Hard Case discussion.

[NancyJohnson]

Anyone bought a molded/ABS/hard shell case recently?  I'm not interested in wood cases, just plastic).

I need a couple of cases to cover recent purchases; I'd say first off I have a Gator GTSA case on order (like the one below) and if this is OK, I'll likely just order another one. 

I've had one Gator case previously which was perfectly fit for purpose, but while I was searching, there does seem to be some new players on the marketplace (ie Tourtech), but scant information/photos/videos.  

Just interested in what people are using (as this is a new purchase, I suppose keep it to 'on sale' models).

[Edit: My preference is for rectangular cases - they just work better for me when stored.)

Edited February 2, 2021 by NancyJohnson

[BlueMoon]

Gator cases are fine. 

I've also found SKB to be OK and, of course, Hiscox. 

[Muppet]

I've always sworn by Hiscox cases and even when flying my guitars have arrived safely after being in the hold..  I do have a couple of the current Fender Deluxe ABS cases too which are really nice and seem pretty rugged. 

[Paul S]

SKB or Hiscox for me.  I like the fitted SKB ones out of preference - I particularly like the latches on them - but in terms of protection it is the toss of a coin.

[BigRedX]

Hiscox.

[ped]

I don't think Hiscox do rectangular bass cases though?

[M@23]

It’s an ongoing headache for me. The Gator that you have on order, I sent mine straight back. Positives were: the lining was nice and fluffy, handles are great too, but it was quite flimsy. Not that it’s the litmus test, but there is NO WAY it would take being stood on, or a 4x12 falling on it in the van. That aside, for every day use it’s probably great. Just, a bit disconcerting that I could quite easily manipulate it by pressing down on the closed lid. I often wonder if I should have persevered and thought about getting one of the LED ones when they were on an introductory offer. 
 

The comparison and standard set here was Hiscox. I (briefly, again) owned one of their standard cases. This one was returned because it was about 2cm too short to house a 5 string jazz. Negatives were, that it just needed to be a tiny bit bigger and the internals were no where near as soft and cosy as the Gator. Also, the latches, whilst I’m sure are bomb proof, aren’t as nice as the Gator. Hiscox’s recommendation on the sizing was to crush the internals a touch with a ball hammer... but the padding isn’t exactly generous to begin with so I’d rather not. 
 

A combination of The two would be ideal!

I like the SKB 44, the rectangular one. It’s big and bulky, but with all the Fenders I’ve had where it’s come supplied, I’ve never had an issue. 
 

Which bass is the case for? As ultimately, that seems to be a limiting factor. I’d still really like a good case for my Sandberg, but being made of a softer body wood (paulowina), I don’t want something it’ll rattle around in, or something that offers zero padding. 

[NancyJohnson]

13 minutes ago, M@23 said:

Which bass is the case for? As ultimately, that seems to be a limiting factor. I’d still really like a good case for my Sandberg, but being made of a softer body wood (paulowina), I don’t want something it’ll rattle around in, or something that offers zero padding. 

I need cases for my Spector and my Hamer.  I know that Spector now have a badged hard case which (barring the interior padding) is clearly identical to the the Gator I have on order.  I don't tend to have have all my basses out at the same time, so I like them in a case.

[M@23]

Let me know how you find the Gator. I did write mine off too soon, I’m sure. But I was looking for max protection at the time. I’d sacrifice a touch of that now for a better interior - for which the Gator did beat the Hiscox. 

[Stub Mandrel]

I have several different cases, but the most rugged is one from our own good @ped

It's a cosmetically abused SKB case that keeps a Jazz or P as snug as a bug in a rug. I had to glue one of the inserts in place to stop it flapping down* and fix the strap that stops it opening too far, but looking at the 'relicing' on the outside it's clearly suffered a long hard life without taking any real damage.

 

*Actually no! That was a no-name case I bought new.

Edited February 2, 2021 by Stub Mandrel

[inthedoghouse]

I have Hiscox for most of mine but my 4001 doesn't fit so I bought one of these from Thomman.  They are excellent, especially for the price.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_ebasscase.htm

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by inthedoghouse

[Matt P]

It's hiscox for me, I think I've got 10 at last count for basses and guitars, I've tried other brands but the protection never seems as good as the hiscox, I know you prefer rectangular cases but I've yet to find one that I trust as much as a hiscox. 

 

Matt 

[Matt P]

1 hour ago, inthedoghouse said:

I have Hiscox for most of mine but my 4001 doesn't fit so I bought one of these from Thomman.  They are excellent, especially for the price.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_ebasscase.htm

 

Did you try the standard hiscox bass case or the large version, I've been told that the large one will fit a Ric (but I've kot owned a Ric so have never tried it in person) 

Matt 

[inthedoghouse]

2 hours ago, Matt P said:

Did you try the standard hiscox bass case or the large version, I've been told that the large one will fit a Ric (but I've kot owned a Ric so have never tried it in person) 

Matt 

Thanks, Matt
I only tried the several Hiscox cases I already have which contain various Warwicks and a couple of P,.  I'm guessing they are probably the standard cases.  I ddn't want to risk buying another Hiscox in case it didn't fit so I did a search on here and found a post showing someone's Rick in a Thomann case.  For the money it's a very solid case.
Cheers
Dave

[Skybone]

I got one of those Thomann ABS cases for my 4003 for Christmas. It's a decent case, and great VFM, though definitely not quite in the same league as some of the other cases being discussed here. Considered getting a Hiscox, but wasn't sure whether a 4003 would fit.

The original Ric case the 4003 came in was the standard Ric ABS case, but had numerous holes in the corners, a missing metal foot, with one of the others having cracks around it. Absolutely stank inside too. Tried dousing the inside with Febreze, but after about a week, the smell came back.

My other basses are in the plywood & vinyl Thomann "classic" cases. Again, sturdy & well built, but not quite up to the standard of the more expensive cases.

[three]

The SKB iSeries Universal Bass Case is by far the best case that I've seen in the past few years - Bax appear to have them at £247.  Not cheap obviously, but the protection appears to be superb and everything about the case just looks and feels premium.  They're not a light case either but the wheels are impressive and there are twin handles to ensure that moving the case around is relatively hassle free.  The only downside for me is that they won't take a wider bodied bass - Fender types, Spectors etc. are fine but if you have anything with an unusually wide upper bout, it's unlikely to fit.  They're worth having just to admire - really a fabulous case in every respect and a real step-up from anything else that I've used.  These probably offer similar protection (better in some respects) to a full flight case - Anvil etc. - with a much reduced weight

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by three
additions

[NancyJohnson]

I'm still waiting for the Gator case from Amazon.  It's in stock elsewhere, but more expensive and I'd need to cover shipping too (I'm an Amazon Prime customer, so that solves the £££ carriage charge).

No rush!

[Skybone]

Where do we go for reasonable prices for cases now that Thomann are no longer viable?

#tongueincheek

[Skybone]

Anyone know if a 4003 would fit into a Hiscox?

[NancyJohnson]

Amazon have just advised me that the Gator case is going to be weeks away, so I went with a Tourtech ABS case from Andertons.  Reviews look generally good, it was £30 cheaper than the Gator and will be here tomorrow.  Reckon it's worth a punt.  It's never going to get a ton of use.  If it's any good (and the Spector and Hamer both fit), I'll get another one next month.

[ezbass]

I recently bought a Tour Tech from Anderton’s for my Epi J200, I was really impressed with the sturdiness.

[M@23]

5 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Amazon have just advised me that the Gator case is going to be weeks away, so I went with a Tourtech ABS case from Andertons.  Reviews look generally good, it was £30 cheaper than the Gator and will be here tomorrow.  Reckon it's worth a punt.  It's never going to get a ton of use.  If it's any good (and the Spector and Hamer both fit), I'll get another one next month.

Please let us know how you find it, I’ve been eyeing these. They certainly look the part!

[NancyJohnson]

The Tourtech case arrived...first impressions are that it'll do the job.

Looks nice, handle comfortable, it's light, locks look ok.  The inside is fluffy and the foam under this is reasonably firm.  Tried it with the stuff I don't have cases for...see below.

Main observation is this is clearly a one size fits all case; it's fine for the Precision and the neck is supported its entire length. 

The Hamer headstock is angled back a bit and the neck sits lower in the body, so as a consequence the neck isn't fully supported (it rides from the nut to about the 10th fret.  That said, the headstock is free of any obstruction, so it's fine.  It's a good fit.  

Onto the Spector.  A big no, I'm afraid.  As the bass is so small and curved, it moves back and forth around quite a bit, and just rides on the extremities.  I'll hold out for another case...the Spector ABS case can't be had for love nor money, so I may just pull the trigger on a Spector hard case.

Hope this helps.

 

 

[M@23]

Thanks for that. The Spector doesn’t look too comfy in there. You can see it is best suited to the Precision. My dilemma is somewhat similar, I need a hard case for a Sandberg Superlight, which isn’t an outrageous shape, but the body is smaller than Fender styles and it’s made of cedar, so softer than typical, and I don’t want it rattling around as it’ll do more harm than good being in there! At the moment I use a Music Area hybrid thing which is great when I’m transporting it in the car but probably isn’t van proof. 

[ezbass]

Some moveable, foam shapes with velcro backing should come as standard for generic cases, IMO. This is what Protection Racket cases come with.