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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
#61
I have a hard case for my Lytes but honestly I would love to find a good gig bag for them. Since they are smaller than a precision I have no idea what would fit.
Here is the crux of the matter from my perspective, hard cases take more space and it you have a lot of axes then you have to have a lot of room to store those cases. I would prefer a gig bag and if I need a hard case or a flight case I will procure an appropriate one.

your mileage may vary
 
#62
LBS-bass said:
Just to clarify for these purposes. A "gig bag" is any bag you can sling across your back and carry hands-free. I'm interested in who needs/uses the kind of hard case that used to ship with most Fenders and EBMM basses, etc. because I'm curious as to how many people here would need to purchase something else in addition to that case.

In other words, is providing something other than a hard case going to cause you to go out and buy something extra, or is it the other way around? For me, I've always had to buy an extra gig bag to fit most of my new basses that shipped with a hard case.

Some folks might need to buy something else no matter what it ships with, but I don't have enough info on what's getting shipped to say what sort of quality is getting sent to you by these manufacturers who have opted to move away from a hard case. So "gig bag" means ANY backpack-styled case.
Click to expand...
I've only ever bought two basses that came with hard cases, a Fender American Standard P-bass, and an EBMM Sabre. Both cases went into storage immediately. The case for the Sabre was useful when I sold it, but I would never use a hard case to transport my bass for day-to-day use, my Mono gig bags protect my basses well, and are lighter and more convenient all round, and for air travel or touring use, I would go with something better than OEM hard cases anyway.

In fact, IMO, OEM hard cases or gig bags are more or less a waste. In nine out of ten cases (no pun intended) they don't provide the features or protection I want, and just add to the price of the instrument. Anyway, I'm not the kind of guy to have a bag/case for each instrument I own, so I generally prefer a bass to come without any kind of gig bag or case, as I already have what I need.
 
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#64
hard cases when i am not shlepping gear personally. when i drive my gear i always use gig
bags. i recently got the latest greatest Mono bag. i really like it, but its 269 clams
 
#66
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I like heavy duty leather gig bags and have two. A levy Guitar bag , that I use with short scales , and a Maruszczyk.
 
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#68
Depends on the bass and the gig. Most often my J-bass (and other similar basses like the P) goes into a Levy's padded gig bag with backpack straps. I can load in and out in one trip. My ABGs travel in their hard cases, as does my Coronado. Since no one but me ever handles my gear, I'm satisfied with the level of protection.
 
#72
LBS-bass said:
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.
Click to expand...

Hard case because it rides with speakers and a cart. SKB44PRO for everyone.
 
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#73
I generally try to use a hard case. Also a plus when I play with one band that goes IEM and no amps, so I can fit my sansamp, tuner pedal, cables, wireless, etc all in the case and I feel everything is better protected and organized vs being jammed into a pocket or two on a gig bag. Also, just one thing to carry. But even if using my amp, the same holds true other than carrying the amp in one hand and case in the other.
 
#74
If traveling to a local gig or friends house to jam my gig bag does the trick for riding in my car. If traveling longer than that, especially when/if my bass may be stored while traveling among other equipment like in a trailer then it's a hard-shell case for sure, but that does not happen nearly as much.
 
#75
After a lot of years carrying uprights in soft bags without mishap the idea of putting a semi-indestructible P Bass in a hard case to drive across town seems unnecessary.
Only time anything goes in a hard case is if someone other than I will be handling it.
 
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#76
I am a bass professor at a college and I travel back and forth to the cool with my bass A LOT (ie daily, as I teach at another school, plus gig at night. It stays with me all day.
I use a Contego, a Continental, a neat bag that Dave Messina made for me and I JUUUST ordered today a Harvest Buffalo leather and canvas bag. 400 bucks but a NICE bag. Super protective. Looking forward to putting some trips on that one!
 
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#78
Coming back to this thread, it seems like many are using the gig bag but a fair number use a hard case. My real question with all this was to figure out if manufacturers are forcing people to buy another case by providing one or the other as standard when you buy the bass. I don't see a clear answer here.

As someone who uses a gig bag, I generally have had to buy that bag when I buy an instrument. The cheaper basses come with nothing so I just buy what I want. The more expensive ones have come with hard cases and I've always had the extra expense of buying the bag and storing the hard cases. Seems like some of you are in a similar position and some aren't.
 
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#79
I think a lot of us bought into the hard case was the way to go many many years ago. Back then they were the best thing unless you got a custom flight case. Things change and gig bags have come a long way. Many offer far greater protection than the old fashioned hard case. Which lets be honest mostly protects your axe from getting smashed but lets the dang thing rattle around more than most of us would like. Molded cases are better than the old hard case but... And then there is the real issue of if you have many basses and guitars what the heck do you do to store all those hard cases? A modern great gig bag offers better protection than most hard cases and is easier to schlepp around.

Personally I wish I could find the right gig bag for my Precision Lyte bass. It's shorter than a P bass by at least 6 inches. It's not like I can order 10 gig bags to find the one that is really right for that bass. Just watched a youtube video about a guitar maker who is switching to gig bags because he was seeing over 30% of his guitars damaged in shipping with the hard case. My P Lyte only has a hard case and it protects the bass from destroyed but certainly the bass can rattle around in the case far more than I would like it to.
 
#80
Both of my basses are in gig bags. One is in a mono vertigo and the other is in a gator transit. Both bags are very nice! I like hard cases but you can’t beat the lightweight gig bag IMO, unless you are constantly on the road or gorillas are handling your stuff haha
 

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