New hard case for my Taylor AB1

I've just completed a new hard case for my Taylor AB1. Taylor made a canvas gig bag which came standard with their AB1 acoustic bass. The bag is good quality but it will never be a substitute for a hard case when it comes to protection when travelling.
I retained the red velvet interior from the original bag which meant carefully unpicking the stitching.

I built the case with good quality 4mm 5 ply. I decided to refine the original case proportions by cutting a pattern close to the body of the bass but retaining a relatively simple design. A radius curve around the bout and head stock end.

Once constructed I covered the case in open mesh fibre glass cloth set in PVA Glue. Once that was cured I applied 3 coats of Duratek acrylic paint. This is a high build self priming acrylic top coat used for protecting speaker cabinets. I obtained this imported American product from Livesound in Auckland. I bought the case hardware from a variety of online and retail store outlets.

I found a recycled, black polyethelene plastic strip, sold as garden edging which I cut to my chosen width on a table saw. I then routed a shallow v grove along its length and perforated the length of the grove with hundreds of small holes at 10mm spacings using a drill. once cut to length I fitted the strip around the lid and stitched it into place by drilling through my guide holes through the plastic strip into the case lid. I was then able to sew the strip into place using light nylon braided line with a large packing needle. The effect is very satisfactory visually and structurally. I'm a fan of sewing things together, something I learned from studying ancient artifacts of the pacific.

I added two bulkheads and a hinged plywood lid near the waist to create an enclosure for my tuner and lead

the bulge is an additional ply panel covering a cutaway which accommodates the bass at its deepest point, the saddle bridge. It also adds strength to the lid.