Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm looking for a pre-1900 Martin Coffin case. Conditon is not that important. I've looked on ebay and all the obvious places, but nothing so far. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Hey Jimmy,
No help on an actual old coffin case, but here's a link to build one:
http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/resr7g3w/ch ... /index.htm


regards,
jack

Hi Jimmy,
A couple of general questions:
-What size are you looking for?
-Does it have to be a genuine Martin? or just similar...

These do show up from time to time but not all that are claimed to be "Martin" are.
Martin coffin cases have very specific hardware and construction (corner blocks, heavy cast handles with a "stop", spring latches or hooks, often with a shaped insert etc.)

David,

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking for a Martin case, if at all possible. Size is not really important, as I'm planning on using it as a reference to build replicas for various sizes of guitars. I'm really interested in the period details and there's nothing like having an actual example to work from. Sorry I missed the Austin exhibit a couple of weeks ago. I was really looking forward to attending, but unfortunately, family obligations kept me away. I read your post on your time in our fair city and it sounds like you hit some of the high spots. By any chance did you get over to Iron Works Bar-BQ? It's one of my favorites and the best in the downtown area.

Thanks again.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Missed the BBQ Jimmy but did have dinner at Truluck's which was outstanding, also visited Guitar Rez which was fun.

I have two Martin Coffin cases and would be happy to provide some photos if that would help.
Send me a PM.

Best

I bet you Steve Spodaryk would be able to point you in the right direction. I would shoot him an email.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks David and Brock. I'll send an email to Steve.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

I've bought a number of coffin cases on eBay over the years. The prices now are quite high and you don't see
them very often. It's not uncommon to see 300-400.00 for good ones.

They are often missing hardware which can be hard to replicate. True Martin cases are like
the ones pictured in the thread. Many manufacturers used coffin cases in the 1800's, a lot of them had a lip
around the top rather than a flat sealing surface. I have seen some really early Martin cases with that lip.
Steve has built some wonderful coffin cases with that lip. Dana Bourgeois also has built some very nice coffin
cases using CNC patterns. When Martin made the Stauffer model they offered it in a modern coffin case. I believe
they have extras of those as they did not produce the entire run they had planned on.....

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Bruce Herrmann
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Indeed, Martin did a nice job reproducing the coffin case as an accessory for several models.

They are however, heavier than the hinges of Hell................

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Thanks, Laurent. I'll keep an eye on this one.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Hey David. How about some more photos of that case? I've been thinking of building one for a while but I've never seen one up close