Use Protection! Gig Bags & Soft Cases

A lot of people believe quality gig bags and soft cases offer better all-around protection than traditional tolex-covered wooden hard cases can provide.  Me? I agree that some of the newer soft cases are better performers in 98% of situations. I'm actually leaving that 2% for situations I have yet to encounter where a wooden case is better.

What exactly is the difference between a gig bag, a quality gig bag, and a soft case? Here is a quick general rundown:

Gig bags. Most often found with entry level instruments. These floppy, unstructured bags are little more than fancy dust covers-- with handles. These entry level bags are sometimes included with mid-range import instruments such as Squire and Mexican made Fender's. The bags can be found sold separately for around $40, and are better than having nothing at all.

Quality gig bags. This is by no means an all-inclusive definition, but there are a few generally accepted criteria for a "quality" bag. First it should offer padding that surrounds all sides of the instrument, and have some sort of neck support. Bags in this category when not housing an instrument should have very little "floppiness" about them and have at least 1/2 inch padding. 

Quality gig bags are a great choice for those who don't travel a lot with their instrument and want a reasonable level of protection should the propped up instrument be knocked over accidentally. These are great for people who use public transportation as the bags are much easier than traditional cases to carry in crowed areas and still offer protection from bumps and bangs.

Some of the more popular offerings are the Mono Vertigo (shown), Mono M80, and gator's ProGo series. These typically cost between $150 - $200.

Carvin's soft case supporting a 30-lb bass amplifier
 without a bass inside

Soft Cases. An equally appropriate description would be 'hybrid cases' as these tend to offer case-like protection with the light, slim, easy to carry/maneuverability of quality gig bags. With various methods of side/top reinforcement, these are somewhat stiff and hold their shape with, or without a bass inside. The majority of these offer some sort of neck bracing, and have thick shock absorbent padding all around. Two of the best examples of the breed are the Reunion Blues Continental, and the Carvin (Kiesel) Ultimate Soft Case. 

Jeff Kiesel drop testing his soft case

Prices for popular soft cases often range between $125 - $225, and tend to weigh slightly more than quality gig bags. Google the two cases mentioned above, and you will find "drop test" footage of these cases being tossed about with an instrument safely cradled inside-- before and after the rough handling.

Now that I've got the definitions out of the way, why do I like quality gig bags, and soft cases better than traditional wooden cases? Simple-- they work best for me. Subjectivity is necessary when searching for your own bag/case solution-- only you know what will work best for you-- though there remains room for objective reasoning. 

Take shock forces for instance. The typical wooden case utilizes very little interior padding, with the neck being supported just below the headstock. So dropping a hard case on concrete several feet from the ground will likely jar the locks open (depending on design) and transmit the force of the shock directly to the instrument. 

Many soft cases have thick padding that can absorb and displace the shock from a drop. Granted, soft cases are not fool-proof solutions, but they do improve the odds of your instrument surviving the shock of a drop. 

So exactly what did I select to replace the generic G&G case that came with my new Plum Crazy G&L? I'll cover that in my next post, so 'till then...

Stay tuned & in tune!~

A "Plum Crazy" New Bass Day

My new bass was delivered this past weekend. It is from G&L's Detroit Muscle Series, R/T Collection. Its arrival marked the end of a long journey that began in February when seeing an advertisement for these special limited editions inspired by 1960/1970s muscle cars. From their website:

G&L Detroit Muscle Series: R/T Collection

"G&L has turned to Mitch Lanzini, owner of world famous Lanzini Body Works (featured on TV's Overhaulin' show) to provide expert guidance and ensure these high performance G&L's sport the exact paint hues for Sublime Green, Go Mango, Plum Crazy and Panther Pink on the ASAT Special, ASAT Classic Bluesboy 90, Fallout, Legacy, Legacy HB and LB-100 Bass."

Prices of those old cars being as high as they are, I will never be able to afford one... but after a few email conversations and a phone call later, I was able to order a LB-100 bass in my favorite Mopar color, "Plum Crazy."

I phoned in my deposit to Greg at Rocket Music in VA, and he sent the order to G&L. In the following weeks I raised the remaining money by selling the last few bits of 6-string gear that was collecting dust in the closet. Then it was a matter of waiting for G&L to complete. Greg at Rocket Music Gave it a great setup then shipped it off to me right away. 

Opening the case for the very first time

I spent Saturday running it through it's paces. This is my second LB-100, and I was concerned it would be kind of redundant aside from the special color. No need to worry however, as the two have quite different tones.

L) Himalayan Blue. R) Plum Crazy

My older Himalayan Blue LB100 is HEAVY! However, it has a very vintage-sweet tone with a body that resonates like crazy! In contrast, the Plum Crazy LB100 is more of a medium/lightish weight with a very aggressive tone somewhere near the growl of a Jazz bass, but with more bottom end. At first I thought this all might be attributed to their looks influencing my perception, but when comparing with my other basses and trying to be as objective as possible, the purple bass is definitely more aggressive with the volume & tone wide open. Back off the two controls and we are back in the classic P-bass realm. When A/B-ing the two with controls full up, I have to cut the volume on the purple bass to approach the tone of the blue. This is wonderful news, and makes me  very happy since I really don't like having redundancies in the stable. 

L) Himalayan Blue. R) Plum Crazy

On the down-side, the G&G cases that shipped with each bass couldn't be more different. The blue one is form fitted and doesn't allow the bass to move around at all-- when it's in, it's in-- very secure as it also supports the full length of the neck, with a storage compartment underneath. 

Sadly, that is not the case with the purple bass, as it is a generic case that does not have any form fitting whatsoever, and allows the bass to slide about freely. At the top, near the headstock there is a small glovebox, and extending across the case from its edge is a flimsy thin block that the neck at the headstock rests in. The backside of most cases have metal feet, but again those too are missing from this new version.

It appears that G&L has been moving toward the generic fitting cases since early 2014. Overall, this is a small issue for me, as I only use the cases for storage at home, and transport them in my favorite gig-bags when I'm out playing with the band. 

Currently, new G&L LB-100s can be found for a few hundred dollars less than Fender American Standard P-basses. This however, will be changing on 1 July when the "street price" of the LB-100 is set to increase 20%, thus pricing it much closer to Fender's model-- still though, the G&L is a great instrument at a very reasonable price.

If you decide you would like one for your very own, I highly recommend contacting Greg at Rocket Music. His prices are among the best anywhere, the customer service is top-notch, and the set-up he did on the instrument was excellent!

This will be my go-to bass during the summer, and the one that will be used to gauge other manufacturers basses-- a handy list of reviews can be found on my new "Reviews" page. 'Till then...

Stay tuned & in tune!~

A Prelude to Awesomeness

This arrived in the mail over the weekend... 


Can you guess what it is?

After much planning, I placed the order through Rocket Music a few months ago. Waiting that long was admittedly tough, but far less than special orders from most major companies. Being extremely busy keeping up with the course work in our Masters program made the wait a bit easier... and now she's here!

I've been having too much fun playing it for the last few days, however, I have been working on the unboxing and full report during breaks, so...

Stay tuned & in tune!~

To Do List for Summer 2015

This summer will be about expanding upon last year's single focus of 2-hours practice a day. Here is a rough outline for what I have in mind this year:

To do this summer:

            - Practice/work my way through Norm Stockton's The Worship Bass Book: Bass, Espresso, and the Art of Groove.

            - Explore new genre: Celtic

            - Visits the Fender, G&L, and Kiesel/Carvin factories

           

            - Try as many different manufacturers basses as possible 

            - Amps vs. DI

            - Give five-strings a chance

           

            - Lessons

            - Update new music room

            - Recording/video clips

            - CREATE!

            - Go to more local live shows

All of this-- and more-- will be posted here as it happens with at least one post each week; gotta keep my writing chops up for the coming fall quarter don't-cha know~

Stay tuned & in tune!~

Welcome to Summer 2015!!

Having fun for the blog

Last year was a blast—a lot of excellent things happened… but this is a new year and with it, new possibilities.

I have been enjoying playing bass more than ever, and really appreciate the time I spent in practice last summer. That time made me a much better player and I learned a lot about myself as well.

As I write this, we are only a few days away from the end of the Spring Quarter: Saturday is final presentations, a handful of lectures and a seminar group. Then it will be time to put fresh strings on the basses, fire up the Carvin amp, and let ‘er rip!

The plan for this summer is still being worked out, but rest assured I will have something fun ready for y’all to read about—maybe even a few surprises along the way.

Practice ready in our new space

Three goals for the blog this time around:

1) Inspire others to take up a musical instrument

2) Improve my skills on the instrument

3) Maintain my writing chops for the upcoming Fall Quarter.

**Bonus goal: have fun doing all three!!

Lastly, I want to encourage all my readers to join in!  Ask questions, or post comments below-- start your own blogs, YouTube… what every you like that encourages others to take an active part in making music~

Now time to dust off those blogging skills~

‘Till next time…
                   Stay tuned & in tune!