Custom Instrument Case Inserts: Protecting Your Investments, One Guitar at a Time

Whether you play in the basement or the world’s biggest stadiums, the life of a musician can involve a ton of travel. While exciting, it takes a toll on people, between the late nights, early mornings, uneven diets, and constant “go-go-go” nature of it all.

The performers aren’t the only ones who are affected by that grind, however. The gear and instruments performers and engineers bring with them are just as prone to wear and tear as the people who use them.

Things like microphones, instruments, monitors, and other recording gear are all tools of the music and audio trade, but unfortunately, are both expensive and fragile, making them easy to damage and hard to replace or repair. And when your ability to do your job well depends on your equipment functioning well, arriving at a gig or assignment to find your gear didn’t make the trip safely is not an option.

Guitar Case Foam

Most gear comes with casing, but these are generally made to protect from outer impact, not full ranges of movement. A basic guitar case is a perfect example. It sits in the case, relatively snugly, but shaking or dropping the case would make it obvious that there is a degree of shock-absorption missing.

Mics are another example. They could be kept in the boxes they came in, but cardboard and rigid foam generally aren’t built to last for a lifetime of in-and-out, back-and-forth usage. Additionally, keeping each in its original packaging means you’ll soon have to juggle and keep track of multiple, easily-lost boxes as you travel.

Luckily, there is a solution to this issue. Whether you have existing cases or are looking to purchase a new one, custom foam inserts are a great addition to your gear packaging for protection, security, and peace of mind.

For individuals who enjoy DIY projects, sheets of sturdy packaging foam can be sliced into snug liners with a serrated blade. Starting from the center of the area being cut out, working outward to the edge, and then around the traced silhouette of the item is the best way to get a smooth edge and gentle contours in curved pieces.  An even easier method utilizes Pick and Pull Grid foam. This material features a grid of 1/2″ cubes that can be easily pulled apart by hand, into the shape your equipment. The Foam Factory offers both of these excellent packaging foam varieties in hard-to-soil charcoal foam, as well as static dissipating Anti-Static foam, which is great for electrical equipment and similarly sensitive items. The biggest rule of thumb to follow when making a custom foam casing insert is to always cut your shape a little smaller than the item it will be holding. By doing this, the foam will squeeze against the item when it is inserted, holding it safely in place, reducing movement.

For professional casing, many companies offer custom cutting for their foam padding liners, and The Foam Factory is no exception. Custom cutting offers smooth edges and snug fits, and gives you the ability to easily orient multiple items in a single case, making the most of the space you have, and reducing the number of cases you need to carry. For certain types of equipment, lower-density closed-cell foam may make sense, by offering extra casing protection.

If you’re tired of damaged instruments and gear, sick of lugging  around tons of boxes and cases, or just want to protect your investments as best as you can, get ahold of The Foam Factory today, and find out what case insert is right for your application!

Tags: , ,

Posted in Foam Packaging

24 Responses to “Custom Instrument Case Inserts: Protecting Your Investments, One Guitar at a Time”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *