Custom Hardshell Case for Combat Zone

[Wrecklyss]

So i'm heading to Afghanistan in the near future, but got approval from my leadership to bring 2 guitars. I went yesterday and picked up my Ibanez AEL207, and will be bringing my Alvarez Jumbo as well. The obvious problem is how to protect two acoustics traveling half way around the world without creating a lot of extra weight to ship. While looking into cases, Road Runner mentioned something about a line of cases they build that gave me an idea.

Road Runner offers a line of medium duty cases made from molded foam and covered in Cordura. I don't have the resources to mold foam, but my local Lowes Hardware sells 4'x8' sheets of insulation foam that can easily be shaped with standard power tools. Several layers of it sandwiched together would be quite strong and weigh very little. A 1/4" plywood outer shell would add even more protection without adding much weight.


I lay both guitars in such a way they take up the least amount of room i'm comfortable with, and trace the outline of the bodies with a sharpie. I kept the Sharpie itself flat against the body, making the final outline about 3/8" wider than the guitar body itself. This will allow for lining the finished product with a soft material for scratch protection. The foam insulation board is 1" thick, so 5 layers will be sandwiched together using 3M super 90 contact adhesive.



The next 2 layers need headstock pockets cut out, and the final two need neck channels cut as well. This is what i got done yesterday before i ran out of daylight:




One more layer of foam, then i will glue the sandwich layers together and even out the cuts. I find that the foam tends to distort as you cut shapes out of the middle, so they don't all line up perfectly, but it will be easy to even them out once they are glued together.

Next will be to start building the outer case from 1/4" plywood and line the inside. I have some jungle camo tolex to cover the case in, so i will have a pretty nice finnished product. More pics to come.

 

[Michael T]

Looking great. Really well thought out and executed nicely keep up the excellent work.

Thank you for serving our country.

 

[MoshJosh]

way to think outside the box! shipping guitars can be a pain in the ass and this is a great solution.

 

[Daf57]

Sounds like a plan! Subbed for the updates!

PS - thank you for your service!

 

[Wrecklyss]

Finally got all 5 layers cut out and glued. 3M super 90 is a contact adhesive. Spray both surfaces to be glued, let it sit up a few minutes until it feels dry, then stack the layers on top, adjust final positioning, and press together firmly. This method was excellent as the more material was removed from the top layers, the more they tended to distort. the contact adhesive allowed me to line up an edge and work across, lining up the cutouts and edges as i worked across each layer.



With all five layers glued together, it feels very sturdy and weighs less than one of the guitars it was designed to ship. The cuts do have some deviation from layer to layer that i'll have to fix, but that can be done with a kitchen knife. After all the layers were glued, i did a final test fit. The foam completely covers both guitars and the fit is very snug, almost like it was custom designed for these guitars!

 

[Wrecklyss]

I didn't get much done today as the heat was pretty intense and i had to run several times for supplies, but i have made some respectable progress.

I used a kitchen knife to sort of level out all the layers of the cutouts for the guitar shapes, and when it was "kinda close" i used a power sander to even it out. The sander didn't make the tightest of turns, but it looks and feels a lot better now.


I don't live anywhere near a fabric store, so i went to AAFES and bought a queen size fleece blanket and a twin size foam mattress topper to line the inside of the case with. The olive drab will go nicely with the woodland camo tolex.

I got started on the plywood outer shell, still have one side to cut, but have fitted up what i was able to get done today.




I joined the plywood using 9/16" staple in my staple gun, then covered the joints inside and out with Gorilla tape for protection from the elements. After i install the handles, i will glue the outer shell to the inner foam main body for cohesive structural support.

 

[Hollowway]

Cool. I like how you said it was almost like it was custom made for those guitars.

What did you use to do the initial cutting of the foam? One time I heard that serrated bread knives or the motorized turkey carving knives work best, and once I tried that my foam cutting became MUCH easier.

 

[AwDeOh]

Cool. I like how you said it was almost like it was custom made for those guitars.

What did you use to do the initial cutting of the foam? One time I heard that serrated bread knives or the motorized turkey carving knives work best, and once I tried that my foam cutting became MUCH easier.

Yep I picked up that tip too - back when I was making the foam cones for a DIY electronic drumkit. If you're a bit more.. 'relaxed'.. on safety, you can rig up a hotwire too

This is looking awesome OP!

 

[downburst82]

Gorilla tape love that stuff!

projects coming along really nicely!

 

[Wrecklyss]

Cool. I like how you said it was almost like it was custom made for those guitars.

What did you use to do the initial cutting of the foam? One time I heard that serrated bread knives or the motorized turkey carving knives work best, and once I tried that my foam cutting became MUCH easier.

I used a jigsaw as i am already comfortable with those. It was made even easier because i could push the blade straight through the foam wherever it was easiest to start.

 

[Wrecklyss]

Using a blanket and mattress topper to line the inside of the case makes it like tucking my guitars in when i put them away.

cutting out shapes to rest at the bottom

using main body to line them up and glue in place

Covering with pieces cut from blanket

main body to hold down edges

turned upside down and weight added while glue dries. If anyone is curious yet i work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--so i'm used to having to improvise

 

[TemjinStrife]

Looks great!

I'd recommend getting some of that padding in the neck cavities and securing the headstocks so that they have as little room to move up and down as possible. A lot of breaks come from the guitar equivalent of whiplash.

Also, have you considered using aluminum L-angle on the edges? Those are typically the spots that could use some reinforcement against bumps and bangs. Aluminum angle is not expensive, and they can bolt right on. You can use the metal or plastic corners that are typically used on amplifiers and road cases on the corners to add some extra protection there as well, and those can be had pretty cheaply from places like SpeakerHardware.com.

If you go that route, let Leland Crooks (the guy in charge of SpeakerHardware.com) know that you're using it for bringing your guitars abroad to a combat theater and he might be able to help you out a bit. I don't know him personally, but he's a very nice guy and I've dealt with him in the past.

 

[iRaiseTheDead]

Your chair rig... You ARE a genius.