ESB-4 Cases

[fender3x]

What are folks who have built ESB-4 basses using for a case or gigbag? i have just finished my second one...and realize that it may never be able to leave the house without something to protect it.

It's 16.5" (42 cm) wide and 48" (122 cm) long, so most cases/gigbags won't fit. Are folks making cases? Is there something out there that won't break the bank? I'd hate to spend more on case than I did on the pickups!

[JimC]

I'd hate to spend more on case than I did on the pickups!
A scenario that feels all too probable to me...

[agus]

I made one as well... and - a blanket with big rubber bands is sadly my solution. I've actually been curious about this same question cuz it just seems *WRONG* but also don't wanna blow bucks on a stupid case for a low use bass. Sucker rocks the house though! Worth the effort.

[JimC]

Looking around, a gig bag for a full size keyboard might be a possibility...

[Simon Barden]

Top tip: Take the keyboard out first. ;)

[fender3x]

I think that a Jack Casady case would work...but they are pricey. There are a number of cases for acoustic basses that it will fit in, but most would require some additional padding. So far the best option to me is looking like a Fender FAB 610 gig bag. Laterally it's about right and seems long enough (an ESB-4 is about 48" [122cm] long). It's a little deep, but that's not too big a deal. It's a lot less than a hardshell case, but a good price for one is still around $70 US.

[Simon Barden]

The Jack Casady bass case seems just a bit too small looking at the internal dimensions here:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_epjac700_basskoffer.htm

An acoustic bass case something like this (but with added padding) is probably the lowest cost solution:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_jumbo_akustikbass_case.htm

Factor in some extra foam and some furry covering material and be prepared to hack the insides about a bit. You may be able to pick one up used.

[Simon Barden]

Jim, worth trying a body fit in your acoustic bass case?

[fender3x]

The Jack Casady bass case seems just a bit too small looking at the internal dimensions here

That does look too small. Not by much, but never the less. Of course all you are going by are the published dimensions from a reputable website. Whereas, I got my info from an old post on talkbass from a guy who says he heard it from someone at the Chicago Music Exchange. CME just got back to me last night, BTW. They say they don't have a case that will fit...

Thanks for doing the actual homework!

The case you found looks quite decent, also.

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[JimC]

Jim, worth trying a body fit in your acoustic bass case?

Just what I thought when I saw your first post... I have one of these for my Ibanez acoustic bass: https://www.staggmusic.com/en/products/view/GCAAB.

It sort of just about fits the body, although its *very* tight across the lower bout. The major problem though is that at the headstock end there isn't enough width for the standard PB tuners. The Ibanez tuners are Y key type and are quite a bit smaller. If it weren't for the tuners the Stagg case would do for the odd trip out of the house, but its dreadfully bulky, takes up a lot of room in the music cupboard, about 2.5 standard electric guitar cases, and I don't think I'd be happy about the instrument living in one permanently.

That Thomann case appears to be a lot wider in the tuner area. So there's potential, but you would need to try the instrument in the particular case you have in mind: mail order would seem risky. An acoustic bass gig bag would presumably be more flexible and work a bit better. So yes Simon, another reason to discard the standard tuners... [Simon thinks I should upgrade from budget level hardware, but I'm trying to keep the budget down!]

[Simon Barden]

Thomann make it really easy to do returns, so you've only really got the hassle of sending it back if it's no good. It is a large acoustic bass case, so probably a bit bigger than the Stagg one for the Ibanez. Of course that just means it's another large case taking up space. Though maybe you could share the large case between the two bases?

Is the Pit Bull ESB-4 exactly as wide as Fender3X's latest bass?

Otherwise can you get anyone with sewing machine skills to make up a padded gig bag for you? Or maybe crochet one? ;)

[fender3x]

Just what I thought when I saw your first post... I have one of these for my Ibanez acoustic bass: https://www.staggmusic.com/en/products/view/GCAAB.

It sort of just about fits the body, although its *very* tight across the lower bout. The major problem though is that at the headstock end there isn't enough width for the standard PB tuners. The Ibanez tuners are Y key type and are quite a bit smaller. If it weren't for the tuners the Stagg case would do for the odd trip out of the house, but its dreadfully bulky, takes up a lot of room in the music cupboard, about 2.5 standard electric guitar cases, and I don't think I'd be happy about the instrument living in one permanently.

That Thomann case appears to be a lot wider in the tuner area. So there's potential, but you would need to try the instrument in the particular case you have in mind: mail order would seem risky. An acoustic bass gig bag would presumably be more flexible and work a bit better. So yes Simon, another reason to discard the standard tuners... [Simon thinks I should upgrade from budget level hardware, but I'm trying to keep the budget down!]

There was a reason I had ruled out the Ibanez case based on measurements I had seen. I wondered about the bulkiness...

To answer Simon's question, my ESB-4 and the ES-Jazz hybrid have exactly the same body size. They also are almost exactly the same length. The neck joins the body at the 16th fret on the hybrid which seems to compensate for the extra length of the Fender style head-stock. I was thinking that both should fit in the same case...but had not thought about the difference in the width of the headstock--only the length. Hmmm...

I can't imagine needing to take both out of the house at the same time, so hopefully they can share a case. But I guess I need to add tuner width to the list of potential problems.

FWIW on the tuners, I used the Pit Bull tuners on my ESB-4. They appear to work fine. At least the bass stays in tune. I have had good luck with cheap Chinese tuners on at least two bases. The main problem for me with them has been weight. My ESB-4 has a fair amount of neck dive. I have a heavily modded SX Jazz style bass that had cheap tuners with a similar problem. On the Jazz I replaced the tuners with Gotoh Res-O-Lite tuners, which made a remarkable difference. It not only took care of the neck dive, but taking even a relatively small mount of weight off the end of the lever/neck hanging off my shoulder felt much better. The Gotoh's shave off about 1/3 of the weight of standard tuners. The Hipshot ultralights that I have on the hybrid are even better--closer to half the weight. If I had known this in advance I might have used the hipshots on both basess. Neck dive is one thing, but it also does not pull down on my shoulder as much, and is more comfortable in spite of saved less than a half a pound in the overall weight of the bass.

The cheapskate in me wanted the cheap Chinese tuners to win, but my aching back thinks that Simon has a point ;-)

[fender3x]

Thomann make it really easy to do returns, so you've only really got the hassle of sending it back if it's no good. It is a large acoustic bass case, so probably a bit bigger than the Stagg one for the Ibanez. Of course that just means it's another large case taking up space. Though maybe you could share the large case between the two bases?

Is the Pit Bull ESB-4 exactly as wide as Fender3X's latest bass?

Otherwise can you get anyone with sewing machine skills to make up a padded gig bag for you? Or maybe crochet one? ;)

I wish Thomann were here. Their prices in USD are great, but when you add the shipping costs are at least as high as anyone else... I am not sure about the case...but there was a gigbag with 20mm of padding...that looked pretty good, but the shipping costs were more than the gigbag.

Still whether gigbag or case that suggests that there will be a US shop that has it at a decent price. I just need to find it... or see if I can find my grandma's crocheting hook...

[Simon Barden]

Shipping works both ways. Often see good deals in the US, but add-on shipping (and duty and tax) makes it cheaper to buy here, unless it's something unobtainable over here or in the EU.

[fender3x]

So I just ordered a gig bag. I found the one that Simon pointed to at Thomann at their USA site. With shipping it was about $114 US. Not worth mail ordering for that, since I can probably get one at Sam Ash or Guitar Center (read that "big box stores for guitar stuff") for that kind of money. Also I read the review that said "...enormous and really quite heavy..."

Then I noticed that they also had a gig bag that would fit that was a "Thomann" brand. It was very simple, but had 20mm padding, and the length and lower bout dimensions seemed about right. Too deep, of course, but other than that it looked like it would work for about $27 US...but with $30 US shipping.

That prompted me to see if I could find a bag with similar specs at a US seller, figuring that Thomann did not actually make the bag, but just stuck their name tag on it. I found one that is VERY similar under the name "World Tour" at Zzounds for $28 US and free shipping in the US... So I ordered it. If it sucks, I can send it back within 45 days...and it will at least be better than what I have right now.

Thanks, guys. Would not have found it without the idea of looking at Thomanns. May have found one that won't break the bank or my back ;-) If it is decent, I may get another one for my acoustic guitar which has been case-less since it's hard shell disintegrated and it's gig bag went to Colombia with my brother-in-law to protect his new purchase...

[Simon Barden]

Superb! International co-operation at its best. :cool:

[fender3x]

Superb! International co-operation at its best. :cool:Ha! Agreed! This is how it should be done...

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[Simon Barden]

Can you link to the particular Thomann page with the gig bag on it that's identical to the one you ordered. Just for Jim's benefit. I'll be ordering some Thomann cases in a week or so when I get paid again, and I can add the gig bag onto the order if Jim's interested.

[fender3x]

I found it initially at the US site, but was also able to find it at the UK site:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_gigbag_acousticbass_jumbo.htm

It's not quite identical to the one I found in the US, primarily because the Thomann bag is a tad shallower. The Thomann is plenty deep enough for the ESB-4, though, at 13cm. The one I found here has the same length, width and 20mm padding, but is about 7cm deeper. So I will need a thicker piece of foam to stuff it with than JimC will ;-) I like the Thomann better, but paying the shipping would have been like buying it twice for me. Meanwhile foam is cheap...

[Simon Barden]

Thanks, fender3x. Jim, what do you think?

[JimC]

I'll see how it goes. I haven't completely ruled out chucking the whole lot out of the window because I'm fed up with finishes! I do admire you folk with the immaculate looking instruments with intricate staining and the rest, I'm not at all sure I have the right mindset!

[fender3x]

I'll see how it goes. I haven't completely ruled out chucking the whole lot out of the window because I'm fed up with finishes! I do admire you folk with the immaculate looking instruments with intricate staining and the rest, I'm not at all sure I have the right mindset!Nobody ever uses the term immaculate to refer to something associated with me! I messed up the first two finishers I tried. I kept the third one which is on the red bass--but it has enough flaws that I plan to refinish it at some point. The hybrid's not perfect but it's close enough for jazz ;-)

I can recommend the materials I used which are about as idiot-proof and forgiving as any I have found. I'm sure Simon will be a good resource, and it appears he's not too far from you? Folks on the Forum tend to be pretty happy to help. Hang in there! You did a great job with the routing. This deserves to be a bass!

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[Simon Barden]

Yes, Jim's a good long-term friend, known him since 1974. But he does live a reasonable bit further from me than he used to, so it's not that easy to arrange meeting up. If necessary, I'm happy to work on the finish for Jim. He has lots of dogs at his house, so it's hard to keep it dust and hair-free.

[fender3x]

At least the climate should be similar, which seems to have an inordinate effect on finishing.

I hate finishing, but the smartest thing that I did this last go round is use high quality/high solids acrylic paint for solid colors and a good quality acrylic clear coat. I had to put a lot of clear coat to be able to sand it flat afterwards, but the nice thing is that low VOCs and no spray meant I could do it inside. Maybe useful? I have only been to England in the summer and that was cold and wet, at least while I was there.

[Simon Barden]

England's summer can be very variable these days. We can have a few weeks of dry weather when it gets to over 30°C/86°F followed by weeks of wet and fairly cold weather. Or it can be pretty warm and dry all summer, or it can be wet almost all summer. All depends on the wandering jetstream and how far north or south it moves over us. Of course, coming from Florida, it's always going to be a lot colder and it takes time to acclimatise. It's normally warm enough from mid-spring to mid-fall to spray, but if spraying outside it's the rain that limits the good days to about 50% of that time, and strong winds limits that further.

My trouble is that I like nitro finishes and I've tried acrylic finishes on non-guitar projects and it's not quite the same.

[Oby]

I just spent a month making a hard case for a YB-4 bass and I have to admit aside from being able to choose custom material like a gold velvet interior and burgundy exterior the whole thing ended up costing heaps and it's pretty heavy too. I could have bought a standard black hard case from my local music shop for half the price. It was also difficult finding gold or brass latches like I have on another hard case. Everywhere I looked there was only chrome/nickel or black. In the end I used a set of suit case locks similar to the type you might remember from old school cases.

[Simon Barden]

It's very hard indeed to make a light wooden case. The wooden case that came with my Fender DG Strat uses two suitcase style locks and one sprung latch, and it weighs about 3x the weight of the guitar. So I immediately bough a lightweight ABS case for it to stop my arm being pulled off!

[JimC]

Standard wood cases are actually made from pretty thin ply and seem to rely on the covering to provide a lot of the strength. I think the tweed covered case that came with my Tokai Jazz is only about 3mm ply, and its showing signs of being well past its best. Quite possibly cheap (and light) softwood ply too I reckon. The trouble for us homebuilders is that by the time you've bought the ply, and Tolex or tweed outer covering and foam and felt or whatever inner and at least two thicknesses of foam there's a lot of different materials at small quantity prices, and don't get me started on the cost of glue...

[fender3x]

Standard wood cases are actually made from pretty thin ply and seem to rely on the covering to provide a lot of the strength. I think the tweed covered case that came with my Tokai Jazz is only about 3mm ply, and its showing signs of being well past its best. Quite possibly cheap (and light) softwood ply too I reckon. The trouble for us homebuilders is that by the time you've bought the ply, and Tolex or tweed outer covering and foam and felt or whatever inner and at least two thicknesses of foam there's a lot of different materials at small quantity prices, and don't get me started on the cost of glue...

Yes, the best cases I have had for guitar as you say. Even the name brand ones from Fender and Gretsch that I have had were thin plywood under Tolex. The Gretsch was pretty nice, even had an arched top, until a friend left it out in the rain and 30 years of mold spores all bloomed at once...<sigh>. The Fender case once survived a cross country trip in the cargo hold of an airliner, back when I was too innocent to know better. None of these would survive modern cargo treatment--and those were the better ones. The last acoustic guitar hard shell case that I had literally disintegrated. Thin wood just like the rest, but the glues gave out. I gave up on it when--despite practically doubling it's weight by adding duct tape--the bottom just fell out of it one day.

I have an ABS case for a horn. It's very strong, and shows no sign of wear although I have had it most of my life. If I had to get a hard-shell I'd get one of those--maybe a Road Runner.

I have thought about making one, but a decent case will be a lot of work, and not a lot cheaper than buying a hard shell case--and not as good as an ABS case. I used to make kayaks out of fiberglass. I could make something strong and light with that, but it is messy, toxic, and probably not worth divorce.

So, for now, the gig bag seems like the best option. The one I ordered arrives next week. Since it is extra deep I have been thinking about adding some reinforcement. There should be room above and below it...so thinking about that.

Meanwhile I have been thinking about what the ideal DIY guitar case would look like. It should be light, highly protective and easy to customize. I am thinking a thin plastic or plywood glued to styrofoam like in a bike helmet might work...

[JimC]

I am thinking a thin plastic or plywood glued to styrofoam like in a bike helmet might work...
To reduce the divorce risk epoxy resin is much less offensive than polyester as your kayaks would have been, but also far more expensive.

I've discussed this a lot on a bass guitar forum, where lighter weight cabinets is a significant point of interest, and I have an amateur boat building background and some experience with the materials. The thing is to add stiffness with styrofoam, pvc foam or whatever you need an inner skin. Whilst you can go very lightweight with excellent strength with plastic/foam/plastic sandwich construction, the problem you run into is puncture resistance.

If you don't want to be repairing a cabinet or case every other week then the outer skin requires a certain minimum strength. And by the time you've given it that, plus the foam and an inner skin of adequate strength, then you are up to much the same sort of weight as conventional plywood anyway. So for an instrument case moulded ABS with non structural foam inside is pretty much optimal. And for we homebuilders I fear the traditional fabric covered ply is still as good an option as any. A layer of fibre on the inside of the ply would add more puncture resistance than the same weight of ply, but at greater cost.

If money were no object then a kevlar case would have excellent properties and a superficial resemblance to tweed, but boy would it cost...

[fender3x]

Yes that pretty much reinforces what I thought (no pun intended). For better or worse, my wife is an environmental engineer. It's not just the resin she doesn't like, but also the fibers, and the lack of anything like the sort of filters and safety equipment the mfgs have at our house. She at one point was charged with inspecting mfgs that made boats, tubs, jacuzzis, etc. This is not one I can win...

I was thinking about something like 1/8" ABS or plywood glued to non structural foam... The gig bag I ordered is 8" deep (the one dimension that is different than the Thomann bag)--which is about twice as deep as the bass is thick at the high point on the bridge. So there is space to fill, which got me thinking about extra padding and something to add puncture and sharp blow resistance--at least to the top and bottom. In other words, the case is big enough that it got me thinking about a case within a case. All just idle speculation until it gets here ;-)

[fender3x]

The gig bag arrived today and it's enormous. It will fit either of my ESB-4 style basses--maybe at the same time. Jim, the tuners could stick out even further with no problem. Will have to figure out what to do with all that extra space. There would be no problem building a case for within the gig bag.

There is absolutely nothing fancy about this World Tour brand bag. But is it of reasonably good quality. Nice big zippers, 2 cm of padding. I probably will get one for my dreadnought.

[fender3x]

A conventional ESB-4 bass should fit very nicely in a Guild Starfire case--wide head and all. It is, unfortunately just a tad too short for my hybrid, which is slightly longer.

I looked at a Road Runner ABS case (RRMBA17). This would work for my hybrid but the peghead end is too narrow for an ESB-4. It's not a perfect fit. Too deep and would need some padding under and around the body. I am tempted since it's relatively light and looks like it would stand up to almost anything short of a nuclear blast.

I tried these today at Sam Ash and at Guitar Center...

[fender3x]

OK...the quality of the cheap gig bag was OK, but the thing is just huge, and after thinking about how I could fill it to make it better, I ordered Jack Casady Case for it. Free shipping to a local music store, and liberal return policy if it does not fit. Will report on fit for both a standard ESB-4 kit and for the Hybrid which is a touch larger. These cases list for around $150 US, but almost any music store here will give you a $20 discount if you ask... Sort of bummed out that there is a Yorkville Sound case that has exactly the same specs, and even says it's for a Jack Casady bass, but it appears that you can only get it in Canada. They would not even send it to a Yorkville dealer here in Miami. Cheaper and would not have had the Epiphone logo on it, but only available to Canadians. It's this sort of inflexibility that lead my ancestors to leave Canada two generations ago ;-)

[JimC]

It's coverings that get to me. I can't enlarge or even reduce in size a standard case because of the covering material. It will look like hell and probably peel off the edges if I try. Ripping it all off and replacing feels like a hell of a job, and even the damn glue costs a lump. This instrument is looking like ending up as the most expensive I own as it is, although admittedly my JB and Tele are both probably worth over double what I paid for them.

[fender3x]

It's coverings that get to me. I can't enlarge or even reduce in size a standard case because of the covering material. It will look like hell and probably peel off the edges if I try. Ripping it all off and replacing feels like a hell of a job, and even the damn glue costs a lump. This instrument is looking like ending up as the most expensive I own as it is, although admittedly my JB and Tele are both probably worth over double what I paid for them.

Every "solution" that I have come up with was either a ton of work, or likely to have bad results--or both. My best DIY idea has been to craft something out of styrofoam and bending plywood (which I have around the house) that would fit inside my giant jumbo-acoustic gig bag. That would need to be covered in fur (or something). The more I thought about it, though, the more work it was going to be to get it right. And what advantage would building a case to fit inside the gig-bag over just building a case. Materials are not cheap, as you say. I could build out of found materials but it would be ugly and heavy....

Funny how the sheer economic value vs expense equation goes with guitars. I paid $225 and traded my Epiphone Newport to get a Fender Precision in 1978. Now the P-bass is worth 7 or 8 times that, and if I still had the Newport it would be worth even more. My G&L ASAT is a better bass, particularly with the mods I put in, but probably worth half in part because of the mods. I have put $300 in parts into my SX bass (cheap Chinese) as well as a lot of elbow grease, and it now sounds and plays really well, but it's definitely the most low value instrument I own. As to the Hybrid.... If you don't count tools, failed experiments and the purchase of stuff intended for it but that I did not use, I am sure I have at least $400 in it. But it has by far the most "sweat-equity" of any instrument I own. And I must admit that I really like the way it plays looks and sounds. So, in for a penny...

[fender3x]

Good news and BAD news. The good news is that the Jack Casady Case, which arrived today is nice, and fits an ESB-4 as if designed for it. It is very wide at the head, and so the wide tuners that come with the kit fit just fine.

Not much help to JimC at this point but maybe good for others.

...but it's going back to guitar center on Monday, because it's just slightly too short for the hybrid....3294132942

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[fender3x]

The case is heartbreakingly close to fitting the hybrid. If I compress the body into the lower end of the case it will fit--just barely. Uncompressed it sits on the wood. If they had just made the end of the case round it would have fit.

Disappointing but at least easy to return.. 3294932950

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[king casey]

If it was me, I'd take about a centimetre off the end of the headstock...sure some extra finishing practice but hey!!

You know the ONLY reason a saxophone has bends in it?


...so you can put it back in the case.

cheers, Mark.

[fender3x]

If it was me, I'd take about a centimetre off the end of the headstock...sure some extra finishing practice but hey!!

You know the ONLY reason a saxophone has bends in it?


...so you can put it back in the case.

cheers, Mark.

Thank God my trombone already has a case...

I actually thought about modding the headstock to fit the case... But I finally have this thing looking, sounding and playing the way I want it to. I just can bring myself to cut the bills down to size so that they fit the wallet.

Now if I had known that this bass was not going to fit in a case before I finished it that would be different..but not now.

[king casey]

I can see what you mean though.
Part of the reason I modded my Squier Bronco headstock was so that it would fit in a case.
Having done it, I realise there is isn't the money (or in fact any reason or need) for a case.

cheers, Mark.

[Simon Barden]

There is always the 'sawing the end off the case' solution and adding an extension.

[fender3x]

Well it's got the enormous gigbag if I need to take it out of the house, bit it's case-less for the moment. Not a problem for the red bass that is unlikely to go out. Ironic that it's the blue bass that doesn't fit.


There is always the 'sawing the end off the case' solution and adding an extension.I would actually consider that if I can find a cheap, used ES 335 case. One that is pre-ugly.Thi$ ca$e i$ too pretty for that treatment ;-)

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[JimC]

I actually thought about modding the headstock to fit the case...
Naaa, who would be silly enough to mod the guitar to fit the case... talk about backwards thinking...

[fender3x]

Naaa, who would be silly enough to mod the guitar to fit the case... talk about backwards thinking...In general I try not to do dumb things. That does not keep dumb things from occurring to me. Bottom line is that I am not cutting either the bass or the case. In the words of the Irish philosopher, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

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[fender3x]

I have purchased a case...and I have modded it just enough that it is NOT going back to the Guitar Center. The cases that are *close* seem to come in two flavors... Either they are slightly too short, but otherwise fit almost perfectly. Or they too big in the body and to narrow for the headstock.

I never did find a case that fit overall as well as the Jack Casady case that fits the ESB-4 beautifully, big ears and all.

I finally reconciled myself to the fact that no one makes a case like the Jack Casady...just a tad longer. So I would need to mod a case. The one I decided to mod is a Road Runner RMMBA17 acoustic bass case. It had two issues. One is that the headstock area was a little too small for the E-string elephant ear. On the good side there was a good amount of space between the top of the headstock and the top of the case. In a well-fitting case, nothing touches the headstock with the case closed. The heastock would probably fit if I could remove some of the polystyrene-like foam next to the tuner. The solution turned out to be easier than that. When compressed, this foam stayed compressed. So, I clamped it overnight and got a good indentation around the E-tuning peg.

33604 33605

May not look like it in the pic, but the E-tuner does not touch the padding on the inside of the case.

Other changes to follow...

[McCreed]

Necessity is the Mother of invention!

[JimC]

Good thinking. I'd probably not have thought of that and done something more drastic, but that's minimum change to hit desired result.

[fender3x]

Necessity is, indeed, a mother. I figured it was worth a try, and was pleasantly surprised with the results. "Drastic" was the next thing on the agenda.

A little easier to deal with the body, since it's too big rather than two small. I found some egg carton foam that I put in the bottom, and some EP foam that I put behind the butt, to push the horn into the top of the case.

33612 33613
33614

What I don't have a pic of is that I have found that if put a microfiber cloth in the gap behind the upper horn (lower in the pic) it keeps the headstock more immobile. I may eventually make a pad like that. I will also probably cover the foam with fur or microfiber or chamois cloth so that the bass is not resting on top of it. Not sure why it might be a problem to rest on the foam directly but case makers always seem to cover their foam...

[fender3x]

With all the padding in, the bass is held firmly, but without undue pressure, so it's a good fit. I have only ever had one other ABS case...for a trombone. It was made in the 60s I think, and is as solid today as it was then. The bass case seems fine, but the shell is not quite as thick. There are two kinds of foam under the fur... Mostly it seems to use a rigid polystyrene type foam; it's not soft to the touch. The exception is in the channel on the lid where the neck goes. This has nice soft foam that holds but does not press down too hard on the strings. So, overall a good fit. It'd prefer a bit more room around the headstock, but it should be fine unless I get a direct blow in just the wrong spot. But that's less of a danger than getting the butt of the body or top of the headstock whacked...and would be reparable even if it did.

You don't really see how big this thing is when it is just lying on the bed...

33615

Where you really see it is when I put it on the shelf next to other hard cases. The new one is the one on the right. The one on the left is a Fender P-bass case from the 1970s. The one in the middle is an Italian knockoff of a strat case. You can see how huge the new case is. In fairness, that is partly because it uses WAY more padding than the those old fender cases that had VERY little in the sides. I suspect that the ABS shell and polystyrene foam offer a LOT more protection...yet the case, at 11 lbs, is not super heavy. I haven't weighed the P-bass case, but it is smaller and heavier for sure. Still...if I could design one myself it would be about two inches thinner...

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Hardware is OK-not-great. PS innards have a kind of a cheap feel. Not quite as satisfying as my old beautiful Gretsch hard case. That said, I am pretty sure this will protect the instrument better than about anything but ATA case.

I feel a little bad that I did not build the case. After building the bass it seems like the case should be easier...but I am not sure I'd do a decent job, and I have no motivation to do it at all... So this may not be the best case scenario (pun intended) and I may mod it a bit more over time. But for now it'll do.

[McCreed]

I had to "customise" a case for my PRS-1TS kit build. Because of the angled headstock, it didn't sit in a standard rectangular strat case without putting too much pressure on the headstock/neck.

I was able re-position some of the factory padding as well as adding some extra foam and now it sits comfortably and safely in the case.
I also got some black faux fur to cover the foam, and you wouldn't notice it without a close inspection. It looks like a bought one!

[fender3x]

I also got some black faux fur to cover the foam, and you wouldn't notice it without a close inspection. It looks like a bought one!

That's great...It's sort of what I want to do with the Italian case in the shelf pic if I ever finish my strat-tele hybrid. Hmmm.... going to have to shop for some grey fur...

[JimC]

I feel a little bad that I did not build the case.
I've built a few instrument cases this last coupla years. Also modified the internals of a couple of guitar cases. The one for my Ibanez acoustic that's doubling for my ESB got a load of extra padding in the bottom because it was far too deep for the Ibanez. I would have liked to make it shallower, but when I considered the job I decided it was too hard. Happily there was enough soft padding that the ESB doesn't rattle about either, so once I'd modded the guitar to fit the case I didn't have to mod the case again.

I reckon guitar cases really are kinda boring and unsatisfying, and spraying up furry fabric with aerosol impact adhesive is messy and irritating. Also the glue and stuff is expensive and it seems like a lot of money for no saving. The only one that was kinda interesting was a case for my concertina... But also a pain in a different way because six sided... But the thing that really puts me off guitar cases are they are so damn big.
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[Simon Barden]

..and heavy, if you make them from plywood or similar. I don't use the wooden Fender case my Dave Gilmour Strat came in because it weighs about 3x the weight of the guitar, so it resides in a nice lightweight ABS one.

[fender3x]

I would never have guessed that was a concertina case!

Simon, that made me curious, so I just weighed the box cases on the shelf in the pic with the new ABS case. The Italian "strat" case is reasonably light at 10.5 lbs, but it is much smaller than the new case, and has next to no padding in it at all. Fortunately there is a bit of room inside so I'll be able to add padding pretty easily.

The Fender case is another story. Funny how I thought it was so cool when I was in my late teens...rectangular, orange fur, Fender logo....but today I'd never buy it. It weighs 14.5 lbs. It is just barely long enough for the Precision it came with (if you don't mind the end of the headstock bumping up against the end of the case). There is hardly any padding. Nothing at all where the bass touches the sides or the headstock touches the end. And it's too short for my FrankenJazz bass.

So, thanks. I feel much better now. ;-)

[Simon Barden]

16.9lbs for my Fender Strat case (which is obviously smaller than precision case). So that's 2x the guitar weight, making 24-25lbs overall. Which is why it's been set aside to keep in pristine condition. I can't see why anyone would chose such a heavy case if there was an option of a much lighter and more protective case.

My bass case is around 50" long, the Strat case around 41", so scaling up the weight (very approximate I know), if it was bass case, it would be 21lbs!

[fender3x]

The sad irony is that for all that weight, my Fender case is not all that protective. Without having done some research and thinking about how to build or buy a case, l don't think I'd have realized how truly inadequate it is.

I confess that my Fender case rarely comes off of that shelf. Nor does the Precision. I have other basses that sound as good or better and play better. I keep thinking I should sell it...but it's hard to part with an axe I've had for 40 years...

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