Hard Case discussion.

[NancyJohnson]

So. 

I've ordered another Spector case (I had one but sold it along with the eight-string I just moved), so I know it fits. 

While I love ownership, it's really a case (no pun intended) here that I don't play all the time and I just don't like having all these basses out all over the house (there's acoustic and electric guitars all over the place too).  In truth, I'm only really using one of the Lulls for recording and I'm still tweaking the Hamer (only had it a couple of weeks), so for now the new case is away with the Precision in it (cause I don't want to get that dinged, eh?  lol) and I'll pop the Spector away next week for a while.

Edited February 12, 2021 by NancyJohnson

[Madein1962]

On 11/02/2021 at 11:36, 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.

I recently bought a Tourtech Pro case which I was really impressed with. It's a perfect fit for my Jaydee Series 1. It's a better fit than the original Jaydee case that came with the bass.

[M@23]

@Madein1962 very nice bass, case fits it like a glove. How’s the padding? Reckon it’d take a knock and keep your Jaydee in tact?

[Supernaut]

Have you ordered a Hiscox yet?

Bought mine secondhand 15 years ago and still going strong. 

[Madein1962]

4 minutes ago, M@23 said:

@Madein1962 very nice bass, case fits it like a glove. How’s the padding? Reckon it’d take a knock and keep your Jaydee in tact?

The bottom tray is pretty solid; some kind of dense polystyrene, for want of a better description.

The outside of the case has protective moulded 'bumpers' at the corners and along the sides.

The top padding meets the bottom on either side of the neck, forming a kind of tunnel so, I guess that would offer some protection if anything heavy was placed on it.

It's a perfect fit for the series 1, body width, body length and overall length so, it's quite snug in there.

For storing a bass and carrying it around, it by hand or in the boot of a car, I'd say it's perfectly okay. I don't tend to throw cases around so I'm not expecting to test it to any great extent.

[Madein1962]

9 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Have you ordered a Hiscox yet?

Bought mine secondhand 15 years ago and still going strong. 

I have a Hiscox that I bought from Jaydee, if I remember correctly. It has a series 2 in it which is a narrower body.

Oddly, I don't think I've ever tried the series 1 in it; probably because it's always lived in its moulded plastic Jaydee case.

I bought the Tourtech for something else but happened to try the Jaydee in it. It's millimetre perfect so I left it in there.

I just need to find a decent case for a Ric 4001 but, that seems to be a common problem 😁

[NancyJohnson]

Pulled the trigger on a second Tourtech ABS case.  These are wonderful things for the price. 

For the first time ever, I'm hardcased up.  If I get a minute I might pull my Hamer FBIV out storage and see whether it fits as well...if so, I may get another one next month and sell on the Epiphone HSC it currently lives in.

[Skybone]

On 18/03/2021 at 15:13, Madein1962 said:

I just need to find a decent case for a Ric 4001 but, that seems to be a common problem 😁

Have you tried it with the Tourtech Pro?

Had to get a replacement case for my 4003, as the original Rickenbacker one had missing feet and massive cracks in it. The insides stank as well. Bought a Thomann ABS case before Brexit, and it fits really well. Got a couple of the Thomann plywood bass cases too, and it fits in them really well too.

[Madein1962]

4 hours ago, Skybone said:

Have you tried it with the Tourtech Pro?

Had to get a replacement case for my 4003, as the original Rickenbacker one had missing feet and massive cracks in it. The insides stank as well. Bought a Thomann ABS case before Brexit, and it fits really well. Got a couple of the Thomann plywood bass cases too, and it fits in them really well too.

Hi skybone I did try it.

From memory, because of the body shape, the case is wide enough for the body but, the neck doesn't run down the centre of the case so, doesn't sit in the support channel.

Hope that makes some kind of sense 🙂

I'll try it again and take a picture.

I'll take a look at the Thomann cases. I still don't fully understand the Brexit implications but, depending on the value and assuming they still ship to the UK, it shouldn't necessarily cost much more than it used to 🤞

 

[Skybone]

I crumbled and ordered a Tourtech Pro case.

Made some enquiries about them, and whether a 4003 would fit, and took a chance.

Finally arrived (story in itself! 😀), the 4003 and the Walnut Faker fit nicely, though there is a little bit of space between the lower bout and sides of the case, though it's not a problem when you close the case, just need to be careful when putting the bass away and make sure the neck is sitting in the channel properly. Overall, the case seems sturdy enough, light, comfy handle, and the clasps are cool, though there's only 1 with a lock. How it would withstand being thrown about as luggage, I don't know.

The Thomann ABS case is a little bit narrower.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Skybone

[Cliff Edge]

Has anyone here made their own case, or undertaken repairs?

I’m looking for a source of the black fluffy material that lines most of the hard cases. 
I need to create some padding in a case that is slightly too large for the bass. 

[PaulThePlug]

^ Soft Toy Fur?... on the 'Bay?

Long or short hair, prolly also get some highish density up holstry foam...

Edited May 27, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[Stub Mandrel]

13 hours ago, Cliff Edge said:

Has anyone here made their own case, or undertaken repairs?

I’m looking for a source of the black fluffy material that lines most of the hard cases. 
I need to create some padding in a case that is slightly too large for the bass. 

Me. I couldn't source a decent case to fit a Jag SS.

I used a nylon dog blanket the dog had torn a hole in, but you could use a new one.

<edit>

I'm not joking. I don't think anyone produces material specifically for lining guitar cases, they just use a range of other materials, e.g. as used for soft toys. If you want the 'short fake fur' type of lining it is available off the roll but for the quantities needed for a guitar case a small throw or blanket is possibly the cheapest solution.

It looks good (it was a candy apple red dog blanket) and works well (IMHO):

The case is 12mm planed softwood strips and two sheets cut from 3mm MDF. If I was doing it again I would cover in proper Tolex-type vinyl, the one I chose is a lovely colour but easily scratched.

 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Stub Mandrel

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, Cliff Edge said:

Has anyone here made their own case, or undertaken repairs?

I made plywood cases for my guitars and synths in the 70s and 80s. All were almost as heavy as the instruments they were designed to contain. These days if you look hard enough there is almost always a suitable case already available. I personally won't be making any more myself.

[jazzyvee]

On 02/02/2021 at 08:59, Paul S said:

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.

Or even toss of a case. 🙂

[jazzyvee]

My basses came with the classic G & G cases but I find they are not durable for gigging as the edge of the case where the handle is fitted eventually bends and the catches/locks no longer line up and stay secure.

I have found the Scott Dixon aluminium cases to be superb. Lightweight and extremely strong and durable. I use one of these for my strat and another coffin style case for my bass. I plan to order a custom one for another of my basses as it is a bit tight for my other basses. They now do custom inserts so it can be shaped to fit your bass/guitar better.

 

[Cliff Edge]

19 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ Soft Toy Fur?... on the 'Bay?

Long or short hair, prolly also get some highish density up holstry foam...

Duh. Never thought of that, thanks, found the ideal stuff. 

[PaulThePlug]

Leopard Spot or Tiger Stripe?

[ped]

Does anyone with one of those Tourtech cases have a stingray? Would be interested to see how well it fits…

[TheGreek]

I took an Oakfield aluminium flight case in part ex a while back - really didn't need it.

So now I have a superfluous flight case, foam cut for a 'Ray (which I don't have) that's taking up space.

 

Thankfully, despite her efforts, Thea can't do it any damage.

[NancyJohnson]

Disappointingly, Tourtech have rebranded as Ordo and Andertons aren't carrying them anymore.

[dmc79]

I'm curious for those of you who've tried a good number of hard cases, are there any that are relatively lightweight? Sometimes for me it's not always playing, but load in/out (including carrying it up & down stairs at home) that hurts my back. I realised recently that my case is heavier than the bass. A combined weight of 9.4 Kg. No wonder that's not much fun to cart about. Anyway, I've weighed the last few cases I've had with digital luggage scales so thought I'd post those weights here. If anyone else can add any weights of other cases, that would be helpful. All rectangular hard shell cases apart from the first one:

 

Fender bass shaped hard case (from 2000s): 4.1 Kg

 

Fender Pro Series bass case: 5.3 Kg

 

Gator Deluxe hard case: 5.4 Kg

 

Fender Deluxe Travel Sentry hard case: 5.5 Kg 

 

I currently have the Fender Deluxe Travel Sentry hard case. It's great quality but I must say I miss the old Fender bass shaped one with metal latches that I had for years. It was not only lighter, but easier to manouvre round corners / up stairs etc, and it could stand in the passenger footwell of the car whilst a passenger sat around it! Maybe I'll look for another. Is there a hard case out there that's even lighter than those Fender shaped ones? As good as the travel sentry case is, I wonder if the bulk of it is just overkill for what I need - it's not like I'm ever gonna take it on a plane or anything like that. I want decent-ish protection for my bass, but also want to shed some weight for the load in/out, but would never go as far as a flimsy gig bag. Have any of you tried the inbetween option of something like the Gator foam case that was up for sale here recently? 

 

Very interested in good lightweight cases for a P bass. I don't need shoulder straps or any storage space as pedals / cables everything else goes in my rucksack. Thanks! 

Edited March 11, 2023 by dmc79

[dmc79]

Further to my above post, I just saw the Tourtech Pro Series ABS case near the top of this page. Can any owners of this give me a reasonably accurate weight of this case please? 'Shipping weight' is shown as 4Kg, I presume that includes outer packaging when posted, and that the actual case weight is a touch under that? Thanks

[BlueMoon]

While I don’t have the precise number to hand, I’ve always found Hiscox (chainsaw-shaped) hardcases to be sturdy and light in weight. A P bass should fit with no problems.

[dmc79]

7 minutes ago, BlueMoon said:

While I don’t have the precise number to hand, I’ve always found Hiscox (chainsaw-shaped) hardcases to be sturdy and light in weight. A P bass should fit with no problems.

 

Thanks. I've shortlisted the Hiscox P/J style bass case. I rarely play guitar but I still have the same Hiscox guitar case I bought about 20 years ago. Very good. £24 more than the Tourtech Pro, and showing shipping weight of 4.59Kg. 

 

@Madein1962 Could you give the weight of the Tourtech Pro please? Cheers

Edited March 11, 2023 by dmc79