Reviewing instrument cases might seem like an odd move, but we've long held that the prices charged by some of the major instrument importers for 'official' cases (which sometimes amount to little more than flimsy compressed paper boxes) are exorbitant. Having discovered what seems to us like a better bet, we thought we should tell you about it.

Keith Calton, maker of Calton cases, has been around on the British scene for a number of years, during which time he's probably supplied the majority of British guitar and bass makers with fine quality housings for their products. Spend over £500 on a guitar (well over, sometimes) and the last thing you want is a cardboard box offering little or no protection to your irreplaceable custom instrument.

Two recent Calton samples that we've looked at came with British specialist-built instruments - one the weirdly-shaped Merlin bass, the other a more conventionally profiled accompaniment to the Thornbory electro-acoustic also reviewed in this issue. Both cases were beautifully made. For the outlandish Merlin bass, Keith had moulded an equally unusual fibreglass shell (finished in snowy white) which snugly housed the awkward angles of the Merlin and, even if the resulting shape was spectacular, it was immensely strong, fitted with a toughly fastened padded leather handle and - hard to believe though it may be - also provided a perfect balance.

The Thornbory's case was far more conventional in shape, but again needed to do a thorough job of protecting the fragile and immaculate instrument within. Lined with velvet over foam rubber, the textured case, fastened with excellent locking clasps and bearing that padded leather carrying handle, secured the guitar perfectly. Keith's use of fibreglass carries an extra benefit in that, should any damage occur to a case (and it would take a massive impact to shatter his GRP-with-tricks material), it can easily be repaired, and usually at a minimal cost.

For most guitars, mandolins, banjos, basses and so on, a Calton case is available as a standard design. An absolute minimum of 1/2" of foam rubber plus velvet is always present between the shell and the instrument, and the instrument's neck is, correctly, not supported from beneath (which encourages banana-shaped warps) but is protected side to side, as it should be. The fibreglass shells are also fitted with a sealing washer/ring, to ensure tight closure, and the cases are protected against scrapes with metal domes. A particularly nice feature is that, given time, the leather carrying handles actually mould themselves to the shape of your hand - something which plastic will never do.

More or less regardless of what stringed instrument you play there's a standard Calton case to fit, and musicians who can arrange to collect their cases in person can have the extra benefit of final adjustments 'on site'. Without going to the expense and unwieldiness of a metal flightcase, we reckon that the Calton cases we've seen (and quite a few have passed through our hands) are the finest of all. Combined with Keith's reputation for after-sales service we doubt if there's a better transportable case available. If you're buying a new instrument, or need a case for an existing one, we doubt if you could improve on these.

Prices From Around £60 Upwards

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