It has now been 10 years since I first purchased my Antonio Hermosa nylon string guitar: nothing incredibly special about it, nothing high-end about it, just a standard guitar. What makes my guitar unique, however, is not the actual instrument itself, but rather the case in which my guitar is always nestled. Since around 2010, I have been collecting stickers of places that I have been, stickers of sports teams, quotes, etc. to collect on the outside of the case. I have noticed trends in how different musician friends of mine use their guitar case, and how the appearance says a lot about the player himself.

1. The torn up case:

If you have a case that is literally falling apart at the seams, you more than likely play gigs every night, or had to buy the cheap case at the music store because you are on a tight budget.

2. The case full of papers:

When guitar players who are not too keen at picking up music by ear want to learn a tune, they simply print off chords from online, and, unfortunately, reams and reams of papers begin piling up. There is also always that one musician friend who has to go home and practice for their recital. As a result, he or she begins a collection of recital programs that only leave less and less space for the thing that actually belongs in the case...the guitar!

3. The stickers:

Stickers express personal aspects about the guitarist's own life. Some stickers show where all the guitar (or guitarist) have been, others are political statements such as "make love, not war," and others only have meaning to the musician himself.

The weight:

The two cases I own are quite different when it comes to the actual weight, For my Antonio Hermosa, the case is lightweight and not very protective. You can tell how much the guitar is treasured by the weight it carries. My Martin, on the other hand, is almost heavier than the guitar itself and adds about an extra eight to ten pounds to the load.

5. The picks:

Guitar cases all have that little box on the upper end of the neck, in which capos, picks, and anything else that you can squeeze in. The picks show even more personal taste, based on thickness and brand. My picks of choice are Fender mediums, as they strum the strings of my Martin perfectly, whereas the fingers that God gave me are all I need for the nylon strings.