A while back I did a review of the Fusion F-1 case, the direct competitor of the Reunion Blues cases, at least in my opinion they are.

I have been using this case for over a year and have seen many people put their most prized Mya Moe and Moore Bettah ukes in them. Gerald Ross is always talking about how awesome they are at different festivals. As I see it, they are another rigid gig bag, and that has its pros and cons.

Read on to see what I thought. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you at this point

Specs:
Color:  Black with blue piping
Padding: High density foam padding
Outer material: Ballistic Quadraweave exterior (Rigid dense canvas)
Inner material: Double helix” velvet,
Inner protection: Stationary neck brace with a velvet lined Velcro strap. Also some rubber on the lid to keep the strings on the headstock and bridge from snagging.
Pockets:  Big Top pocket. Little pocket on the back where in the headstock area.
Zips:  Heavy metal pulls for a large tooth plastic zipper
Carry system: Very padded backpack straps that can be hidden.
Handles: Thick handle with a neoprene under for comfort.
Base: Large rippled plastic panel
Branding: Reunion Blues patch, and it came with a leather luggage tag

Dimensions:
External length: 29″
External width: 11.5″
External Depth: 9.5″
Internal length: 27″
Internal width upper bout: 7″
Internal width lower bout:10″
Weight: 4 lb
Full Specs:
http://reunionblues.com/product/217/RBTUK

First look: (4) THIS THING LOOKS HUGE!! When I see people with this case I wonder how many ukes are in it. It seems too deep for just one uke. Other than that is looks nice and clean, nothing fancy about it, and that maybe it’s selling point. as you can see the Martin tenor swims in it.

Fit and Finish: (4) Reunion Blues takes pride in all their cases and it shows. I can’t think of any nicer materials than what they used. the very dense and ridged outer fabric and super plush silky velvet pair very well to make a nice case. Other features are the double stitched piping and a nice large section of waffled plastic on the bottom exterior. This thing will not fall apart. I think this will take a beating…. BUT it is still a soft case. it is not designed to have something heavy placed on it. It will collapse. But for a semi hard case it is top notch and I am hard pressed to find an issue for what it is.

My one issue in the design of this case is that it is too short for an 8-string tenor. seems that for the price and all the thought put into it, and extra 2 inches would have gone a long way. In the picture is my Kanile’a Tenor 8-string.

Smell: (Nothing) I had it for a year, so the new smell is gone. even keeping it closed it seems to not off gas at all. (Some off gassing can hurt certain finishes)

Final Thoughts

My personal thoughts are that this is an overpriced rigid gig bag. For $150 you could buy a really nice hard case that could actually withstand having something on top of it. Some airlines will make you check a tenor uke because it is too long for overhead bins (I have never had to) and if that is the case this will be crushed in a minute.

It is also too deep and not long enough for some ukes. If you had an 8-string or a slotted head you are screwed. Also it is too deep externally since it has a puffed out ridged pocket that fits nothing except a few tuners and small things. The front pocket is not the width of the case so no book or sheet music would fit. Why not get a hard case if you want no storage.

As I reread this I know it sounds like a rant, sorry about that, but I see products come out and I know they tried to design a case that is light and use the “best” materials, but sometimes that makes for an overpriced thing that few will buy, and those that do seem to think they got a good deal and will be protected. A soft-shell case (Hard foam inside, canvas outer) would be better and 1/5 the price.

All Rating on a scale of 1-5
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Places to buy on the web:

Uke Republic $149
MusiciansFriend.com: $159

Gallery: