November 11, 2009. Delivered 30 minutes ago. Finally found a quality case that will protect my Seagull Artist Mosaic! The Tric case that came with my Seagull allowed the guitar to flop around at the headstock, and actually broke the inside plastic shell of the case with the tuner buttons on a flight cross-country. Luckily, no damage, but I don't know how hard a hit the Tric would endure without subsequent instrument damage. This 640 snugs my Seagull in nicely, with NO flop. I like the light weight when hauling a case around airports...this one is no heavier than the foam Tric, and certainly much lighter than the laminated plywood alternatives. I'm 65...stopped serious exercise years ago. TKL makes a generic Pro-Form dreadnaught case, but the pics I have seen show no arch to the top of that case. I personally think the arch is important for airline strength. Their Martin 640 version seems a more substantial choice...for more money - well spent.

I've been pretty happy with this case overall. It's sturdy enough to protect my guitar from the usual bumps when transporting it. Unfortunately, the strap that keeps the top propped up when the case is open came unglued from the bottom part of the case. It looks like it was hot-glued originally. Perhaps Martin should secure this strap with rivets instead of hot glue. Other than that, it's been a good case.

This is the Martin “premium” case that’s included with their higher-end models (SWDGT, D-18 and higher D-series).

Too bad there isn’t an option to upgrade to the 640 case at time of purchase when buying a Martin that comes with the 345 case.

I have Martin D-15 and DSR models that came with the 345 plywood/vinyl case. The 345 weighs a ton! So, I bought a Martin 640 and a Gator 6/12 ABS Dread, respectively, for the D-15 & DSR, and sold the 345’s on eBay.

At a lesser price than the 640, the Gator is OK for storage when the DSR is not in use, but to me the Martin 640 case seems more rugged, better quality, and better suited to Martin Dreads. It hugs my D-15 perfectly. If I had it to do over, I’d have got a second 640 for the DSR.

Eventually, I may just pick up another 640 here and relegate the Gator to eBay… :)

The Martin Case (640) is far superior to other hard-shell cases in appearance and ruggedness; great lining; snug fit to my D-28 6-string. Hinged so that abnoxious "tale" doesn't hang out like it does on other cases.