Gigbag questions

Timebutt · #1 01-04-2006, 11:33 AM

Perhaps this topic was already discussed before, but I searched this forum but nothing really helpful popped up.

So, I'm planning to buy a decent gigbag (a shame I don't have one already), but I was wondering like what to pay attention to. My budget is around €50 (60$?) and I prefer the gigbag over a case because this is my first bass and I will want to take my bass on my back so I can carry it on my bike (this is very important). It also has to be pretty convenient, so that I can put away a lot of extra stuff if needed (also to move around with my bike) and I think it has to have some 'presentation', so a nice brand would be welcome.

I was having a Fender Deluxe E-Bass gigbag in mind, but I was wondering if someone could suggest me different brands/types that are of interest? Or point me to things I should look at when buying the bag?

Thank you,
Nils Tijtgat

klocwerk · #2 01-04-2006, 11:37 AM

I've had trouble with biking wearing gigbags. The standard 'backpack' style bags put the neck of the bass right up against the back of your head.
Not a problem until you're leaning forward over your handlebars, wearing a helmet, and you can't tilt your head up to see in front of you.

I'm looking for something similar, but that will hold the bass at a slant (neck over left or right shoulder) so that I can bike with it AND wear a helmet.

Sippy · #3 01-04-2006, 11:39 AM

I got the perfect one from musicians friend for $15... Good padding.. huge pockets.. backpack style straps... AND if u make the straps loose enough u can ride a bike with it fine.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/545117/

TBalls · #4 01-04-2006, 11:51 AM

Personally, I'm a devoted user of Undercover gig bags, though admittedly they're a bit pricey. If your budget is $60, and you're going to be carrying your bass on a bike a lot, I'd definitely look to spend the full $60. Road Runner bags seem pretty decent, but you should really try to check out the bag in person. An online retailer can give a reasonably detailed description, but without feeling the bag in your own two hands it's tough to really get an idea of how well it will protect your bass. Most bags in your range should have about 1" of padding all around. But again, you'll probably want to check things out in person since 1" of crappy padding won't do much good if you drop your bass off you bike @ 25mph (40km/h). Good luck!

Sippy · #5 01-04-2006, 12:32 PM

I agree... I was just attesting to the musiciansfriend bag because I'm a student. I'm a music major and have a lot of jazz bass classes after my regular core classes. So I use my gigbag as a school bag (why I needed one with such a big pocket) and I dropped my bass off my desk while packing up after class and it was fine. I know that's a longshot compared to a bike. But the straps are fairly heavy duty.. Unless it's from Operator error I don't see the bass falling. Unless you took a spill with it. and No matter how much padding you have... a male body falling ontop of a bass guitar after going 15 mph on a bicycle. Not many bags or hardshell cases for that matter, will help.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #6 01-04-2006, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AerospaceGuy

I got the perfect one from musicians friend for $15... Good padding.. huge pockets.. backpack style straps... AND if u make the straps loose enough u can ride a bike with it fine.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/545117/

I bought a Musician's Friend bag also, but I got the one that looks idendtical to the Fender bag. Price was $19.99 on sale. It is a great bag with ample protection for normal use, but it won't protect as well as some I've seen. I'd buy another.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #7 01-04-2006, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clink

I bought a Musician's Friend bag also, but I got the one that looks idendtical to the Fender bag. Price was $19.99 on sale. It is a great bag with ample protection for normal use, but it won't protect as well as some I've seen. I'd buy another.

Levy's makes a nylon version of their LM19 leather bag (which I own for my main bass) that looks very nice. The leather bag is the best bag I've seen. They are available on line through a Canadian distributor at a significant discount. $75???
www.doc1rock.com

JimmyM · #8 01-04-2006, 06:16 PM

I have a Kaces III fake leather triangular gig bag which some might consider too heavy or bulky for biking, but really protects the bass well and has plenty of storage. $50 at MF. Don't get the cheap MF bags. They offer almost no protection. I had one when I first got a gig bag and I threw it out when I discovered my bass was getting horribly banged up in transit.

Wow, the Euro must have taken a big hit lately. When I went to Germany in March, it was $1.60 US to €1. But if €50 is $60 US, that means it's closer to $1.20/€1. Good news for us Yanks on vacation, I guess.

Snarf · #9 01-04-2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klocwerk

I've had trouble with biking wearing gigbags. The standard 'backpack' style bags put the neck of the bass right up against the back of your head.
Not a problem until you're leaning forward over your handlebars, wearing a helmet, and you can't tilt your head up to see in front of you.

I'm looking for something similar, but that will hold the bass at a slant (neck over left or right shoulder) so that I can bike with it AND wear a helmet.

Gig Skinz bags would serve you well. Mine rides much higher on my back, so the body of the bass isn't whacking my behind when I walk, and it does slant a bit to the side when I wear it on one shoulder (which is what I do all the time). A TON of padding, plush interior, well worth $80.

jokerjkny · #10 01-04-2006, 08:08 PM

the januray Bass Guitar (not BP) magazine w/ Jaco on the cover did a review of a bunch of gig bags. pretty cool stuff. i'm sure if you go to your local GC or SA, they'll have a few back issues.

but i'm TOTALLY gas-in' for the Body Glove gig bag. yea, body glove! and yes, its water resistant. surf's up?

VifferMike · #11 01-04-2006, 11:30 PM

I've got the Body Glove gig bag for my (soon to be sold) Lakland 55-02. It's sensational protection-wise and built very well, though storage is a little on the skimpy side. Lots of compartmental elastic pockets within the main storage cavity, but the cavity isn't all that deep. The amp wallet that the bag comes with is extremely useful for keeping all of the essentials (spare batteries, wrenches, manuals, notes, strings, etc.) in one place away from the bag itself.

And yes, it's got heavy backpack straps built in that tuck into their own zippered pocket. Nice.

Well worth the $90 or so I paid for it, and better than most hard cases I found. It's the best hybrid 'hard gig bag' I've seen except for the Incase bag, which isn't made any more.

jokerjkny · #12 01-04-2006, 11:58 PM

cool mike!

is the bag itself heavy? and mind sharing where you got it?

bassteban · #13 01-05-2006, 12:05 AM

Timebutt, I have a Ritter gigbag that I like a lot. It hugs my Fender Jazz 5 tightly, seems very well-made & is very adjustable(handy, I think, for making it work on a bike- I actually did(bi)cycle w/it on my back once; a bit unwieldy w/the 'man-purse' on one shoulder & dressed for blizzard conditions, but doable). The reason I mention it is I believe Ritter bags are made in the U.K.

Timebutt · #14 01-05-2006, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snarf

Gig Skinz bags would serve you well. Mine rides much higher on my back, so the body of the bass isn't whacking my behind when I walk, and it does slant a bit to the side when I wear it on one shoulder (which is what I do all the time). A TON of padding, plush interior, well worth $80.

this gigbag actually may be what I'm looking for, it looks very tight and has some very nice features, just wondering: have you compared this gigbag to other gigbags? and I couldn't find anything about the padding, just how much mm is it thick?

I found it for 60$ online, + shipping to Belgium (Europe) would be somewhere around 70$ I hope

edit: that store charged 46$ for shipping to belgium lol ...

**embellisher** · #15 01-05-2006, 02:02 AM

Timebutt, the reason that your search did not bring anything helpful up is because all of the gigbag threads are in the Miscellaneous forum.

I moved this one there too.

sasred · #16 01-05-2006, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jokerjkny

cool mike!

is the bag itself heavy? and mind sharing where you got it?

I just got one of these bad boys myself...I'd like to know where he got his for $90, mine was $130 from Sam Ash (though it did come to my door for free shipping and no tax!!

)
Weight? Not bad at all, it definitely has SOME heft due to the hybrid design but still quite manageable. Lighter than my trombone cases were back in the day, if that means anything.

Lots of straps and doohickeys to give you a choice of how to lug it too. The backpack option comes with an additional waist strap for extra support...nice.

Havoc · #17 01-05-2006, 03:01 AM

I have a Epiphone Goth T-bird, what kind of bag does that fit inn?! I hade to sell my old bag, because my new bass did not fit inn it!

Akami · #18 01-05-2006, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VifferMike

Well worth the $90 or so I paid for it, and better than most hard cases I found. It's the best hybrid 'hard gig bag' I've seen except for the Incase bag, which isn't made any more.

But they're back!

Go here...
InCase back January 1st

...or here...

http://www.incasemusic.com/

These are the best gig bags ever, although possibly overkill for some.

Snarf · #19 01-05-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timebutt

this gigbag actually may be what I'm looking for, it looks very tight and has some very nice features, just wondering: have you compared this gigbag to other gigbags? and I couldn't find anything about the padding, just how much mm is it thick?

I found it for 60$ online, + shipping to Belgium (Europe) would be somewhere around 70$ I hope

edit: that store charged 46$ for shipping to belgium lol ...

I only really have experience with Levy nylon bags and the cheapo Musician's Friend stuff. Blows both of those out of the water. Not sure exactly how thick the padding is, but including the plush it's got to be around an inch.

VifferMike · #20 01-05-2006, 12:37 PM

... for the life of me, I can't remember where I got the Body Glove bag from. I'll have to dig out my receipt somewhere, if I still have it ... It wasn't from MF or any of the major online retailers. It was a more obscure one and, at the time (May or so, I'd say) the only online source that I could find for one.

I took a chance and got lucky; it's a good-looking bag with gobs of padding, semi-rigid sides and some thoughtful features. And yeah, the waist strap on the backpack setup is a nice, nice touch. Too bad it doesn't have much ancillary storage besides the amp wallet, but do you really need that much for a bass?