Should I Get a Case For My mandolin?

It’s a hard life for a working musician, but potentially even harder to be the instrument of a working musician. From the rigors of touring to the unseen forces that induce warping and cracking, climate extremes that occur in transit, life with curious roommates, and of course the dreaded doom that is airport baggage claim – the world seems to conspire towards an early and ill-fated end for any mandolin. So to answer your question, yes, you absolutely need a case for your mandolin – Now, let’s get into which case is best for your instrument:

Protection From Big Falls, Baggage Claims, and Bad Roadies

As any touring musician knows, the road is a dissonant and cacophonous place for a fragile instrument. So, obviously you don’t want your most precious cargo sandwiched without protection between your drummer’s heavy kit and your lead singer’s ever-growing shoe collection. Whenever you’re on the road, a hard shell case is your best protection for the unpredictable journey ahead. (And as far as hard-shell cases go,  fiberglass cases over carbon fiber options are what we recommend for its longevity and durability. )

As for air travel, taking your instrument as a carry-on is the best possible option for your mandolin to ride. Unfortunately, it’s the wild west out there and for that all-too-often instance where you have to check your delicate instrument below deck, you’ll want to know that your case is going to go the distance. While there are factory cases available on the market, they leave interior space open for your mandolin to rattle and roll inside the case. Meanwhile, the design of the exterior itself can prove traumatic when it gets lodged in baggage handling conveyor belts and systems. For total security, you need a case designed to move smoothly through baggage claim so you don’t end up with wood chips instead of a mandolin on your return flight. (One enterprising guitarist elected to write a song about the destruction of his guitar through airport baggage claim called ‘United Breaks Guitars’. He even became an internet sensation for it!) We recommend cases with padded foam inserts and soft interiors such as velvet to treat your mandolin to first-class transit whenever you travel.

Protection From Humidity and Pressure

Sudden changes in temperature (like moving from a hot car to an air-conditioned stage), can dramatically warp and crack your instrument. Humidity as well can permeate substandard cases and can be absorbed deep into the wood pores of your mandolin, distorting the shape and ultimately destroying the fidelity of your sound.

Our advice is to make sure your case is able to regulate these conditions gradually and that you personally wait 15 minutes before you open your case in any new environment.

So stated unequivocally, you need a case for your mandolin, and as for custom cases, Calton Cases has no equal.

Calton Cases And Cedar Mountain Mandolin Co. 

As musicians and engineers collectively, Calton Cases and Cedar Mountain have made some big waves with musicians and luthiers alike. Specificity in material, extremely close attention to detail, and ongoing focus on ergonomics and style have consistently provided a pattern of success in both of our companies.

To that end, a Calton Case is always recommended as a companion for your Cedar Mountain Mandolin to ensure comprehensive safety and security for all that life on the road throws your way.

Custom Mandolins Need Custom Attention – Calton Cases Meets That Need 

Your mandolin will encounter the harshest extremes of temperature and impact throughout its time in your possession. Meanwhile, the lifespan of a case will ensure a fuller and longer life for your instrument overall. So we mean this in the most delicate and positive way possible, if you’re still on the fence about getting a case for your instrument, you would be completely insane not to.

 A custom-fitted Calton Case ensures your Cedar Mountain Mandolin lives its longest lifespan and enjoys better sound all along the way.

So for a case that works as hard as you do, you need the hardest working case in showbiz – You need a Calton Case.

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