Gig Bag recommendations. (High End)

[JakobT]

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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.

I’ve been curious about the Kapsulite - apart from the fact that the bass goes in the opposite way you’d expect, the shape of the neck cradle leads me to suspect that it will not take the OP’s Bongo 6-string.

 

[el murdoque]

I’ve been curious about the Kapsulite - apart from the fact that the bass goes in the opposite way you’d expect, the shape of the neck cradle leads me to suspect that it will not take the OP’s Bongo 6-string.

I've been looking around a bit and more or less got the impression that that stuff will not satisfy someone used to the quality of the Reunion Blues bags.
Those reviews you find that are not biased/paid, people complain about breaking zippers, ripping straps, poor stitching and such.

I've recently encountered more and more of those products that are, in essence, cheap Chinese products with a shiny coat - and a price tag to match something hand made in the western hemisphere, and I fear the GruvGear stuff also falls into that bucket.

 

[JakobT]

I've been looking around a bit and more or less got the impression that that stuff will not satisfy someone used to the quality of the Reunion Blues bags.
Those reviews you find that are not biased/paid, people complain about breaking zippers, ripping straps, poor stitching and such.

I've recently encountered more and more of those products that are, in essence, cheap Chinese products with a shiny coat - and a price tag to match something hand made in the western hemisphere, and I fear the GruvGear stuff also falls into that bucket.

I can’t say that I’ve seen too many of those negative reviews, but for each of them, I bet you can find at least a dozen positive ones.

As for my own experience, all I can say is that I have owned a Vertigo for 9 years, and it has seen quite a bit of use. It still looks new, and has had zero issues in that time. I also own several other products from Mono, which have all been of excellent quality, with a single exception. I did have an M80 bag which developed a slight cosmetic issue after 5 years of use, and Mono replaced that promptly, in spite of the fact that the issue did not in any way compromise the utility of the bag, and despite my having lost the original receipt. Mono stand behind their product, and their customer service is second to none.

More importantly, Mono bags have kept my basses and other equipment safe for nearly a decade, without a single scratch or ding, and I’d happily stack them up against anything else on the market.

However, we must all find happiness the best way we can, so I wish you luck in your search, whether you end up with a Reunion Blues (which I’m sure are great, by the way) or something else.

 

[el murdoque]

I can’t say that I’ve seen too many of those negative reviews, but for each of them, I bet you can find at least a dozen positive ones.

As for my own experience, all I can say is that I have owned a Vertigo for 9 years, and it has seen quite a bit of use. It still looks new, and has had zero issues in that time. I also own several other products from Mono, which have all been of excellent quality, with a single exception. I did have an M80 bag which developed a slight cosmetic issue after 5 years of use, and Mono replaced that promptly, in spite of the fact that the issue did not in any way compromise the utility of the bag, and despite my having lost the original receipt. Mono stand behind their product, and their customer service is second to none.

More importantly, Mono bags have kept my basses and other equipment safe for nearly a decade, without a single scratch or ding, and I’d happily stack them up against anything else on the market.

However, we must all find happiness the best way we can, so I wish you luck in your search, whether you end up with a Reunion Blues (which I’m sure are great, by the way) or something else.

That comment about the cheap quality with inflated prices was aimed more at GruvGear than at Mono.
In my personal book, Mono products are good, look extremely cool and their prices are just a little bit too high for real comfort. You often can get the same quality for less, minus the coolness factor.
If their customer service is outstanding, much better!

I've recently owned a Dingwall gig bag and one that came from a Finnish company I can't remember or google. Both were about €180 and solid quality gig bags - I'd put them on par with the Vertigo.
So the Mono is a little more expensive, but also has some quality backing the price.

 

[Goatrope]

I agree with the comments about Mono being high quality, durable, expensive.

I've been using one of their dual bass bags for years, for my Fenders, and it holds up to my abuse extremely well.

My dual Gator bag, on the other hand, has not held up. The first one I received a free replacement after one of the shoulder strap lugs tore off. The replacement bag (different design) now has a shoulder strap in the process of coming apart at the seams. I haven't asked for a replacement yet. Gator has been good in supporting their warranty, but I'd really just want it to be as durable as the Mono, at any price.

If it weren't for the fact that my TBirds don't fit in the Mono, I'd ditch the Gator.

Anyway, I don't think even the Mono holds up to all the OP's requirements, but I think these gig bag threads are valuable repository of data points for the group.

 

[JakobT]

That comment about the cheap quality with inflated prices was aimed more at GruvGear than at Mono.
In my personal book, Mono products are good, look extremely cool and their prices are just a little bit too high for real comfort. You often can get the same quality for less, minus the coolness factor.
If their customer service is outstanding, much better!

I've recently owned a Dingwall gig bag and one that came from a Finnish company I can't remember or google. Both were about €180 and solid quality gig bags - I'd put them on par with the Vertigo.
So the Mono is a little more expensive, but also has some quality backing the price.

I don’t have any experience with the Gruvgear stuff, so I can’t comment on the quality. I will say that they have some interesting solutions, and are certainly a company with a design philosophy behind their products.

This is also one of Mono’s strengths, IMHO. The Vertigo is a case in point - the design philosophy behind it is what makes it stand out in the market, but if the quality hadn’t been of the highest order, I don’t think it would have had the same impact. I do agree about the price point, though. But as you say there are plenty of more traditional offerings that are really good as well.

 

[el murdoque]

I don’t have any experience with the Gruvgear stuff, so I can’t comment on the quality. I will say that they have some interesting solutions, and are certainly a company with a design philosophy behind their products.

This is also one of Mono’s strengths, IMHO. The Vertigo is a case in point - the design philosophy behind it is what makes it stand out in the market, but if the quality hadn’t been of the highest order, I don’t think it would have had the same impact. I do agree about the price point, though. But as you say there are plenty of more traditional offerings that are really good as well.

I think for me, the fact that I have been spoiled by Reunion Blues has set the bar a lot higher than usual.

As I said, I'd put the Vertigo into the same bracket as other high quality bags that are $50-70 cheaper - and compared to those, I'D actually prefer the Vertigo if I was not playing oversize basses. I'm okay with paying more for a product because it has a cooler design - and all Mono things have that down.

What bothered me a bit was that there was a lot of friction going on sliding the 6 string in and out of the Vertigo, even fully zippered open. Trying the same with a P bass offered a little amount of rubbing against the fabric, but it slid in effortlessly. The 6 string needed a bit more force, more than you'd want on a gloss finish day by day for years to come.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Looking at it, it seems like it's made to hold FSOs. will it work with a six string?

every one of my basses fits in my Protec Contego case, including both Modulus six string basses.

… well, I mean, not at the same time!

 

[TomB]

I have a Reunion Blues double bag and also the Contego. They’re both nicely made, but the ProTec is both more protective (stiffer foam) and features an overwhelming amount of storage.

 

[dave64o]

Are you talking about the Reunion Blues Continental Voyager double?

I almost bought that one because of how much I loved my original Continental single and like, almost love, my Voyager single. Instead, I opted for the Gator Pro Go double because it was half the price of the Continental Voyager double. But I find the Gator's bass compartments pretty shallow and difficult to zip up with basses in them. So I've debated getting the Continental Voyager double since the bass compartments are a little deeper (at least according to manufacturer's specs).

But now I want to put my Contego and my Continental Voyager side-by-side to compare them and see if my recollections of them are actually incorrect.

 

[TomB]

Are you talking about the Reunion Blues Continental Voyager double?

I almost bought that one because of how much I loved my original Continental single and like, almost love, my Voyager single. Instead, I opted for the Gator Pro Go double because it was half the price of the Continental Voyager double. But I find the Gator's bass compartments pretty shallow and difficult to zip up with basses in them. So I've debated getting the Continental Voyager double since the bass compartments are a little deeper (at least according to manufacturer's specs).

But now I want to put my Contego and my Continental Voyager side-by-side to compare them and see if my recollections of them are actually incorrect.

I think my RB double bag preceded the Continental designation (mid-2000’s maybe?) so I’m not sure of the comparison. It was the only product line at the time and was considered high-end, I think I paid about $250, not sure. I never had a problem fitting any basses into it.

 

[JakobT]

I think for me, the fact that I have been spoiled by Reunion Blues has set the bar a lot higher than usual.

As I said, I'd put the Vertigo into the same bracket as other high quality bags that are $50-70 cheaper - and compared to those, I'D actually prefer the Vertigo if I was not playing oversize basses. I'm okay with paying more for a product because it has a cooler design - and all Mono things have that down.

What bothered me a bit was that there was a lot of friction going on sliding the 6 string in and out of the Vertigo, even fully zippered open. Trying the same with a P bass offered a little amount of rubbing against the fabric, but it slid in effortlessly. The 6 string needed a bit more force, more than you'd want on a gloss finish day by day for years to come.

With a 6-string, it might be a little tight, to be sure. Mono specifies that the Vertigo is made for standard-body basses, and to check with Customer Service in case of doubt. Personally, I’d say that the M80, now dubbed the Classic, might be a better fit.

 

[dave64o]

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.

Just following up with a couple of pictures...

 

[TheMadBassist88]

I own a mono vertigo and a gator transit. Both great bags imo! I’m getting a reunion blues this year for a bass I have on a stand. I feel like I need the bag to keep it in so.

 

[el murdoque]

In defense of the Mono Fan people here:
I am stupid.
I based my decision to buy the Vertigo on a video review that actually was about the Vertigo Ultra.
When you expect the Ultra and get the Standard, you're bound to be disappointed.

 

[JakobT]

In defense of the Mono Fan people here:
I am stupid.
I based my decision to buy the Vertigo on a video review that actually was about the Vertigo Ultra.
When you expect the Ultra and get the Standard, you're bound to be disappointed.

Actually, there is little, if anything, between the Ultra and standard Vertigo in terms of protection. What the Ultra has over the Vertigo is the bells and whistles - the extra pocket, the wheels, the reflective stripes, the improved outer material, the stowable backpack straps etc. All those things are good, but will not keep your bass any safer, and come at an eye-watering price. With that in mind, I’ll take the standard Vertigo any day of the week.

 

[bass12]

Does anyone know if a 35" scale Jazz will fit in the Vertigo?

 

[el murdoque]

Does anyone know if a 35" scale Jazz will fit in the Vertigo?

The 6 string Bongo fit it, but only just.
That monstrosity of a headstock should more than make up the 1" difference in scale.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

If you're in Germany I'd look at a leather bag from Harvest in Düsseldorf. Top quality.

 

[el murdoque]

If you're in Germany I'd look at a leather bag from Harvest in Düsseldorf. Top quality.

Are these made in Germany or are these distributed from there?