Cases...

[Mister Mo]

My bass sleeps in a gigbag, and I still don't know why it's called gigbag: I don't like to take this plastic bag on the road to travel to a gig location as it does not seem to be a good protection.

So, I am looking for a hard case, something that protects my bass, that does not break, that does not break my spine when I carry it and that does not break my bank account. What do you suggest?

 

[biguglyman]

SKB

 

[JakobT]

There are numerous excellent offerings from The likes of SKB, Gator and Fender. Get one of the ABS plastic ones, rather than the plywood variety. They are lighter, give better protection, and are more comfortable to carry.

However, current gig bags from Mono, Gator, and other manufacturers are more than able to withstand the rigours of gigging and touring, so you might want to check them out as well. I suspect your current gig bag is of an older, thinner, and cheaper variety, which would explain its shortcomings.

 

[eliascalles]

ATA (plywood) cases are very heavy. ABS cases can (and do) crack with abuse. SKB and gator both offer injection molded cases now which are much stronger (if a bit heavier that ABS). I have this one https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...guitar-case-with-tsa-latches-for-bass-guitars and it's a very good case. really depends on your intended use.

 

[Tubthumper]

Another recommendation for the Gator case referenced by Eliascalles. Carries my Lakland 5 well and is a well built but light in weight case!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I always check Sam Ash when I get an additional instrument that needs a case. They sell pre-owned cases for half the price of a new one.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I'm currently in the market for a gig bag that will hold 2 basses, but I had an SKB polyfoam case that was kind of a hybrid between a hardshell case and gig bag. Offered protection that was pretty much identical to that of a hardshell case, but was super lightweight like a gig bag, and could be worn as a backpack like a gig bag. I loved it. They're $110 new, so won't break the bank.

 

[Paulabass]

I swear by my Mono bags. I leave all my hard cases in storage, and gig with two identical Mono bags for any kind of ground transport. I fly with a true ATA flight case that fits either a J or a P.
Recently I bought a new Fender that came with the elite case, and it looks really nice. Light and strong, and ATA latches- Is anybody here flying these cases?

 

[eliascalles]

I have flown with the above linked Gator TSA hard case once and it was fine, though on the rare occasion I do a fly gig I usually take 2 basses and use a different case (large SKB that holds 2 basses in gig bags). If I lived in a city I'd keep using soft cases, but I live in a very rural place and there is always at least 15 miles of rough dirt roads between me and gigs so everything I own is in hard cases (fares better in the back of the truck).

 

[Bob_Ross]

Recently I bought a new Fender that came with the elite case, and it looks really nice. Light and strong, and ATA latches- Is anybody here flying these cases?

Captain Pedantic wants to point out that there's no such thing as "ATA latches" ...unless Fender is equipping those cases with latches that "meet or exceed ATA Specification 300, Category 1 for reusable shipping containers" (and is then condensing that description down to a more manageable phrase), it's way more likely that those are "TSA latches". See below, quoted from the last time I got on this soapbox:

While it's true that a "TSA" case is specifically for flying, it's misleading to suggest that the "TSA" designation implies that the case offers any more protection than a non-TSA case.

You may be confusing "TSA" with "ATA". A case that meets or exceeds ATA specifications certainly would offer more protection than one that didn't.

"TSA" only means that the locks on the case can be opened by master keys that the TSA has in their possession.

Apologies for being overly didactic, but ever since getting a lengthy lecture on the meaning of the meaningless phrase "ATA approved" [sic] by the president of Anvil Cases some 25 years ago, I've been on a mission to educate my fellow gearheads.

 

[Paulabass]

Sorry. I meant TSA, the ones security has a key for. I knew that, but I type faster than I think.