Nikolay wrote it in 2021, and he still means it:
I love musicians who respect their instruments more than their phone and their profile.
Musicians spend years learning an instrument and a small fortune buying it. Too often it then travels in a soft bag on the back seat, or in a cheap case that weighs more than the keyboard inside. We build flight cases to order for keyboards and synthesizers, guitar amplifiers and cabinets, pedalboards, orchestral and folk instruments and complete live rigs, each one planned around a single instrument or setup.
Keyboard flight cases one person can lift
Weight is the usual objection to a hard keyboard case, and with mass-produced cases it is a fair one.
Svetlan Babechki’s Korg Kronos 2 travels in a case built to the instrument from high-grade materials, and it weighs only 11 kg. The silicone wheels sit in cast housings with bearings and glide smoothly. A joy to look at. Photos are in the post on the Korg Kronos 2 case that weighs 11 kg.
Many people think a flight case for a 76-key synthesizer cannot be light. Our budget aluminium case for a 76-key synthesizer weighs 11.7 kg, and we did not thin the foam inside to shrink it. Most makers do not publish the weight of their cases. The one comparable case we found with a published figure weighed 23.5 kg (51.7 lb), more than twice as much.
There are more keyboard flight cases in the catalogue.
Guitar amp and cabinet cases
Guitarists are often the last musicians to invest in proper cases, so we were glad to praise one of the very few who “dared”. Christian J. Dobrev:
Nikolay Kirov (Smart Cases EOOD) did an amazing job. Now it’s going to be much easier to carry around my amp by Engl Amps (Engl Victor Smolski Limited Edition head + Engl 2×12 Pro cab). This blue case looks even better than I expected.
Christian J. Dobrev
A head and a cabinet are heavy, square and expensive. A case built to their exact dimensions protects the valves and the speakers and keeps the load as small as the gear allows. Read the story in guitarists and cases made in Bulgaria, browse guitar and amp cases, or take a look at the ENGL Victor Smolski signature head itself.
Pedalboards that move without help
A pedalboard is a small system of its own, with patch cables and power that should stay connected between shows. Back in 2009 we built a two-level pedalboard. We have also made a pedalboard on wheels that its owner can pull and rearrange without help, so the board reaches the stage ready to plug in.
Orchestral and folk instruments that fly
Some of our hardest cases were for instruments with no standard case at all. In 2013 we built touring cases for orchestral and folk instruments: a tuba case whose interior can be rearranged for different models, a case for two cellos with room for bows and clothes (it saves space and weight on flights), a double bass case, and a case for two gadulkas, the traditional Bulgarian bowed instrument.
Each of them began the same way, with the instrument, its measurements and the way it travels. The musical instrument cases section of the catalogue shows many more.
Complete live rigs
For working bands and performers, the instrument is only part of the setup. We brought a system for live performance to life for Zdravko Zdravkov and Medi, professionals who understand that good things take trust. We hope our cases help towards many more concerts as moving as ever.
Made to order, and made here
For years Nikolay has explained that for almost the same price as on the most popular websites, or even less, anyone can have a quality case made here, and be treated well while they are at it. A good case usually outlives the instrument inside it, and with a small outlay we refit it for the next one. We showed some of the differences between a case made in China and one made in Bulgaria.
Professional workmanship with original parts of my choice!
Daniel Sokolovski
Frequently asked questions about flight cases for musicians
How heavy is a flight case for a keyboard?
It depends on the instrument and the design. Our case for a Korg Kronos 2 with built-in wheels weighs 11 kg, and our budget aluminium case for a 76-key synthesizer weighs 11.7 kg. A comparable 76-key case from another maker weighs 23.5 kg.
Can you build a case for an instrument that has no standard case?
Yes. We have built cases for two cellos, a tuba, a double bass and two gadulkas. Send the measurements, photos and how the instrument travels.
Can one case hold more than one instrument?
Yes. A case for two cellos, with room for bows and clothes, saves space and weight on flights. Two gadulkas can travel in one case too.
Do you make guitar amplifier cases?
Yes, for amplifier heads and cabinets, built to their exact dimensions. Laminates come in black or in colour.
Give your instrument the case it deserves
Browse the musical instrument cases or design yours in the online case builder. Then send us the instrument’s make and model, or its measurements, and how it travels, and we will build a case around it.
