Lakland 44-02 Hard Case

[No Coast Rider]

Hi all, I just won an ebay auction for a used Lakland 44-02 and am still waiting for it to arrive. I want to get a hard shell case for it, nothing super crazy since I don't do any crazy touring with it, just traveling around with it in my car occasionally, but I never really liked gig bags.

Now normally I would just wait until I had the bass in hand to go try out a case for it, but my stores don't have a huge selection and I have this handy 10% off coupon for Guitar Center that expires Sunday and the bass wont be here will Thursday. So I would like to just wing it and buy one with the discount. I like some of the Gators I have seen online. Does anyone have any experience with these and the 44-02 and whether or not it will fit?

http://guitarcenter.com/Gator-GW-Bas...67649.gc?rev=1

http://guitarcenter.com/Gator-GC-Bas...65-i1152148.gc

[No Coast Rider]

Anybody?

[basspraiser]

You can order a case from lakland...email leo@lakland.com

I forget the price but I think they are pretty reasonable...

congrats on the new bass!

[Eublet]

The Lakland cases are good, but I prefer the SKB molded ATA cases. If you get the one that is Jazz/Precision bass, then your 44/55-02 basses will fit in them perfectly.

[Eublet]

Oh, and as for your original question, I'd think they'd fit just fine in those Gator cases. I just don't care for that approach since they aren't molded to fit around the body at all. Most people don't realize how much of a hybrid body shape the 44/55 series basses are. They're very much like a mix of both a P and J bass in shape, with some extra contouring in some places. Essentially, any case that is designed to accept both a J and P bass will also take the 44/55 basses. The only potential caveat there is if there is extra molding around where the knobs go. If the case is made to close around the Jazz or Precision knobs very close and tightly, then the extra knobs on the 44/55 will cause some problems. The SKB molded case is not really an issue there, but there is one small extra "lump" of padding that you might have to remove once it arrives as it will press down on top of the 44/55 blend knob. It easy to remove and then your bass will fit snuggly inside the molding, perhaps touching around 75% of the body so that it doesn't shift around. I can't say the same for the Gator as I haven't tried it.

[Eublet]

One more thing, my DJ's (4 and 5) and Duck Dunn also fit inside the SKB P/J cases perfectly.