Poll: Would you like a hardshell case or a gig bag with your CF guitar?

[PeteCady]

Your poll doesn't allow the option of ultralight (fabric over foam) "hard" cases, which I find to be a good compromise for CF, and REALLY light to carry with a CF instrument inside. I have two of my CFs in those (one an APLE). I hang on to the original hard cases, though, if I ever sell and ship one of them.

[RP]

I got a CH-WS the other day and would love to have a gig bag rather than a hardshell case. I don't do much traveling so light weight is more important to me than ultimate protection. I wrote to Rainsong and expressed my interest in their providing sturdy gig bags (like on the old Studio models) rather than hardshell cases. I received the following reply from Dave and wanted to see if the CF buying public on AGF was consistent with Rainsong's findings...

Hi Randy,

Thank you for contacting us and congratulations on your new CH-WS.

I liked the gig bags for those guitars as well but too many customers complained about not getting a hard case for a guitar in that price range so we stopped doing the bags. Here are links to two different bags made by the company that supplies our cases. I have heard good things about both versions so it just depends on which one suits your needs the best.

https://www.accessbagsandcases.com/p...uitar-gig-bag/

https://www.accessbagsandcases.com/p...ic-guitar-bag/


Let me know if you have any other questions.

Kind regards,

Dave

[RP]

Originally Posted by PeteCady

Your poll doesn't allow the option of ultralight (fabric over foam) "hard" cases, which I find to be a good compromise for CF, and REALLY light to carry with a CF instrument inside. I have two of my CFs in those (one an APLE). I hang on to the original hard cases, though, if I ever sell and ship one of them.

I wanted to keep the poll as simple as possible...

[Methos1979]

Hard cases are a waste for me, wood or CF. Definitely for CF. I always use a gig bag and when I ordered my custom Emeralds I specified their gig bags only. My X10 came with only a (really nice) hard case. I had to order a gig bag for it. Hard cases sit unused in my spare room until a guitar is sold and shipped off.

[raysachs]

Probably depends on the guitar and my intended use. I have an X7 with just a gig bag and it's fine, very well padded. I don't take it out of the house a lot, but when I do, I'm usually sticking it in the back of the car with a bunch of other stuff for a longer trip. The gig bag has been fine, but all things being equal, I suppose I'd prefer the greater protection of a hardshell case. If I ever get another larger CF of some sort, I'd go with a hard case. When I had an X20 I was glad to have the Hiscox case. A hardshell just gives that much more protection and I can stash them in our basement when I'm not using them, which is most of the time.

-Ray

No use talking to Methos, same as talking to me. Cases sit in storage.

[Frettingflyer]

All my CF hard shell cases are collecting dust in the closet while I use gig bags. Much easier for travel.

[RP]

Maybe it comes down to what I call the 90% Rule. In other words, what do you need a case to do 90% of the time???

[TheChicagoTodd]

For me, most of the time a hard shell case is a longer term storage option, not a daily use/transportation option.

Also, I'm a collector as well, so I prefer to have OEM hardshell cases if possible, and in the case of Emerald, paying the little extra for a branded gig bag is worth it to me.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[douglasfan1]

That result quite surprise me. Since carbon fiber guitars are really strong, a well padded gig bag should be sufficient for daily travel.

Didn't expect still so many ppl choose to use hard case, but I agree that's the best choice for long term storage.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by RP

Maybe it comes down to what I call the 90% Rule. In other words, what do you need a case to do 90% of the time???

90% of the time my X7 is hanging on a wall, sitting on a stand, or being played. Probably more like 99% of the time. So does that mean I shouldn’t have a case OR a gig bag?

Carbon Fiber can take all kinds of temperature and humidity abuse far better than wood, but I don’t know that it would take a hard fall or other really hard blow that much better. I’d still rather have the protection of a HSC if I’m doing any traveling where anyone but me is gonna be handling the guitar...

[RP]

Originally Posted by raysachs

90% of the time my X7 is hanging on a wall, sitting on a stand, or being played. Probably more like 99% of the time. So does that mean I shouldn’t have a case OR a gig bag?

No, it means that when you need a hardshell case or gig bag for that X7 in transit, which would better satisfy your needs the vast majority of the time....

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by RP

No, it means that when you need a hardshell case or gig bag for that X7, which would better satisfy your needs the vast majority of the time....

Yeah, I know - I answered that too... I thought you were contending you should put more weight on the storage costs for the 90% of the time you don't use it. For me, with a corner of a basement available for guitar cases, that's a non-issue. But when it comes time to travel, I'd generally rather have the greater protection of a hard case.

[Finger Stylish]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Yeah, I know - I answered that too... I thought you were contending you should put more weight on the storage costs for the 90% of the time you don't use it. For me, with a corner of a basement available for guitar cases, that's a non-issue. But when it comes time to travel, I'd generally rather have the greater protection of a hard case.

I don't like gig bags any more than I like body bags.

[studioman001]

Whether it's for wooden guitars or carbon fiber guitars, I'll always go for a high quality hard case like the Hiscox for example. It just gives me added peace of mind I suppose.