Do you think an "included" case is actually free?
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Is It Just Me?
- Thread starter grooveguru
- Start date
Yea. If you look at the prices for a PA system in the 60’s you’ll find it’s as much as a car was. The rub is you could work 5-6 nights a week earning a respectable living with a full sized band. Musicians could own homes and afford to go to the dentist. I played the same club gig in 2015 as I did in 1990 and it still payed $100..from what I understand they payed $100 in the 60’s and 70’s as well....
....also, your standing on my lawn!
USA Fenders still come with a case, what's your point? EBMM (again, USA) basses come with their cases. G&L USA stuff comes with cases. Etc. etc. etc.
Meaning - high tier stuff comes with cases.
MIM Fenders come with gig bags (higher tier MIM) or just in a box (lower tier MIM).
China, Indonesia etc stuff usually comes in box, but some might come with a gig bag (rarely though!).
Again, most of the USA instruments STILL come with a hard case. What exactly was your point there?
Meaning - high tier stuff comes with cases.
MIM Fenders come with gig bags (higher tier MIM) or just in a box (lower tier MIM).
China, Indonesia etc stuff usually comes in box, but some might come with a gig bag (rarely though!).
Again, most of the USA instruments STILL come with a hard case. What exactly was your point there?
I got a Great case with my Fender Ultra P but bought a Gig Bag with 2 pockets to transport it back and forth to rehearsals and gig's. Holds all my 'accessory's' in pockets. [has neck base with Velcro strap]
I don't know, but I don't want more cases myself. I'd rather buy separately. If you get a case, make no mistake, it's not *free*, you're paying for it. Except for the case I got with my Stingray, I never wanted to keep any other cases, whether hard or gigbags, that came with any bass.
If I want a bass, let me pay for just the bass. I'll find the case that I like for it. Also, I don't need a case for every bass and they take up a lot of space.
I think the gradual shift in preference to gig bags for real world use set the stage.
These days it seems most players neither want nor expect hardshell cases - nor are they willing to pay for them since cases were never free even if they were “included.” Back in the day all Gibsons shipped with a hardshell case. Which you bought whether you wanted it or not. It was almost like a tariff placed on top of the guitar. If you didn’t want the case you didn’t get the guitar. Some stores set the price “w/case” while the sleazier ones did the negotiations without it. And once you agreed on the price they’d hit you with “Oh, and the case is $98.”
No longer providing a case is just a reflection of market demand. If people aren’t demanding one (or willing to pay for one) they’re not going to be included as part of the sale.
These days it seems most players neither want nor expect hardshell cases - nor are they willing to pay for them since cases were never free even if they were “included.” Back in the day all Gibsons shipped with a hardshell case. Which you bought whether you wanted it or not. It was almost like a tariff placed on top of the guitar. If you didn’t want the case you didn’t get the guitar. Some stores set the price “w/case” while the sleazier ones did the negotiations without it. And once you agreed on the price they’d hit you with “Oh, and the case is $98.”
No longer providing a case is just a reflection of market demand. If people aren’t demanding one (or willing to pay for one) they’re not going to be included as part of the sale.
In 1972, when I was 10, my dad bought a brand spankin' new Renault 8.....creme exterior with a sumptuous, glove leather, cocoa interior and walnut dash......for $1999. CDN......and my Chex box is now 1/2 the thickness it was 15 years ago and only fills the bowl 4X.....and get off my lawn 
Sometimes it actually protects more, like the Fusion F1, as it can absorb a lot of the energy of a drop. Good hard cases have both the energy absorbing and the hard shell, but some hard cases are only protective against a direct impact, but if you drop it the instrument inside still hits the inside walls strongly and can get damaged. It amazes me when I see people using that kind of hard case (which is generally quite heavy too) thinking their instrument is protected. It is protected against an amplifier falling on the case perhaps, but not much more.
I don't disagree. That's why I was taken aback in that particular instance.
I have to agree with you...prices for used basses are outrageous, and I don't buy the inflation rap either...the market is price gouging IMO, and maybe I'm just an old curmudgeon living in the past. I suppose either is possible...
I've been buying used gear that have cases & then flipping the instrument to keep the case:
held onto the guitar this came in for a week & then sold it to the nearest pawn-shop, all in the case cost me $60
I could have gotten more from the instrument if I had some patience or was willing to drive 3 hours.
Most shops that sell pre-owned instruments place next to no value on the case, GC will tack on an extra $50. (but only when selling it, not when buying it)
Similar - I used to buy used instruments with the case and then flip them without the case. I felt like I was coming out more ahead because I got a case out of the deal in addition to whatever cash I got. But then I realized I have a basement full of cases... That nobody wants enough to pay the shipping on them.
Why, when I was a boy, psychiatric help only cost me a nickel!
(Yes, I'm being a snarky jack-in-the-box with that Peanuts reference.)
Like everyone else said, as decades pass, inflation happens. And this is 100% true whether we're talking about money and/or our waistlines.
And Austin Powers is valid in this thread:
(Yes, I'm being a snarky jack-in-the-box with that Peanuts reference.)
Like everyone else said, as decades pass, inflation happens. And this is 100% true whether we're talking about money and/or our waistlines.
And Austin Powers is valid in this thread:
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I’m sure some of it is just trying to squeeze more money out of people but I can kind of understand because a lot of people do like different style cases. Personally I’m happy using a decent gig bag if it’s a local gig and I’m driving and have my basses in my own car. They go right on a stand that holds 7 guitars when we load in anyways. I do own two hard cases also. Mainly for gigs that involve more traveling. Because I’m not going to put a bass in a gigbag in a trailer with drums and amps that could slide into them. Actually was looking at cases recently and I’m thinking about getting a gigbag that will hold two basses. One situation where it can be annoying though is that when I sell basses which I used to do a lot but haven’t in a couple years. I would always ship basses in hard cases. But lately shipping has gotten so outrageous lot of the gear I’ve let go the last few years I just said to heck with it and got what I could from a buddy that works at my local GC. They don’t pay top dollar but for me what they pay is often worth avoiding the headache of dealing with online buyers and shipping and seller fees.
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I don't flip basses so hard shell cases are more of a pain than anything. All my basses fit in a p-bass case so one decent case for traveling and I'm good. Now owning a variety of shapes, I can see the need for cases.
I always buy used, and luckily each time some hard shell case was included in the sale. Most of the time it was the original hard shell case. I'm not a big fan of gig bags and I always carry my bass in the hard shell case. Might be bulky for some but I prefer that to any gig bag.
Count me in the minority here. I like HS cases with anything I buy and I store and transport my basses to gigs and rehearsal in them. I have plenty of room to store them so no issues there.
if I see two of the same bass for sale and one is $50 more with a hardshell case I’ll jump on that one. I also feel very nervous shipping or receiving a bass that isn’t within a hardshell case.
I wonder if the preference for gig bags is in urban environments where space is a priority? Both storage and transporting.
What really bothers me is the increases in the shipping costs for these but that’s another thread sometime, somewhere...
if I see two of the same bass for sale and one is $50 more with a hardshell case I’ll jump on that one. I also feel very nervous shipping or receiving a bass that isn’t within a hardshell case.
I wonder if the preference for gig bags is in urban environments where space is a priority? Both storage and transporting.
What really bothers me is the increases in the shipping costs for these but that’s another thread sometime, somewhere...
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.....,I wonder if the preference for gig bags is an urban environments where space is a priority? Both storage and transporting....
That, and the weight factor. I both my electrics in hard shells at home. Protects against unnecessary bumps and temperature fluctuations. Pushing 60 myself so weight has unfortunately become an issue. With my Mono Sleeves, I can sling each bass over a shoulder and still carry my cord bag too. It’s also a security issue too. Less trips needed to and from the car, apartment, gig site, etc.
That, and the weight factor. I both my electrics in hard shells at home. Protects against unnecessary bumps and temperature fluctuations. Pushing 60 myself so weight has unfortunately become an issue. With my Mono Sleeves, I can sling each bass over a shoulder and still carry my cord bag too. It’s also a security issue too. Less trips needed to and from the car, apartment, gig site, etc.
