloha's in those. I also recently bought a LoPrinzi that came w/a UkeCrazy hard shell case that actually came w/the previous owner's Mya-Moe.
 
Food for thought. What ever case you choose, just be sure it fits snug and secure inside it. NO movement at all. It's not the banging around of the case that does the most damage to instruments, it is the collision INSIDE the case that takes out a guitar, uke or other string instruments. I have seen total loss damage to an instrument that barely had a skuff on the outside of the case..

Just sayin..

that said, I have no idea what is best for travelers, I am sure someone will speak up.. But just wanted to spark that thought in choosing one..
 
Ameritage. It will cost you double the price of a Koolau but offer the best protection for the money, IMHO. I would not be afraid of it falling from the overhead to the floor. I'm confident the uke would be protected. The case offers a "floating" support that basically wraps around the edge of the bout so that there is no pressure on the bridge. This also locks the uke in place in the event the case is dropped head first. The uke will not be thrown to the top of the case causing headstock/neck damage.

Those Uke Crazy cases also offer good protection. The only concern with those is durability. I have a bunch of them but never use them because the zippers stick, the velcro strap separates, etc.

I have almost all of my ukes in Koolau cases which I use for home storage. However, although they are beautiful cases, my first choice would be the Ameritage (I have two of them.)
 
"Best" is suppose somewhat depends on what you're willing to pay.

The "Best out there" is probably Calton, which is what Jake uses. It would probably cost about the same as your Kanile'a.

After that I would say is Ameritage - gold series has a place for humidifiers, silver does not.

After that I personally like Ko'olau - which is what I carry MY Kanile'a in.

My work uke is in a Stagg hard case, the cheapest hard case I could find. Really, it's a great, snug fit, and I'm sure would do a fantastic job protecting the uke.
 
The UkeCrazy case I mentioned is not the formed-foam w/velvet lining, but an actual hardshell case similar to the Ko'olau cases. I've heard several people mention Ameritage, but haven't used one myself so can't attest to those for travel. I know a lot of people on UU use those as well as the Ko'olau's.
 
Ameritage cases are probably the best in terms of total protection. However, when i've traveled by plane with a ukulele, I've used a Kiwaya rectangular foam/canvas case because it's light weight (an Ameritage would be no fun to carry around the airport). I went to Taiwan with my Collings UC-1 and to Hawaii with my William King concert in that Kiwaya case as a carry-on item and had no issues. When at home, the Collings stay in the case it came with and the William King stays in a custom ordered Ameritage case.
 
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