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Double Bass what´s the best flightcase

B

basic74

Guest
Dec 28, 2012
167
29
europe
#1
I have a smallish 3/4 bass and need a flightcase:
what´s the most leigthweight, custom-sized with good wheels and very sturdy construction at the moment?
let´s leave prices out of the equation for the moment, just pure performance specs.
what are your experiences?
 
#5
samson3382 said:
I'm in a similar situation. I found one of these, http://store.gotofmi.com/34upbalihaca.html used locally. I can get it for $300, is that worth it, or something I should even bother with?
Click to expand...

We had one of those for a Shen SB80 my son played when in middle school, did not last a year. It never left the school but the bass was in and out daily, zipper gave out after +/- 6 months and wore the finish off the upper bout.

Might work well for some, but not so much for us.
 
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#6
samson3382 said:
I'm in a similar situation. I found one of these, http://store.gotofmi.com/34upbalihaca.html used locally. I can get it for $300, is that worth it, or something I should even bother with?
Click to expand...
That's not a flight case, meaning suitable for airline travel, despite what the aid claims. I bought one of those cases and used it for 2 or 3 years while I lugged my bass in the back of a pickup truck. I liked the idea of the little extra protection. I also wouldn't recommend it for lugging a bass in the back of a van with other equipment, such as loudspeakers because the case won't offer much protection from a flying loudspeaker if you have an auto accident.
The case is made of Styrofoam, covered with a relatively tough fabric. $300 is a fair price for it and it provides a little extra protection than a padded fabric case, but it wouldn't protect your bass past the gate at an airport. The ad is outright lying when it says *being used often now days for airline flights.* The only folks using it for airline travel are flying $300 basses.
 
#7
Hey thanks I may just snag it up. I don't actually plan on flying it anywhere like the OP. For the past few years I've been using a Kaces bag in the back of my truck, with a cab, stands, rack etc. back there with it. Sounds like it would definitely be an improvement. It would be nice if I could feel confident hauling it in the band trailer, on top of everything else of course. We'll see...
 
#8
If you're moving your bass in the back of a pickup with other lightweight gear than it may well be a smart investment for you. It does have functional wheels that eliminate the need for any other kind of wheel. The zipper broke on me after a couple of years, but I took it to a shoe repair shop and they fixed it for less than $100. I had to take the fabric off the bass and re-assemble, so kind of a DIY project, but still, a very good value, IMO. The one downside to the case is where to put it during the gig. Sometimes, space is so tight that putting a 6 foot case anywhere in the arena is an issue, but not a common issue, IME.
I've since sold my pickup and bought a van and still lug the PA, etc, so I've donated that old case and just use a soft case now, but I tie everything down with bungees. If something changes, I'll build a box out of plywood to cover my bass in transit. For now, I feel I have very little risk.
 
#10
I can't say. I used the Styrofoam case without a soft gig bag, but I don't think my bass would have fit. I think you'll have to measure VERY carefully to determine. For my uses, a soft case under the Styrofoam case wasn't necessary because I rolled the case into a big band room with tons of room in the Styrofoam case. I used to joke with the guitarists that *mine's bigger*. I have a regular gig in a guy's converted garage and in that case, I'd just leave the Styrofoam case outside, but pretty quickly I switched to my EUB because space was tight and he didn't care whether my DB sounded like a DB or a BG.
 

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