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Buc McMaster

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As nice as the brown Gibson hardshell is, it does in fact weigh a ton (slight exaggeration) and takes a toll on an old s.o.b. So I bought a Mono Vertigo acoustic gig bag........what a relief! Very well made, well thought out and extremely lightweight, saving wear and tear on this old body. The sandwiching neck cradle is pretty much genius and it fits the J-45 like it was made for it. Sure, sure.......a hardshell is without question more protection but if you're responsible with your instrument there is no loss of security. Highly recommended if you're in the market.

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As nice as the brown Gibson hardshell is, it does in fact weigh a ton (slight exaggeration) and takes a toll on an old s.o.b. So I bought a Mono Vertigo acoustic gig bag........what a relief! Very well made, well thought out and extremely lightweight, saving wear and tear on this old body. The sandwiching neck cradle is pretty much genius and it fits the J-45 like it was made for it. Sure, sure.......a hardshell is without question more protection but if you're responsible with your instrument there is no loss of security. Highly recommended if you're in the market.

 

I totally agree with you! The past two years, I converted to carrying my guitars in a gig bag rather than a case to all my gigs. Especially the cases that advertise I am carrying a Gibson or any kind of brand to/from my gigs...getting to or leaving the gigs. Let 'em think I am carrying some cheapy in a gig bag. Plus, to my gigs I usually take not only my guitar, but also a 5 string banjo and/or a uke, and the sheer bulk of the hard shell cases is annoying. (Alright, plus, I am getting older and their weight is ridiculous now). But, even to my jam or a songcircle, gigbags are much more nimble and easy to carry as well as store in green room-like places at any of these. Or, put in the car. True, I must be cautiously careful when using a gig bag, but I am anyhow with my instruments. Plus, as I often take different instruments different places, I share the gigbags among many instruments depending on which ones I am using. I have one that fits a jumbo, one that fits a concert size guitar and one that works snugly with either somehow. And, a banjo gig bag and a uke one. In my music room, the instruments go back into their hard shell cases if they are not out. I also modified the gigbag's handles to tightly fit my carrying hands to keep better control of them while in motion. A little crude sewing to tighten the handles went a long way. (Why they make some gig bag handles with so much give in them is beyond me.)

 

Just my experience/approach.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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No sir, I don't do a lot of walking around with my guitar. I do schlep to various open mic nights around the city and the hardshell case feels like hauling an unwieldy trunk......in and out of the house, the car, the saloon.......squat to the floor to retrieve and replace the guitar. A gig bag is so much more "nimble", as Jeff says.....much easier to deal with......more room to store cords, strap, tuner, spare strings, etc. and it's so much lighter! With this particular bag, the guitar will go in and out without having to lay it on the floor.......no more squatting next to a hardshell. It works for me.

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Not to be contrarian, but I just don't trust gig bags. Never have. Once you leave your cozy domicile with your guitar in tow, the world is a dangerous place, filled with menacing and unexpected perils ready to damage your guitar despite your best efforts to protect it. I've had a couple of friends, guys who who took care of their guitars, suffer serious damage when the instrument was in a gig bag. One had a door close on him, putting a couple of nice cracks in his Santa Cruz Tony Rice. He was able to get them fixed.

 

If you will allow me to recommend an alternative, let me make a pitch for Gator lightweight cases. You get the protection of a hardshell case in something that weighs only slightly more than a gig bag. I've gotten them for every guitar I've owned in the past decade. They have rigid polyfoam, padded neck cradles, gear box, outside pockets, shoulder straps and plush lining. They weigh less than 8 pounds. They made going to bluegrass festivals a lot more fun; no more heavy cases to lug around. Just throw the shoulder strap over your shoulder and head out. And in all the international air travel I've done over the past three years, I've never had a problem and never had any trouble with airline gate agents. They fit comfortably in an overhead and provide protection for the guitar.

 

http://gatorcases.com/lightweight-guitar-cases/

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The last live reunion/jam thingy I did down in Ky., I didn't use either. I just leaned the J-45 on the passenger seat. Took a cord and a tuner and had an extra set of strings in the console. Had a sticky Hercules stand in the back of the truck.

 

Everything was fine.....

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I've been considering one for my J200, for occasional use. But I can't seem to find one that would fit so far.

 

I would use the hard case most of the time, but there are times when something that travels easier would be nice.

 

any one w/ suggestions for one to fit an SJ200?

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I've been considering one for my J200, for occasional use. But I can't seem to find one that would fit so far.

 

I would use the hard case most of the time, but there are times when something that travels easier would be nice.

 

any one w/ suggestions for one to fit an SJ200?

 

Is there not one on that link above ?

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Is there not one on that link above ?

 

I Don't think so.

 

it looks like the largest that Mono has a case for is a dreadnought.

 

it could be that one would fit tho. I can check w/them

 

I contacted Gator a few weeks ago, they don't have one either.

 

 

J200 specs:

The upper bout is 12.25", waist is 10.25", lower bout is 17", depth is 4.75" lower and 4" upper, body length is 21", total guitar lenth is 41.75".

 

Looks like the dreadnought case is listed at 16" (lower bout).

 

Sent an email, see what they say..

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I got a reply with in 5 minutes from these guys. Impressive response time!

 

Kyle Butcher (MONO Support)

Jun 26, 19:44 +08

Hi Ray,

 

Thank you for considering MONO. Unfortunately we do not make a case that fits Jumbo 17" guitars. We appreciate your interest, and we'll take it into consideration for future production.

 

Thanks,

Kyle

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I've been considering one for my J200, for occasional use. But I can't seem to find one that would fit so far.

 

I would use the hard case most of the time, but there are times when something that travels easier would be nice.

 

any one w/ suggestions for one to fit an SJ200?

 

I wonder why Gator said they don't have one that fits. I fed your dimensions into Gator's online case calculator and it says this case would fit your guitar, and it weighs in at 9 pounds:

http://gatorcases.com/products/guitar/lightweight-polyfoam-guitar-cases/gl-guitar/jumbo-acoustic-guitar-case-gl-jumbo/

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I wonder why Gator said they don't have one that fits. I fed your dimensions into Gator's online case calculator and it says this case would fit your guitar, and it weighs in at 9 pounds:

http://gatorcases.com/products/guitar/lightweight-polyfoam-guitar-cases/gl-guitar/jumbo-acoustic-guitar-case-gl-jumbo/

 

ah that is strange, but yea, that would probably work. thx for checking on that for me! I'll check it out!

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I have this Gator: https://www.amazon.com/Gator-G-PG-ACOUSTIC-Acoustic-Gig-Bag/dp/B00IAE5MM4

 

When I gig in Brooklyn, I always end up having to park on the street several blocks away from the pub. Even though I am lucky in that my partner brings his PA (Bose), so I usually dont have to, I still have to carry a mic stand, a knapsack with my cables, boxes, and toys, and my guitar. Sometimes a music stand too. The Gator is worn like a backpack, and it would be a real pain in the ash if I had to carry a guitar in its normal hard case.

 

Oh - the case is great.

 

When I gig in other places in NJ, and there is on-site parking, I carry my guitar in a hiscox PRO 2. light case.

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......more room to store cords, strap, tuner, spare strings, etc.

 

Well said...plus spare pickup batteries, a slide, a capo, spare picks, song lyric sheets, etc. and its still way lighter and smaller than a hard shell case. The only time I now use a hard shell case is when I bring my guitar on an airline or store the guitar.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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Good to hear you don't have probs with the back.

 

To me the important thing is safety.

When bringing a dear guitar out, I don't wanna feel insecure about other traps than sneaky thieves, , , , and bad memory.

Forgetting the Gibson or Mart. under a table after a few post-gig drinks would be disastrous.

 

Not seldom over the years have I walked to the Central Station and taken the bus to the studio from there (luckily I'm mostly picked up).

Also quite often choose the pavement to the other end of the street for late-nite kitchen jams. And I still prefer different cases.

Sometimes my arm is a bit too weak to play precisely just after arriving. A cup of coffee will fix that.

It's as if the cases are a part of the ritual - Hey it's me there again stepping out with my acoustic like I did all my life.

And the mission needs case not bag : Old beat-head moving from point A to B with his black matt box.

 

 

I even pick the heavy brown-pink Cali-girl when using the Bird - as said, the cases have a role in the show.

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The last live reunion/jam thingy I did down in Ky., I didn't use either. I just leaned the J-45 on the passenger seat. Took a cord and a tuner and had an extra set of strings in the console. Had a sticky Hercules stand in the back of the truck.

 

Everything was fine.....

 

Whatever works! Plus, it's good to be a guitar renegade sometimes as long as it all works out!

 

Reminds me of an argument I had with my brother once when I bought my first new Gibson way back in 1974 when I somehow scraped up enough money to buy the floor model, but simply did not have the extra money to buy the case that came with it that was sold separately. (I figured for the time being I could use the case from my existing fake dreadnaught Kay until I could scrape up enough money to buy it it's own case, which worked fine at the time.). My brother was screaming at me about how it made no sense and was unacceptable buy a new guitar without a case and my argumentive response (which I still stand by) was "Its okay to buy a guitar without a case because it's the guitar that gets played and not the case". He none-the-less continued to rant at me that you can't buy a guitar without a case. Years and years, later, circa 2016) he himself bought a new guitar without a case because the big box store he bought it at was out of stock on its case and he called me with some doubt in himself to tell me how he still bought the guitar anyway... and I repeated the exact same words from my past now to him of "it's okay to buy a guitar without a case because it's the guitar that gets played and not the case". He went silent this time around.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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Not to be contrarian, but I just don't trust gig bags. Never have. Once you leave your cozy domicile with your guitar in tow, the world is a dangerous place, filled with menacing and unexpected perils ready to damage your guitar despite your best efforts to protect it. I've had a couple of friends, guys who who took care of their guitars, suffer serious damage when the instrument was in a gig bag. One had a door close on him, putting a couple of nice cracks in his Santa Cruz Tony Rice. He was able to get them fixed.

 

If you will allow me to recommend an alternative, let me make a pitch for Gator lightweight cases. You get the protection of a hardshell case in something that weighs only slightly more than a gig bag. I've gotten them for every guitar I've owned in the past decade. They have rigid polyfoam, padded neck cradles, gear box, outside pockets, shoulder straps and plush lining. They weigh less than 8 pounds. They made going to bluegrass festivals a lot more fun; no more heavy cases to lug around. Just throw the shoulder strap over your shoulder and head out. And in all the international air travel I've done over the past three years, I've never had a problem and never had any trouble with airline gate agents. They fit comfortably in an overhead and provide protection for the guitar.

 

http://gatorcases.com/lightweight-guitar-cases/

 

THIS. Every day of the week!

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Not to be contrarian, but I just don't trust gig bags. Never have. Once you leave your cozy domicile with your guitar in tow, the world is a dangerous place, filled with menacing and unexpected perils ready to damage your guitar despite your best efforts to protect it. I've had a couple of friends, guys who who took care of their guitars, suffer serious damage when the instrument was in a gig bag. One had a door close on him, putting a couple of nice cracks in his Santa Cruz Tony Rice. He was able to get them fixed.

 

If you will allow me to recommend an alternative, let me make a pitch for Gator lightweight cases. You get the protection of a hardshell case in something that weighs only slightly more than a gig bag. I've gotten them for every guitar I've owned in the past decade. They have rigid polyfoam, padded neck cradles, gear box, outside pockets, shoulder straps and plush lining. They weigh less than 8 pounds. They made going to bluegrass festivals a lot more fun; no more heavy cases to lug around. Just throw the shoulder strap over your shoulder and head out. And in all the international air travel I've done over the past three years, I've never had a problem and never had any trouble with airline gate agents. They fit comfortably in an overhead and provide protection for the guitar.

 

http://gatorcases.com/lightweight-guitar-cases/

 

Agree 100% with this, plus the gig bag the OP has is darn expensive!

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The personal parallel that I reference when it comes to deciding is horse saddles/guitar cases. The traditional western saddle is leather and relatively hefty. The alternative is made of nylon and is relatively light. As long as I'm not so decrepit that I can't throw a real saddle around, I plan to stick with a real guitar case.

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No sir, I don't do a lot of walking around with my guitar. I do schlep to various open mic nights around the city and the hardshell case feels like hauling an unwieldy trunk......in and out of the house, the car, the saloon.......squat to the floor to retrieve and replace the guitar. A gig bag is so much more "nimble", as Jeff says.....much easier to deal with......more room to store cords, strap, tuner, spare strings, etc. and it's so much lighter! With this particular bag, the guitar will go in and out without having to lay it on the floor.......no more squatting next to a hardshell. It works for me.

I'm with you, Buc...the hauling and the squatting get to me, too. I have yet to have anything untoward happen to one of my guitars while IN a case, so if that luck holds, I'd just as soon haul it in something sturdy "enough" ...but more manageable.

Many a near-miss happened, though, because of the awkwardness of having to open the case flat on some foreign surface, watching not to hit something (including a falling lid!) while I remove the guitar and then hold it with one hand away from the lid and what other dangers lurking whilst I hunt for capo, picks, etc. That maneuver is flat-out nerve-wracking sometimes (especially with the inelegant old-lady squat, mind you), wherein I must rise up, unbalanced, without a free hand. I end up practically flinging around the very thing I would try most to protect, and it seems this solution lessens the known hazards.

 

Intrigued by the stand-up design, I see genius in it. Thanks for the tip, Buc!

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I got a good deal on one of the leather Levy's gigbag a number of years ago. MY AJ lives in it and that's the guitar that goes out with me most often. I find it a lot more convenient than a case for traveling around town. If I was doing a long road trip with other luggage I would pull out a case but for occasional trips around town the gig bag is great.

 

That's why they call them gig bags!

 

The personal parallel that I reference when it comes to deciding is horse saddles/guitar cases. The traditional western saddle is leather and relatively hefty. The alternative is made of nylon and is relatively light. As long as I'm not so decrepit that I can't throw a real saddle around, I plan to stick with a real guitar case.

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Not to be contrarian, but I just don't trust gig bags. Never have. Once you leave your cozy domicile with your guitar in tow, the world is a dangerous place, filled with menacing and unexpected perils ready to damage your guitar despite your best efforts to protect it. I've had a couple of friends, guys who who took care of their guitars, suffer serious damage when the instrument was in a gig bag. One had a door close on him, putting a couple of nice cracks in his Santa Cruz Tony Rice. He was able to get them fixed.

 

If you will allow me to recommend an alternative, let me make a pitch for Gator lightweight cases. You get the protection of a hardshell case in something that weighs only slightly more than a gig bag. I've gotten them for every guitar I've owned in the past decade. They have rigid polyfoam, padded neck cradles, gear box, outside pockets, shoulder straps and plush lining. They weigh less than 8 pounds. They made going to bluegrass festivals a lot more fun; no more heavy cases to lug around. Just throw the shoulder strap over your shoulder and head out. And in all the international air travel I've done over the past three years, I've never had a problem and never had any trouble with airline gate agents. They fit comfortably in an overhead and provide protection for the guitar.

 

http://gatorcases.com/lightweight-guitar-cases/

 

+1 on the Gator "gigcase". I have one and they are very light and very durable. That said, if I'm going to an open mic or somewhere where the guitar might be in and around a lot of people and other gear, I will use the heavy case. But for taking my guitar to a friend's house for a jam, the Gator does the trick.

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