A flight case for my Clinesmith Frypan

Steffen Gunter · Post by **Steffen Gunter** » 25 Aug 2023 10:07 am

I really love my guitar (8 A22 001) and I won't need any guitar for the rest of my life. Thank you, Todd, for this very special instrument. But every time I took it out for a gig with the gigbag I was afraid that I might damage it. Therefore I ordered a custom flight case at Thomann.

Today it arrived and everything is perfect. The guitar fits in perfectly. I could even take on a plane as checked baggage now without any worries.

Here are some photos:

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Stephen Cowell · Post by **Stephen Cowell** » 25 Aug 2023 7:31 pm

I'd find it hard to believe that you could damage that guitar... I have an Excel JB frypan that I could fight my way out of a bar with. Nice case.

Steffen Gunter · Post by **Steffen Gunter** » 25 Aug 2023 10:45 pm

The body itself seems to be indestructible, but when the car gets packed not perfectly with heavy stuff like our PA and other cases, the tuners could get bent, the stacked pot could get damaged or the horseshoe-PU could get pressed down. It all would be repairable but the guitar will be unplayable for some time ad that gig. Better not risk anything.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 25 Aug 2023 11:11 pm

I have a Clinesmith cast aluminum 8-string, and I agree that these aluminum steels is nearly indestructible. But I busted two tuners within a month on getting packed with other stuff in its original gig bag. I got a bunch of replacement tuners to keep in my gig bag for emergencies. But I still got a hard case for it - this one from Rondo Music - https://www.rondomusic.com/egclap.html. I had to carve it up inside to get it to fit, and it's still not a great fit. But on the other hand, I haven't broken any tuners in the 3-4 years since I got it.

Steffen - did Thomann carve up the foam for you or did you do that? If the former, I assume you had to give them very careful measurements? I deal with Thomann sometimes - the shipping to the US is not trivial, but usually better than I would have expected. Overall, I find them a good outfit to deal with, and I would ultimately prefer a better case for that particular Clinesmith.

Steffen Gunter · Post by **Steffen Gunter** » 26 Aug 2023 7:56 am

Dave, I chose the kind of case I wanted from the Thomann Case Factory (on their Website) and gave them my measurements. Then Tino from LT Cases - the company that builts the cases for Thomann -contacted me. He recommended some minor changes like carving the part under the neck in order to grab the guitar by the neck. And he said that 2 cm distance between guitar and case end on each side would be enough (I had planned 4 cm). Then he sent me pictures from his CAD model and I gave green lights. About 4 weeks later the case arrived and everything is perfect the way it is.

If you have a shortscale too you could tell them to use the same measurements. Or I could send you my drawings.

Perhaps you want to change the extra carvings in case you play a thicker bar (mine are for 3/4" bars).

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 26 Aug 2023 8:38 pm

Steffen - mine is the cast aluminum long-scale with Bigsby-style pickups, not the fry pan. But I'll contact them and see what they can do. I really want a better case for that steel.

Thanks.