13.30..balancing the case with the guitar inside in order to get a balanced handle..nothing is overlooked in this shop! Great work!

This is an excellent tutorial for something that is rarely covered by others. Very nice job. It might be the definitive tutorial for folks going forward.

Yes! This is exactly what I needed to see. Been hunting down a coffin case for my custom B.C. Rich style guitar I'm working on. This tho, THIS just says "Ah screw it make your own.

Holy smokes! Awesome idea! So many “how-to” videos on building guitars, but this is literally the first I have personally seen on building a custom case. Great work!

Great job…. The case balance tip is brilliant.

I’ve been self taught since age 11 but I actually needed this video because my daughter is a figure skater. Her very expensive skates need to safely travel to competitions so I could think of nothing better than a crushed velvet lined case. For the shell I’m using a Pelican style wheeled case and expanding foam for the inserts. All covered in crushed velvet like all my guitar cases. Very helpful video and beautiful craftsmanship!

I built an electric octave mandolin about 5 years ago. Yeah, it needed a sturdy case, so I looked up on Utube to see what other folks were doing. I went to the lumber supply & the fabric store at the mall and the sweet little lady running her shift in the cloth department saw that I was about to make her day by doing something cooler than her normal customers would be doing and bent over backwards to help me out. The mando is called the Blue Rose, and when I showed her the mando and case, it must have knocked her socks off. She came to want to help me like I was her long lost cousin. Anyway, she gave me tips on cutting the fabric and tips of the kind of folds & of adhesive to use to get it to stick for the life of the case, which, I hope, will be 100 years after I'm long taking my dirt nap. The hardware is first quality all around and the instrument could be dropped from the Empire State building with no damage.... That's good enough for me and those that come after. The whole thing weighs around 25 pounds. Around as much as your Teley or Strat in a decent custom case. Life is good. Bob

55 years ago I made a similar case for an aquatic insect collection (120 small bottles). I was so proud of it (and the collection) that I kept it until 6 months ago. End of story, I finally took it to the dump. My case was no where as good as your work.

I made a similar case the same way about 40 years ago. I called it Ben's Folley. I used #4 countersunk screws insteas of brads because brads do not support tension loads at all. It worked fine. It weighed a ton. Brutally heavy. I carried my Ibanez solid body in it 2.5 miles almost every day to conservatory. What a fool. Finally, I packed up a guitar that I sold in it.

When you opened the case to reveal the guitar inside the case, while drilling the pilot holes for the latches, I realized you were now just showing off. Jokes aside, absolute banger of a video. So glad I found your content.

Hello! I love your videos, but I have to be the Resident Safety Sally here! You demonstrated good technique in standing sideways and not being in-line with the path of the workpiece, but when performing a box lid opening operation on the table saw, you have to be very careful when applying lateral side pressure against the blade, such as you were at the 4:30 mark with the square. You are effectively running a very high risk of pinching the blade between the wood, which is 100% a recipe for kickback. Underpowered saws will cause burning and/or stall out, but anything with a bit of oomph will send that piece of lumber back in a direction you would rather it not be. While you certainly can cut the lid of the box in a single pass, I would suggest a safer method: Do not make a full depth pass. Instead, make a partial cut to establish your lid/kerf line. Leave a thin strip of support material that keeps the entire box intact. Then you can take any handsaw of your choice (flush cut, or Japanese pull saws are my preferred type) and finish the cut. Then finish the remaining cleanup with your preferred method of choice; block plane, sandpaper, trim router, etc. While it is a little more cleanup work, you get your sharp line established by your table saw, but without the potential of your large unwieldy box suddenly turning into an unexpected projectile. You can also have a bit of shim stock the same width as your saw kerf if you decide to go the full cut method, but I think that simply keeping the box more-or-less intact for the initial pass is a little more intuitive. Other than that, I love the content on a subject that is not really shown on KZfaq!

Nice! Great job. Guitarists usually slide their guitars in and out of vehicles. The raised screws can catch and rip off the case. Glue on the threads will help prevent this, as would flat head screws. I gave up using rubber feet on the back edge for the same reason---they ripped right off even with glue on the screws. A piano hinge makes a nice touch, too.

So nice to see someone use a screwdriver to install the finish screws, instead of a drill driver and rounding off all the heads.... Great video!

Ugh! God Bless you brother! Why aren't more folks asking these types of relevant questions? So frustrated that to even get a case w/ a guitar the se days is almost unheard of. Wow, thanks for this great vid!☺

Just last week I began to think of a way to make a guitar case 60% of what you did is what i thought of.. get out of my head! and thank you for being on time with the other 40%

Excellent video sir. This is the most useful thing I’ve seen on KZfaq in months. Thank you!

Nice job. Its great, 100% perfect. A Lot of great details. I do worry about the hinges' screws pulling out of the pine. Pine is fairly soft.

Wow!! Talk about attention to detail. Even strategic placement of the handle for balance. Very well done without making it complicated. Thank you for sharing!

Fine job my friend while I also think that if one has found a guitar that they love, it too deserves the hugs of a loving custom case. 🙏

I had no idea it was that straight forward. I was literally looking at websites for either bass or XL guitar cases for my current baritone project. They were either way to big or JUST too short. This is such a good answer to the problem!!!

Two words. THANK YOU!

The roll on coating is a revelation. Careful with the nailer, you got your fingers in some places I wouldn't want mine.

When I first started out in bands in the late 1970's, my friend bought a Burns Nu-Sonic bass (which I have now), and became the bass player. It didn't have a case, so as a surprise for him, his dad made one. It was very well made, but when he put the bass in and picked it up he found it weighed a ton, and what's more his dad hadn't allowed for the difference in weight between a body and a neck, and had put the handle slap bang in the centre, so the end where the body was dive bombed toward the floor! He bought a purpose-made case in the end, but his dad's creation didn't go to waste - our keyboard player was a bit of an electronics wiz, and had bought a Maplin electric piano kit, so the bass case became the body of his electric piano.

Man, you make it look easy. Me and my old man once thought it was a good idea to build a case, without many tools, and it soon became a nightmare.

The Duratex is a great choice for quick finish that looks good too.

Wonderful craftsmanship!

Geez.. if ive ever seen a snazzy thing, this was it. Very cool

Immaculate woodwork indeed. I particularly like the routing of the edges; never thought about that tbh. Almost a pity to cover it in paint!

Your case is beautiful. I’d like to do the same thing. When i built a guitar i do guitar strap, guitar picks but no the case. Now i can. Thank you.

This was an awesome build - the materials look very accessible and budget-friendly, the tools were pretty standard for a woodworker (except for the cnc but that isn't necessary), it was fairly simple yet demonstrated so many tips and tricks that made for a simple yet thorough build that looks and functions professionally.

Wow you made that look so easy...and built an awesome guitar CASE. Thanks for the tutorial and my next woodworkng project!

Nice work! Simple and efficient! I intend to build a case to my hawaian guitar (lap steel) and I will follow your experiences! Great video! Thanks,,!!!

Made a road case 40 years ago. No paint. Textured laminex and aluminum angle. Survived being thrown off stage, flying out the back of the van on the freeway and having someone fall on it. Money well spent for my '68 gold top. Nice instructional video.

As a woodworker, I'd like to offer a couple tips. First, consider a rabbet joint at the ends instead of a butt joint. They're not that hard to cut with a table saw and gives you extra gluing surface, which equals extra strength. Second, if you're gonna round over the edges anyway, cut your top and bottom an 1/8" oversize, that way if your cuts aren't square (or worse, are short) you won't pull your box out of square trying to line up the edges. I always cut large and trim back, I learned way back it's always easier to cut more off than back on. That said, I'm gonna put one of these together (with rabbets, lol). I got a nice guitar from a friend that has no case and this looks like a fun weekend project. 🤘

I don't think I've ever seen a case constructed. That was actually very cool and informative.

one of the first guitar case building videos ive ever seen nice job dude

I’ve never seen a video like this, and glad I did.

Only add would be the rubber/metal feet and a leather lid strap to stop the lid flopping. Great and well made case.

Excellent tutorial. Thanks! I carry my Tele in a gradually crumbling 1968 Baldwin [UK] case that's held up longer than it ought and I could (almost) do this.

I completed the case yesterday. A bit different (tweed exterior), but this was an excellent guide. Thank you.

That is a good looking roadie case, it should protect your guitar quite well.

LOVE the video, and absolutely LOVE the Leateherface shirt

Excellent video,The bed liner coating is way better than tolex I think. And the guitar is awesome. thank you for posting.

Nice work! I never thought of using a coating instead of a fabric covering.

Just wanted to say THANKS! Great job and video.

I've been planning a case, and had a plan about 90% the same. I was going to use pocket screws (and glue) to secure the ends, not brads. I was planning to use Tolex, but the roll on material would be much easier. I was not planning to use rigid form, but might reconsider. Using a softer foam would allow for some movement, which I would counter with a cross piece to cradle the neck. FYI, I am building for a bass, and many of my ideas come from the Fender case that came with my 1977 P-bass.

Thanks for that. I have been thinking king how to build a case for my 335. This has given me ideas and inspiration. Liked and subscribed.

Truck-bed liquid liner works great and its strong, the plus is that you can get it in almost any color. Rust-Oleum, Dupli-Coat/Color, Hercules are all good. If you 3d printer your name or logo and glue it to the case before you spray it look pretty damn good even if you crappy with a spray can.

You make it look easy

Thoroughly amazed at your ingenuity and workmanship

At some point Albert King used to carry his guitar in a sack when on the bus ... because he found the case so pretty and wanted to keep it immaculate .. with this kind of Blackbox the bus had to be protected . anyway I like the traditional form of building and furnishing these things :)

Beautiful case for a beautiful guitar. Well done. Wish I had the tools and talent to do this for my guitar.

I'm not so hot on the faux fur liner, but that's just a taste thing. I think this case turned out really well, and that roll on finish is genius. Tolex is hard to work with, so why bother? Looks really good!

beautiful craftsmanship!

Great build, Chris. It's a great design and not too difficult for most DIYers to make. I like the idea of the roll-on finish instead of covering with vinyl or Tolex. I believe that is the same or similar product that Peavey used (or still uses) on their cabinets. Back in the day I had some SP-3s that had a rubberized coating like that.

just in case I wanna make a case, this video is a good case study on case making.

Dude, seriously fantastic. Add logos next please! Inside and out? Maybe a metal medallion or tag? I’m very thankful for this 🙏🤘👍

very cool case, makes me want to refurbish my old beaters😊

Best video I’ve seen on case building. Well done. Looks Brilliant

I'm making a case as of right now! I was inspired by this video. Although, rather than using fur and that type of foam, I'm using a foam made for firearm cases which I've found to work just great. I'm also going to leave the wood exposed to show off it's grain. Awesome video though, keep up the great work!

While I'm not a huge fan of the faux fur, this is without a doubt a beautiful custom case. Well done! Thanks for the tutorial!

silver furniture studs would have been nice on those corners those screws do the job but stand so proud

I have one word... Killer! Peace on earth.

That is a good video, and now I can build a case for my Left-Handed ESP LTD EX-100.

Beautiful guitar case! A Graphic design can be also added to the guitar case to make it very unique! One feature I loved on a guitar case I purchased was that it had a built in tuner.

That is outstanding. I have never seen one of those built. Simply beautiful. Phenomenal work.

Thank you. I have received a bass from China which was just what I wanted but doesn't fit in anything commercially available, just wish I had one of those bench mounted circular saw thingies.

Yo dis guy knows what's up bro !

Yup, so far so good. The inside was more fun to make than the law should allow. Just take your time, -- no need to hurry. Yer gig ain't til next week.

Excellent!!! Best custom case build ive ever seen!!!

Sweeeeeet. Very professional.

Very informative. Need to make a custom case for my custom guitar. This was perfect.

Great video. I have seen professional (expensive) cases where the guitar is angled to make room for a pedal cavity. Otherwise truly awesome.

Love it.. I think I'm going to make my case shells this weekend.

Thanks for the video, my strat has a gig bag, but I wanted a hard case. I've looked at the guitar shops, and I'm not happy with the quality and the high price they want. This case is exactly what I'm looking for

Love it. Restoring one right now

Rather see rivets on the corner protectors than screws. Save scratching somebodies tiled or wood floor. Good video content, the DuraTex paint finish is a great option instead of fabric.

And now I have to make a case for my guitar and bass

Yet another rectangular electric guitar box, I was hoping to watch a clip on a sexy, curvy acoustic or classical guitar case.

EL-EXCELLENTO-!!! - Nice project. As a native woodworker myself, the only thing majorly I would do different is where you fastened it together with brad nails, I would have spent the extra time (and spare change) to fasten with wood screws. Over the life of the case I'm sure it will get dropped, knocked and kicked around and generally receive a lot of vibration which will eventually loosen the brads. Screws on the other hand are far more solid and dependable and will hold far longer than nails. Just sayin'.... Overall, a high-five kudos to a job well done.

And that’s how you get a subscriber. Nice job. Would be interested in the weight of the case.

Great tutorial, as with all of your videos, immaculately explained and fantastic end result, keep up the great work Chris 👍

It's a beautiful case with a luxurious feel. The production is very careful.

Thank you so much for all your videos

Well, that´s a good idea.

Wow love the case design and workmanship....a perfect match for the great looking guitar too...

I attempted making a case several years ago and got stuck because I was using a faux leather to wrap it and I ran out of ideas trying to figure out hinge placement. So it's been sitting on the shelf for several years. Your video has inspired me to finish the project, but to use DuraTex. Thanks!! There aren't many good videos for making cases.

Thank you for the video! I'm thinking about making a case for my keyboard, so this helps a lot! Very beautiful and professional looking case!

I am on the same page. I feel like a great guitar should have a great case.

You’re videos are always well timed for my needs. Thanks in advance!

Good idea the first time I’ve seen this idea covered.

I see my next project. I have a family heirloom (though inexpensive) guitar that is in a less-than-ideal case.

I have that same leather face shirt ! Nothin cuts like a sawyer 👌

Killer job dude. Gonna make a mandolin case now… I’m inspired…. Wish I had a CNC but..

Always wanted to see somebody do this. Great Job.

Hey so you can also use 2 part polyurethane expanding foam if u want it to be moulded to the body

that is a nice case, smart design. 👍

I dig it! I have some Surf Green Tolex waiting for when I take on the same job. It matches the Tele I made perfectly! Have a good one.

Great job and thank you for making it simple. I'm such a cheapskate that 2 outta 3 basses l have don't have a case. For now. Great video

Of everything I've researched on the Web about building cases for musical instruments, this was - by far - the simplest video to understand. It is encouraging to see videos of this type, detailed, concise and very enlightening in this area, without having to take the crap of the “quick video” that prevents a clear perception of the needs and solutions for this type of personalized construction. I'm grateful, Highline Guitars. Best Regards. Macedo Pinto Portugal