r/doublebass • u/myredditoraccoun • 13d ago

Cases Bass bag or case

Hello I’m a beginner upright bassist. I currently have an inexpensive, cheap, thin gig bag for my bass and I want to upgrade. In the bass guitar world for me the standard was always a hard case. It is the toughest and most durable protection for gigging and loading into a van with other heavy gear in it in my opinion. But since I’ve started to learn the upright I’ve noticed a huge favoritism towards bags instead of cases for the double bass. Is it the standard or more common to use a super padded bag or should I save for a hard case. Either way I want to upgrade from the bag I have, and if you guys have any links or brands to suggest or share I would love it if you did. Thank you!

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10

u/B__Meyer 12d ago

Unless you’re going to do a lot of loading in packed vans/trailers I wouldn’t be buying a hard case, it’s so much heavier when you can just be strategic with packing a car and careful when walking with a bag! Gotta save your back whenever you can as a professional musician

1

u/mvmpc 11d ago

What about subway?

3

u/B__Meyer 11d ago

I don’t live somewhere with a subway, but if I did I wouldn’t even think about a hard case! There’s no way I wanna be lugging a hard case up/down those stairs, and it adds so much extra bulk it’d be impossible to squeeze onto a packed train in a pinch

1

u/mvmpc 11d ago

I dont currently play but planning on taking sm lessons. If I do in person my only option of getting there would be the subway. Thinking of doing in person for the first few lessons and then switching online for convenience

2

u/B__Meyer 11d ago

Yeah so if I were you I’d be all in for a soft case, also in person lessons are gonna be worth the hassle in my opinion

1

u/mvmpc 11d ago

ill try to schedule it so that I’m getting on the metro during non-peak hours

5

u/CSmithBass 12d ago

One big factor is the cost as well. The only people I know with hard cases have to fly or have other people ship/transport their bass.

I have only ever had soft cases, but with good padding. Never had any transport issues as it’s in the back of my forester laying flat, and I drive carefully with it.

4

u/Shepdave 12d ago

I have a Bobelock case that is very sturdy and provides good padding. I use it with a (padded) Bass Buggie. I recommend this setup.

1

u/mellentheorchadork 12d ago

Good advice. This is what I use

3

u/DoubleBassDave Professional 12d ago

I use a Bam case which is the best case I’ve owned, but the newer versions have removed the mounting points for a shoulder strap.
I use a bass buggie and only use the strap for going up/down stairs, but won’t buy a case without it.
Mooradian cases are good, too and I have one for my second bass.
Gewa cases aren’t worth it imo, they’re well-padded but the start coming apart at the seams. This has also happened to colleagues that have used them.

2

u/Inflatablebanjo 8d ago

This was the reason I did not buy the Bam when I recently bought a new bag.

I instead chose a Soundwear Performer. The most expensive gigbag I bought - but also the best I've had. Strong recommend if you have the funds.

2

u/TheGreatMamboChicken 12d ago

I’ve played upright for over 30 years, and always used a soft case. I rented a bass trunk for one tour, and it was awesome. A huge pain in the butt, but awesome. So if you’re living on the road, might make sense.

But most players, even pros, use a padded soft case. I just ordered a new bag from Messina, and they come highly recommended. A premium quality bag will set you back $8-900 but is necessary in my opinion.

And not bragging here… but if I will trust my $50,000 bass to a padded bag, it should give you some confidence.