Thomann Western Guitar Case

I bought this case to transport my guitar to France from the UK by coach; the total journey will consist of two changes of coach, a tram commute, a long train journey, and two taxi rides. My main criterion was that it didn't have to be fancy, it just needed to work.

The case arrived in super-fast time all the way from Germany to the UK in five working days (not including the day of purchase) ; I was very impressed with the delivery.

I was not impressed with the quality. Some of the clasps fit so loosely that you could pretty much knock them open. However, I told myself that this was a cheap case, so I could expect it not to be perfect, and I was prepared to tolerate the loose clasps because the two clasps on the front had a key-lock system that could keep them securely in place and hold the case closed. It turned out that this was not to be though, as one of the locks was actually faulty. When the key was turned, the 'teeth' on the locking mechanism wouldn't slot into the metal loops on the underside of the clasp to lock the clasp down, because they weren't aligned properly. With one working lock the case might still have managed to get my instrument abroad safely, but that consolation was eclipsed by the fact that my case was now technically faulty as well as inadequately manufactured for its intended purpose. I decided that enough was enough and set about drafting an email requesting a refund.

Thankfully I didn't have to go through the ordeal of demanding the refund, packaging the thing back up and carrying it all the way to the post office depot. My dad managed to save the day before the email got sent with the aid of a wrench and a small flathead screwdriver. He used these to bend the metal on the locking mechanism and the clasps.

I'm willing to accept that my case was extraordinary (no pun intended), and that there is risk involved in any online purchase. The vast majority of people who bought this guitar case do not seem to have had any problems at all of this kind. Also, this problem was nothing that couldn't be solved with a flathead screwdriver, a wrench and some DIY know-how. The question is whether you would consider the purchase to be worth the small risk of having to resort to these things.

EDIT: I want to add some comments to my original review. I've now owned this case for a couple of weeks. After just carrying it to rehearsals on two occasions it is now close to useless. The lid no longer fits the case properly and I have to use force to close it. The lid (or maybe the entire case) seems to have lost it original shape. The clasps on one side are now extremely tight. They can just barely be closed and only when using considerable force. The clasps on the other side are too loose to stay locked in the closed position.

I can NOT recommend this case. The construction is far too fragile. Very poor and I've adjusted my ratings accordingly.

My original review follows below:

I purchased this case because I needed a closed environment to keep an acoustic guitar humidified during the dry months. Basically just for storage in my studio. For this specific purpose this case will work fine.

However...

The build quality is a bit flimsy, the lid doesn't line up perfectly with the case and some of the clasps are FAR too loose and can't be trusted.

I can not recommend this case for touring/transport/shipping. I guess it's fine for carrying the guitar to rehearsals or transporting it in the trunk of your car but I would never use it for air travel or even in a van or a bus. But even for just carrying it around you will need to make sure that most of the clasps are ok. They seem to be very inconsistent and on my case two of them were more or less useless out of the box. If I had any plans to use this case for transport I would have returned it for a refund. It really isn't suitable for much else than storage.

It's cheap and I guess you get what you pay for but no more. I'm perfectly happy with it for MY intended use but this case is more suitable for storage than transportation.

I recommend this case for storage and light transportation but if you plan to use it for touring, air travel, vans/buses I strongly recommend paying more for better quality.

another great product from thomann at an extremely low price. Fits my 16" archtop perfectly. I also have a Gretsch case for a rancher guitar which was about £120. This case is easily a match for the Gretsch case and a steal at half the price. Just goes to show that you pay extra for the brand name. This case is top quality and the finish is more than a match for my Gretsch case. I would definitely buy more thomann cases for my other guitars as it saves money and there is definitely no reduction in quality when compared to more expensive cases. Makes me wish I bought my other cases from thomann too.
A great fit, very secure. A good weight. Lined inside to a high spec. I like the extra clasp at the bottom too. None of my other cases have this. Came with a cool guitar shaped key too!