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What kind of case do you use?

What's your choice of case, and what sort of shows do you play?

  • Gig bag / local shows

    Votes: 80 50.6%

  • Gig bag / I travel

    Votes: 8 5.1%

  • Hard case / local shows

    Votes: 31 19.6%

  • Hard case / I travel

    Votes: 12 7.6%

  • I play different kinds of shows and the case varies

    Votes: 15 9.5%

  • I don't play gigs

    Votes: 8 5.1%

  • I use carrots to protect my bass

    Votes: 4 2.5%
  • Total voters
    158
L

LBS-bass

Guest
Nov 22, 2017
16,465
87,326
#1
I'm trying to get a handle on the kind of case people use. It seems some manufacturers are including a gig bag rather than a hard case. Does this impact you? Are you taking a gig bag to most of your shows, or do you use the hard case, or is it some combination, depending on the kind of shows you're doing?

I have six post options, plus carrots. "I travel" means that you put your bass in a van or truck or other compartment with other gear, and don't always pack it in yourself so that you can protect it well.

Choose the one that suits most of your gig activity.
 
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#4
I’ve been around the block on this one. It also comes up fairly often. The posts sometimes get borderline passionate.

So, I like using the same gig bag all the time. All my extras stay packed for the next time. I have one bass that won’t fit in the bag and I use the case. Obviously.

I’ve used a gig blade in the past, liked it, although the newer models seem to be over thought and cumbersome. I have a mono and tick now and that holds all my stuff. I leave the board at church, so I can just carry the bag over one shoulder and a cup of coffee. YMMV.
 
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#5
Most of my gigs involve me travelling alone in my own car, though I will sometimes travel in a large van with other band members. I don't like other people handling my gear and am pretty anal retentive about how my equipment is placed for transport.

95% of the time I use a Sadowsky Portabag/Access Stage Five case. It's basically what I would consider a semi-hard case. I will sometimes use a Mono M80 but only if I know no one else will be coming into contact with my case and I want a lighter option than the Portabag. Hard cases I only use for storage. If my bass is going to get dropped I would prefer that it be in a Portabag (which has forgiving interior padding) rather than in a hard case (which will likely have hard interior padding - transferring any shock to the bass itself). On the rare occasions that I fly I tend to go with an SKB flight case (though I have flown with the Portabag and the M80 as carry on or gate check). But if I'm flying then I'm not taking any of my more valuable basses so I'll be slightly less concerned than I otherwise would be.
 
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#6
Personally I use a gig bag, because I pack my own gear, play local shows, and the convenience of being able to wear it like a backpack and keep hands free for guiding my cart or carrying other items outweighs the added protection I might get from using a hard case. All my hard cases are in storage.

I've had to buy a gig bag for several of my basses because they all came either without a case or with a hard case. But I don't know if I'm the oddball here.

And I sure hope people wouldn't fight about this; seems a silly thing to fight about. We all do things for our own reasons and I don't think there's a right or wrong here for anyone.
 
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#10
The newer “semi-solid” gig bags offer better protection for knock-around-town gigs than most older hard cases - better shock absorption, great storage and easier carry options. I still have an ancient flight case for fly gigs, but that’s pretty much gathering dust, like my travel chops :).
 
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#11
So Anyway, I still use a Carvin gig bag that's probably 25 years old. Carvin sold some great stuff that was very reasonably priced.

Years ago, I put my Ric in its HSC for a gig. It didn't fit into the trunk of my Ford Explorer like the gig bag did...so I put the bass in the back seat. I got to the BLs house, loaded my stuff into his truck, and went to the gig. As we pulled into the parking lot of the venue, I remembered where my bass was.
 
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#12
Hurricane Jimmie said:
So Anyway, I still use a Carvin gig bag that's probably 25 years old. Carvin sold some great stuff that was very reasonably priced.

Years ago, I put my Ric in its HSC for a gig. It didn't fit into the trunk of my Ford Explorer like the gig bag did...so I put the bass in the back seat. I got to the BLs house, loaded my stuff into his truck, and went to the gig. As we pulled into the parking lot of the venue, I remembered where my bass was.
Click to expand...
…one of my nightmares. Luckily for me, only in my dreams. You have my sympathy! Moral of the story? Use a gig bag!
 
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#15
TomB said:
…one of my nightmares. Luckily for me, only in my dreams. You have my sympathy! Moral of the story? Use a gig bag!
Click to expand...
Yeah we were about an hour away from home so I started making some frantic phone calls. Turned out there were some musicians we knew who were at the gig and someone had a bass at home that they said they could get for me. I played the first few songs on the guitar players 2nd guitar. Then a guy showed up with an Ibanez GIO or something. I don't even remember its condition...I was just so glad to have it.

Of course, my tale of woe grew some legs. I was greeted with 'Did you remember your bass tonight?' at most gigs, even by folks I didn't know. At least it resulted in a good story. And now I always pack my bass with my other equipment.
 
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#16
LBS-bass said:
...is it some combination, depending on the kind of shows you're doing?
Click to expand...
0000_1.jpg


in practice, i'd only use a hard case if:
- i wasn't always the person who'd be packing/transporting it.
- i knew/thought the packing conditions could threaten an ax in a gigbag (e.g., transported in a trailer/truck or by monkees).

gigbag:
if i pack it myself, in my own car, and if i do all of my own handling = gigbags, always.
-or-
i'd let another carry and handle my ax in a gigbag if i trusted them to be 'conscientious' on my behalf.
 
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