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Topic: Anybody using Pelican gun case for steel? |
David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 3 Jul 2012 6:19 pm |
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| I just got a MSA SuperSlide in a soft case, and it looks like the cut-out foam from there would go into a Pelican 1700 hard case just peachy. Any experience with this? The Pelicans have wheels, waterproof, squish proof etc. and I've just can't abide with gig bags and soft cases and the like - I've seen a few too many disasters. |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Posted 3 Jul 2012 6:55 pm WE use them for my Personal - non replaceable Steel Guitars
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Both of My personal 10,000 dollar D8's and my S8 Single Personal all sleep in 1700 series Pelican's
I paid an upholstery shop to do custom Crushed Velvet on Camera Foam interiors.
They also have air purge for going beyond the stratosphere in altitude. When you return to sea level it is needed to be able to open them.
Hope This Helps.
_________________
GeorgeBoards S8 Non Pedal Steel Guitar Instruments
Maker of One of a Kind Works of Art that play music too.
Instructional DVDs
YouTube Channel |
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Terry P. Miller
From:
Vancouver, Washington, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2012 10:23 am
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I have used one for several years. I'm not sure of the exact #, but it houses my West Coast D-8.
I had Bob Littleton line the inside, and I think you could drop it out of a second story window with no damage.
It is, however,very heavy. When loaded with the steel and 4 legs it weighs more than 40 pounds.
So far as the wheels are concerned,they are quite small and I didn't find them very useful.
All in all, it makes for a very good heavy duty case.
Terry |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2012 12:55 pm
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The Pelican 1700 case is a good one for steel guitars, but another alternative is this case from Cabela's:
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/largeImagePopup.jsp?productId=1318398&cImage=s7_231098_999_01
It has the same features as the Pelican, airtight, watertight, purge valve, three piece foam inserts, wheels, etc. but it's slightly wider and deeper. The main difference is that it has rotary latches like the ones used on road or flight cases, and the side handle also folds down. It was a better fit for my D8 plus a leg bag, and a little cheaper than the Pelican. |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 8 Jul 2012 9:16 am
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| Cabela's also sells the Pelican, but at $229.99. I'm seeing them elsewhere for $185- $195. I dunno - Cabela's own case come in black only, and the Pelican also comes in desert tan and even olive drab - that and a few Grateful Dead stickers oughta keep 'em guessing. |
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Pit Lenz
From:
Cologne, Germany
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Posted 8 Jul 2012 11:21 am
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Hi David,
Here`s what I got me for a fly date last year:
I purchased a Storm 3100 Case, originally designed to transport guns, too.
Lifetime guarantee, watertight, good quality inline wheels, six lockable latches and two big rubber-padded handles.
I got some scrap pieces of professional foam from the bin of a local casemaker and built a snugly fitting interior for my Sho~Bud Pro-I.
Just like in Jerry`s case, the body rests on a support for the endplates and the woodden structure.
The changers, tuners and the delicate undercarriage parts are floating free from the half inch padding by another half inch (if the case drops and the rigid foam support has to absorb the shock).
Nothing moves in there, I can shake it as much as I want.
United won`t break MY guitar! 
The overall weight is 22Kg (48lb). This case is smaller, lighter and much sturdier than the original case that came with my guitar!
Another aspect to ease my mind is that I don`t have to worry anymore about having the old case`s tolex torn apart when the guys of my band pack the car and drag something across my case...
Here`s a couple of pictures.
 |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 8 Jul 2012 3:29 pm
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Well, I think the Pelican's rounding third base on a homer for a few reasons. One, the MSA SuperSlide comes in a "soft" case that consists of some sturdy pack nylon zipped around three layers of foam with exact cutouts for the guitar and stand. It's quite sturdy foam but the key is that the foam is 12" X 5" X 35", while the whole thing is 13" X 5.5" X 36". The interior of the Pelican case is 13.75" X 5.25" X 35.75"... and they sell them without foam for $25 or so cheaper. If I want to do a nice job, I can take the foam out of the soft case and with just a little more padding with foam, pack it nicely into the hard case. Or the quick version, I can just cram the whole thing in there. I'm also leaning towards the tan color. If I get a few chops up on the thing (even a half a chop) I'll drag it along to the summer fests, and they're always charmingly disorganized. A black plastic case sitting out in the hot sun, an aluminum paddle guitar...
It's probably all overkill, any way. The MSA neck is a four-inch slab of the epoxy laminated birch plywood like Dymondwood except this is all black, and the rest of it really is an aluminum paddle. Perfectly suited for kayaking, decapitating zombies or opening coconuts (depending on the neighborhood). I just get the willies when the concepts "soft", "gig bag" and "$1500 instruments" show up in the same brain cluster. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 9 Jul 2012 3:54 am
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David:
Here is an interesting candidate that I found following links posted here. It is smaller than the Pelican 1700 Long and less expensive $106 less 10% for first time customers- with free shipping that comes out less than $96.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/sportlock-leatherlock-deluxe-take-down-shotgun-case.html
You should actually look at the Pelican case in person because the interior dimensions do not factor in the ribs which give the case its strength. You could also see how their foam compares with the foam in the case you already have.
Amazon has a 1700 Long for $177.53 which includes free shipping. Only they call it a camera case with foam. They have a listing for a used Desert Sand one for $147 plus $15 s/h. They say is Like New but I wonder if the foam has already been cut. BTW the best way to cut the foam is with an electric carving knife. Mark the perimeter of the item with toothpicks and make your cuts a little bit smaller for a snug fit.
If you buy a used one make sure that it is a 1700 Long and not the discontinued 1700 model that does not have wheels or many of the other features of the newer ones. (I learned that the hard way- it sounded like such a good deal on eBay.)
My only complaint about Pelican is that they don't make cases in smaller sizes that might be a better fit for our various steel guitars. The 1700 Long is the perfect size for a Sho Bud Pro 1 S-10 (which is why I bought one- actually two because the first one was the old model and I really needed to have the wheels to cart around the Sho Bud.
To search for more cases in that general size look for "knock (or take) down shotgun cases" at Cabela's and other gun shop sites. Here is their Gun Guard Take Down Shotgun case ($89):
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Pat Haley
From:
Walker, LA USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2012 7:03 am
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| David, I use Storm/Pelican cases for my Sho-Bud Pro II custom and my Beard reso guitars. I like the cases for their durability and water proof abilities. I travel quite a bit and when I drive the cases go in the bed of my pick up truck. I have 3 cases bought in 2003 for luggage that have traveled all over the US and South Korea. They are in like new condition. If the airlines cannot destroy them I figure the are good cases. |
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