Modding a case for my new headless guitar

Flip · April 2022

I've recently completed a mod to a very inexpensive headless guitar that's resulted in a very satisfactory instrument. Now I have to do something about a case. It's supplied with a gig bag that, even given the modest price, is barely a token. Naturally buying a stock decent third party gig bag is well-nigh impossible. Instead, I've bought a gig bag for a 49-key synthesiser that has the right dimensions.

I now need to source a block or blocks of firm but workable foam in which I can cut a cavity for the instrument to sit within.

My question to the forum is how firm/malleable/heavy (those seem to be the variants to be considered) should the foam be and where am I recommended to buy it? It's about 900x350x100mm internal.

Many thanks in advance.

steamabacus · April 2022

I can't really say what exact type of foam to go for but I can recommend efoam.co.uk

I've used them for stiff acoustic foam. And they'll cut to size too.

Roland · April 2022

Would something like this do the job https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/roc-cases-large-silver-flight-case-with-foam-insert-l680xw300xh190mm

Flip · April 2022

steamabacus said:

I can't really say what exact type of foam to go for but I can recommend efoam.co.uk

I've used them for stiff acoustic foam. And they'll cut to size too.

Thanks, steamabacus - I've posted a request for a quote.

Flip · April 2022

Roland said:

Would something like this do the job https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/roc-cases-large-silver-flight-case-with-foam-insert-l680xw300xh190mm

Thanks for the suggestion Roland; if I had two headless guitars it might be a starter but unfortunately it's a little too generously proportioned.

ICBM · April 2022

How about a child's-size classical gig bag? Should be about the right length but wide enough around the body.

Flip · April 2022

ICBM said:

How about a child's-size classical gig bag? Should be about the right length but wide enough around the body.

Thanks for the suggestion. You'd have thought so, but as the manager of PMT in Manchester discovered, the headless body size and shape prevent it from fitting in a standard Les Paul fitted case.

The instrument actually comes in a lightly padded gig bag cut to size; my objective now is to find a rectangular case/bag into which I can fit a couple of slabs of high-density foam with the guitar shape cut out of one of them so the instrument is better protected than merely by padding.

BillDL · April 2022

Finding a case that is the right size has been my problem after lengthy searching. Your guitar is 810mm x 312mm x 44mm. I have found ABS firearms cases at very good prices with eggshell foam that could easily be substituted for hard foam cut out for the guitar, but finding one that has enough width usually ends up being excessively long, and finding one that is much neater in length usually results in one that isn't wide enough. For example:

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-gun-bags-hard-cases-and-covers

Roland · April 2022

When I get a round tuit, and find the metal corners I bought about 10 years ago, I’m going to make a guitar case.

Flip · May 2022

Following an exchange of emails yesterday with G4M when they accepted that their initial email had led to the misunderstanding that precipitated the problem, they made a positive gesture and despatched a second gig bag to replace the first that they'd recalled from the carrier. That was just delivered and will I think be almost ideal. I'm nitpicking but because the bag is soft whatever padding I use will have to be firmer than might have been used inside a hard-walled case.

Assuming that works (and I'm waiting on a response from e-foam), I think I shall end up with an inexpensive but effective solution to my original need.

Flip · May 2022

Roland said:

When I get a round tuit, and find the metal corners I bought about 10 years ago, I’m going to make a guitar case.

I imagine you'll be faced with the same decision I have been, balancing the weight of the construction with its portability - with the value of the instrument inside against the cost of the case as a second consideration.

Roland · May 2022

Yep. Which is why I bought a rack case for my AxeFX, which I can’t fix, but will make one for the headless guitar. If disaster happened I could make a new guitar from the parts.

DartmoorHedgehog · May 2022

I made a hard case for a weird-shaped guitar I built a few years ago out of some plywood and some straight wooden batons. Inside is cut from a sheet of 2" polystyrene insulation left over from some building work, then covered with some hairy cloth (repurposed from a Captain Caveman costume

) . It works really well, but it's pretty heavy because I just used what I had to hand, so it's 9mm ply for the top and bottom - would be better with half that thickness really.

Flip · May 2022

Thanks for your thoughts - given the excellence of your recent winner I'm almost surprised you ended up making a case and not a piano!

My present concern is whether the foam stuff I've ordered from eFoam will be strong enough to hold the shape - there's not a huge space around the extremities of the instrument. I'm hoping that the fluffy lining (I don't have a caveman costume to hand) will help hold the structure. If it needs help I'm planning to buy some strips of lightweight plastic and insert them in the sides of the bag to improved the structure. As you observed weight is a serious concern.

DartmoorHedgehog · May 2022

I think if I'd used thinner ply for the top and back of the case I made then it wouldn't have been any heavier than a normal rectangular wooden guitar case like Fender etc use. It's only heavy because I used the unnecessarily thick ply just because I already had it (but you could probably jump up and down on the case and not damage it!)
If I'd made it tapered rather than rectangular I could have saved even more weight (in fact I keep thinking about modifying it but haven't been bothered yet because of the hassle of having to remove and refit the lining - it's all staple-gunned to the wood).
But I reckon for a lightweight solution you'll probably be fine with your keyboard bag and foam. I have heard of people making fitted case linings by wrapping the instrument in cling film or polythene, putting it in the empty case, and filling the gaps with expanding insulation foam. Usually for more complicated-shaped instruments like saxophones rather than guitars, but it might be worth a go if the foam you've got isn't protective enough.

Flip · May 2022

Flip said:

steamabacus said:

I can't really say what exact type of foam to go for but I can recommend efoam.co.uk

I've used them for stiff acoustic foam. And they'll cut to size too.

Thanks, steamabacus - I've posted a request for a quote.

I took your advice - many thanks. Although I was thrown a bit when 'Charlie' turned out to be a lady, (but that's probably an age thing anyway) the company's service, help and prices were spot on. Highly recommended.

DartmoorHedgehog · May 2022

Flip said:

I was thrown a bit when 'Charlie' turned out to be a lady,

Ha - unisex names... We've got a customer where I work who have a Patsy and a Bernie. Patsy is a bloke (Patrick) and Bernie is a woman - confused me for ages

Flip · May 2022

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Modding a case for my new headless guitar

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