Hard cases or gig bag....

Originally posted by Lordathestrings
I'm sure you've seen pictures of people playing guitars that have that beat-up, long-haul-road-trip look to them. A gig bag can help you to achieve that look in a couple of cross-town trips! :eek:

When I bought my Fender Strat it came with a TSA compliant locking hardshell case. The case says Fender on it (of course) but it was made by another company, I suspect. It is indestructable!

The first couple times that I flew with it I was still concerned and so I put my cheaper Yamaha Pacifica (S type) in it. And I checked my guitar in luggage. And, of course, it always arrived at the destination airport unblemished. Now when I fly I put the Strat in it.

My Strat is far from my favorite guitar. I don't play it at home that much. But whenever I travel I take it. Definitely if I fly the Strat goes with. But even if I am travelling across town the Strat goes in the hardshell case and thrown on the back seat.

Hardshell cases are expensive. But for me the amount of confidence I am afforded, especially the locking ones, make it worth it. I have looked at cases by third party companies like Gator for some of my other guitars. But for now, when travelling, the Strat goes.

So I remember seeing ads for a gig bag. They demoed the gig bag by putting a guitar inside of it and then throwing out a second story window. Then the pulled out the guitar and it was fine. I don't know that it was not more of a trick photography thing than a truth in advertising thing. It did catch my attention, though not enough to go buy one. I stuck with my hard shell. But I still remember that ad many years later.

Has anybody here had good results in real life with a gig bag?

Horror story: I was excited to take my first electric guitar with me to school in 9th grade, in a gig bag. The shoulder strap came off the bag and it crashed on the concrete, snapping the headstock right off.

I was devastated! No words...

To this day I do not trust gig bags.

-Carl.

Gig bag for the win for me. I move around in urban areas with the guitar. I rather carry the gig bag like a back pack then struggle with a flight case in my hand. Plus a flight case in the hand mmake it hard to use the smartphone in a proper manner. A few scratches and dents don't mean a thing to me, it's only a guitar. I don't need that new look guitar, and I never polish it.

Maybe that is why I am not getting better?

I use both. For my acoustic, I have the hard shell it came in and use it when traveling overnight. If I'm going to a friend or local, I have an skb gig bag-which is highly structured/semi hard shell. It's lighter weight and is an excellent in between from a hard shell and a typical gig bag.

for my electric-I indulged in buying a reunion blues gig bag. I don't travel overnight with it-only local and only by car.

Gig bag when it's just me and my friends at my house or their place.

Hard case all other times. Studio. Parties. Gigs. Anytime traveling.

I've seen too many tears over the years. Axes stomped on by roadies both by accident and on purpose. Thrown in a trunk, suitcase thrown on top, trunk slammed shut - crunch!

If it leaves the house (unless it's in my hands the entire time), pretty much it's in a hard case.

If you're on the road get an anvil case.

You can insure an instrument but you can't insure heartbreak.

It baffles me why companies like Fender and PRS continue to force people to shell out for hard cases. I shouldn't have to be buying a $2,500 guitar to get a hard case. Both my Taylor and my Gibson SG came with hard cases.

I have a single guitar with a gig bag, but that's solely because it's a Jazzmaster and I have yet to find an afforable case that actually fits the thing well (I refuse to drop the $250 or whatever it is that Fender asks for the JM case).

Originally Posted by: blforman

It baffles me why companies like Fender and PRS continue to force people to shell out for hard cases. I shouldn't have to be buying a $2,500 guitar to get a hard case. Both my Taylor and my Gibson SG came with hard cases.

I have a single guitar with a gig bag, but that's solely because it's a Jazzmaster and I have yet to find an afforable case that actually fits the thing well (I refuse to drop the $250 or whatever it is that Fender asks for the JM case).

The why is that the ordinary mass consumer's bottom line voice speaks volumes.

Most manufacturers offer the option in some cases no pun intended. High end units -read that as in overpriced prestige models which I'll wager are a relatively small percentile of overall sales might sometimes come supplied with a proprietary case because they can charge for it to that relatively price impervious demographic, but in my observation they are the anomaly.[br][br]Supplying a guitar in hard case as was has long been passe given the need to remain competitive in a saturated and price sensitive marketplace. Yes my very first Ibanez ('lawsuite' SG) came supplied in a plush hard case then standard practice and for a lot LOT less than a Gibson as was at the time (January,1974). In 2022, Ibanez don't any more, although I can buy a proprietary hard case as an optional extra (vs factored into a higher price point) if I wish. Where's the issue?[br][br]In any case, I don't see a problem. If once reall must have a hard case for any guitar today, there are generic but attractive and well made ABS shell ones that perform their role as good as any available which are inexpensive even in my country, so they must be 'cheaper than chips'/a serve of fries in the US?! [br][br]

Hard case. All day long.

Wall hanging or floor stands depends on who and what you have crawling around at floor level that can knock things over. The Hercules and Fender stands that hold the guitars by the neck are pretty stable.

If you use a wall hanger, try to mount it into a stud, or on a horizontal board mounted into studs if you're putting up multiple hangers.

There's also been a rash of non-String Swing wall hangers breaking recently, so I'd stick with the String Swing brand.