These days the beginner or starter guitars often come without a case. Or (if you’re lucky) they come with a cheap gig bag.
My first Yamaha in high school came with a inexpensive case. It was sort of a hardened cardboard. It had a felt lining and actually provided decent protection. I took lessons for a couple years and the guitar never got damaged traveling.
I had that guitar for ten years and the case was in good condition when I sold the guitar.
I haven’t seen a case like that in stores for at least 20 years.
What were they called? It was in between a hard shell and gig bag.
The higher end gig bags are pretty nice. I’d still prefer getting a case like I had before.
The hard shell cases in the 1970’s were different from today. My guitar tech refers to my 1976 Martin case as Samsonite Luggage. I have to admit it has that vibe. Awful pale blue color.
That’s a chipboard guitar case. I Googled that phrase and got listings back of some for sale.
They are decent for storage, but don’t offer a ton of protection, or seal the guitar from changes in humidity.
ETA: swampy did you see his link? He’s looking at an old-style 70’s case, not one of those space-age marvels. Those are great - I need to get them for my nicer guitars if I ever plan to travel with one. A cheaper-vs.-spaceage very protective case is by Hiscox, a UK brand: HISCOX CASES | MADE IN THE UK – Hiscox Cases Ltd
Chipboard. That’s the word I couldn’t remember. Thank you.
Nearly all the budget priced guitars used to come in those cases. I’m surprised anyone still sells chipboard cases. The Gator gig bag has really taken over the low end case market.
I like TKL. Very solid case. But man are they heavy.
Are the Calton and Hoffee cases lighter weight than TKL’s wood frame cases?
Huh. My Wife bought me a $900 Martin Guitar for x-mas and I believe it came with the type of case the OP linked to (perhaps she bought it separate, I’ll ask).
It may be a little nicer with storage for your picks and extra strings and stuff. Perfectly serviceable for me. It never goes on an airplane though.
My banjo case is the same. I can’t imagine that they are hard to find.
I bought my Takamine in 1984, and it came in a ‘cardboard’ case. There’s a little hatch underneath where the base of the neck sits, covering about a 3" x 4" compartment for picks, strings, etc.
Wordman, I was focusing more on the Samsonite blue Martin cases, and less on the chipboard case. I forgot about the Hiscox cases, in truth. It doesn’t make sense to put a $500 guitar in a $1000 case, unless you have sentimental value attached, but I look at some of the horror stories about airlines and guitars and I think sometimes it would be worth it if I traveled more. Most of my guitars came with a variation of those chip cases but made of thin plywood, for about $100. Better than a soft case or the chip case, but I still had nightmares putting it into the cargo area.
LOL! Hadn’t thought about these kinds of cases for a long time. When I upgraded my guitar (guess which kind?) in the late 70s from a Yamaha with a chipboard case, I was surprisingly excited about the upgrade of the case as well!
Heh, I still use a chipboard case. I play my guitarist’s '86 or so Precision, which has one as its transport. You can’t count on it to stay closed, but it absorbs about the same amount of impact as the gig bag that the backup bass travels in.
I have one of those in a jumbo. I had a 12 string Epiphone in the early 70’s and used that case. I had to add some foam padding to it to fill in around the guitar.
The Epiphone collapsed 30 years ago but the case (43 years old now) is still with me. Whenever my old Fender 12 string travels I use that case.
Yep, chipboard. Basic ones were bare cardboard inside. Some had a felt lining. Some had an thin pebble grain vinyl coating outside. I had one with a plush lining. All I’ve ever seen had a box with a flap in the neck for picks, capo, a set of strings, and a harmonica or tuning fork.
What do I win?