Gig bag recommendations for omega tipped basses

[germansal]

check out the one i ve bought one yaer ago in thomann ,talking abouy the protec semi rigid ones .,,,are great

[malthumb]

Everyone has their own experiences.  For those that only use hard cases, that's your conviction and you should stick with it because it works for you.  I haven't taken a hard case to a gig in more than 15 years.  And then it was because I was flying to the gig in Florida.  Doesn't matter if I'm taking an Alembic or any of my other basses.  A sufficiently padded gig bag works well for me.  One of my Alembics is a Point, the other is an Omega.  The Point gets the most work (5-string vs 4-string)  Which ever one I take travels in a leather bag that was the prototype for the leather bags that Alembic used to sell through the Alembic store.


For me, the advantage of having a gig bag instead of a hard case is that I can maintain better control of my instrument because if it's not in my hands, it's on my back.  And my hands are free for other things I may need to do.  So, for example, during load ins or packing up from a gig, I don't have to ask a band member to stay with the gear so my bass doesn't walk away.  I don't have to worry myself sick that between trips to the car, someone might lift my bass.  It's on my back until I'm ready to sit in the driver's seat and leave.


The bag is leaning against the wall behind my rig in the picture below.

[malthumb]

Everybody's needs / experiences with cases and gig bags has the potential to be unique.  Those of you who exclusively use cases, that's great, because that's what works for you.  For me, gig bags work best.  I haven't used a hard case at a gig in at least 15 years.  And that last time was because I needed to fly to Florida and so I needed to check my Alembic 5 string.


I prefer gig bags for transporting all of my basses to gigs.  That includes a 5-string Point Alembic and a 4-string Omega.  The bag that they live in is a leather bag that was the prototype for the leather bags that Alembic used to sell at the Alembic Store.  It is very well padded.  I did add a little more padding to the bottom of mine, though because the point tends to focus the weight stress onto a very small area.  This was more of a preemptive move on my part to head of long term wear.


The reason I like gig bags over hard cases is that they provide me an extra dimension of control of my instrument.  When we are loading or unloading equipment, I know EXACTLY where my bass is.  It's on my back.  It also frees up my hands for dealing with other equipment, the occasional beer, signing autographs (j/k).  Sure, hard cases provide more physical protection, but ime, a sufficiently padded gig bag provides the best balance of physical and possession protection.

TRIED TO DELETE THIS POST.  POSTED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE ONE WITH THE PHOTO DIDN'T POST.

[moongerm]

All points are completely valid. Steve you are right on being against the soft case, especially in your experience, as it is the safest bet. If anyone has a shred of doubt on soft cases, just use the hard shell case and be worry free. I probably would be beside myself if the neck or at least half beside myself if the omega tips broke.

I just wanted to point to out for me that this formula of the added padding and this particular Reunion Continental case can make it possible to leave the hard shell case at home, if desired.  I wouldn't take a risk with my fairly new custom Series 2 if I didn't think the risk factor was very low.   -Brian

[Dedhed1]

The real question is, why spend thousands on an instrument and not do everything you can to protect your investment.
In some cases.. pardon the pun, the bass may cost you as much as a car.. or more, as in my case.. again, no pun intended...
Even in that old clunker I wouldn't leave it unlocked or leave the keys in it...Again, no pun intended...
Don't cheap out.. go hard...

[jazzyvee]

Im with Malthumb on this and am extremely careful with my instruments and I choose my gig bags with care and use them carefully.
 I do have the standard G & G cases that the basses and guitars came in but I do not trust those old suitcase type clips after having one fail on a strat case in the past and another two that came with basses have had those clips replaced with something else. I think in this day and age there must be better and more secure fixings for those type of cases. My view is they are that way because of tradition. I accept I may be wrong on that point. :-) but my hard cases are mainly for storage of the basses.
If you had your bass in a car in the gig bag or the standard case and got into a crash I doubt either would protect your bass adequately and neither are designed for protection from that kind of thing.
 I use my gig bag for 99% of the time I take my bass or guitar out of the house to gigs or rehearsals. Where it's in the back of a van with gear I take a proper aluminium flight case. Where it's in my car i always keep the gig bag strapped down in the passenger compartment and not the boot ( trunk) since those are part of the crumple zone on cars these days.
The other good thing about the gig bag is I can keep my bass with me all the time which is more of the kind of protection you need these days.

[dtothec]

Paul I know it's personal preference but I have g & g cases for all four of my Alembics, I also have a SKB I series case as well as flight cases that I never use. The reason is that I use my Reunion Blues Continental gig bags that protect them much better than the hard cases.  If you get time, go on YouTube and look up Reunion Blues drop test.  You will see that they can withstand impacts and leave the guitar damage free, that would cause a hard case to explode and destroy the guitar. My 2¢ worth!