Double Bass Casing

[james_guitar]

I'm about to purchase a Stentor Arcadia 3/4 double bass which comes with bow and Fishman pickup installed but no case. I will be using it for weekly gigs at various venues, so am going to need some fo of case to keep the instrument in one piece.

I've been reading a post in the Gear section of the for about recommended padded gig bags and flight cases, but there were no double bass cases mentioned. I've been browsing online and have found everything from cheap anorak looking cases to £3000+ fibre bomb-proof cases.

So I was wondering... What cases do you use or recommend and why? I'm looking for something under £400, but would love to know what makes the more expensive cases that much better.

[bassace]

Yes, you are certainly going to need a cover to stop your bass getting scratched and knocked about. What you get depends upon how you are going to transport the bass. 99% of my transport is in my own car so I use quite a simple soft case wth about 20mm padding. I don't want pockets and straps and stuff to get caught in the bits of the car while I'm loading it, although strategically placed handles do help with loading in and carrying. So in that respect my requirements are modest and £300 should easily do the trick. If your bass is going in a band van, then I'd recommend the best soft case you could afford, and even a lower end hard case at about £1k. The cheaper hard cases can be quite heavy, that is why the high end ones are lighter, made of Kevlar or carbon fibre and bloody expensive - up to £4k. There is a compromise which I haven't tried , a canvas covered styrofoam case at 10kilos and £650.

One of the bass players will surely come up with a post recommending a specific case, but in the meantime you might like to look up www.jpbmusic.com who I've found to be very helpful and give me good service.

[chrkelly]

I'd check out the Soundwear and Mooradian soft cases. They're the best I've seen. I use a Soundwear Performer which is brilliantly made with loads of padding. Downside is it's heavy. Thomann stock Soundwear, not too sure about the Mooradian, you might have to order direct from the states. Whatever you do, don't buy a Ritter!

[Owen]

a canvas covered styrofoam case at 10kilos and £650.

Or buy a bass from Gear4music for £400 and get the styrofoam case for free.

[BigBeatNut]

[quote name='chrkelly' post='499653' date='May 28 2009, 10:22 AM']Whatever you do, don't buy a Ritter![/quote]
I'm interested to know why.

[chrkelly]

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='499732' date='May 28 2009, 11:43 AM']I'm interested to know why.[/quote]

I bought one a few years ago. Checked all the measurements and it looked like it would be a good fit but when it arrived it was massive, especially the neck section. So much pointless material, you could have squeezed about 5 necks in there. Because of this it weighed a ton. Stitching was crap too, handles coming loose etc. Maybe I just got a bad one but I've since heard similar storys about the quality of their electric bass bags too. It was quite comfy for having a sleep in though!

Flightcase-wise, the Stevenson case is the industry standard but a bit ott unless you're doing some serious touring. Those styrofoam ones like decent though for transit van gigs.

Edited May 28, 2009 by chrkelly

[james_guitar]

[quote name='owen' post='499718' date='May 28 2009, 11:33 AM']a canvas covered styrofoam case at 10kilos and £650.

Or buy a bass from Gear4music for £400 and get the styrofoam case for free.[/quote]

I like the sound of the styrofoam casing... Do any of you use one of these cases and do they seem durable? Also, do the ones that come with the Gear4Music bass differ much in quality to a normal, more expensive styrofoam case? Given how much I believe the materials for Carbonfibre cases cost, they seem to have an inexcusably high mark-up... given that if people can afford to, they will happily stretch towards a lighter, more expensive hard case.

I've just spent £1,200 for the Stentor Arcadia and it's in amazing condition, comes with a stand, bow, Fishman pickup and Fishman preamp and a soft case (which wasn't originally advertised as part of the sale). It seems like a pretty good deal to me, although I don't have a frame of referance being new to the double bass.

I'll definately check out the brands mentioned already... thanks for the tips! Now, given that the soft case is likely to be in a van full of other equipment on the way to gigs, does anyone here any one here have a specific hardcase that they can recommend for under £1000.

[emilyclark1702]

I would also like to find a styrofoam case for my 3/4 double bass. I'm about to go to university and just need a cheap semi-hard one so I can leave it in a room safely with other instruments, but can't find one anywhere!

[keeponehandloose]

WILL & TOM.
GOOGLE THE MAKE.Excellent soft case,wheels to drag it,more handles than an octopus would need.Less than £200.
Much better than a hard case .

[BobVbass]

there's will and tom ones on ebay at the mo - as well as fibreglass hardcases from gedo-musik for about £700

[fatback]

[quote name='keeponehandloose' post='879061' date='Jun 27 2010, 06:36 PM']WILL & TOM.
GOOGLE THE MAKE.Excellent soft case,wheels to drag it,more handles than an octopus would need.Less than £200.
Much better than a hard case .[/quote]

Have you got a link for that? I'm having a prob finding it.

Waay, just found:

www.tomandwill.com/



Cheers

Edited June 29, 2010 by fatback

[fatback]

[quote name='fatback' post='881149' date='Jun 29 2010, 05:13 PM']Have you got a link for that? I'm having a prob finding it.

Waay, just found:

www.tomandwill.com/



Cheers[/quote]

Meh. Only UK orders accepted.

EDIT Waay! Ebay dealer will deliver outside UK and is £30 cheaper

Edited June 29, 2010 by fatback

[Gareth Hughes]

[quote name='fatback' post='881155' date='Jun 29 2010, 05:19 PM']Meh. Only UK orders accepted.

EDIT Waay! Ebay dealer will deliver outside UK and is £30 cheaper [/quote]

Hey Fatback - Whereabouts are you in Ireland? I'm just north of the border, so if that's any use to you let me know. I do stuff like that a lot for colleagues in Dublin getting stuff on eBay, saves a fortune on delivery charges.

[fatback]

[quote name='Gareth Hughes' post='881322' date='Jun 29 2010, 08:31 PM']Hey Fatback - Whereabouts are you in Ireland? I'm just north of the border, so if that's any use to you let me know. I do stuff like that a lot for colleagues in Dublin getting stuff on eBay, saves a fortune on delivery charges.[/quote]

Really nice offer, Gareth. Thanks a lot. PM sent.

[guyl]

[quote name='james_guitar' post='501377' date='May 30 2009, 02:19 AM']I like the sound of the styrofoam casing... Do any of you use one of these cases and do they seem durable? Also, do the ones that come with the Gear4Music bass differ much in quality to a normal, more expensive styrofoam case?[/quote]

Bought a second-hand styrofoam case, so not sure where it originally came from, but I suspect it was a "cheapie" Gear4Music style.

It's not rolls royce quality, but it has protected my bass perfectly when rattling around the back of a transit for the last few years and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

It is very bulky - no good in a standard car, but it is very light for it's size. Wheels are small but handles in all the right places so easy to manoever.

[james_guitar]

Thanks for the replies - I was suprised that this post was still going...

I persuaded a musician friend of mine to purchase a double bass from Gear4Music and purchased his styrofoam case, as he wanted the bass mainly as an ornament and wasn't planning on gigging it. It's a great case for wheeling the bass to gigs in the local area, but far too big for the car, so I'm still using a soft case for the majority of gigs.

Now I all I need is a lighter, more portable bass amp, a better pickup than the Fishman I have installed, a decent hard case and a van...