A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

There is a recent odd assertion by many guitar manufacturers that gig bags are better than hard shell cases. I agree they are lighter, but physics has always seemed to validate that the guitar benefits more by being cuddled in a well built, good fitting hard shell case than in a gig bag.

Newton's first law talks about how a guitar can be damaged in transport, and how it can be kept safe, definitely observed better by a HSC.

Archimedes had a really good idea of what parts of the guitar are most vulnerable with forces applied, and a HSC negates that effect.

What is obvious though, is that gig bags are easier and cheaper to make than fit hard shell cases. My opinion is that this is the only aspect manufacturers actually care about. While they charge more and more for guitars, they still want to make more profit from them, and the switch to gig bags, even for high end guitars, is a way to suck more money out of each transaction. And as a bonus, manufacturers gain the benefit of planned obsolescence by switching to gig bags and destroying guitars faster. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Well, let me put it this way, I recently traded a Gretsch Pro series for a Martin 000-28.

The Martin arrived in the mail packaged like this:
This was in the case:
I think the story would have ended very differently had it been in a gig bag.

Profit no doubt. They want the customer to be happy yet they want the customer to be a return customer. ( Actually all companies strive to get your money on a regular basis, such as monthly, that's why you see these subscription based software's being the norm. Amazon subscribe and save crap) Very few companies today actually make a overbuilt product that will outlast you.

I just bought a stainless steel insulated smoker and paid a good buck for it, because most all them being sold today are junk.

mozz wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:02 pm Profit no doubt. They want the customer to be happy yet they want the customer to be a return customer. ( Actually all companies strive to get your money on a regular basis, such as monthly, that's why you see these subscription based software's being the norm. Amazon subscribe and save crap) Very few companies today actually make a overbuilt product that will outlast you.

I just bought a stainless steel insulated smoker and paid a good buck for it, because most all them being sold today are junk.

I totally agree, and I too prefer the over-engineered products that will last. Subscription based software and such, don't get me started...

I think Microsoft office now is subscription and I'm betting that the next version of Windows will be.

I really don't like gig bags and try to get hardcases for everything I own. I do have one semi hard case? I think it's roadrunner. You probably can't stand on it but much more padded.

mozz wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:19 pm I think Microsoft office now is subscription and I'm betting that the next version of Windows will be.

I really don't like gig bags and try to get hardcases for everything I own. I do have one semi hard case? I think it's roadrunner. You probably can't stand on it but much more padded.

I do not understand why anyone would pay for M$Office when they can get
https://www.libreoffice.org/
for free?

mickey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:26 pm I do not understand why anyone would pay for M$Office when they can get
https://www.libreoffice.org/
for free?

Because Office 365 is much more than just an office suite. You get office, but you also get collaboration tools ( MS Teams, Sharepoint ), cloud storage and a whole bunch of cloud apps on top of that. If I did not have access through work I'd buy a personal subscrption myself.

And yes, there are free versions of just about all the tools that O365 or Google offers, but they are all standalone/non-integrated tools. People like easy and they will pay for easy. Whether you ( or I ) understand "why" is irrelevent - you only need to look at their financials to understand the result of their efforts Our retirment funds also appreciate their efforts.

It depends on the case I think - there are some pretty crappy hard cases out there too. And on the flip side there are some great soft cases - Taylor's backpack style cases are really nice. Certainly they won't protect from a hard blow or heavy weight like a hard case, but they are nice nonetheless.

After I got a decent hard case or 2 for every type of guitar I have for the most part I go more for soft cases for the rest. So 2 tele/strat cases for the 8 or 9 fender types 3 gibson cases for my 7 or so gibby types. ! sg case for 1 sg. 2 jazz cases for 3 hollow/semi hollow. 2 bass cases for 5 basses.
Works out pretty well. Got a hard case when I need it but mostly run around using soft cases. I get tired of beating up my walls, doors, door jams and the cases with the hard cases. Soft cases handle all that much better.

I used to buy a hard case for every guitar that owned, but that took up too much space, and I got tired of heaving a heavy case and guitar around with me (often a guitar AND a bass) everywhere I went. For short trips to a jam, or a gig in a nearby town, where you're the only person who will be handling it, a well-padded gig bag is good enough. But for long-distance gigs, and touring, I always used a hard case (ok, I've only been on one tour, but still... ).

Now I only keep one hard case for each type of guitar that I own. I doubt I'll ever play in another touring band, and with the Covid situation, who knows if anybody's going to be in a gigging band any time soon? Besides, I've never had to bring more than two guitars to any engagement, so it didn't make sense to have all these cases standing around, collecting dust.

I do remember a time when you could expect to get a hard case at a certain price point (and that was well under $1,000), but that hasn't been a realistic expectation for a long time. The only time I've gotten a hard case in recent years was when I spent $1,500 or more.

I remember reading an article about 10 or 15 years ago about how the gig bag is the mark of a true professional musician, saying things like: "if you see a guy show up at the venue with a gig bag, then you know you're in for a top-rate performance, because only real pros use gig bags!".

I don't rember who published it, but must have been written by some guitar manufacturer.

When I was coming up, if someone showed up with a gig bag, it meant their guitar was cheep, and they couldn't afford a "real" case.

nomadh wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 3:44 pm After I got a decent hard case or 2 for every type of guitar I have for the most part I go more for soft cases for the rest. So 2 tele/strat cases for the 8 or 9 fender types 3 gibson cases for my 7 or so gibby types. ! sg case for 1 sg. 2 jazz cases for 3 hollow/semi hollow. 2 bass cases for 5 basses.
Works out pretty well. Got a hard case when I need it but mostly run around using soft cases. I get tired of beating up my walls, doors, door jams and the cases with the hard cases. Soft cases handle all that much better.

That's a nice approach for those of us with too many guitars, it works for most. And yes, I am in that demographic too. The ones that drive me nuts are the odd shaped guitars that never had a hard shell offered, so there's no really safe way to take them out for jams. I have a few guitars in that category and even knowing their dimensions, cannot track down proper protection for them shy of maybe paying too much for custom cases.

Mossman wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 4:51 pm I used to buy a hard case for every guitar that owned, but that took up too much space, and I got tired of heaving a heavy case and guitar around with me (often a guitar AND a bass) everywhere I went. For short trips to a jam, or a gig in a nearby town, where you're the only person who will be handling it, a well-padded gig bag is good enough. But for long-distance gigs, and touring, I always used a hard case (ok, I've only been on one tour, but still... ).

Hauling 2 to a jam? No thanks. My biggest objection to a typical gig bag is because I know I am capable of turning a corner too fast with it or banging the headstock portion going up a staircase. I don't mind taking a nicer guitar to a friend's session if it fits the need, but I freak when I damage a guitar I really like.

BatUtilityBelt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 5:01 pm
Hauling 2 to a jam? No thanks.

The bane of serving two masters... If I only played guitar, or only bass, then I would only bring one instrument to a jam. But at an open jam, there's often an abundant lack of people who can, or want to play bass (or even brought one), and I usually want to play guitar as well at some point, if there's someone who can take over on bass.

Gig bags are great for breaking guitars which in theory sells more guitars. I have zero use for them.

At home, there are better ways to store like hooks, racks and stands. When leaving the safety of home, a decent hard shell case offers so much more protection for relatively little coin, so I see no reason to not use one. And yes, no need for a different case for every guitar.

Gig bags are fine for carrying something yourself. Buy if it is expensive...yeah, getting a case.

I will say that gig bags = lighter and adding less bulk, and usually having more storage space too. I love my Flying V, but in the hard case it is an absolute battleship; I cannot carry it down the stairs without knocking it against walls and banisters repeatedly. It's almost worse than the aircraft carrier that is the Thunderbird in its case.

I just got my first bag for an acoustic, because hard cases for Ovations are stupidly expensive, and it seems OK but it still makes me nervous. I wouldn't sit on either an acoustic or an electric in a bag, but I'd feel a lot better about the electric surviving the experience.

Also, there's hard cases and then there's hard cases. I have a couple hard cases for electrics that are pretty easy to deal with, but then I have a Postal Monkey case that I swear weighs 20 pounds all by itself. If it weren't for the fact that I love the artwork on it and I bought it off Chesty Malone and the Slice 'Em Ups...

(not mine, but mine looks the same)

i would agree that your average gig bag offers little to nothing in the way of protection. however, i have been using a gator pro-go double gig bag for several years now to carry my guitars to and from practice and gigs (i typically always carry a backup). it is heavily padded and well-built. i haven't had any issues with guitars sustaining damage thus far, and it's not something i worry about when using it. it's on the bulky side and can get a little heavy with two guitars inside, but i find it far more convenient than carrying two hardcases. they also aren't cheap, but again the quality is there. i do still have several hard cases in the closet, but i've been slowly trying to reduce the number i have - they just take up too much space.

It's pretty obvious for shipping, but here's my story about storage: I haven't played for about 8 years and all my instruments were just stored in hard cases in my parents' house. After I recently got them back, the guitars felt like they were restrung yesterday. It's a nice way to "preserve" them, but the environment needs to also be good. If it's in a damp basement, a case won't save the instrument.

I have a couple of gig bags (and some are better made than others), and IMHO they have their place for carrying a guitar to a rehearsal (but not a gig, IMO). I like a bag for my inexpensive acoustic that wears like a backpack - for when you want to take it someplace. But if you carry more than just one guitar, forget it. Case them and sleep better.

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:46 am It's pretty obvious for shipping, but here's my story about storage: I haven't played for about 8 years and all my instruments were just stored in hard cases in my parents' house. After I recently got them back, the guitars felt like they were restrung yesterday. It's a nice way to "preserve" them, but the environment needs to also be good. If it's in a damp basement, a case won't save the instrument.

I have a couple of gig bags (and some are better made than others), and IMHO they have their place for carrying a guitar to a rehearsal (but not a gig, IMO). I like a bag for my inexpensive acoustic that wears like a backpack - for when you want to take it someplace. But if you carry more than just one guitar, forget it. Case them and sleep better.

A 200 degree attic with zero humidity won't do them any more good than a damp basement.

mickey wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:06 am
A 200 degree attic with zero humidity won't do them any more good than a damp basement.

That would be good for drying raw planks before building them into guitars.

mickey wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:06 am

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:46 am It's pretty obvious for shipping, but here's my story about storage: I haven't played for about 8 years and all my instruments were just stored in hard cases in my parents' house. After I recently got them back, the guitars felt like they were restrung yesterday. It's a nice way to "preserve" them, but the environment needs to also be good. If it's in a damp basement, a case won't save the instrument.

I have a couple of gig bags (and some are better made than others), and IMHO they have their place for carrying a guitar to a rehearsal (but not a gig, IMO). I like a bag for my inexpensive acoustic that wears like a backpack - for when you want to take it someplace. But if you carry more than just one guitar, forget it. Case them and sleep better.

A 200 degree attic with zero humidity won't do them any more good than a damp basement.

Pretty much guitars, pets, grandma and yourself need about the same environment . If you can't at least put up with it don't put your guitar there.

I use gig bags all the time. I just play local jams and gigs, nothing too rough. But I play cheap guitars that have been repaired many times because things either broke or some drunk broke it.

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 7:04 pm Gig bags are fine for carrying something yourself. Buy if it is expensive...yeah, getting a case.

Good point. If I ever need to let someone else handle the guitar I'll bring the hard case. Dont think I've had the situation yet.

Open G wrote: ↑Fri Oct 02, 2020 11:52 am I use gig bags all the time. I just play local jams and gigs, nothing too rough. But I play cheap guitars that have been repaired many times because things either broke or some drunk broke it.

Really? I dont play out alot maybe 100 times at jams and shows and never had a problem. Did have my mom pick up my most expensive acoustic out from it's hard case, in my own house and held it in a way that scared the living shit out of me!!

But at gigs? No problem.