Howdy gang
I would like to know if any one has expierence with the Guardian Fiberglass
dred case, I don't think I would need the dollar level of protection from say a Calton , as I do not fly , but am curious if I would get an increase
in protection over the standard TKL that my D-1A came in,
Thank you
Fred

Seems like you need to balance out the need for additional protection with your probable uses. I cannot speak about the Guardian, but I do have a Calton and I've been giving this topic some thought recently.

I think a Calton will provide better protection than the TKL, but do you really need it? If you're checking your instrument on an airplane, then a Calton or similar case is probably what you need if you want to do it right and reduce the worry factor. However, I like the option of a case cover that is suitable to protect the TKL and reduce wear and tear on the TKL case as well as provide some additional thermal insulation for cold (like Minnesota winter cold) or heat. You'd still not want to leave your car in the trunk in any of these types of conditions, but a case cover would provide some additional protection for your TKL and keep it looking new.

The two case covers that I'm aware of are Small Dog case covers and Colorado Case covers. Collings sells case covers for the TKL over their website under accessories and it has the Collings logo embroidered on it, as well -- kinda cool.

Finally check out the Frank Ford frets website where he notes with pictures the value of a case cover.

I own a Calton myself but only because I'm flying with my instrument. I'm otherwise very happy with the protective quality of the TKL. Hope this helps -- good luck!

Mike thanks for the input , I suppose you are right , I am not as concerned
about some rash on the case as I am about the jolt of banging it into car doors, trunks, in & out of clubs, rain , & one other thought was that one of these cases would stick out like a sore thumb if someone other than myself
was walking out of a club or a jam with it , I take it out gigging or to jams fairly often , & there are a lot of black TKL cases out there, now I do not wish to dwell on the dark side of human nature let's just say it would be possiable to walk off with the wrong case , & for about $180 that might be money well spent, anyway the cost of a Calton is a bit more than I can go but the Guardian is intrigging
Thank you
Mike

The Guardian isn't near the case a calton case is. It is however lighter than the original TKL that came with your Collings, but if I were after something lighter with good protection, you should look into the Travelite case, or the TKL Zero Gravity. If you're set on a guardian case, you should call Dennis Vance at the mandolin store. Dennis@themandolinstore.com
Good Luck
Adam

Adam
thanks for the reply, & you are right on the mark regarding Dennis I bought my D-1A from him back in August 05,it was going to be his personal guitar but I badgered him to part with it & as he told me in this business every thing is for sale , a great guy ,he has aquired a good selection of Collings guitars as of late check them out The Mandolin Store, Dennis Vance southern Ohio
Fred

Sorry to hijack this post a little but I've recently purchased a Collings (2nd hand) that came with its original case. Lovely guitar, but to be honest I think the TKL case is pretty poor. It's the underside that bothers me as it's so flimsy. You only have to wrap your knuckles lightly against it and you can hear the guitar thud and the strings vibrating. If this were say an accidental foot or a door knocking into the bottom with any force then who knows what could happen. I don't want this to come across as an outright whinge as the guitar is faultless but I'm just sort of surprised such a well-made (and expensive) instrument is not supplied, as standard, with a case that is, say, double-arched - top and bottom. After all TKL manufacture such a thing.

Murray
I believe that the model case that Collings uses is common to the higher end builders , &
I have found it to be a solid case I am wondering if the Gaurdian case would offer a bit more protection as it is a fiberglass shell construction, I am curious because of the price point of around a $180 seems a modest cost if it ofers a better performance
Fred

I too own a Calton for my Collings. Also, this is because I occasionally fly with it, and can never know for sure if the airline will allow me to carry it on or not. For no particular reason, other than I already owned it, I keep a Small Dog case cover on it. Good protection from heat and cold although I surmise that the Calton would probably suffice.

At any rate, I recently saw Tony Rice's case for the "Holy Grail" D28. It is a very unobtrusive fiberglass that looks somewhat like the Pegasus mandolin cases, if you're familiar with those. The name tag on it is the paper kind that one picks up at airline check-ins and has someone else's name on it, and I assume, Tony's address. Very unassuming and would never shout, "Hey, look. I'm Tony Rice's guitar." I also like the Small Dogs that Collings sells, but I don't particularly like to travel with that kind an attention getting notice on my instrument.