Probably not.
It would help, though, if more people were willing to try it. If I did fly dates, I certainly would give it a go with a cheap bass in my Vertigo, if only to satisfy my own curiosity.
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Gig Bag recommendations. (High End)
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
It would help, though, if more people were willing to try it. If I did fly dates, I certainly would give it a go with a cheap bass in my Vertigo, if only to satisfy my own curiosity.
Hey, I fly a lot with my instruments, and I bring the Sadowsky portabag, which fits in most overheads but is also solid enough to gate check (hand carried with the strollers down below) I'd be very hesitant to gate check my mono vertigo, bc it doesn't have as solid outer bracing or neck bracing.
The Mono arrived just now. I don't have a bass in the office to really check it out, but I must admit that I am underwhelmed. I suspect that I'll return it.
First impression: The outer material feels like you have to watch out for sharp objects and cigarette burns.
The 'spine' of the case is nowhere near the rigidity of the Reunion blues. There's a lot of flex. On the RB, the only way to tell if there's a bass inside is the weight. On the Mono, you can simply bend it to see if something is inside.
The craftsmanship/QC is sub par. There's threads coming out and upon closer inspection, there are already scratches/blemishes on the outer shell - this unit was brand new and sealed in the package.
The handle is not nearly as rigid as the RB, and the rucksack straps feel a lot cheaper, plus they can't easily be put away.
All in all, it has to step up two notches with a bass inside.
Given the fact that in Germany, the Mono Bag is 249 while the RB is 239, this does not feel like a fair comparison. If the Mono was 129 and the RB was 239, it would feel right.
I will report back.
First impression: The outer material feels like you have to watch out for sharp objects and cigarette burns.
The 'spine' of the case is nowhere near the rigidity of the Reunion blues. There's a lot of flex. On the RB, the only way to tell if there's a bass inside is the weight. On the Mono, you can simply bend it to see if something is inside.
The craftsmanship/QC is sub par. There's threads coming out and upon closer inspection, there are already scratches/blemishes on the outer shell - this unit was brand new and sealed in the package.
The handle is not nearly as rigid as the RB, and the rucksack straps feel a lot cheaper, plus they can't easily be put away.
All in all, it has to step up two notches with a bass inside.
Given the fact that in Germany, the Mono Bag is 249 while the RB is 239, this does not feel like a fair comparison. If the Mono was 129 and the RB was 239, it would feel right.
I will report back.
Thanks. Inspired by this thread, and a bit of searching-up the internet chatter on various "solutions" to the "Commercial-Air-Travel challenge", I found (via local Craigslist ad) a used iGig 525 for $150. The seller was 35 minutes away from me. He said he flew with this bag a lot when he was working for Carnival Cruise, and was only un-successful at being allowed to carry-on for bin or closet storage once. One of iGig's "selling-points" for this bag was "lots of protection in something that 'looks' deceptively small". I think I'd be fairly comfortable gate-checking this bag with a replaceable FSO in it. I don't know much else about iGig other than they were a small company that folded in 2017, and that those that used these bags *seemed to really like them.
*edited to add: Owners of this bag "Really liked" the relatively-high protection-level, the construction and durability, and the pretty-massive ancillary-storage available in it. The negative common-theme was that it is probably over-engineered to the point of being comparatively a little cumbersome for everyday grab-n-go use. The one I bought weighs just over nine pounds empty. The only piece missing is the metal closet-hanging hook and chain which stows behind a zipper at the top backside of the case, but it's just a detachable clip-on thing and the D-ring to attach it to is still there. I can understand (TSA) why a metal hook and chain perhaps went missing.
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My relatively limited experience with plane travel on commercial airlines has led me to think that I would just never travel with a high-value instrument this way without a mega flightcase. I've traveled domestically and always been able to gate-check my basses in my relatively massive and ridiculously protective (and long-discontinued) InCase bass gig-bag, but for any future travel I'm planning on bringing my Ibanez EHB (and paying for tickets with priority boarding) as it is a full-size bass that is lightweight but can fit into a guitar gig-bag and has far more likelihood of slipping through the gate without drawing attention (my InCase is too bulky to ever slip by unnoticed). I think the InCase would probably fare with the best of gig-bags if it did have to be checked into normal luggage, but I've seen too many horror stories and also have a baggage handler in the family with plenty of his own advice to offer to ever really trust typical baggage handlers to pay any mind to fragile items like that.
So. A little comparing at home, with a bass inside, I'd say that If I was to check my bass on a flight, I'd not pick the Mono Vertigo.
I was under the impression that this is one of those "sturdy like a case, but light and handy like a bag" articles - but it lacks the spine. You can easily fold it in half with minimal resistance and there is no protection in that direction apart from the basses own structural integrity.
Also, the storage space is sub par.
My old Reunion Blues has a front pocket that has a front pocket. On top of that, the larger compartment has a velcro strap for holding a cable plus several undercompartments.
And there's a half hidden rear pocket close to the headstock that holds an astounding amount of stuff.
The Mono has one big front pocket with a tiny zipper pocket on the inside and that's it.
As I said earlier, the RB let's you vanish the rucksack straps in a matter of seconds. Just unhook the two high quality carabiners, pull down the zipper, put the straps in and pull up the zipper, done.
The Mono has the straps permanently attached. With a bass inside, the padding on the RB is a lot friendlier on your back. The Mono straps don't look high quality, but they are a lot better than a first impression tells you.
The Handles are solid on both bags. Something rather important as I live by the sea and often transport my gear when its windy - as in 7+ bft.
The Mono is slimmer than the RB, and that might come in handy when you're trying to transport 3 or more on the rear seat of a small car - but I personally would welcome that bit of added bulk from the RB because of the added protection it brings.
That sneaker sole on the bottom of the bag is a nice idea and a nice touch - you could even put the bag down on a wet street and don't need to worry - but that's not enough to win me over.
I requested a return for the Mono and will continue on my search.
I was under the impression that this is one of those "sturdy like a case, but light and handy like a bag" articles - but it lacks the spine. You can easily fold it in half with minimal resistance and there is no protection in that direction apart from the basses own structural integrity.
Also, the storage space is sub par.
My old Reunion Blues has a front pocket that has a front pocket. On top of that, the larger compartment has a velcro strap for holding a cable plus several undercompartments.
And there's a half hidden rear pocket close to the headstock that holds an astounding amount of stuff.
The Mono has one big front pocket with a tiny zipper pocket on the inside and that's it.
As I said earlier, the RB let's you vanish the rucksack straps in a matter of seconds. Just unhook the two high quality carabiners, pull down the zipper, put the straps in and pull up the zipper, done.
The Mono has the straps permanently attached. With a bass inside, the padding on the RB is a lot friendlier on your back. The Mono straps don't look high quality, but they are a lot better than a first impression tells you.
The Handles are solid on both bags. Something rather important as I live by the sea and often transport my gear when its windy - as in 7+ bft.
The Mono is slimmer than the RB, and that might come in handy when you're trying to transport 3 or more on the rear seat of a small car - but I personally would welcome that bit of added bulk from the RB because of the added protection it brings.
That sneaker sole on the bottom of the bag is a nice idea and a nice touch - you could even put the bag down on a wet street and don't need to worry - but that's not enough to win me over.
I requested a return for the Mono and will continue on my search.
Looking at it, it seems like it's made to hold FSOs. will it work with a six string?
Cost is not an issue in this case (or bag).
I want more protection than the Mono Vertigo offers.
Basically, at this point, I'd buy another Reunion Blues, but these are sold out everywhere.
Any word on GruvGear?
They have the Kapsulite+ and the GigBlade 3 as interesting options. Any opinions on these?
They have the Kapsulite+ and the GigBlade 3 as interesting options. Any opinions on these?
Another contender would be the Thomann SafeCase 80 E-Bass Bag. It looks like they looked long and hard at several gig bags and then made their own version of the RB.
...but I think I would like to give that Kapsulite+ a try.
...but I think I would like to give that Kapsulite+ a try.
The Reunion Blues is also very good by all accounts, (though I don’t know from my own experience) and may be the closest thing to a universal solution for day-to-day use and air travel.
In most instances, though, I think you need to compromise on the side of the conditions you encounter the most. A case that works well for air travel and shipping will usually be too heavy and cumbersome for daily use, and vice versa.
The best conceptual solution for both I’ve come across is the SKB Roto case (sometimes known as the Bass Safe), which is a wheeled hardshell case you can put a gig bag into. However, great as this idea is, SKB’s execution is flawed - very few quality gig bags will actually fit inside, and the closure system is its achilles heel, frequently breaking in transit. But if SKB redesigned it to work properly, it would be more or less ideal.
Correct.
I've never flown with a bass and I don't intend to start with that now - the whole bass-on-a-plane issue came from somewhere else.
Compromising on Air travel is not a thing, though. Either you have a solution that's good enough or you arrive with a broken bass.
However, I'm facing mostly car and van transportation, the occasional bike trip and longer walks.
I have Safe Case 80. It is not made by Thomann. After I bought it, I learned that it is a standard product made by the Chinese company Music Area. The Thomann version has a big “T” on it.
Well yes, of course Hans Thomann does not saw them together in his free time, but it is another product rebranded for Thomann.
Would you recommend it?
I am satisfied with it. Thomann is there to back it up. Had I known what it was, I may have gone with Mono. If I need another gig bag, it will not be this one.
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Both the Kapsulite+ and the GigBlade3 do look promising - and the price is okay if the quality holds the bold claims from the marketing department.
Both the Kapsulite+ and the GigBlade3 do look promising - and the price is okay if the quality holds the bold claims from the marketing department.
That's a good question, not sure. I play fives exclusively and they've generally been FSO's but, depending on the bass, one or more tuners could hit the the edge of the case. For example, the headstock on my L-2500 is a pretty wide 3+2 configuration and I can recall the D or G tuners hitting the side wall.
But, since getting my Access Stage 5 several years ago, I havent often used the Contigo. I'm away this weekend but can check when I get back on Monday to see if I'm remembering that correctly.
In that case, the Vertigo would probably have served you well enough, IMO, at least protection-wise. I find it difficult to imagine a situation in those circumstances that the Vertigo couldn’t handle with ease.
