has anyone ever used one of these for a harp case?
i know they are expensive, but most of the ones that are for harp get soso reviews, and just look cheap..
i have held/inspected these cases, and they are bad ass.. air tight, water proof, and Guaranteed for life. one of the coolest parts, is the pick n pluck foam. you can fully customize the holes you want in the foam without a razor.. and when it gets old, or you want to change your setup, you can just by new foam.. there are many different sizes and colors too..
just wondering if anyone has, and what they think.. or maybe you havent, but are looking for an indestructable case. this is it!!
i found them first at my local hunting store, but here is the link to one...
http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1450
i also thought about just bying the foam and putting it into the case Steve Harvell did the video on...
I put my harps in a cigar box. I buy foam from the hardware store and cut it with a razor blade. In one box, which I used when I only had one mic, I fit a 545SD and 9 harps, a tool kit, and an ipod. Now that I have two mics, I got a bigger box, and it fits all of my 10 hole harps (9 of them), a 364 in C, two mics, a tuner, ipod, and tool kit. I put a handle on them, and they work great. People comment on them; they think they are pretty cool, if you are into that. I'll take some pics and post. It cost me about $10 to make, not including the boxes (which I already had)
Oh, and one of them was dropped, on concrete, with mic and harps inside. No damage to the contents, not even the ceramic element in my mic.
Last Edited by on Oct 02, 2009 9:38 PM
ROFL! You use customcases jon? I still carry one or two in my pocket & use my backpack if I'm bringing a bunch lol. ---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
ya i have a case from cumberland cases. i like it. my model holds 20 diatonic vertical. one chromatic. one bullet mic an a pedal. i put tools an stuff in the pedal spot. soon i might get a differnt foam insert that just has more diatonic slots an 2 chromatic slots.
Chris(?) suggested a laptop case (with a foam insert). I think that's a good idea (unless you get mugged because people think it's a laptop). My office threw out hundreds a year ago, but I only got one of them, and I use it for my laptop.
I use my pockets for harps, and now winter's here, my pockets are bigger.
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2009 4:19 AM
I like the cumberlandcase you got, just wish for the price it had some sort of lock. Not even sure if you could by a separate one and add it?
I bought a briefcase with the intention of turning it into something like that but never found the foam. Perhaps I'll try to find a photography shop. ---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
i saw the plano ones too.. when i was looking, i was looking for a hand gun actually... but thought hell it might work.. personally, i will probably make one like phogi, or like the dewalt case that steve did(as i have one of those..
the pelican i looked at was $80 and was about 13x9x4.. im sure it is overkill, but you would never have to buy another thats for sure.. and all the harp cases on the net arent exactly cheap..
to keep it from coming open when the latches get bumped against other gear in a packed van. Other than that, I can't think of any reason. I lock mine just for that reason.
It's promaster cover plates on a harpmaster comb and reeds...the flash is making the reed plates look like the comb. Same with the g harp. It's a nice playable combo. I use the D harp a lot and my blues harp was pulling my moustache hairs out. SO I got the suzukis and switched some stuff around.
The c harp is big river covers on a blues harp ..sounds almost like my marine band..but not exactly.
The F# is all blues harp except the reed plates, which are big river. I took the big river guts and the covers form the C harp above to make a more airtight D harp out of a leaky D blues harp. It is my spare and nowhere near as nice as the suzuki combo....to my playing style anyway. The harpmaster covers are on the aluminum promaster combs and phosphor bronze reeds. They play nicely too..one is low F and the other is Eb. I like my Frankenharps. I have ventured a little into reed tweaking too and most of my harps will overblow holes 4-6 easily. My favorite all around is still my marine band in A...unsealed, but corners rounded and reeds massaged a little to overblow easier. I also opened the back. It is an awesome harp that played pretty well out of the box.
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2009 3:40 PM
How did you post the picture direct? I thought I would need to use a link to a host site to show a pic of my case. ---------- "I have a high tolerance for boredom as long as it has a groove" - Scrapboss
I guess I'm paranoid. Let's say I'm going to work and after work I'm going to HARP club or something where I'm bringing all my keys. Honestly don't want people at the office tearing through my stuff if I walk away from my desk and have to leave the case there.
I'm liking the look of congaron's I just gotta figure out where to get that type of foam. I'm at a loss of where I could buy it from.
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Ryan, I got the bottom foam at an upholstery shop. It is thicker than what i have in the top. You can take your case when you buy it and get whatever you want, they sell lots of different sizes. Mine was just leftover so I used it after I made a custom motorcycle seat and tailpiece. The foam in the upper lid doesn't really show, but it is nothing more than an egg crate mattress pad I have used for soundproofing walls and various other studio projects. I hot glued some cheap black fabric from Walmart to the foam and hot glued the whole thing into the lid and it puts pressure on all the harps to prevent them falling out of their slots. The slots are only cut to half length with a slant cut to make the harps stand up a little on one end. The lower foam sections are removable. i put the harps i want in one and set it on a horizontal music stand for easy grab at the gig. If I need both i'll take them both out. I had everything in the picture around the house except the $1.25 black cloth. I'd say this much foam would probably cost around $10...just a guess. More if you needed the foam in the lid too. Hope that helps.
Ryan - try upholstery suppliers, it's the stuff they put in couch cushions. As I mentioned before photography suppliers sell the pick n pluck and the uncut foam for camera cases (which make great harp cases!)
edit - haha Ron posted his reply as I was typing mine!
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2009 3:20 PM
Being a little bit of a gear nut, I can tell you I smile every time i open my case and everything is right where i left it. It took me about a week of trial and error to decide this configuration, but the initial slot cutting and fitting of the foam was quick and easy. The rest was driven by the need for a compact jam rig. Frankly every time I open this thing at a gig, somebody stops and stares. It motivates me to do well. It's like wearing a fedora...play to live up to the hat...lol.
I use a Fender harmonica case. It's great, but I don't like it the way it the way it came. I did a VERY simple modification to it to make it hold my harps snugly in place.
I cut strips of masonite to fit on the inside of each of the two trays (4 strips in all). Then I found some sticky-backed sheets of rubber in the kids' crafts department at WalMart. I cut strips of the rubber the same size as the masonite strips and stuck them to the masonite. Then I cut pieces of the rubber to act as separators between the harps and stuck them to the rubber strips. It works perfectly.
I don't think it cost as much when I bought it as it does now, though.
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2009 5:18 PM
Gwood, your name wouldn't indicate that your from the Southside, would it? If not than you have no idea what I'm talking about and you probably think I'm crazy haha, but I had to ask.
Anyways, I just use this crappy little case made by hohner but I'm sick of it and might just build my own. The weatherproofing sounds cool but may be a little much haha.
wallyns, lol.. my last name is greenwood, born on 4-20-78.. by best friend used to call me gwood.. weird too cause we grew up in the stix :)
Congaron, now that is a cool case, i like the layout and everything! well thought out..
rpoe, that case looks sweet too.. see i had only looked at gun cases.. never even thought of a carera case.. $30 is closer to my budget too... hope you follow up with a review of it...
anymore pictures of your cases out there?? lets see what you have sense we are on the subject..
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2009 7:46 PM
Allright haha, I'm from the southside of Chicago and the neighborhood I live in is Mt. Greenwood...and everybody calls it G-wood. Thats cool as hell that you were born on 4-20!
The briefcase was easy to gut and it is also expandable if i need it deeper. In that case thicker foam or some sort of divider would be needed. For now, It is about perfect. With the pick npluck foam it would be very easy to design a case using anything empty i think...tackle box...camera case, hard gun case..whatever is laying around even.
Gwood, it's a microphone. It is the capsule and volume control of an 80's vintage cb microphone mounted into a custom license plate light fixture...with some re-working obviously. the other end you can't see has a hole in the center with thin foam sheet inside for wind control and an adhesive foam ring to keep the harp from hitting metal on the end face of it. It's actually a low impedance mic, sounds really gritty and is very lightweight and easy to cup with the volume disc between your ring and middle fingers. In spite of being low impedance, it sounds good straight into my amp or into the pedal, but it is not as "chicago" sounding as other mics. It is a gritty, or trumpet-like tone depending on how you cup. It is not as deep bass-wise as the vocals mics I also use. All of them sound good, but i prefer the cut down vocal mic that use to be the one in the picture.
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2009 3:47 PM
Phogi you must smoke some huge cigars.I use cigar boxes also but i can only get a few harps in mine.but i do agree they make a case with charector.Now im wanting a nice Maduro toro right now.
Nice job Steve. I am a firm believer in recycling stuff that's laying around the house or shop. My breifcase was from a different life, my guitar pedal makes great sound once you think about harmonica a little and make your settings accordingly. I have several microphones made from a variety of old radio equipment I had from an early 80's hobby. Everything works great and gives me a hobby element that all guys need sometime.
Playing harmonica introduced me to a world of needs i had never even thought about. Who knew harp guys needed so much gear? I didn't. As a trumpet player, guitar/mandolin/bass vocalist, I am well acquainted with carrying lots of stuff to a gig. I was pretty surprised at how quickly harp gear gets big, too. For jam nights, give me a one-hand-carry rig every time! For a gig, it's amp head and cabinet too. I need a roller cart.
I really wish I had kept a nice leather briefcase I had. Gave it away a couple of yrs ago. The pockets in the inside top cover would have been great for sheet music and Adams tab's.
Congaron's work on his was what led me to the aluminum case I ordered. I did a search on briefcases and stumbled across it. I will be still checking garage sales and antique stores for old briefcases.
Very cool. Another Idea for a make it yourself case is to use a Leather Laptop case. I got one at Wally World for $24.99 and used 1/4x1" slats across it to make rows, covered them with felt This way you can store your Harps with the backs up which is best so that any left over moisture will drain and evaporate. measure the rows so the backs stop at the top of the felt covered slats and don't slide down the hole. I made a leather case that holds 24 diatonics inside, zipper compartment in the back holds a spooled instrument cord, inside flap holds lyric cheat sheets and set lists and front compartment can hold a mic if it's not too bulky. I spent $36 on case, wood, felt and super glue. Took my roomate and I about 2 hours.
I carry more then one mic in case I need a back up and have an airline wireless box and delay pedal along with vocal mic and processor so I have an extra backpack for that.
Chris(?) suggested a laptop case (with a foam insert). I think that's a good idea (unless you get mugged because people think it's a laptop). My office threw out hundreds a year ago, but I only got one of them, and I use it for my laptop.
Would be a lucky mugger if I didn't kill him. If someone made of with my case of harps it would be more valuable then most laptops, especially to me.
Sorry guys, I just realized my pic was old and didn't really show my setup correctly. The cut down mic i referred to wasn't even in that pic...lol. Anyway, mic able is under the pedal, the cut down mic is there now and my sound meter is in the back by the DI box. I have a spare mic, not cut down next to the pedal. This pic is my current setup, i promise..lol.
I still carry and use the license plate light mic too....so three mics, two cables, 12 harps (some are spares) effects and volume pedal, impedance adapter, reed tweaking tools, blistex and spl meter...not bad. Oh and spare batteries for the pedal.
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2009 8:35 PM
I use the pelican 1450 case. So far I like it. yes they can survive anything. mine has before I used it for my harps. I had the padding. Its been sitting around empty for years is why I used it. (more Money for harps) right now it hold all my harps microphone and cords for my amps. I'm currently putting my practice/gig kit together. So somewhere here on the forum I post. got a couple ideas. any way. long story short. I use the 1450 because that's what I have. works well. Jimmy
Since this thread started out about cases that hold harmonicas plus associated gear, I haven't mentioned my flagship harmonica cases. But after Steve's demo video brought other kinds of harmonica cases into the discussion I thought I would chime in. I call them my "Compact" line because I contend they are the smallest, lightest most durable harmonica cases around. They come in 7-, 14- and 21-harp capacities.
The Compact-14 is particularly well-suited for gigging players. It is roughly half the size of a six-pack of cans of beer. It stands upright and is small enough to set on top of your amp, solving the problem of what to do with a larger suitcase-style harmonica gear case when you're on stage. The lid snaps open to provide easy access to your harps. The plastic divider system is rigid so it protects your harps from being crushed yet it provides enough space for your wet harmonicas to breathe and dry out.
I like having both 7- and 14- harp Compact cases. That gives me a lot of flexibility to tailor the number of harps I want to carry to the nature of the occasion. In addition to playing amplified I also play a lot of acoustic harp. It's nice to not have to lug all my gear with me everywhere I play.
The Compact-7 measures 6.5" wide, 1.5" deep and 4.25" tall and weighs under 6 ounces. Easily slips into my purse. Oft times that's all I carry with me. It's cool arriving at a jam carrying nothing but my purse when everybody else needs a Sherpa to haul their gear. It's great for jams or other situation when you know only a limited number of keys will be called.
You can carry a Compact case holding your harps inside any sort of a gig bag or larger suitcase. Just toss it in with the rest of your gear. Then, for those times when you just need your harps you don't need to haul all your other gear along. That is unless you just wanna look cool carrying a big case with lots of cool stickers. Which is another advantage of a Compact case. It doesn't shout out "lots of expensive musical goodies in here" like a larger more obtrusive case. They're basically a small black leather box.
Anyway, since they afford a number of advantages compared to a "hold-all" case and provide more flexibility and potentially even better security I thought I'd put in a quick plug.
Thanks,
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Sep 12, 2016 9:30 AM
I have no idea how to imbed photos here, but here are links to a case I made recently. It holds 30 diatonics vertically in two removable wings. the top tray holds my bullet mic, my Shure SM57, a flashlight, tuner, and tuning kit (tuning kit is in a toothbrush holder.) Under the top tray is a space for cables.
