New video: hard case vs soft case

[Lbpesq]

For travel, I use a Voyage-Air guitar. The neck folds over the body and fits in a cool little backpack bag. Easily fits in any overhead. Unfold the neck and it’s a full size Dreadnought! And it’s fun watching the face of someone who doesn’t know it folds when I finish playing and fold the neck to put it away. They think I just snapped my guitar in half. LOL!

Bill, tgo

 

[NedRyerson]

And it’s fun watching the face of someone who doesn’t know it folds when I finish playing and fold the neck to put it away. They think I just snapped my guitar in half. LOL!

 

[TBurst Std]

Haven’t watched the video, but I prefer hard cases. More protection (which lessens my insurance costs). I do have some soft cases for some basses. The sturdiest is a Mono which came with my Stingray.

 

[u.9]

I'm curious how a thicker semi-rigid gig bag is more stowable than a thinner hard case? Are you able to collapse them to save space or are you going by the overall smaller width/height footprint and/or durability in throwing them around? My thickest hardshell cases (Jackson/SKB) are thinner than my semi-rigid gig bags, but I don't have many to reference.

 

[aarontunes]

I'm curious how a thicker semi-rigid gig bag is more stowable than a thinner hard case? Are you able to collapse them to save space or are you going by the overall smaller width/height footprint and/or durability in throwing them around? My thickest hardshell cases (Jackson/SKB) are thinner than my semi-rigid gig bags, but I don't have many to reference.

I'd say mostly because it's soft. You can throw one across a room and everything is fine. It can fall off a three-story building and everything is fine. If there a space somewhere that's a little smaller than the bag you can cram it in there and everything is fine. You can throw five of them in a pile without having to really organize them.

When I fly, the only times I've ever been allowed to stow my guitar in the "secret flight attendant's locker" is when it was in a bag. Hard cases usually have to be gate-checked. Occasionally I've been allowed to put them in an overhead bin.

At gigs it seems stowing hard cases always involves more thought than gig bags. Where can they go that they won't be tipped over? Are they going to damage anything, or be damaged by something? How must they be arranged so everyone has random access to their case whenever they want it? Etc, etc.

 

[u.9]

I'd say mostly because it's soft. You can throw one across a room and everything is fine. It can fall off a three-story building and everything is fine. If there a space somewhere that's a little smaller than the bag you can cram it in there and everything is fine. You can throw five of them in a pile without having to really organize them.

When I fly, the only times I've ever been allowed to stow my guitar in the "secret flight attendant's locker" is when it was in a bag. Hard cases usually have to be gate-checked. Occasionally I've been allowed to put them in an overhead bin.

At gigs it seems stowing hard cases always involves more thought than gig bags. Where can they go that they won't be tipped over? Are they going to damage anything, or be damaged by something? How must they be arranged so everyone has random access to their case whenever they want it? Etc, etc.

Thanks, Aaron! Makes sense from these perspectives! I don't fly with guitars these days, but when I did I always lucked out to stow it in the attendant's closet by the door. Nervewracking though if I got held up debarking, hoping nobody would abscond with my guitar (tried to time it to be last on, first off).

I love the options we have nowadays, truly something for everyone. Who else recalls when your options were pretty much just expensive wood or plastic hardshell or cheap and flimsy chipboard/cardboard (still have some of those)?

 

[aarontunes]

Thanks, Aaron! Makes sense from these perspectives! I don't fly with guitars these days, but when I did I always lucked out to stow it in the attendant's closet by the door. Nervewracking though if I got held up debarking, hoping nobody would abscond with my guitar (tried to time it to be last on, first off).

I love the options we have nowadays, truly something for everyone. Who else recalls when your options were pretty much just expensive wood or plastic hardshell or cheap and flimsy chipboard/cardboard (still have some of those)?

Yep. Kids these days don't know how good they had it.

Back in my day the closest decent music store was clear in downtown Seattle. You couldn't order strings online, you had to show up in person to buy them. And there wasn't any YouTube, and tab books were barely even a thing. If you wanted to learn a song you did it by ear, moving the needle on your record player back and forth until you could figure it out.

My first guitar came from the Sears catalog, and I was glad to have it.*





*sadly, all the above is true.

 

[u.9]

Indeed! I still have my MG Ward Harmony Strat, my first guitar that I held together with a screwdriver and endless rolls of solder for 2 years before I could afford something new (via mail order in the back of a guitar mag). Learned everything about guitar maintenance on that axe. I got it in trade for 2 large pizzas and helping rebuild it from parts in my old drummer's basement (including positioning a fixed bridge on the trem-routed body). Immediately took it home (across town on my bike w/o a case or strap ) and stripped it down for a repaint from almond white to satin black with some custom airbrushing details. Still playable but I've pretty much retired it due to a growing crack in the body (due to bending the neck all the time for dives/tremolo effects).

 

[TBurst Std]

It seems the focus of the discussion is focused on storing cases not in use. Certainly a detriment to hard cases.

I view it as a case is there to protect the instrument when NOT in use. For that I prefer a hard case.

Yep storing these things presents a challenge as they multiply. I solved it the some 5 shelve rolling racks in the garage. A good portion of my instruments are not in a case, so that’s where I store the cases. Ones in a case tuck into the closet in my office/music room.

 

[TBurst Std]

Then again, I’m a touch anal, each guitar case has its own strap, picks, capo, etc. as well as a luggage tag noting what is for.

No need to share stuff. If I get a last minute gig and want instrument A, simply grab the case and go. I keep a processor and my gig bag (batteries, cables, ext power cord, ,tuner , basic small tools, ground checker, my IEMs, plus some extras for others as needed, etc in my truck. Honestly I can be good to go in under 5 minutes.

And I also keep 2 guitar stands in the truck.

 

[TBurst Std]

I always try to minimize non productive time. Quicker load ins/outs is something in our control with proper planning.

I have a 50 hr /week job, a family, pets, plus typical stuff like eating, paying bills, planning,sleep, etc. And add currently next month I have 11 gigs. Time is the resource to focus on.

If you get to know me, you’ll soon find out I believe time is more precious than money. I can always can make more money, I can’t make more time.

 

[ghostrider25]

Yep. Kids these days don't know how good they had it.

Back in my day the closest decent music store was clear in downtown Seattle. You couldn't order strings online, you had to show up in person to buy them. And there wasn't any YouTube, and tab books were barely even a thing. If you wanted to learn a song you did it by ear, moving the needle on your record player back and forth until you could figure it out.

My first guitar came from the Sears catalog, and I was glad to have it.*





*sadly, all the above is true.

 

[electric__steve]

Yep. Kids these days don't know how good they had it.

Back in my day the closest decent music store was clear in downtown Seattle. You couldn't order strings online, you had to show up in person to buy them. And there wasn't any YouTube, and tab books were barely even a thing. If you wanted to learn a song you did it by ear, moving the needle on your record player back and forth until you could figure it out.

My first guitar came from the Sears catalog, and I was glad to have it.*





*sadly, all the above is true.

You've got a great plastic surgeon. You sure don't look 90!

It must have been rough playing electric guitar before they invented electricity!

Did you have mine your own iron, copper, and tin in order to make strings?

Indeed! I still have my MG Ward Harmony Strat, my first guitar that I held together with a screwdriver and endless rolls of solder for 2 years before I could afford something new (via mail order in the back of a guitar mag). Learned everything about guitar maintenance on that axe. I got it in trade for 2 large pizzas and helping rebuild it from parts in my old drummer's basement (including positioning a fixed bridge on the trem-routed body). Immediately took it home (across town on my bike w/o a case or strap ) and stripped it down for a repaint from almond white to satin black with some custom airbrushing details. Still playable but I've pretty much retired it due to a growing crack in the body (due to bending the neck all the time for dives/tremolo effects).

Everything is repairable! Post some photos. Or just string it up with 7s! .... and, uh, stop trying to snap it in half.

 

[mrpinter]

There are two great options that I don't think have been mentioned in this thread. I have several of both. They are the Protec Contego, and the TKL Vectra Impact X. Both offer excellent protection, and are very transportable and stashable, so they meet all of @aarontunes criteria. The Contego has a rigid plastic frame sewn in around the perimeter, like the Gator Pro Go (I think Gator copied the Contego design). They are also a lot less expensive than the Gator Pro Go, and the Mono cases in the vid. Here are some views.

Protec Contego:



TKL Vectra

 

[NedRyerson]

I can always can make more money, I can’t make more time.

This needs to be a fortune cookie fortune and sang from the highest mountaintops for all eternity. I went out with my buddies last night, a crew I used to work with at my previous job who I've been fortunate to retain as friends. When I remarked that I have my retirement date circled in my calendar, they were shocked that I'd go so soon. I'll be retiring before some of them, and they're older and have been in our industry longer.

This quote encapsulates the driving force: my kids are getting older and with both of them being on the spectrum, I need to be present for them and my wife. My wife has sacrificed more than can ever be accounted for.

I know we're supposed to be talking about guitar cases here, but this quote really resonates and I had to comment on it.