Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey friends!

I am not sure if this is the right place to start this thread but here we go...

I think this may be a bit tricky because I searched online and found absolutely NOTHING about the subject!

OK, I am after some advice on how to start building SHAPED hardcases for my guitars. I know how to make rectangle cases (actually I have made some) but I find them very ugly and clumsy and now I would like to try to make shaped ones.

Any clue about which direction to go to start making my shaped cases? I would appreciate tips, material reference, etc...

Thank you!

You need bending plywood. This what I used to by when I ran a cabinet shop, pretty sure they use similar to build cases. https://www.columbiaforestproducts.com/ ... g-plywood/

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Thank you for the heads up! Yesterday making some research I bumped to a very nice material that I never had seen available for consumer before (in my country at least, Brasil)... flexible plywood. It turns the shaped hard shell making into a whole different story!

Here is a presentation by Ralph Nord on the Seattle Luthiers Group site. It has details of the materials and the process of making it. Lots of pictures.

http://seattleluthiers.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Form-Fit-Guitar-Case-Construction.pdf

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Wohay! Thank you John, I will take a thorough look on this documentation! This is no doubt one of the more valuable publication I have had the chance to put my hands on!

Or you can bend ordinary plywood on a hot pipe - I've made a few cases that way. But nothing thicker than about 3mm/0.125 inches. Plywood can be a little tricky to bend, as a void or weak spot bends differently from the rest, but it's not too hard to do. Worth an experiment if you have a few scraps of thin enough ply and a hot pipe.