Accessories Berkeley cases on ebay

[Rick Reed]

I've just seen a couple of brand new Berkeley case on ebay today. I emailed the guy and he said he'd got both alto and tenor in dark & light green, burgundy and red. Another listing showed a brand new pink sparkle alto. Does anyone know if Don Mackrill has gone back into production?
I love these cases. I thought I got the last of the "new" old stock from a shop in Market Harborough Leics, a blue sparkle tenor and a red sparkle alto. Anybody elase fans of these cases?

 

[griff136]

Don Mackrill has been trading online since he closed his shop.

 

[rhysonsax]

I really don't like the two Berkley cases which I have had for baritone. Maybe I was unlucky, but the latches were fitted into the case with pop rivets that pulled out of the fibreglass shell, the padding was inadequate and there wasn't much storage space. They look OK but I wouldn't buy another one.

I'm much happier with Hiscox cases for alto and tenor and BAM case for the bari, but I know these cost a bit more than the Berkley.

Rhys

 

[griff136]

I have to agree with Rhys, when I had one for tenor the sax seemed not to be secure inside the case along with the crook and mouthpiece whih had to be put in a bag inside the bell.


Hicox or winter cases are the way to go unless you want to re mortgage to get a new bam case!

 

[daveysaxboy]

Had a tenor Berkley case years ago.Worst case i had,seen.The sax slides about and theres some movement in the fibreglass shell.Open the case and it flip's on a funny angle,the padding or lack of it is sad.The palm keys rest on the so thin padding,Lots of stress on them.It looks nice from the outside but for protection it's naff:shocked: well thats my thoughts any how.Hiscox,SKB are much much better,well for me

 

[Rick Reed]

Had a tenor Berkley case years ago.Worst case i had,seen.The sax slides about and theres some movement in the fibreglass shell.Open the case and it flip's on a funny angle,the padding or lack of it is sad.The palm keys rest on the so thin padding,Lots of stress on them.It looks nice from the outside but for protection it's naff:shocked: well thats my thoughts any how.Hiscox,SKB are much much better,well for me

Yeah I know what you mean. I pack my mouthpiece case at the front by the bell. That seems to hold everything in place.The Bari cases are very flimsy, but I have had no probs with the latches. All in all I've had about 5 berkley cases over the years. Although your right about the padding Dave, there has never been any damage to the palm keys or the sax. Even when its travelled in the infamous band van!!! I've also had Hiscox and they are very robust, I can see why you like them.
I've looked into the Eastman cases from America, they are shaped like the berkley but have more padding and seem stronger.Might have a word with Santa for next Christmas.

 

[Jules]

Yup- my bari case was terrible! ropey catches, wobbly- big thumbs down....

 

[jonf]

Still is))

(In fairness to Jules, he did warn me the case was crap before I bought the sax)

 

[Stephen Howard]

I consider to the Berkeley style cases to be dangerous.
Thing is, they're a hard-shelled shaped case - and players assume this is all that's needed to protect the horn, but the cases have virtually no padding in them at all.
In the event of a drop the shell transfers almost all of the shock through to the horn. Typical Berkeley case-drop damage is a bent bell rim, a misaligned bell, a dent under the Eb guard and a bent upper body.
A cheap Chinese horn case offers more protection from shock damage.

I reckon the minimum standard for a shaped case is the Hiscox - you should only think of the Berkeley as being a 'hard cover'.

Regards,

 

[Saxlicker]

For my two penneth...

I have one for Baritone...it is barely adequate, in fact I agree it's quite rubbish.

I have 2 for tenor....One came in a sax purchase deal and is in poor condition with regard to the catches.
The other which has been with me for 20 years from new has taken some abuse is actually fine. No sign of catches falling off or significant movement in the shell.

I also have one for alto and it's sturdy (due to its proportions i guess). I don't see this one as being a problem at all and have no desire to search for a better case.


Overall though, the padding has no definitive shape and is not up there with the best.

P.S. much prefer my Hiscox!

 

[MMM]

Berkley cases

I think the design was thought more with compatibility with different sax makes, rather than ultimate protection. If memory serves me right, when they came out (light years ago!), the Berkley cases were the only affordable alternative to the very expensive Selmer hard shaped cases (Saxpak? the ones with the zip all round). It's a shame that the design was not improved over time (as has the SKB or Hiscox).

One big plus of the Berkley case in my opinion is that it will fit modern, vintage clapper style bell keys and left hand bell keys saxes, maybe the only exception is the large bell 400 or Keilwerth tenors... which is not bad. Fitting some extra padding, particularly around the bow shouldn't be very difficult.

BTW if anyone wants to get rid of a Berkley bari and alto case cheap, even with broken latches, let me know!!!
Manlio