spacelooper
Oud Lover
Posts: 24
Registered: 9-28-2004
Location: Nashville
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Mood: inspired
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Custom Flight Cases
I am wondering if anyone on the forum has ever had a custom Flight case made for your Oud?...and if so, where etc...I have a Nazih Oud and according
to him it cost 325 for a hard case and 325 for shipping... a whopping $650 total...I am thinking for that money I could probably get an actual custom
ATA flight case made here in the states... any suggestions/info?
thank you,
Todd
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Hi,
I've been looking into this too. For some time I've owned a rectangular "coffin" case that I had made - it's the typical black wood with metal
borders used for electronics equipment and stuff. It is filled with foam and very protective, but also heavy and bulky. It is 13"x20"x37" with a
good-sized compartment built into it for accessories located to the left of the pegbox/neck area.
To have something very tough, shock absorbing and light made in the shape of a lute is probably not just expensive, but impossible for most case
companies b/c they need to mass produce these things, 500 units and up usually. I called a few companies last week and was met with all sorts of
sarcasm and disdain...
Getting a case that is rectangular, with wheels and a handle of some kind to push/pull might be your best option. My best advice however is always
carry it on with you in a light case. Most airlines are getting over their instrument phobia - and if they are giving you a hard time, just point to
all the "carry-ons" that are really heavy duty suitcases and remind them that your carry on is extremely fragile, expensive and RARE.
Here are some links that might be useful (or not):
http://www.procases.com/?gclid=CJOtqMOXgZICFSGWGgodBi6T9A
http://www.starcase.com/
http://www.gemstarmfg.com/Cases/gemstar/gemstar.htm
I wish I had the answer you were looking for.
mavrothis
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journeyman
Oud Junkie
Posts: 492
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Location: Toronto, Ontario
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I also looked into this and spoke with Calton cases in western Canada. They make what are arguably the best custom cases for guitars. They said that
the profit margin on these, even selling them at $500-600 dollars each is very low. It costs a lot to "tool up" for a new design (in this case for
ouds) and they said that they didn't believe that there was a large enough market to justify it. They would have to sell a couple hundred just to
break even and then after that how many will they sell? That was their response anyway.
If I had the time, I would look into designing a "do-it-yourself" kit for making fiberglass or kevlar (sp?) oud cases. A friend of mine made a sax
case that you could stand on from materials that he got from a canoe company. It was very rough looking, but very solid. (Jameel?)
Roy
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journeyman
Oud Junkie
Posts: 492
Registered: 12-28-2003
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Just found this. Surf around the site and you will find the yellow lute case. It looks really solid. http://kingham.merion.co.uk/
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
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This is a nice find, though the prices are pretty high ($500 or more without shipping). Yiannis Seremetis also makes great custom cases in Athens,
Greece, but honestly, I don't know if I trust these cases in a luggage compartment.
Can they really absorb the shock of being thrown indiscriminately by unhappy baggage handlers like the coffin cases? The layers of foam that keep
your instrument motionless make a big difference I think.
Perhaps the general oud shape (maybe a little bigger all around) can be combined with the foam padding interior, which you can then cut out to the
exact dimensions of your oud? That might be the best solution, because then you can just have one case for traveling, and the oud will fit snugly
inside the soft foam.
m
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journeyman
Oud Junkie
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Yes Mavrothis,
That is the way with the Calton cases for guitar. There are a few sizes of case and each one is custom fitted for each instrument with dense but
soft foam. I remember sending them a template drawing traced from my guitar and a LONG list of measurements. That seems to be what this company does
also. So far I have been able to carry on my oud in one of Jameel's gig bags, but if I had to travel with more than one instrument and check it, I'd
be inclined to get one of these cases. It still makes me a little nervous though as ouds are much more fragile than most guitars.
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DaveH
Oud Junkie
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Registered: 12-23-2005
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I have a kingham case for my oud. It's pretty tough but as Mav pointed out, they're really just too expensive, and they're plywood so they're still
pretty heavy and I still wouldn't be 100% confident they'd survive some of the incredible things baggage handlers can throw at them (throw them at?).
I do check mine though and touch intact wood, have never had a problem. I think if you really wanted to be confident checking your oud you should just
get a custom box-shaped flight case. You can get quite light aluminium ones.
I left a post on this on Mike's FAQ thread in the advice, tips & questions forum
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6809.
There's a link there to a good piece on my lute teacher's site on flying with lutes.
By the way, there used to be a great add on TV here for Horlicks malted milk, showing baggage handlers chucking all manner of fragile items off
lorries, with the question: "how do they sleep at night?" - cut to same baggage handler at home that night sipping the soothing bed-time drink.
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MatthewW
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1031
Registered: 11-5-2006
Location: right here
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| Quote: | Originally posted by journeyman
.......So far I have been able to carry on my oud in one of Jameel's gig bags, but if I had to travel with more than one instrument and check it, I'd
be inclined to get one of these cases. It still makes me a little nervous though as ouds are much more fragile than most guitars.
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Hi Roy- I'm planning on travelling with an oud using one of Jameel's gig bags, and was wondering how you went about it with yours- was it an internal
or international flight, did you get any hassles and if so at what stage of the check-in process, were you asked to try and fit it into the overhead
compartment, etc etc,. any advice or feedback from your experience would be useful for us. thanks!
On the related topic of flight cases and air travel with your oud, has anyone ever used the document by the US Dept of Transport which states that
musicians can take onboard an instrument when travelling?
http://www.indie-music.com/downloads/AFM_carryon.pdf
Thanks, MW
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