Gig Bag recommendations. (High End)

[el murdoque]

I was looking for a gig bag for my newly acquired Music Man Bongo 6, but found out that the gig bag I'm using at the moment will fit. It's a Reunion Blues Continental (Fender Custom Shop edition) that I've had for about a decade now.

What did I realize is that I could also use that RB as a hand-me-down and transport the Bongo with that, while I get a new gig bag for the other bass.

That would have to be something fairly high end. I need lots of protection. My bass is expensive and I am clumsy. It will bang into things.
I need good rucksack straps and a well balanced handle.

Any suggestions ?

 

[lyonaudio]

Here ya go. I have Mono cases for my Precision and my Les Paul and they're excellent.

Vertigo Bass Guitar Case, Grey

 

[el murdoque]

Here ya go. I have Mono cases for my Precision and my Les Paul and they're excellent.

Vertigo Bass Guitar Case, Grey

The Vertigo is a mix of bag and case, like the Reunion Blues?
Would you drop it down a flight of stairs?

 

[themickster]

Have a look at Fusion Bags fusion-bags.com

 

[badinage]

"Perfect" crosses into the abyss of "bulky" in an instant for me. Oh the struggle.

 

[el murdoque]

"Perfect" crosses into the abyss of "bulky" in an instant for me. Oh the struggle.

It really is.
There are your normal bags that don't have enough protection.
Then there are your protective ones that can either be way too heavy or way too bulky.
And finally there are the ones that offer a good compromise of weight, bulk and protection.

 

[badinage]

Following with interest. (I'll be no help, being a fairly recent convert to gigbags as a more practical solution in some/many circumstances.)

 

[Bob_Ross]

Would you drop it down a flight of stairs?

Someone here must remember: Which company was it who made promo videos of their employees throwing a bass (or guitar) in one of their gig bags off the roof of a 3-story building?

 

[dave64o]

Reunion Blues replaced the Continental (I had one, great bag!) with the Continental Voyager, which I also have. It’s an excellent bag, not quite at the level of the original Continental, and worth considering.

My favorite is the Access Stage 5. They’re quite expensive but are outstanding and I have no concerns carrying any of my basses in it. That’s my choice is cost is not a constraint.

I considered Fusion Bags before buying my Stage 5. I’ve never seen one in person, but it seems like it would be worth checking out.

 

[JakobT]

The Vertigo is a mix of bag and case, like the Reunion Blues?
Would you drop it down a flight of stairs?

The Vertigo has internal ABS panels at strategic points, as well as the famous «boot» at the bottom. It also has the Headlock system, which clamps the neck securely in place. While I wouldn’t throw anything I own down a flight of stairs, I’m sure the Vertigo would pass with flying colours. This video says it all:

 

[Andy V.]

Someone here must remember: Which company was it who made promo videos of their employees throwing a bass (or guitar) in one of their gig bags off the roof of a 3-story building?

That was Reunion Blues with the OG Continental.

 

[el murdoque]

Reunion Blues replaced the Continental (I had one, great bag!) with the Continental Voyager, which I also have. It’s an excellent bag, not quite at the level of the original Continental, and worth considering.

My favorite is the Access Stage 5. They’re quite expensive but are outstanding and I have no concerns carrying any of my basses in it. That’s my choice is cost is not a constraint.

I considered Fusion Bags before buying my Stage 5. I’ve never seen one in person, but it seems like it would be worth checking out.

Reunion Blues seems to be sold out everywhere, and Access seemingly was available through Thomann in the past, but is no more. Having to order such a thing from the US is ... well, I said money is not an issue, but I'm looking at more than $100 more for shipping and tax.

Of all those suggestions, the Mono might be my best bet.

 

[el murdoque]

The Vertigo has internal ABS panels at strategic points, as well as the famous «boot» at the bottom. It also has the Headlock system, which clamps the neck securely in place. While I wouldn’t throw anything I own down a flight of stairs, I’m sure the Vertigo would pass with flying colours. This video says it all:

That was Reunion Blues with the OG Continental.

That RB video was what sold me on the Continental.

The Mono was not dropped as brutal as the RB, but there's another video where someone really abuses it with a bass inside. The bass suffered some damage when he swung it like a baseball bat and hit a metal pole, but I'm lucky to live in Europe, where Baseball is not much of a thing.

 

[JakobT]

That RB video was what sold me on the Continental.

The Mono was not dropped as brutal as the RB, but there's another video where someone really abuses it with a bass inside. The bass suffered some damage when he swung it like a baseball bat and hit a metal pole, but I'm lucky to live in Europe, where Baseball is not much of a thing.

It's a little bit like having a good lock on your bike. It discourages most casual theft attempts, but it will not stop a determined thief with the proper tools.

In the same way, it's possible to damage a bass inside the best of soft (or indeed hard) cases if sufficient force is applied. The question is whether such force is something the case is likely to encounter in a reasonably normal scenario. That is something only the individual user can answer, but I would assert that both of these videos go far beyond anything normal, and that therefore both cases would keep a bass safe in all but the most idiotic of situations.

 

[el murdoque]

It's a little bit like having a good lock on your bike. It discourages most casual theft attempts, but it will not stop a determined thief with the proper tools.

In the same way, it's possible to damage a bass inside the best of soft (or indeed hard) cases if sufficient force is applied. The question is whether such force is something the case is likely to encounter in a reasonably normal scenario. That is something only the individual user can answer, but I would assert that both of these videos go far beyond anything normal, and that therefore both cases would keep a bass safe in all but the most idiotic of situations.

I do think that for that very reasoning, a very good gig bag is the best thing you can use for transporting your bass. A case does offer more protection, but a case invites being wedged in that small gap between the subwoofers, or other stuff piled on top, while a gig bag will usually be lying on top of the cases, or ride in the rear seat. You (and others) will be more careful handling a gig bag than one would be handling a hardshell case.

My Continental has held up for a decade now and it looks like I can easily get another decade out of it.

I did order a Mono Vertigo now, and I shall see how it holds up to my standards.

 

[dave64o]

Will be interested in hearing your assessment once it arrives. I like the concept a lot.

 

[badinage]

Any plans for commercial air travel with it? I'm trying to straddle the line that gets me the MOST protection while being stealthy enough to make it LEAST likely that I'll be stopped from carrying-on to a commercial airliner for overhead bin or closet storage. Protect big, present as small. Get on the plane without raising eyebrows.

 

[TomB]

I’ve been very happy with a ProTec Contego.

 

[JakobT]

I do think that for that very reasoning, a very good gig bag is the best thing you can use for transporting your bass. A case does offer more protection, but a case invites being wedged in that small gap between the subwoofers, or other stuff piled on top, while a gig bag will usually be lying on top of the cases, or ride in the rear seat. You (and others) will be more careful handling a gig bag than one would be handling a hardshell case.

My Continental has held up for a decade now and it looks like I can easily get another decade out of it.

I did order a Mono Vertigo now, and I shall see how it holds up to my standards.

Cool - do report back. I myself have been a happy Mono user for nearly a decade. I believe, like you, that hard cases may be overrated, and that any increased protection they may afford is largely canceled out by the fact that they are handled far more roughly.

 

[JakobT]

Any plans for commercial air travel with it? I'm trying to straddle the line that gets me the MOST protection while being stealthy enough to make it LEAST likely that I'll be stopped from carrying-on to a commercial airliner for overhead bin or closet storage. Protect big, present as small. Get on the plane without raising eyebrows.

In my part of the world, there is zero chance of bringing a full-sized bass as a carry-on, so a few years ago I started a thread here on TB with the intention of ascertaining whether the Mono offerings would protect a bass when checked and traveling in the hold because my suspicion is that it wouldn’t be a problem. I therefore asked if anyone had had a bass damaged in such cirumstances. I got a great many strong, but ultimately unsubstantiated opinions, but very little in the way of real-world information.