I really don’t get gig bags

Treewig1

The sooner I can get my guitars into a Hiscox hard case the better.

The only guitars I’ve bought with unnecessary dings and dents came in gig bags.

Ive had guitars in good gig bags too, including the lauded Suhr gig bag.  Hiscox every time for me.  I don’t understand why expensive guitars come in gig bags, either.  It’s an expensive instrument, so protect it. 

PC_Dave

You should try the Reunion Blues Continental - it’s bloody amazing.

TeleMaster

I have a Mono Dual guitar soft case and I use it for everything. It's great. 

Treewig1

Wow, yes, they do look good @PC_Dave ;

PonchoGreg

Soft case (with straps etc) for the win. Honestly I wouldn't be miffed at all if expensive guitars all came in these. Unless you're flying and you know the case is gonna get crushed under loads of other stuff it should offer more than enough protection. Plus it's lighter, you can have it on your back, and stuff more straps/leads etc in the pockets

imalrightjack

TeleMaster said:

I have a Mono Dual guitar soft case and I use it for everything. It's great. 

Seconded. Feel super-secure. 

Majorscale

PC_Dave said:

You should try the Reunion Blues Continental - it’s bloody amazing.

Agreed... quite heavy, pretty bulky but super protection for your guitar and you can strap it on your back. 

kennedydream1980

Hardcases are a pain in the arse on gigs. Especially in tight setups. Mono Gigbag for the win!!

Jimbro66

I carry my favourite guitar in a Gator ProGo gig bag that protects it incredibly well. It's much lighter than even a Hiscox standard hard case and has straps so that I can carry it on my back with amp in one hand and pedal board case in the other. I have total confidence in the ProGo and wouldn't want to swap it for a Hiscox or any other hard case.

Moltisanti

hard cases are for shipping in boxes when they are new, then it goes in the loft.

ICBM

Treewig1 said:

The sooner I can get my guitars into a Hiscox hard case the better.

The only guitars I’ve bought with unnecessary dings and dents came in gig bags.

Ive had guitars in good gig bags too, including the lauded Suhr gig bag.  Hiscox every time for me.  I don’t understand why expensive guitars come in gig bags, either.  It’s an expensive instrument, so protect it. 

Try travelling by public transport with a hard case... big heavy awkward things, even worse if it's windy, strained fingers a strong possibility, and not much space in them to carry the rest of your kit.

I've never seen a Suhr gig bag but it wouldn't surprise me if they're not that great - PRS ones aren't. They're not terrible, and they're much better than the awful things of the past, but they're a generation out of date compared to what's available now.

Get a Mono or a Fusion and see what a really good gig bag is - reinforced front and back, neck support to protect the headstock, proper rucksack-type straps so carrying it even over some distance is easy, good pockets, and some of them have a rubber 'boot' on the end so you can even stand it up on the ground in the rain and it won't come to any harm.

The only time I wouldn't use one is if the guitar is going in a van or on a plane. It is true they aren't cheap - more expensive than a Hiscox - but they do a slightly different job better, and I wouldn't use a Hiscox to go to a gig in my own car or on public transport any more than I would put a gig bag (even a Mono) in an aircraft hold.

Onpar

Gig bags all the way. Much better when putting 1 or 2 guitars in your car for gigs. Lighter, smaller, more manageable and easier to store at the gig venue. 

Also easier to store at home, otherwise your house is just full of guitars cases! 

stickyfiddle

I like a Hiscox, but I'm also a big fan of Mono stuff, especially for gigging. 

SPECTRUM001

Aren't gig bags for.....gigs ?!

I keep my guitars in hard cases when not playing, and use a decent gig bag for taking them to rehearsals, gigs or tech etc. 

I carried a Strat in its Fender tolex case on a train recently (and got lost in Kings Cross station). Man, it was heavy - various ligaments and bones in my right hand are still bruised !

Lestratcaster

Only 3 guitars of my 7 live in cases, as they're not played very often. The rest get transported round in gig bags, they're well padded and usually "transportation" is from my house to a detached garage these days. Plus you can shove extra cables and spare strings in there too.

merciful-evans

I'm mostly with the OP here. I prefer a good case.

For me, the only advantage a gig bag has is if you have too many guitars and you cant access them easily. Hanging them in a wardrobe with a gigbag hook takes care of that.

But for transport, its got to be a quality case like Hiscox or a Ric. I think its shameful that PRS cost so much and then give you a poxy gigbag to take it home in.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Depends on the guitar for me. A solidbody Tele or LP? Wouldn't bother me one bit to use a decent gigbag. A big hollowbody archtop with a Bigsby? No thanks, I'll stick to the hardcase!

ICBM

I have to say I'm surprised that more guitarists don't use the semi-hard rigid foam cases though - they have most of the advantages of both types in that they protect the instrument almost as well as a hard case (arguably better against a drop, since they're less likely to transmit shock to it), but are lightweight and usually have shoulder straps and good pockets like a gig bag... and they're quite cheap.

Most classical musicians - who have instruments that are usually far more valuable and fragile than ours - use this type of cases.

pjf

My mono bag is great for the tele but terrible for Gibsons because of the headstock angle. So the Gibsons go in hard cases.

Moe_Zambeek

I’m a born-again gigbag advocate. I used to think that hard cases were the ultimate but in fact when you look at a lot of hard cases they’re actually pretty crap. Some cheap ply and a bit of foam.


Monos are expensive and I have some misgivings about quality of later builds but they are extremely practical and give great protection (including to house and car interiors). I was going to say I wouldn’t use one in a van but the fact is I have done, many times, usually slinging them on top of all the other gear in the back of a transit. 

Editing to add that the Mono Vertigo range may be a bit slim for a Gibson headstock angle but the M80 and dual bags have space. The Mono sleeves are Fender-style appropriate only.

Keefy

As a rule, I carry guitars with a pronounced headstock angle (Gibson, Gretsch) in their hard cases. Fenders and the like travel in gig bags - they take up so much less room in the car boot.

I’m not too bothered about the odd ding, but I do want the guitar to be in one piece when I take it out.