What happened to all the cases?

[Hutton]

I've noticed of late that quite a few quality basses are put up for sale without the original hard case being part of the deal. I must admit that the lack of the original case for a quality instrument puts me off the sale especially when a poor substitute is offered. I was therefore wondering where do all the cases. Does the original owner sell the case or was the bass bought without the case as part of the deal? Whatever is the case (pardon the pun) I shy away from sales that don't include the original case.

[discreet]

I presume selling a case and a bass separately can generate more cash than selling them together?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Perhaps, in the case (heh!) of vintage basses, the instrument lasts longer than the wooden box with usually not very durable hinges it originally came in?

[Hobbayne]

The new type of Fender cases are in the region of a hundred quid to buy seperately. It seems to make sense to sell 'em independent of the guitar.

[JapanAxe]

I prefer to sell with the case (and in a cardboard box) if shipping, as it offers better protection than just a cardboard box on its own. Having said that, when I sold my Variax guitar I threw in an old tweed case I had, and kept the superb Line 6 gig bag!

[BigRedX]

Unless the case is branded or designed to fit a particular shaped bass, then IME not everyone will want it.

When I went to collect my newly completed Sei bass, I was offered either a Ritter gig bag for free or a Hiscox case at extra cost. Since I already had 4 Hiscox cases, but didn't have any half-decent gig bags I went for the Ritter. Also in the past I've sometimes found it easier to sell a bass that came with a hard case if I reduced the price and didn't include the case any more...

While having a good hard case will make the instrument easier to ship, if you take your time with the packaging and "double box" it is just as effective.

[CamdenRob]

My 83 Jazz was shipped in a mint original hardcase.... then FedEx got hold of it... Now its in an original case with a smashed corner, bent metalwork and a broken latch...

[Roland Rock]

I've never bought a new bass, so not sure about what happens to the original. When buying, I see a case as a bonus, but one not being included wouldn't put me off a pick up deal.
The only reason that I have a Mono M80 is that it was included (at an extra cost) with the bass, and I wanted as much protection as possible during shipping.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Roland Rock

[Rumple]

I'm trying to cut down on the number of cases cluttering the place up and use Mono M80's and guitar stands instead, if I got a new bass with a case included I'd probably sell it on.

[LukeFRC]

I have a hiscox case. It's great. It would be the last thing I sold.

[Matt P]

the case for my '77 went awol many years ago i guess (if it ever had one?) i just haggled for a Hiscox case when i did the deal, I've got 8 Hiscox cases now, 3 of them bass ones, i always travel by car or van so the Hiscox is my top choice, i don't actually have a gigbag in the collection, although i will have one later this week when i take possession of a telecaster that a friend is selling me, (but i actually bought a Hiscox case for it last night at the bargain price of 30 quid!) i'll probably sell the gigbag off if it's a fancy one or give it away to a mate if it's not.

if i was buying a new bass that was over say 700 quid then I'd be wanting a hard case for it, if it didn't have a hard case supplied then i'd want a good deal on a Hiscox (which is exactly what i got with my Letts) when it comes to used basses then i'd expect that if a case was supplied from new then i'd want it, for me the presence of an original hard case can show that the bass was looked after (i have a 1981 aria cardinal that has an original case and the guarantee card!)

[Geek99]

I always offer the buyer the choice - some people don't like them. I then sell on the case for the going rate, or a reasonable offer.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 19, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[neepheid]

Honestly, I don't like hard cases. I only have three, one which was intended for the bass in question, one which came with a bass I bought (the Hiscox the Gibson IV I bought from Hutton came with, funnily enough) and one which I bought early in my bass playing days because I didn't know what I wanted and it had a cool B movie poster printed on the top of the lid. In which basses with angled headstocks don't fit. D'oh! The only time they ever get used is in mass transportation to the bass bash. But that's speaking as someone who generally takes care of his own transport to gigs. If my bass was being thrown in and rattled around in the back of a van that I'm not driving, I might change my opinion. But right now, I can't argue against being able to sling it on my back, so it's gig bags all the way for me. Decent ones, with good padding though.

Only sold one hard case separately in my life, and it was a non-original one, so I didn't have a problem with it. Would be inclined to keep hard cases which come with a bass, it's like the whole package.

[alyctes]

I've only bought one bass with its original hard case, and that was battered beyond use (broken hinge) - it's only good to sit under my bed. Which is where it is, with the bass in it.

[Mr. Foxen]

They are a nice extra to offer when shipping, but they take up too much room.

[Bassman Sam]

I had a [size=4]'83 Fullerton made '57 RI P bass that I bought from a shop in Chelmsford that didn't come with a case or gig bag. I took it home in a bin liner as it started to rain.[/size]


When I sold it, I met up with the buyer and he brought his own gig bag to take it home in. He didn't want the Hiscox even though I had priced the bass to include the case.

Win/Win.

[Wooks79]

Only many years after buying my stingray from new did I realise that I had never even given the original hard case with it, and it had probably been swapped by the place I bought it from for a cheap replacement, and the original swiped by an employee I reckon

[KevB]

I was getting fed up of cases piling up then I realised that with one possible exeption (not checked it yet) non of the 4 decent basses I have fit in each others cases at all and 3 of them are Fenders!

[fretmeister]

Last time I spoke to a shop about it I was informed that even on many high end basses they are shipped with posh gig bags like Mono ones.

Certainly my Mono Vertigo seems to offer better protection than most cheap hardcases.

Loads of hardcases seem to be easy to deform in the middle putting pressure on the bass itself.

[mr zed]

I've never even thought about this before. I expect a hardcase to be supplied with a bass costing around £1000+ new and have never been disappointed (USA Fenders, Musicman etc) however I would expect either no case or if i'm lucky a gigbag with a cheaper bass (mim Fender, Musicman Sub etc). Both my higher end basses came with cases and I bought a case for my mim jazz fretless. I wouldn't dream of not keeping any of my basses cased for protection and whenever I move them around (gig, rehearsal etc) they are always safely stored in their respective cases. I would never sell a case that a bass came with - It is part of the overall package. Having said all that, it can be a challenge to find a home for all the hardcases that my band have when we're out on a gig. I usually just take one bass along (I like to travel light) whilst our 2 guitarists have a total of 7 guitars between them on each gig - inc semi acoustics - all cased!

[jazzyvee]

I don't really rate the standard C&C style cases http://ggqualitycase.com that tend to come with guitars. The hinges and clips seem like they are from old 1030's suitcases and are not very sturdy. I've had them burst on my strat cases so I never use them outside the house now. As it happens my basses came with those style cases and I've tried selling them here and on Ebay and not had any joy. They are only used to store the basses in whilst at home. When out on gigs they are either in a good quality gig bag or flight case depending on if they are in my car or the van. I think having the original case if you are selling is not going to do you any harm especially if you are throwing it in and not adding more to the price. May be a bit comforting to a buyer too.

Jazzyvee

[DorsetBlue]

Not a bass but the case that came with my Gibson SG is amazing, it fits into it perfectly and is stunning in quality. Not that I can imagine ever letting that guitar go but if I did, it would have to go with that case.

[Conan]

If it is an old bass that has been regularly gigged, I'm not sure I'de expect the original hard case. It will have done its job of protecting the bass and will therefore be pretty damaged.

I had to replace the case for my Status a couple of years ago. Not because it was damaged, but because the foam moulding (which holds the bass perfectly in place) was progressively deteriorating and turning to powder!

I still have the original case, and if I ever tried to sell my Status (unlikely) I could offer the original case as well as (or instead of) the new Hiscox one.

As long as a bass has something to protect it during gigging or shipping, I'm happy. But like others, I prefer to use gigbags.

I would expect someone selling an expensive bass (say £750 and over) to at least offer a hard case.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Conan