NGD: Thon Tour Case for 5 Guitars/Basses

[ItWillDo]

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Purchase link: https://www.thomann.de/be/thon_tour_case_for_5_guitars_basses.htm
Price when purchased: 689 EUR

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We moved to a new house recently which has a space I can use as a dedicated music/gym room, and I've been looking into different options for storing my guitars there with minimal impact of temperature, humidity but most of all (natural) light as I would hate for the finish to fade.

The first idea I had was the most obvious one: leaving the guitars in their own case, but this rapidly piled up into a mess and I wanted something cleaner. Other options I glanced over were:

- Hanging the guitars on the wall --- Collects dust & would be bad for the finish as there is an abundance of natural light
- Multiple guitar rack stand in combination with a cloth to cover the guitars --- Was a good option as well, but pretty much still suffers from the same problems previously mentioned, in addition to the fact that there would be a damage hazard in case one of my kids would try to pull off the cloth and drag a guitar down with it

So after exhausting multiple options I finally arrived to to the Thon Tour Case, which essentially is a multiple guitar rack stand but with added structural stability and better protection from all the hazards I previously mentioned.

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Delivery​

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the case when it was delivered, but the delivery happens with a partner company of Thomann which specialises in transporting bulky items. The case arrived wrapped in flattened cardboard boxes, mounted on a wood pallet. The company gives you a call a few days up front to schedule a delivery moment to make sure you're home once it's delivered.

For those wondering, the case is also already fully-assembled (with a minor exception) on delivery so it's not like you have to embark on an Ikea-like adventure to do the assembly by yourself.

Construction​

Just like most items in the Thon product-line, Thomann didn't take too many compromises on quality and everything feels solid & sturdy. The wood is solid, the wheels ride smoothly and all the butterfly latches close properly. Taking off the front of the case is a breeze when you unlock the 4 latches holding it together, but putting it back on has proven to be a little more challenging to do until you get a better idea of how the front lines up best. The case itself is pretty big and can even fit my monstrous Dingwall NG3-6 with ease.

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The inside is also taken care of professionally, and all the protective foam has been cut off straight & proper so there are no pieces sticking out which can get stuck when trying to close the case.

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The padding inside is thick enough to withstand most light-medium impact you would expect to occur during transport, and the guitar holders are K&M 16280's which are very simple but very reliable holders. The holders are mounted using the same rails & screws they use on their Thon rack equipment. They provide 6 "dividers" wrapped in foam which can be inserted in the slots on the bottom to create separate slots for your guitars, and the the advertised 5 guitars can enjoy a royal amount of space using the available width:

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Depending on your use case, you could easily fit more guitars in here. If you're going to use the case for active touring, it might be best to stick to the advertised 5 pieces and leave ample space in between to prevent them from hitting eachother during transport, but for use cases such as mine where the case will be used for storage, adding an additional 1 or even 2 shouldn't be too much of an issue.

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The rack rail also contains 4 unused nuts, so Thon might actually had the same idea in mind as well and I've ordered 2 additional holders to see how well it goes.

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The top of the case can also be opened, but (sadly) only when the front of the case is taken off as well. The top is held by 2 butterfly latches on the side, and once these are unlocked, a gas spring will push the top open:

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The inside view from the top will immediately reveal a little space within the case that can be opened using a little hole, where some small items can be stored.

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The hinges aren't locked or kept together by anything, so in case of "rough" transport where the case might get tilted vertically, it's possible the door of the little container could swing open and the items might fall out and scratch/damages the guitars on the inside.

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Nitro Finishes​

A little note is provided (both on paper as on the website) to warn users about using the product in combination with guitars that have a nitro finish:

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From what I have derived during my little search about this topic, I believe this is mostly related to the non-marring rubber used on the guitar holders, which can cause damage to nitro finishes (there are a few examples available online when you look for this topic, which looks like the coating of the guitar starts peeling off).

However if this is only related to the holders, it could likely be very easily mitigated by using the white 16280 holders which are made from a synthetic material and are safe to use with nitro-finished guitar. Which begs the question if this minor added cost of ~7 EUR to add the white ones by default, wouldn't provide better business value and avoid potentially damaging guitars of customers who are not aware of the warning or properties of their instruments?

Conclusion​

In conclusion, I'm very happy about my purchase despite the rather high cost. But knowing that I can keep my instruments safe from a lot of hazardous elements, whilst still keeping them easily accessible for use, is worth the price tag for me personally. The only thing I would've maybe liked is if it was possible to insert/remove the instruments from the top without having to remove the front of the case, but that's a really minor disturbance in contrast.

 

[beavis2306]

That is neat and tidy. I've got 7 hardcases stashed in various places around my music room so this really appeals. Thanks for sharing

 

[ItWillDo]

That is neat and tidy. I've got 7 hardcases stashed in various places around my music room so this really appeals. Thanks for sharing

Understand completely, hoping to go from the picture below (in case adding the additional holders goes without problem) to just the single Thon case:

 

[wheresthefbomb]

In conclusion, I'm very happy about my purchase despite the rather high cost.

I've never bought anything like this but from the image I was expecting a four-digit price tag right out the gate.

 

[ItWillDo]

I've never bought anything like this but from the image I was expecting a four-digit price tag right out the gate.

Granted, in the end it's a lot of bang for the buck for what you get, but contextually speaking it's the most expensive "guitar stand" available on Thomann with the next one being half the price.

 

[Andromalia]

Thon means "tuna" in french which also happens to be slang for an ugly-looking person. It led over the years to some insults getting thrown at gear.
I've had a rack from them (they're a thomann inhouse brand) and it was ok, it just looked like shit, you don't really want one in your living room.

 

[ItWillDo]

Thon means "tuna" in french which also happens to be slang for an ugly-looking person. It led over the years to some insults getting thrown at gear.
I've had a rack from them (they're a thomann inhouse brand) and it was ok, it just looked like shit, you don't really want one in your living room.

Granted, the brown color is not the most aesthetic one, but you can have pretty much all Thon products made to spec (custom colors etc...) when you contact them.

 

[narad]

That's super cool, I'm jealous. I have a scott dixon triple row, which I think is more stylish in the way it opens like a pod, but everything apart from that in some ways seems less actually protective and thought out, even though they are similar systems. It's a pain in the ass to take the cover off, and I dont trust it to actually use it as a case for moving guitars.

Sucks for everyone outside of Europe though -- that's like the only area that you can ship these nice cases too.

 

[Emperoff]

I have a Thon roadcase for my pedalboard that has been through hell and back. I want to replace it at some point for something smaller/lighter but so far it has been extremely reliable.