What is the very next thing you need after buying a violin and bow? If you guessed violin case, then you are correct. Ask any violin maker or retailer just how important good cases are, and they will likely reply with, "Vital, invaluable, and just as important as good health insurance". This is because they know how irreplaceable, and yet breakable violins are.

Directly below you will find our 'Best O'f List. This is placed close for your thumb's scrolling convenience. Further down you will find some excellent leisure reading material that also happens to be very informative and exciting. I will give you three little teasers to get you hooked: violin in case, crash, splinters of wood. 

By the time you finish reading this you will have a strong 'case' for getting a good 'case'. This is one area where a little investment will go a long way.

Check Out These Best Violin Cases - I give them all two thumbs up. Read more about them below.

The Bam Case is probably the next highest violin case in price to the Musafia. You will spend between $200.00 - $700.00. As is the 'case' with anything violin related, you will get what you pay for though. This case product features include a three layer construction for exceptional protection. It is resistant to extreme shock and pressure. It also includes 4 bow holders, a string tube, and removable accessory bag, and large exterior music pocket. The Bam is high-tech and slick looking.

Bobelock Cases come in a range of style and prices. According to a recent article featured on stringsmagazine.com, "Bruce Weaver, sales and manufacturing representative at Bobelock cases, reports that the company has tested the durability by backing a Chevy truck over one of their cases, and the case survived". That's impressive! The Bobelock comes with a plush velvet interior and was also said by stringsmagazine to "give [more expensive] luxury cases a run for their money." The Bobelock runs between $100.00 and $300.00 depending on style, and features selected. 

Another great brand common among collegiate musicians is the Gewa Maestro Violin Case. I've seen many fellow musicians with this brand and they all seem to like it. It is lightweight, and functional. The Gewa has a long history, dating back to 1869. German engineers carefully work through the 300 individual steps comprise the production process for each GEWA case. The price is fair and normally runs around $250.00. This is a good quality product, not your regular student-grade 'cheap' violin case.

There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a violin case for your $200.00 quarter size beginning violin. The Toshira is the case that my daughter is using, and it has been great! A good rule of thumb when it comes to budget shopping for your student's violin accessories is that the case shouldn't cost more than the instrument itself. This case is lightweight, has an outside zipper pocket, dust cloth, and is soft and well fitted to the instrument. 

Let me tell you my personal experience.

I had just finished a concert with my University Symphony performing Handel's Messiah. Since I didn't live too far from the concert hall I was walking home with violin case strapped over my shoulder. It was a beautiful winter day and a perfect end to a great concert series. I had noticed it was a little slippery, so I stepped carefully. I was almost home when I hit some hidden, but fatal ice! The next thing I knew all 120 lbs of my body was flat on my back on top of my violin case. It must have swung behind me and broken my fall. "Trusty violin", I thought, "It probably saved me from serious injury".

I hurried home anxious to open my case and make sure my instrument was still in tune after taking that beating. But what I wasn't expecting to find was the serious train wreck that was wrapped in the plush maroon velvet of the case interior. I was horrified, strings were everywhere, the bridge and face of the violin had smashed completely in and shards of violin wood were scattered throughout the violin case. I let out a painful cry! The wood that was now in pieces was from the same forest that Stradivarius carved his violins! It had been aged for over 16 years then carefully carved and created into one of the most beautiful violins I had ever seen or played on. My violin had been a gift from my grandma, and I had loved it! Now it was completely totaled."

That was a painful experience, one that I hope I never have to live through again. I think any violinist that has owned and loved their instrument for years could relate! But I did learn a couple of lessons from this unfortunate slip on the ice.

1. It doesn't take much to damage, even total, a stringed instrument. My instrument wasn't placed out on football field end zone waiting to be tackled by a 300 lb linebacker. My violin hadn't been run over by a car, or even dropped off of a tall building. I simply had fallen on top of the violin while it was in the case!

2. Even though the case I owned wasn't the cheapest one on the market, it hadn't been strong enough to withstand the impact of the fall, and protect my violin. Sometimes even a 'good' case isn't good enough! I had owned a nice case and my violin was still unrepairable. If you don't want to replace your violin at some point, invest a little extra and get the best case possible.

3. I always carry my violin by the handle and not the strap that goes around the shoulder. It's a pain but I feel like it's more protected!

4. My parents had been smart enough to insure my violin. I was so grateful that my parents had the foresight to recognize the value of my instrument and pay a little extra each year for 'violin insurance'. If you feel like your instrument is of great value, you should check into insuring it. Many insurance companies will insure valuable property under the umbrella of your home-insurance for a pretty low rate. My violin was replaced with another new and wonderful handmade instrument.

At the time that we acquired my new instrument we also invested in a Musafia violin case. It was pricey, but gives me the piece of mind I need wherever I am. If you check out their website, they have links to local dealers that you can purchase from. They have sold cases to many professional violinists, and boast of having the strongest and safest violin case. I LOVE my Musafia case almost as much as I love my violin!

Although I strongly recommend buying a Musafia violin case, it isn't always in the budget to spend that much. If the instrument you own is $500.00 or more, I recommend that you buy as expensive of a case as your budget will allow. At the same time, keep in mind the rule of thumb listed above: your case shouldn't be more expensive than your violin.