What to look for in a gigbag?

[Fardeen]

Hey guys, I have a case for my Ibanez but it's a real hassle taking it places, especially up and down stairways... and I live on the fourth floor! So I'm gonna buy a gigbag real soon. But before making the purchase, I just wanted your opinions on what I should look for while shopping. According to me, it definitely has to be padded on the inside and should fit the guitar nicely. It should also have multiple spacious pockets to keep all my stuff (cables, pedals, etc.) Anything else I should take into account? Thanks in advance for all your valuable comments.

 

[kiteman]

Seems you got it covered there so I'd say get a quality made one.

You may have to do a little window shopping as there's so many of 'em. You'd want to find the one with the right sized pockets for your needs.

I ordered a gig bag for my GT-10 from GTCentral and it was perfect. Perfect fit for the GT-10 plus a nice pocket on one side for my ADIII box, power supplies, and cables. Other side is a flat pouch where I stuffed the manuals.

Tailor made for me I'd say.

I feel you can do the same with yours, have a look around. I'm not familiar with gigbags so I can't throw off some names for you but I'd look for quality.

 

[snoglobe]

I can't help myself…

"What to look for in a gig bag?"

Well, a guitar of course.

 

[Ch0jin]

I can't help myself…

"What to look for in a gig bag?"

Well, a guitar of course.

Bugger, you beat me to it. I was going to say

"What do I look for in a gig bag? Usually my freakin' car keys!"

 

[markb]

I'd look for:

Adequate padding - 20mm at least. Check the spec to see that the padding is closed cell foam, ordinary foam breaks down with wear.
Strong, comfortable straps - check where they're fastened to the bag. I have anatomically shaped straps on my Warwick gigbag, they are more comfortable.
If it's a backpack type look for some sort of padding to allow it to sit off your body a bit. A guitar on your back can be really uncomfortable in hot weather.
Handstraps of a reasonable diameter, not just thin webbing.
Check any internal reinforcements actually cover the points your guitar is going to wear. The headstock facing on my Warwick is too high up for Fenders and the string ends and machine posts eat through the lining.
Check the zips are shielded so that don't snag on the linings. I've had a couple chewed up this way, both Fenders.
The outer material should be tough and easily wiped clean.
As you mentioned, check the bag has adequate pocket space for all the other stuff you want to carry.

There is a type of bag/case hybrid. A lot of fiddle players use these and they often come with body straps for hands free carrying. Lighter than a case but more protective than a gig bag. Link

 

[Spudman]

Try to find the thickest padding you can and shoulder straps. My personal favorite is a double bag. Not necessarily this one but a double nonetheless. I am seldomly satisfied taking just one guitar anywhere.

 

[evenkeel]

Sorry to be the nay sayer but gig bags make me nervous. They just do not really protect the guitar. I was at a open mic several years ago and had brought my guitar in a gig bag. The host told me a story. He took his guitar in a gig bag, to a show. While getting out of his car he was distracted and banged the case into the door frame. Snapped the neck on a Martin D18. In a hard case nothing would have happened. I gave up the gig bag after hearing the story. Plus, you are still lugging around the guitar, gig bag or hard case. The difference is really minimal.

Having said that. If you do opt for a gig bag I'd look at a hybrid case. Body Glove makes a good one. Has a structure somewhat like a hard case, but with the pockets, shoulder straps, soft exterior of a gig bag.

 

[just strum]

Sorry to be the nay sayer but gig bags make me nervous.

I understand and agree somewhat to what you say, but I think gig bags are great for certain things. When I would take a guitar over a friends house, I would use a gig bag. I would also use it when I was taking lessons.

The plus side:

Light
Compact (fold it in half and out of the way)
Carries more accessories (cable, picks, books...)
Protects it from scratches and dings

The downside:

Not likely to take a hard hit
Neck is more vulnerable

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Best dang gigbag in the world.

http://www.music123.com/Godin-VBGAC-Gig-Bag-541557-i1151699.Music123

You can get'em cheaper on eBaY or free with a Godin guitar.

 

[marnold]

I ended up getting one of these for my bass. It's a pretty nice bag, good padding, and the price certainly was right.

http://www.accessbagsandcases.com/ab1eb1.htm

 

[Monkus]

I have one of these:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--WOREG20D Very comfy.

Theres another here for 20 bucks: http://www.zzounds.com/item--WORGBA100 , but I wouldn't recommend it the straps aren't padded, that can hurt.

If you have a larger Ibanez check the inside dimensions to make sure it'll fit properly. Even though its a bag it still has to protect the baby. Nothing beats a hard case though...

 

[ShootTheGlass]

I have one of the PRS SE gigbags that come free with the guitar. They can be picked up pretty cheap, it seems to be pretty waterproof, isnt that heavy considering its very well padded - and the padding is a must, given how many braindead, ignorant people get on the same train as me: you would think the 4 foot high chunky gig bag would be hard to miss, but plenty of them like to fall over/bump into it.

 

[Rocket]

What to look for in a gigbag?... a gig, (of course!)

 

[wingsdad]

I'd look in the creases & folds for that $5 guitar pick I misplaced... oke:

The Godin that tot suggest is indeed a great one. :AOK: G&L makes a great one, too, had one.

Levy and Windsor make good acoustic bags, heavily padded (markb's suggested 20mm minimum+). I've got one of each.

I've got 2 gig bags for solid body electrics; one is a Fender vintage tweed, great for Strats or Teles, and the other is this Ibanez. No pockets on the guitar bag itself, but if you need room to tote a bunch of stuff, the detachable backpack is da bomb; I use it more than the guitar bag component. They also make it for bass. AMS class it 'new'...must be the color, cuz I got mine at least 5 years ago, in blue:
Ibanez Backpack Gig Bag

Footnote: no matter how good a gig bag is, I'd never use one for a gig. They're strictly light-duty, like for toting the guitar in for tech work, or to a lesson, or to band practice (and that can be a risky proposition if you've got klutzoid bandmates).

 

[Fardeen]

OK guys, I just bought my gigbag and I'm loving it! Not only does it contain all of the features mentioned by you very knowledgeable people, but it's got even more! I'll give a rough list of all the features:

- 20 mm thick padding
- Strong, padded backpack-style shoulder straps
- Padded exterior at the back for comfort while carrying
- Two solid hand straps, one on the front and one the side
- 5 pockets of various sizes, including two that are detachable to form a small pouch
- Shielded zips
- Internal reinforcement to protect the parts of the bag my S470's hardware would have otherwise worn out
- Fastening straps on the inside to hold the neck and body securely in place
- Protection at the bottom against the end pin of the guitar

All in all, this is probably exactly what you helpful guys had been talking about all along... its made by CNB (Case N Bags) and seems pretty reliable.The outer material and padding is made of really durable material and once inside, the guitar can't even be felt. Lol... the salesperson at the store put a brand new Ibanez RG in it and banged it around a bit on the floor just to get this point across! The strap inside to hold the neck in place is a really awesome addition, as well as big Velcro pads at the bottom to secure the body as well. Also, the end pin protection was very thoughtful of them.

Ahh... the pockets!! Here's an idea of how spacious they are: I was able to stuff 20 DVDs, no less than 4 Boss pedals and my guitar diary in the largest pocket without any problems whatsoever! The smallest two pockets are in a separate pouch that can be detached, and there's one at the top for holdng picks and stuff.

Just can't stop raving about it, can I? After all, I picked it up for roughly 25 dollars, which I consider a real bargain considering the features it has to offer. I'll post some pictures of it asap.

 

[just strum]

What to look for in a gigbag?... a gig, (of course!)

or a guitar.

 

[just strum]

OK guys, I just bought my gigbag and I'm loving it! Not only does it contain all of the features mentioned by you very knowledgeable people, but it's got even more! I'll give a rough list of all the features:

What guitar are you putting in the bag?

Where did you get it?

Is the store selling the guitar he used to demo the bag at 1/2 price?

oh, and congrats on what sounds like a nice buy.

 

[kiteman]

CNB huh?

That's from rondo music? I bought my agile there and also a case which is CNB. The case seemed pretty solid for the price.