Gig bag recommendations for omega tipped basses

[moongerm]

Not sure if anyone has had experiences with either of these gig bag cases below or anything else for that matter, that may be best suited for supporting those fragile omega tips?
 
GruvGear
http://www.gruvgear.com/gigblade  (you can buy addl' foam inserts to support the bottom tip of the bass which I thought was neat).
and
Mono
http://monocreators.com/vertigo-electric-bass/  
 
I checked out the Mooradian cases site and couldn?t determine much about them.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Gigbag + omega = heartache.
I wouldn't leave the house with a First Act in a gigbag; an Alembic deserves a minimum of a hard case.
 
Peter

[samsamaha]

I bought the Mono Vertigo bag for all my bass travel needs.. only thing better would be a hard case.  Only complaint is it's made in China for $250.... but the quality is good.

[moongerm]

Peter, Yes you are right on, agreed not worth the risk.  In nyc and even in nj in some cases (no pun intended) it is a pain in the arm to lug the old ball and chain hardshell 10 plus blocks, trek a campus, or maneuver through a busy train terminal when good parking is out of the question.  
 
Samsamaha, thanks for the feedback on Mono, I will give them a look.

[dtothec]

Brian SKB makes an I series hard shell waterproof case that has inline skate wheels. They cost $279.  I have one, it is a little heavy but I usually roll it. It seals and they say if it were to fall in water it will float and the bass will stay completely dry. I bought it to roll through airports to avoid gigbags, or to have to carry a hard case. It also has a pressure valve for flying. You might look into something like that.

[moongerm]

Thanks Darrell. Checking them out now. Very interesting.

[samsamaha]

after second thought, and after putting my new Omega body today, I don't think I would gig back it either... there never is any assurance that it will not stand up on it's own weight..  I might have to retract my comment as it relates to this body style, but for any other bass, the Mono is a good bag.

[David Houck]

Just to add to what's already been said; it's a good idea to think of Omega tips as being extremely fragile.  One should endeavor to avoid letting them come in contact with anything other than when the instrument is in its hard shell case.

[moongerm]

Thanks Dave. The hardshell case does make the most sense. When I saw that the Gruv Gear gig blade has the ability to add additional foam spacers on the bottom of the bass so the tips will stay as far away from the wall I got a little excited.  The SKB is neat too because it forces you to rest the bass on its side.
 
(Message edited by moongerm on April 11, 2015)

[moongerm]

Ok, I know it is not recommended but I bought a Reunion Blues Continental case and added in some extra gruv gear padding where I cut out the foam for the omega tipped area to float. I believe it will work. Got a gig tonight so we'll see if I am wrong for trying this. Wish me luck.  gulp

[bigredbass]

Owning an Omega shaped axe, I've always steered clear of bags . . . . . but looking at that pic looking down on the bass in the case from above, IF it had a padded post with an OD a bit smaller than the Omega's ID, it would 'cinch' and wouldn't move.  Of course, I've no idea who'd Frankenstein such a thing !

Joey

[moongerm]

I am happy to report that this arrangement worked out very well. I had the bass standing upright in the case and treated it as if is had no omega at all and there were no issues. The bass does not budge inside the case and is overwhelmingly padded. I should add I have 1" extra padding at the base. As such my bass is a 32" scale and there is not much more room at the headstock area of the case.

[smuprof]

Brian -


I've been using the same Reunion Blues Continental gig bag for my S2 with heart omega for a couple of years now.  It only travels flat in the back of my SUV, and pretty much only to the church and back, but I'm happy to report no problems at all.  One observation:  I don't ever stand the case completely vertical, so the weight never rests on the omega cut.  It's either flat or horizontal or even when it's vertical, it's leaning.  Not from some genius awareness on my part - just seems to work out that way.


Having said all that, your post really got me thinking about potential stress on the omega cut.  Reunion Blues doesn't make support blocks like you show, and I was looking at having something made until I saw your Gruv Gear solution. 


Ordered a pair tonight.  Thanks for the idea.


JFT

[moongerm]

Good to hear. You may want to get the more shallow version as the 1" is almost too thick as you can see. Post a pic if you get a chance?

Best, Brian

[s_wood]

Well...  I recommend against gig bags for Omega-tipped basses.  I was carrying one of my Series basses with an Omega tip in a gig bag which somehow slipped off my shoulders, fell straight down my back and hit the street.  One of the Omega tips snapped completely off.  The gig bag was a good one - a Mooradian with 1 " foam padding. The bag didn't fail as it was never designed to protect that part of a bass from an approximately 3 foot fall.  Had a been using a hardshell case and dropped it from the same height the bass would have been fine.   I guess I think of it this way... if it's too much of a PIA to carry the bass in a hard case from vehicle to gig why am I playing a heavy Alembic at the gig, anyway?  To me, gig bags are a compromise required if one is walking to a gig or taking the subway or bus.  Other than that... its hard cases for me.  YMMV, of course.