Re: [Harp-L] Pluck & Pull Foam...run away! ALTERNATIVE

[Ken Hildebrand <airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx>]

Besides accumulating a wide variety of harmonicas over the years, I also have a variety of harp cases.

The soft-sided Sedyel 14-harp case is a great case, and I use it alot, and the other cases depending on what I think I may need.

My main BIG case is made from an aluminum tool case, similar to the ones now sold at Home Depot, but it came with the pick n' pluck foam.  I started pickin' the pluck out of the foam trying to configure it for my needs, but I wasn't satisified with it because there was too much wasted space and the foam just would not last with use.

So I bought 2 sets of the Hetrick plexiglass 42-harp dividers for it, and added a chopped tripod mic-stand to use with it, and made the lid removeable.  This case holds just about all my diatonics, regular richter tuned, low keyed harps, natural minors, melody makers, harmonic minors, paddy richters, as well as a space in the middle to hold chromatics, echoes, and SBS's.  

This case mainly stays in my basement where I practice, but it could very well be used out (if I ever played out), but it weighs about 20 pounds (without the mic-stand).

For harp cases, I also have a few soft-sided 7-harp cases, a standard Fender harp case (Mississippi sax case), and a couple of Jeff Spoor (Cumberland Custom Cases) ballistic nylon cases (6-harp and 7-harp models with one of his awesome belts). 

So together with the Hal Iwan custom case and extra insert, I have just about any situation covered.  Hal's dense foam is way better than pick n' pluck foam.

I could very well have used 2 of Hal's inserts in my BIG case, but they were not available at the time.  The inserts would have been alot cheaper than the Hetrick dividers.  So you can put together a very nice custom case with the inserts, if you find the right size bigger case.  There are a lot of nice rugged pistol cases available as well as the Pelican cases.... just have to find the right size.

But you still may need a variety of cases... I do !

Ken H in OH

--- On Tue, 7/21/09, Bill Hines <billhines4@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: Bill Hines <billhines4@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Pluck & Pull Foam...run away! ALTERNATIVE
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 1:09 PM
> "Hal Iwan of Custom Harp Cases offers
> a variety of custom harp cases"
> 
> Hal makes some great looking cases, I was checking them out
> at SPAH last year. My problem is that none of the pre-built
> harp cases I've seen are flexible enough for me as far as
> the 2-3 different configurations I might carry around
> depending on where I'm playing.
> 
> Also I like to keep my harps in a separate soft case
> (padded Seydel case, holds 14 harps, given to me by THE Dane
> Paul Russel) because I find that's easier to carry on stage
> with me than a big "box" case. I get my gear from the box
> case (mics, cables, etc), plug in and get set up, put the
> box case aside (but not too far away!) and go with just my
> soft Seydel case of harps which unzips and unfolds nicely. I
> can sit that on top of the Leslie or whatever without fear.
> I do put this soft case inside my box case for transport as
> well though.
> 
> Bill
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