diff --git a/beets/library.py b/beets/library.py
index 0c1acba22..b6d8f4c07 100644
--- a/beets/library.py
+++ b/beets/library.py
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ log = logging.getLogger('beets')
 class PathQuery(dbcore.FieldQuery):
     """A query that matches all items under a given path.
 
-    On Windows paths are case-insensitive, contratly to UNIX platforms.
+    On Windows paths are case-insensitive by default, contrarly to UNIX
+    platforms.
     """
 
     escape_re = re.compile(r'[\\_%]')
@@ -53,11 +54,16 @@ class PathQuery(dbcore.FieldQuery):
 
     _is_windows = platform.system() == 'Windows'
 
-    def __init__(self, field, pattern, fast=True):
+    def __init__(self, field, pattern, fast=True, case_sensitive=None):
         super(PathQuery, self).__init__(field, pattern, fast)
 
-        if self._is_windows:
+        if case_sensitive is None:
+            # setting this value as the default one would make it un-patchable
+            # and therefore un-testable
+            case_sensitive = not self._is_windows
+        if not case_sensitive:
             pattern = pattern.lower()
+        self.case_sensitive = case_sensitive
 
         # Match the path as a single file.
         self.file_path = util.bytestring_path(util.normpath(pattern))
@@ -65,13 +71,13 @@ class PathQuery(dbcore.FieldQuery):
         self.dir_path = util.bytestring_path(os.path.join(self.file_path, b''))
 
     def match(self, item):
-        path = item.path.lower() if self._is_windows else item.path
+        path = item.path if self.case_sensitive else item.path.lower()
         return (path == self.file_path) or path.startswith(self.dir_path)
 
     def col_clause(self):
         file_blob = buffer(self.file_path)
 
-        if not self._is_windows:
+        if self.case_sensitive:
             dir_blob = buffer(self.dir_path)
             return '({0} = ?) || (substr({0}, 1, ?) = ?)'.format(self.field), \
                    (file_blob, len(dir_blob), dir_blob)
diff --git a/test/test_query.py b/test/test_query.py
index 2511aa841..ee0f3d0ba 100644
--- a/test/test_query.py
+++ b/test/test_query.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 from __future__ import (division, absolute_import, print_function,
                         unicode_literals)
 
+from functools import partial
 from mock import patch
 
 from test import _common
@@ -465,14 +466,23 @@ class PathQueryTest(_common.LibTestCase, TestHelper, AssertsMixin):
 
     def test_case_sensitivity(self):
         self.add_album(path='/A/B/C2.mp3', title='caps path')
-        q = 'path:/A/B'
+
+        makeq = partial(beets.library.PathQuery, 'path', '/A/B')
+
+        results = self.lib.items(makeq(case_sensitive=True))
+        self.assert_items_matched(results, ['caps path'])
+
+        results = self.lib.items(makeq(case_sensitive=False))
+        self.assert_items_matched(results, ['path item', 'caps path'])
+
+        # test platform-aware default sensitivity
         with patch('beets.library.PathQuery._is_windows', False):
-            results = self.lib.items(q)
-            self.assert_items_matched(results, ['caps path'])
+            q = makeq()
+            self.assertEqual(q.case_sensitive, True)
 
         with patch('beets.library.PathQuery._is_windows', True):
-            results = self.lib.items(q)
-            self.assert_items_matched(results, ['path item', 'caps path'])
+            q = makeq()
+            self.assertEqual(q.case_sensitive, False)
 
 
 class IntQueryTest(unittest.TestCase, TestHelper):