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The definitive "Yes, another gig bag" thread
- Thread starter scubaduba
- Start date
I took some pics of my Vertigo last night. I don't have any nitro finished basses, so I cannot comment on that.
Sadly, my memory isn't as good as I remembered
as my Lakland 55-94 doesn't fit as well as I thought. The body fits, no problem, but the tuners do push into the padding around the top. The headlock system holds the Lakland neck just fine though, so if you could live with that, it would work okay. Fits my Modulus great though, which is the one that gets the most playing time.
I also was impressed at how much padding there is in such a slim bag. I've had this bag for a few years, and haven't used it much (like most of my gear), but looking at it again, it is really solid and would provide pretty good protection for precious cargo. There was a thread with a guy in Europe using one to get his bass around on planes and such. The pocket on the front is slim, but I can get my iPad and a cable and a Sadowsky neoprene strap in there, so enough to get by (I have the tick add on bag as well, to carry my tuner and such).
Sadly, my memory isn't as good as I remembered
as my Lakland 55-94 doesn't fit as well as I thought. The body fits, no problem, but the tuners do push into the padding around the top. The headlock system holds the Lakland neck just fine though, so if you could live with that, it would work okay. Fits my Modulus great though, which is the one that gets the most playing time.I also was impressed at how much padding there is in such a slim bag. I've had this bag for a few years, and haven't used it much (like most of my gear), but looking at it again, it is really solid and would provide pretty good protection for precious cargo. There was a thread with a guy in Europe using one to get his bass around on planes and such. The pocket on the front is slim, but I can get my iPad and a cable and a Sadowsky neoprene strap in there, so enough to get by (I have the tick add on bag as well, to carry my tuner and such).
I also have the ProTec Contego, and I think it's a pretty good case, especially for the money. I like my Vertigo better, but I got the Contego new for less than $100, so I can't complain about that. It does have a good amount of storage (but won't fit my Aguilar TH500 in the picket), and I actually prefer it for backpack carrying over the Vertigo.
For the record, the Peavey is 35" scale.
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I found some real world photos of the iGig 525 in this Talkbass thread: IGig 525 - FS
Based on the photos I think I don't prefer the "wings" at the bottom near the bottom pocket. Seems like a strange design.
Based on the photos I think I don't prefer the "wings" at the bottom near the bottom pocket. Seems like a strange design.
The Mono M80 I had ordered arrived today, and as promised here are some initial observations.
Overall, this is a well-designed gig bag, and I'd give it a preliminary rating of 4.5/5. Rating it in various categories, here are some scores (again, these are based on limited experience, I may feel differently after more time with the bag).
Protection: 4/5. I tested the bag with both of my basses (Rick 4003 and 4004Ci) and they both fit well. I believe the M80 will protect against all but heavy blows or significant weight being placed on it. The headlock system and the padding around the bottom strap button are good design features that provide extra protection. Dumping a glass of water on it showed it to be water-resistant at least; I won't take a hose to it (someone else can do those tests if they like) but I am confident it would be fine if spilled on or subject to a bit of rain. If I had to gate check it the bass would probably be fine, though I don't like gate-checking anything, even in a hard case. The materials and construction appear to be of good quality and likely to hold up well to the wear of use.
Mobility and transport: 4.5/5. The bag is a little bulkier than some because of its extra padding, but I don't think that's likely to matter in practice (and the extra inch or two of width is easy to accept given the protection). It's much easier to fit into a sedan trunk than a hard case, and should fit into standard airline overhead bins easily enough. The handle is comfortable and and bag balances well with a bass inside. The shoulder straps are reasonably comfortable and can be tucked away when not in use. When they were set on their lowest setting I was able to walk through doorways without ducking to keep from hitting the bass (I'm 6 feet tall, for reference). The weight is not bad at all, and this would be much more pleasant to schlep though an airport than a hard case.
Storage: 5/5. The main storage pocket has quite a lot of room--easily enough for cables, a couple pedals w/ power supplies, and a few other things. Adding the optional Tick accessory would provide a huge amount of storage, though it would also add to the cost.
Value: 3/5. While the cost ($170) wasn't out of line for this tier of gig bag quality, it certainly stings a bit, especially when I already have hard cases that provide more protection for my bass. However, it seems that this is the price of a good gig bag, based on the other options on the market. Still, I wonder if Mono could do better if they cut their prices a bit in a bit to move more units and boost their market share.
Overall, this is a good gig bag that provides a lot of protection and storage while remaining light and portable. I think the protection, design and materials are a significant step up from the usual Fender (what my local shop stocks) or Protec (what I've used in the past) or similar gig bags. The price reflects that, but it's probably worth it if you sometimes want to carry an expensive bass in a gig bag instead of a hard case.
Overall, this is a well-designed gig bag, and I'd give it a preliminary rating of 4.5/5. Rating it in various categories, here are some scores (again, these are based on limited experience, I may feel differently after more time with the bag).
Protection: 4/5. I tested the bag with both of my basses (Rick 4003 and 4004Ci) and they both fit well. I believe the M80 will protect against all but heavy blows or significant weight being placed on it. The headlock system and the padding around the bottom strap button are good design features that provide extra protection. Dumping a glass of water on it showed it to be water-resistant at least; I won't take a hose to it (someone else can do those tests if they like) but I am confident it would be fine if spilled on or subject to a bit of rain. If I had to gate check it the bass would probably be fine, though I don't like gate-checking anything, even in a hard case. The materials and construction appear to be of good quality and likely to hold up well to the wear of use.
Mobility and transport: 4.5/5. The bag is a little bulkier than some because of its extra padding, but I don't think that's likely to matter in practice (and the extra inch or two of width is easy to accept given the protection). It's much easier to fit into a sedan trunk than a hard case, and should fit into standard airline overhead bins easily enough. The handle is comfortable and and bag balances well with a bass inside. The shoulder straps are reasonably comfortable and can be tucked away when not in use. When they were set on their lowest setting I was able to walk through doorways without ducking to keep from hitting the bass (I'm 6 feet tall, for reference). The weight is not bad at all, and this would be much more pleasant to schlep though an airport than a hard case.
Storage: 5/5. The main storage pocket has quite a lot of room--easily enough for cables, a couple pedals w/ power supplies, and a few other things. Adding the optional Tick accessory would provide a huge amount of storage, though it would also add to the cost.
Value: 3/5. While the cost ($170) wasn't out of line for this tier of gig bag quality, it certainly stings a bit, especially when I already have hard cases that provide more protection for my bass. However, it seems that this is the price of a good gig bag, based on the other options on the market. Still, I wonder if Mono could do better if they cut their prices a bit in a bit to move more units and boost their market share.
Overall, this is a good gig bag that provides a lot of protection and storage while remaining light and portable. I think the protection, design and materials are a significant step up from the usual Fender (what my local shop stocks) or Protec (what I've used in the past) or similar gig bags. The price reflects that, but it's probably worth it if you sometimes want to carry an expensive bass in a gig bag instead of a hard case.
Glad you like it. Based on your criteria, I suspect you'll want something else; the M80 is a good bag that protects its cargo well, but I don't think it has maximum protection among gig bags.
Edit to add: In fairness to Mono, I haven't personally tried a gig bag with more protection than the M80, and just because it could be made even sturdier (though weight would increase) doesn't mean a tougher bag is on the market.
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As I'm looking to get a double case I think its between the igig 515 double, the Fusion Metro double, or the Gator ProGo double. Not terribly concerned about the price difference, I just want the best bag all around leaning a little more towards protection that other considerations. Any thoughts between these 3??
