Will my Viola fit into this case?

Question

I have a viola, a 15 inch. and i want to buy a new case for it,mine broke. at SouthWestStrings you can buy really cheap instruments and bows and cases, and the quality is the same as a $700 dollar viola at ward brodt. i got my case, my viola, my bow, and some accessories for less then $200. anyway, my case broke because my dog accidently stepped on it. and i need new one. i was thinking of buying the same one, but im not sure. i might want to buy a kyoto case but my original is prelude. but im not sure because a viola is a viola, isnt it? and mine is a 15" and the case says its for a 15" viola. so i dont know what the difference is. there shouldnt be different size cases. i looked at the dementions and the prelude dimentions are a little bigger then the kyoto. see:

http://www.swstrings.com/Store/Shopping.jsp?Category=CasesAndBags&SubCategory=Viola&Group=395

http://www.swstrings.com/Store/Shopping.jsp?Category=CasesAndBags&SubCategory=Viola&Group=393

what do you think?

Answer 1

It should fit, you want it to be snug because in case the case is dropped it will prevent it from jarring and breaking the bridge. I had this happen with my violin, The case was slightly too big and when it hit the ground it banged forward and snapped the bridge. $65 dollars later... In my experience (10 years) hard shell cases are better although a little more awkward to carry...I'd go with the prelude though...seems like it has more of a "fit" to it...