Relining a Guitar Case

I quite like the new Gibson Custom Shop cases with the yellow lining that come with the newer ES models. It harks back to the cases of the 1960s and shows off the guitar beautifully.

The case that came with my ES-330 has a mottled grey fur interior and the outside is heavily marked from touring Europe with its first owner.

Now I like a nice case. I always think that a case for a guitar is like a frame for a picture. As well as protect it, it needs to show it to best advantage, and the nasty brown and grey one just didn’t do that.

I couldn’t persuade Gibson to sell me one of theirs aftermarket so I decided I’d reline a black case in yellow velvet just like the Gibson ones.

I used a Spider brand case as they are cheap and sturdy but have a black fur lining, which ripped out easily leaving the wooden shell.

It took a little while working out how best to construct the interior. I made patterns of each piece of velvet before cutting. I remade the accessory compartment and neck supports, adding a second support for security. These were made from poplar, as the original was just expanded polystyrene.

Relined case

I’m pretty pleased with how it came out and it shows off the guitar beautifully.

Relined case with ES-330