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Originally posted by Redbone

I'm looking for a decent, well built case for my 29 Gibson TB3 Conversion. I tried a TKL....JUNK! I want good quality including a locking latch. A good strap or belt is better security.

Don't need fiberglass or a travel case. Any suggestions appreciated.

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Steer clear of the unshaped flat-top cases. 

Superior bump type and the fiberglass Crossrock cases are fine (probably most any of the 'shaped' cases are decent).  I think the next step up in quality is at least double the cost..   Good luck.

The green line Superior is about as good as they come . I own a few different brands. I like my superior fiberglass/ hard molded plastic , but the ole green line superior has plenty of latches and padding . I also like Tkl AVS . Best of luck .

If you can find a used Calton case that would probably be the safest option. That’s a really nice banjo and protecting it with really nice case is a good idea from my perspective. I know someone who had the Wade Mainer banjo in a Calton case. It was left behind a car and was backed over. The case was ruined but the banjo had no damage whatsoever. In a normal plywood or fiberglass case it would have been ruined.

I keep my banjo in a Calton case. In the summer on a hot humid day here in Georgia I’ve left it in the car for an hour to eat lunch. Every time I take the banjo out the metal is still cool to the touch, about the same temp it was when I left my air conditioned house.

But - even used Calton cases are expensive. So where you’re going to take it may depend how much you want to spend. Superior archtops are good cases and less expensive. I’ve had several over the years.

TKL makes about 8 or so different lines of cases, the cheapest being crap flattop cases to their 5-ply archtop shell to ABS to more. Their Concept line ain't so bad. Here's what they offer for banjos. I personally like their 5-ply wood shell cases they're very durable. So you may want to look at some of their other line before summarily dismissing the USA based brand.

From the top end like Hoffee to Calton and Price, there is a fantastic case worth considering, made in the UK and it has excellent thermal and shock protection. Check out Hiscox cases, they're priced around $500 but you'd have to import the banjo case. They recently set up a US location to dropship guitar cases much cheaper than importing them so I'm hoping they'll add banjos to their stock here. They're world-class protection.

Shopping for cases can be fun. Enjoy the hunt.

I've had many over the years but Superior was the better for my needs. Still, there many model numbers to choose from so it is a bit tricky to choose the "right" one. I appreciate the input. I'll just be more careful about searching.

What was junk about the TKL? They were OEM for gibson for a million years it feels like.

I bought a cheap flat top tenor one, seems fine. Tenor choices are limited compared to 5 string.

My 26 TB3 is getting a crossrock fiberglass one tomorrow. I have it's original prewar shaped case, doesn't seem better than the TKL...

Calton is the standard and you get what you pay for. I do like my Crossrock guitar case. They cost about 1/3 what Calton cost.
I was surprised how much lighter the fiberglass cases are compared to plywood cases.
Also, really surprised at how heavy my Reunion Blues banjo gig bag is. Great bag but weighs like a fiberglass case.

I just ordered the Superior CD- 2530 ($249 w/ free shipping) and decided "you get what you pay for", once again. The TKL was bottom of the pile...cheap latches, no lock, covering was pulling loose in several places. Just the cheap model I guess? I don't need the high end, but any old Gibson deserves a good home.

That's a decent price for that case and decent features for the money. It's basically a Chinese knock-off of the high end 5-ply wood shell TKL which has the archtop shell. Arched top cases are way stronger than flat top cases.

And yet look at the asking prices for used, clean Gibson branded cases since the late 1980s. They're flat tops. But they're priced like they're made of gold and silver. Because of the combo lock, or the gold paint "Gibson" on the top???

Superior 2530 is a perfectly fine "typical" hard case.

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

And yet look at the asking prices for used, clean Gibson branded cases since the late 1980s. They're flat tops. But they're priced like they're made of gold and silver. Because of the combo lock, or the gold paint "Gibson" on the top???

Superior 2530 is a perfectly fine "typical" hard case.

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Those prices are solely due to collectors. An authentic period case matched to their banjo, they just don't make 'em anymore. So those prices reflect collectability, not function.

If ya really want to see crazy case prices jump over to classical violin world. It's easy to spend $2000 and up for a violin case, vintage or new.

That's a "Fiddle" to us'ns!