I’m looking for a case and had a opportunity to take a look at Otto Musica Mirage CarbonPoly oblong violin case.
Nice Features
It was a beautiful, stylish, compact case with 4 bow holders.
It is a very light weight case. (according to the website, it is 4.5lb = 2.08kg)
The Bow tips go into the mesh sleeve pockets attached on the left side, which I’ve never seen before. (I remember one of the Bam cases which the tip of the bow goes to the right side of the case, but it is more natural for me to put the bow tips on the left side.)
I like that this case has a lid retention strap on the right side, as you can see above, which prevents the lid from opening fully flat. (I think that one of the Bam cases I saw does not have it.) It is important to have one when I choose a violin case.
There are two drawbolt latches in order to close the case securely and tight. I’ve seen some of my students use cases with this type of latch. They may be more common now with this style at this price range.
There is a pouch with the same mesh material attached on the left side. It is removable and a nice size. The case has a shoulder rest holder strap with velcro, which is attached to the case. It also comes with a blanket.
There is a removable sheet music pouch, which can be attached to the back of the violin case and it is water resistant (according to their website), which is nice.
It has a subway handle as well as two rubber legs to support when you have to keep the case vertical. I feel the subway handle can be much shorter, but it is important for me that it has one.
It also come with two shoulder straps. I could not examine them, but they look like wide enough to feel secure and comfortable. (if the straps are too narrow, they can dig into my shoulder and can create some pain and can be uncomfortable.) Also, where the straps attach on the violin case makes a difference.
Everything looked pretty good, however…I found there were a couple of
Down Sides…
When I tried to put my bow in the case, it could not fit…
I’m pretty sure this is a special case, but I have a slightly longer bow than standard length, which is 75cm = 30 inches. I have one bow at 75.5cm. I know my bow is not in the standard mesurment, but I’d like the maker to know this possibility.
Also, when I put my violin in the case, it did not close properly.
It seems like the pad on the lid of the case, as you can see on the photo of bow holders, which touches the tailpiece/chin-rest of the violin, may be very slightly too thick and prevents the case to close properly without applying a little pressure.
It is only one or two millimeters but the lid lifts and I have to put a little pressure in order to close the case. If I start to use the case, the pad may adjust to the violin and change the shape slightly over the time, but I do not want to take a chance to give any strain to my violin.
It is unfortunate, but it was not the right case for me… I still miss it, since it did look very good, especially for the price range of $380-$249.95 (Aria Muzic online. The company may be in Canada).
Thank you anyway to Otto Musica: https://www.ottomusica.com/cases/violin-cases/mirage-cp/