Which collision will break your instrument?
When a guitar, banjo or mandolin in a case is dropped, two collisions occur.
The first is the one you see, but unless the case is
pierced, crushed or ruptured, this is not the one that breaks the instrument.
The second
collision is the culprit, that is, the impact of the instrument striking the inside wall of
the case.
How can the second collision be prevented?
Use enough padding that is firm enough that the instrument
cannot move in ANY direction!
A properly made case interior
"PREWAR GRANADA SURVIVES 8 FOOT FALL IN PRICE CASE!!"
That could have been the headline in a Charleston newspaper....here's the story of what could have been disaster....
A well known professional mandolin player dropped his top end mandolin in an expensive fiberglass case onto a carpeted floor from
knee height and broke the scroll off the peghead. The case was unharmed.
One of the world's great banjo players had three necks broken on his prewar flathead Mastertone,
all while flying with a heavy plywood case covered with fiberglass, airtight, watertight, case
unharmed.....sadly, the padding inside the case was inadequate to hold the banjo immobile, and
allowed it a running start before it hit something stronger.
On the other hand, if sufficient padding of adequate firmness snugly encases the instrument, isolating
it from the hostile environment of the inside case wall, collision #2 can be prevented.
Ron Stewart
has flown several hundred times with his old RB-1 conversion in a Price fiberglass case, with no damage
to the banjo while in the case. Of course, there were the two episodes involving first a TSA zealot at an airport trying to pry
the resonator off with a screwdriver. which tore a chunk out of the flange.
Another TSA guy dropped the banjo on the concrete floor of the airport, which finished off the flange for
good (not good!) Ron, you need to call me about a flange.....
On the drawing board....plans for torture testing, dropping, all while the camera is running. Round tuit.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION, PLEASE BEAR WITH US!!
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© Price Fiberglass Cases
P O Box 1115
Jones OK 73049
405 396-8343