3/4 DB gigbag options

[mr zed]

I am about to start rehearsals with a new band where I will get the opportunity to use my DB for the first time outside the house. Looking forward to it. I have a J-Tone pickup on order but also need a gigbag. Storage space is at a premium at home so something that will fold would be a real bonus. There are 2 that I am considering... A Gewa BS01: https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/gewa-pure-double-bass-gig-bag-classic-bs-01/?attribute_pa_size=100&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-tOpypmv2AIVSLHtCh2FmQCVEAQYASABEgINWPD_BwE

or a Hidersine:

https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/hidersine-double-bass-case/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp9WQspqv2AIVS7vtCh2dJQlWEAQYASABEgLgzPD_BwE

The Gewa has 3mm thick padding & the Hidersine has 20mm thick padding.

I'm guessing the Gewa will fold easily and smaller than the Hidersine but will 3mm thick padding be enough?

Any other recommendations (in a similar price bracket)?

Thanks in advance.

[petebassist]

Hi mate, haven't tried those, but I got a Westbury bag (I think it was the 22mm) for my 3/4 bass from Bassbags and it'a great bag, well made, with handles in all the right places - it's pretty bulky but I can fold it in half. 3mm will keep the rain off but might not be much use at preventing knocks, but depends on where you plan to play I guess.

[TheRev]

If you're using the gig bag to transport your bass from home to car to rehearsal room, then the lighter gig bag will be enough.

If you're planning on chucking your bass in the back of a van to do gigs, then definitely the heavier padded one.

[jrixn1]

Dunno if there is more than one carrying technique - but for me at least, a good handle on the left-hand side is essential.  I don't understand how I would carry a bass without one!

Having a couple of front handles is really useful for manoeuvring the bass into a vehicle.

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by jrixn1

[SubsonicSimpleton]

The Hildersine bag is a good low cost option IMHO, decent amount of padding and it is quite lightweight, you will be able to fold it up easily enough. The main drawback of this bag is that there are a limited number of handles, no problems to carry the bass with one hand while opening doors etc, but when it comes to loading/unloading your bass from vehicles you might fing yourself wishing there are more grab points. The handle issue is a non-issue if you have a vehicle with a flat load space. The secondary issue is zip quality on the pockets is pants, although the main zips on mine have held up fine. After 3 years heavy use my bag needs a repair to one handle (should be a couple of quid at the local cobblers), the bow pocket zip is fubar but otherwise the bag is perfectly serviceable.

The Westbury 22mm bag is better quality and comes with a bunch of handles which make passing the bass over rear lips on car load spaces or posting the bass through the front passenger door of a small car to load it upside down on the front seat nice and easy as you never need to stretch to reach a proper handle. The padding is substantial, but the downside is that the bag ends up being quite heavy in itself. I can't speak to longevity as I only used this bag for a couple of weeks when I was loaned a bass, but the build quality seemed very good. Although the hildersine padding spec seems close to the westbury(20mm vs 22mm), the foam in the westbury case is much denser and would provide better shock absorbtion/dissipation in the event of a bump IMHO.

 

[stingrayPete1977]

I bought a fairly expensive one from Thomann, it came with some stitching that had come undone but it fitted my fairly deep bodied bass so I had a few quid off it and kept it, since then the handles have come open. On the plus side it's very well padded and fits my bass well.

You really need to check the sizes before buying, not exactly like a P bass or Strat case.

[tinyd]

I bought a Westbury from gear4music and I really like it. It has wheels so it's slightly bulkier than one without but it still folds in half.

[Rabbie]

+ 1 for the Westbury range: does what you want and withstand gigging. I have had several higher end ones and I was often disappointed by some of them being a wee bit fragile and others just not having the handles in the right places. Incidentally, careful with the wheeled ones, you may be better with a bass wheel to get more clearance off uneven roads and pavements (although if you have nice sturdy handles the best option is alway to carry it IMO)

[mr zed]

Thanks for all the replies Gents. Loads of great advice that I hadn't considered such as the number of handles and positions for loading in/out of the car and the wheels seem like a great idea on flat surfaces. I've measured my bass (thanks Pete) and have just placed an order with Gear4music for the Westbury BC003:

 https://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Westbury-Deluxe-Padded-3-4-Double-Bass-Gig-Bag-with-Wheels/1MBI

Bit more than I was expecting to spend but I figured that moving a DB around can be a painful experience if you're struggling. TBH I was going for the Gewa BS25 as I really like the look of this bag and it seems to compare well with the Westbury but no bugger has them in stock! Also, the number of recommendations for the Westbury cannot go ignored.

Thanks again guys. Think I've made the right choice.

[stingrayPete1977]

Good stuff, enjoy.

[NickA]

I took my bass all the way to bass-bags (a whole 4 miles away!) to see what bag fitted my odd shaped bass (it's 4/4 but not very deep and I'd expected to need a made to measure).  The Westbury 4/4 is a slightly baggy but basically perfect fit; they're very good bags, quite roomy, lots of handles and I don't really see the point in spending more.  Of the four bass players in my orchestra, three of us have the same bag (tho the oldest of us has the one with wheels as he was finding carrying hard work). 

https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/westbury-double-bass-bag-11mm-padding/

The man at bass bags reckoned the extra padding in the 22mm version made no real difference except it doesn't fold as flat.

My previous bag didn't fold well and got stored in the garage ... where the mice ate great chunks out of the 20mm padding!