SKB 3i SKB66

SKB 3i-4214-66 Tele/Strat Flight Case
I bought one of these for a trip to Barbados. I play in a Reggae band and wanted to get some experience playing with people who actually know what they are doing. I was a bit hesitant as I wanted the case for my Ibanez Universe. It is intended for a Stratocaster or Telecaster and I was worried about the fit. After a couple of emails to some stockists, including Thomann, I was assured that it was ok so I ordered one. When it arrived I was initially struck by it’s robust appearance. I was expecting something substantial but this is a hefty bit of kit. It actually weighs 8.8kg so if you are travelling abroad it is something you will have to consider as your guitar’s weight will have to be added to that. The Universe was an almost perfect fit. The case holds the neck very snugly which stops the instrument from flopping around in “normal “ use. There are some gaps around the body of the guitar that I plugged with underwear for the flight. I also tried my Ibanez Jem which turned out to be quite a bit roomy. Still not a problem for domestic use but probably would require an insert of some kind or perhaps the contents of your T-shirt drawer to pack it out for a flight. The case and it’s contents arrived in perfect condition at Grantley Adams International Airport. There were a few scuffs to the case from the baggage carousel which I expected. Apart from that happy days! I feel I should address a couple of issues brought up by other reviewers on other retail platforms. Firstly, someone complained that the case was unbalanced. This is true if you insist on having your hand dead centre of the handle. The centre handle is quite large so holding nearer to one end will counterbalance the weight. This is currently not a problem for me as I have so much kit stashed in the generous storage space that it is perfectly balanced! Another complaint was that the edges of the box are distorted so that it doesn’t seal properly. Although true to a point because of the moulding process, there is a built in gasket that seals the case. The expressed concern that rain would run inside the case is, in my opinion, absurd. However, I wouldn’t be leaving an expensive guitar in the rain anyway. I have read a complaint that a Telecaster fitted with a Bigsby trem would not allow the case to close. I would suggest trying before buying if your guitar is non-standard in any way. For instance, if you have a Evertune bridge fitted or a long throw pickup selector etc. For me, the case is all I hoped it would be. If I were to use it for one of my Jems I might make some inserts to take up the space. This is something I did before with a generic Gator case. To sum up, I would heartily recommend SKB iseries cases. I returned from Barbados with my Ibanez intact and nothing but dust and a few scuffs on the case, despite it falling out of the back of a van! The case would probably withstand a direct hit from an ICBM and still get your guitar to the next gig…

Another disappointment for the SKB case, this case doesn't exactly fit all strat body. I tried three of my strat guitars. Only two of them fit right through the foam molding.

This issue is the design of the molding doesn't leave extra enough room for a potential slightly size differential between each strat body, especially around the neck pocket area. One of my strat suffer from this design defect, it results my strat cannot completely lay flat, which means there is an obvious gap between the foam itself and the back of the neck.

Even my other two strat suffer the similar issues, but with a much less gap in between, the cheapest solution i did is to use bubble foam to fill in the gap, so the neck itself will not bend in a backbow shape when the case is completely closed.

In conclusion, I don't expect a silly flaw from a high end case again. I think if the manufacturer is willing to readjust and make more room for the foam molding, this can be easily solved. I suggest buyers should really consider this potential before pulling the trigger.