What Guitar Case Should You Buy? Soft or Hard?
We've got to look after things properly
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What Guitar Case Should You Buy? Hard or Soft? · Source: Alexandru Nika / Alamy Stock Photo
Finding the right guitar case can be a difficult task. Do you invest, or should you cheap out? Check out this guide of great value soft and hard cases.
Guitar Cases:
What Guitar Case Do You Need?
Taking your guitar out of the house is an essential part of playing guitar. Showing off that new riff you just learnt to your friends, or even going to your lesson to learn that new riff in question.
Therefore, picking the right guitar case is vital for looking after the instrument that you work so hard to learn. For many of us, we invest a lot of money in our six-stringed soulmates, so why wouldn’t we also invest in a good case?
You wouldn’t put cheap tyres on a sports car. Let’s check out a bunch of guitar cases to see what matches your needs and budget.
Electric Guitar Hard Cases
To start us off, we’ll be checking out this *Thomann E-Guitar Case. Suitable for most of your electric guitars, such as Strats, Teles, Les Pauls and SGs.
More of a budget option, this is still a great way to look after your electric guitar. Hard cases have their pros and cons. An advantage of this particular unit, is that you get a thick yet soft inner lining to protect your guitar. Meanwhile, the outer layer is ABS plastic to ensure hardwearing protection.
However, for younger players, these hard cases can be difficult to carry. Despite an ergonomically designed carry handle, there’s no getting around a hefty weight, especially with a guitar inside. Although, for a reasonable price, this is a great example of an entry level hard case.
But, what if you’re on the road a lot and want to guarantee that your guitar stays in pristine condition? Well, at the other end of the pay scale, we have this *SKB 3i SKB66 case.
Think of this one as a money-no-object kind of thing. Saying that, it’s not actually that bad. With a reinforced frame, we’ve got a casted plastic exterior, to again reveal a layer of deep grey padding. Moreover, the bottom of this hard case has wheels, like you’d find on a suitcase, allowing for easy transportation.
Realistically, this level of guitar case is for taking on tour across one or many countries. To help with that, there are durable hinges with TSA-approved locks to make sure that your guitar stays in that case.
Electric Guitar Gig Bags
Thirdly, let’s take a glimpse at something more down-to-earth. Gig bags are a great alternative to hard cases. Mainly because of their convenient storage compartments and back straps. Again, this *Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag Eco is a solid budget example that’ll still look after your instrument.
Where would you use a guitar case like this? Personally, I have plenty of students that use this exact guitar case for getting to and from their lessons. It contains a large front zipped pocket, perfect for song sheets, spare strings, capos, picks, and other accessories.
Considering the value for money, I wouldn’t wish to use this gig bag for any more than for short trips or as a dust jacket. With that said, there are other budget examples that offer the same, if not better protection at Thomann:
Likewise, let’s also look at the big daddy of gig bags. This *Rockbag Leather Bag offers a durable and protective gig bag. But, is it worth paying hard case money for something softer?
This handmade leather bag is complete with solid chrome hooks and zips, along with solid cotton shoulder straps. Already, comfort and durability are covered. Furthermore, there are extra sections of leather padding across the bottom of the bag and behind the headstock.
This gig bag is littered with storage potential. We get 5 outer pockets for all of those accessories you may need when out and about. What I like about this Rockbag leather bag is that the pockets are different sizes. Ideal for dividing your leads, pedals, sheets and notes, etc. Plus, because it’s genuine leather, it’s also waterproof.
Acoustic Guitar Cases
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about acoustic guitar players! Arguably, protecting an acoustic guitar is more important than your electric. That hollow body won’t look after itself. Starting with this *Fender Dreadnought Case, we’ll see what the world of acoustic hard cases can offer.
I’m no brand snob, but it’s really cool to have the Fender script on the top of this case. Suitable for western acoustic guitars, we’ve now got a wooden hard case. The inner lining is black and plush, containing a single storage flap.
Sadly, there is a lack of storage with this particular example. However, there is enough space for your guitar strap, capo and a couple of picks. Along the edge of the case, there are 4 solid chrome clips.
For a middle-ground approach, this *Harley Benton Light-Case is somewhere in between a gig bag and a full hard case. Offering protection at an agreeable price.
Made from high-density foam, you get the solid protection of a hard case, but the lightweight usage of a gig bag. Plus, you get the backpack-style straps for carrying this on your back.
Where our hard cases have fallen is storage. Thankfully, here we get a single large exterior pocket, in addition to internal storage within the velvet interior. Ideal for gigging musicians, the nylon exterior is waterproof.
Jumbo Acoustic Guitars
One final thing to consider is the size of your acoustic guitar. I myself have been caught out thinking that my regular acoustic case would be suitable for my Jumbo acoustic guitar. I was wrong. Therefore, here’s a personal recommendation in the form of this *Gator Deluxe Case.
Straight away, allow me to highlight the main strength of this guitar case; it’s suitable for both 6 and 12-string jumbo guitar models. I’ve had a Gibson J45 stored in here, in addition to my Harley Benton Custom 12-string jumbo.
Otherwise, it’s the same old story here. A solid exterior with a comfortable and supportive interior. One single storage compartment and study clips to lock down that flat lid. However, at this price point, I’m delighted to report that we get a lockable clip. And, the keys are included!
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One response to “What Guitar Case Should You Buy? Soft or Hard?”
How can you mention acoustic guitar cases without a single time using the word “humidity” ?
I’ve had nice case for acoustics and jazz boxes, Boblen, maker’s cases, and they were all humidity Swiss cheese.
In my experience, the only cases i had that were air/humidity tight were the SKB semi hard cases. not fancy but highly recommended. (I’m of course not affiliated in any way with SKB)