Gig bag vs. hardshell case

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A hardshell case wins every time; why skimp on something you're trying to protect?
 
Aside from the obvious, I like not having a bunch of cases to stow beofre the gig. It's nice being able to carry multiple guitars or a guitar gigbag and amp in one trip from the car, but after years of doing that, my strat's body looks like a golfball.

Gigbags offer little protection. I use a case now or am very, very careful.
 
It depends on the gig. If I'm hauling my gear and it's an easy load in (not in and out of elevators, thru kitchens, etc) then I prefer a gig bag simply because it's lighter - and I have complete control over

If the axe is going in a band truck with other gear, if other people will be handling my gear or if the load in involves any of the above - then hard shell do doubt.

Now I only gig with a $400 axe. If I was hauling around a $3,000 axe or some vintage guitar - then hard shell would be a no brainer.
 
I used to take 4 guitars to gigs with me. I had 3 hard cases and one gig bag. The guitar I didn't give a fuck about went in the gig bag. Does that answer the question? :D
 
i use a hard case 90% of the time, but if i'm going on the train, i take a gig bag - not because of the train, but the other travelling (buses, walking) on the other side. it's just so much easier, and i'm with it all the time, so the chances of it getting knocked are slim.

i just chuck my bass in the back of the van without a case, in the very rare times i'm taking it somewhere. i don't have a case big enough for it. and when i say "bass", i could be saying "piece of wood with strings on it" :p

Andy.
 
I don't see how gigbags are less trouble .... sure, they're lighter ..... but you have to be more careful in how you handle them. A hardshell I can just toss around to a large degree. IMO a hardshell is less hassle'cause you don't have to worry about it.
I guess I can see the 'strap it on your back for traveling thing'; but you could get a strap for a hardshell and do the same.
At 55 years old I'm just not that lazy.
 
Hardshell every time.

You don't have to pay an arm & leg for a decent hardshell case - the LP style case I just bought along with the Melody Maker cost $39.95 at MF - it's Chinese made and quite adequate.
 
i dont use either. and i leave my guitar in the car when im not using it
 
watermelon said:
i dont use either. and i leave my guitar in the car when im not using it
Click to expand...

I hope you leave the car unlocked so strangers can check on the well-being of the guitar! :D
 
My G&L bass is the only one I have a case for. I have bags for the others. The G&L doesn't go to gigs much but if I use it on a gig it goes in a bag. I hate using cases but it's cool because I always handle my basses and they are the last thing out of my truck and the first thing back in when we are done. If there isn't a safe place to keep it while packing up the rest of my gear I will take it right out to my truck so that it doesn't get knocked over. I have gigged with the same bass for the last 6 years and it doesn't have a scratch on it.
The only time I ever used a hard case was when we played Sloppy Joe's in Key West. I sent my main bass, a 6 string Tobias down in the van in a borrowed case.
 
Hardshell. My acoustic hardshell is apparently 'air-tight' which is supposed to protect from humidity and other 'air-pressures' from messing with the wood. Don't know if it does, but it's nice to think that does. Means u can fly with it too.
 
I think the only advantage of a gig bag is that they're cheaper.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I don't see how gigbags are less trouble .... sure, they're lighter ..... but you have to be more careful in how you handle them. A hardshell I can just toss around to a large degree. IMO a hardshell is less hassle'cause you don't have to worry about it.
I guess I can see the 'strap it on your back for traveling thing'; but you could get a strap for a hardshell and do the same.
At 55 years old I'm just not that lazy.
Click to expand...

When I was younger, I liked being able to make one trip in from the car and be able to open doors by myself. Taking 2 strats, an amp and a duffle bag up a couple flights of stairs would suck if the guitars were in those huge rectangular hard cases that the feet always break off of when you throw them around. And the strap that holds the lid up tears out and you have to open it up against a wall.

Being able to walk in like mad Jack's mule made me feel like a combat ready mercenary ready to jump right in with both feet on "Old Time Rock and Roll" or "the Electric Slide" for $65 and 5 Long Island Iced Teas.

Now, I just bring less shit, but the amp is heavier. So I gotta make two trips anyway.
 
Execpt for my Variax acoustic which came with a heavy gigbag everything else is in a hardshell case...all the time.
Hmmm, wait, the studio bass and the Tele I just got off ebay have gigbags but those cheapo ones are hardly worth using.
 
I store my guitars in the closet in gig bags because they take up less space and dont lean weird.
When I leave the house they go into some universal hard cases that fit just about anything.
That way I only have to store a few bulky cases.
 
Hardshell cases only. They offer exceptional protection to my guitars as I use them, gig with them and store them. I've given away all the gig bags that I've received with guitars over the years.
 
You want a hardshell. A guitarist I used to play with was transporting his mesa boogie head and guitar to a gig in a gig bag. He had to make a sudden stop and the Mesa turned the guitar into a tooth pick. Snapped the headstock clean off and did some nasty damage to the body. Of course, it probably had a lot to do with how he had the stuff packed in his vehicle but if the guitar had been in a hard case, it wouldn't have been turned into firewood.
 
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