Well, I'm having a case made for this Dipper, which I still don't have. Would anyone here have one and kindly send me measurements? I would need side width from side to side, side width from corner to corner, and width of the instrument when the bellows are depleted. I've tried calling the Dippers but they're not answering, and that would be important I get the measures this week.

Thanks for the help :-)

Hi- Why would you want to order a case for your Dipper? If it is a new one ordered from Colin it will come to you in a nice case. Mine did and I would imagine that that this is still the case (pardon the pun!) -- Steven

Well, I was thinking of having a Fallon case made for me, which is really top of the line case. I could use the other case for my current concertina, which only has a soft case...

As noted above, Colin provides a nice case with his instruments. I just sold a metal-ended County Clare a few weeks ago that had a case complete with the Dipper sticker/label on the inside of the lid. I can't recall the exact measurements of the instrument but I seem to recall that it was about 5 5/8" across the flats on an end. Of course a fuzzy memory is useless for your purposes but it may be of some value to add that I'm under the impression that the dimensions are slightly larger for the Professional County Clare model so be very clear as to the model you're comparing when receiving input from others.

A point comes to mind; unless you have another County Clare I can't imagine you fitting a different concertina into the case Colin provides with the one you receive. It will be perfectly sized to hold your Clare with no "slop" or "slack," but will not accept a larger instrument, that is, it's unlikely that a different concertina could be put in it and permit you to close the lid. Forgive me if I'm stating something you already know this, but the case will be "blocked" internally such that it gently but snugly cradles the Clare. A standard sized instrument (Tedrow, Edgley, Jeffries, Wheatstone, etc.) wouldn't come close to fitting in the Clare case.

Enjoy your Clare, they're great concertinas.

Bruce

Azalin,

Bruce is correct about the size being 5 5/8 " Bob Tedrow builds his Zephyr concertinas with the same dimensions as the County Clare. See http://hmi.homewood.net/zephyr/

Greg Jowaisas from the Concertina.net forum builds excellent cases. I have three of his cases. They are sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. Greg lives in Kentucky and also build cases for Wally Carroll's "most excellent" concertinas.

(In the multitude of counsellors lies wisdom).

Thanks everyone, in light of this torrent of information I am going to postpone any case decision :-) The concertina world is so complex, I should have stuck with the whistle!

... and, I was going to say, spared our eardrums, but then the whistle was pretty piercing too. Ah well, could have been even harder on our ears (but easier on your wallet ) if you had taken up the accordion.

This is heresy and blasphemy! Speaking about accordions on concertina.net! You know Zizi, comparing an accordion with an anglo concertina is like comparing a recorder with a whistle...

Quite. One is a real musical instrument and the other... sure anybody can play the whistle

The Dippers' cases are pretty sturdy and unless you expect to give it a real battering I should have thought it would be more than adequate. I think you're wise to postpone a decision until your new concertina arrives and you can judge for yourself.

If you are going to get a custom-made case, and you're also going to be carrying around your current concertina, then it might be worth investing in a double case - I find mine to be a real godsend, especially when I'm also carrying around mel*deons and other off-topic instruments. But I use it for convenience, not because the original cases were inadequate.

Enjoy your Dipper - I got my Cotswold just over a year ago and it's a real pleasure: lovely to look at, great to play, and a wonderful tone.

Does any one know what Colin Dipper charges for new Dipper cases? (A rough estimate???).