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Carry or Walk with a Heavy Case


JuanCarlosVejar

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I was just wondering how you guys go about walking or carrying a heavy case(or any case) ...

The TV line has some very heavy cases and for me at least it gets kinda tired at some point

because I'm a skinny guy and have boney fingers/hands and carrying something like those cases can hurt after some time .

 

 

how do you guys approach this matter ?

 

I've seen pictures of guys who own super jumbos and they carry it with the largest bout facing front.

 

 

 

thanks

 

 

JC

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Gee. How far are you toting your guitar? Hiking with it? Indeed the brown cases that come with the TV model Gibsons are very heavy with a lot of hardware on them......the black/blue interior case that came with my H'Bird is much lighter (the same case fits both guitars!). Really doesn't matter which end you carry forward, it's the same weight balanced the same way at the handle.

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Gee. How far are you toting your guitar? Hiking with it? Indeed the brown cases that come with the TV model Gibsons are very heavy with a lot of hardware on them......the black/blue interior case that came with my H'Bird is much lighter (the same case fits both guitars!). Really doesn't matter which end you carry forward, it's the same weight balanced the same way at the handle.

Well I once carried my Yamaha in it's case a few streets away to play at a friends birthday and my hands hurt so I had to stop and take a rest .

it hurt quite a bit

 

 

JC

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Well I once carried my Yamaha in it's case a few streets away to play at a friends birthday and my hands hurt so I had to stop and take a rest .

it hurt quite a bit

 

 

JC

 

This is where a gig bag with shoulder straps comes in handy. I keep a couple around.

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JC,

 

I'm with you on this one. I've done a fair bit of international traveling with a vintage Gibson in a Calton case. Schlepping that thing through airports can get really tiring. The same thing at large music festivals.

 

My solution is a case cover with backpack straps. I also like these for gigs, where I almost always take 3 guitars (standard 6 string, resonator, and harp guitar). So, one goes on the back and one in each hand.

 

Here's one at Elderly Music that looks perfect for the job and inexpensive. Colorado Case makes very nice covers with backpack straps.

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If you have modest upper body strength, you could have some "D" rings installed on the carry handle side of the case, one between the butt strap button and waist, the other up towards the head stock. Then clip an over-the-shoulder strap to help 'shoulder' the weight. If you carry the case on your right, run the strap over your head to the opposite shoulder. This allows you to better distribute the weight and walk up right. Otherwise you have to raise your carry side shoulder to keep the strap from sliding off. Doing this gets your back all out of alignment. I can only do this for a few minutes at a time. For long hauls, like at the airport, I've had two bags strapped over the opposite shoulder on both sides. the two bags' straps make an "X" across my chest and back. I've even added a fair sized Back pack to the mix. I can walk for hours like this. It has the added advantage of keeping your hands free for ID checks or concession stand buys without having set anything down and either forget it or have it swiped.

 

Some heavier cases have roller skate wheels installed on the butt end with a tow strap attached to the top. Maybe you could have your heavy case similarly customized so you can push it ahead of your or tow it behind.

 

There are some cases which are fabric on the outside, but with rather thick Styrofoam padding on the inside, form fitted to the instrument. The brand name escapes me. 'Featherweight' something? These should be fairly protective and lighter in weight.

 

 

One other thing you could do is do some daily, modest work outs with calisthenics and some free weights to get your strength up. You don't have to become a Jack Lalanne, just make your muscles earn their keep, so to speak.

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For a couple of my guitars -- including my J-45 -- I have Gator lightweight cases in addition to the factory-supplied case. They're this one: http://www.gatorcases.com/p/16117-1116/gl-dread

 

The cases are only 6.4 lbs. and in the grand scheme of things, they're not that expensive. You can get them from Sweetwater for $80US. With a shoulder strap, you can just throw it over your shoulder and go. They offer much better protection than a gig bag; to me, gig bags have always seemed an invitation to disaster. If you spend any time going to bluegrass festivals or things of that nature, you quickly discover that a hardshell guitar case gets very heavy very quickly, and the lightweight cases are a great alternative. Your shoulders and arms and wrists will thank you.

 

In the winter (I live in Minnesota, where we actually do have winter...) I stick the guitars back in their hardshell cases because they seem to retain moisture better than the lightweight cases.

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In my younger days I recorded demo's in an up'n'comin' studio on the edge of town – just me and an engineer. Getting there, I had to take the train 1 stop (I lived just across the station) and get in the line for the buss. Drive half an hour, then walk a slight uphill distance, pass rows and rows of houses and village-lake before finally reaching the old merchants mansion. Some Hells Angels guy spooked around on the ground-floor. I tried to avoid him.

 

Never was a muscle-man so with a Telecaster in one hand and the D-35 in the other, I was totally zapped when I arrived. My arms were literally paralyzed and I had to wait an hour before they relaxed and was able come under control. That first hour I usually spent programming the rhythm-box and sipping tea. We would work approx 10 to 14 hours on nothing but tea, coffee and cigarettes – that means to the break of day or further. Sometimes if we got hungry in the middle of the night, maybe a glass of herring or a bag of potatoes would be in the fridge. With some bread that was what we needed besides the hot drinks with sugar and straight ziggies.

Good Lords we were happy. . . .

 

 

Today I prefer the same sparse treat f.x. when the band is together. No 'luxury' – or as little as possible. Theory is that it makes the members slip through to their former selves – the time before grown-up comfort sat in. The ideal state of being for focus and for making the music represent something important.

 

Carry All Ages ~

 

and your guitars with strength and pride

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In my younger days I recorded demo's in an up'n'comin' studio on the edge of town – just me and an engineer. Getting there, I had to take the train 1 stop (I lived just across the station) and get in the line for the buss. Drive half an hour, then walk a slight uphill distance, pass rows and rows of houses and village-lake before finally reaching the old merchants mansion. Some Hells Angels guy spooked around on the ground-floor. I tried to avoid him.

 

Never was a muscle-man so with a Telecaster in one hand and the D-35 in the other, I was totally zapped when I arrived. My arms were literally paralyzed and I had to wait an hour before they relaxed and was able come under control. That first hour I usually spent programming the rhythm-box and sipping tea. We would work approx 10 to 14 hours on nothing but tea, coffee and cigarettes – that means to the break of day or further. Sometimes if we got hungry in the middle of the night, maybe a glass of herring or a bag of potatoes would be in the fridge. With some bread that was what we needed besides the hot drinks with sugar and straight ziggies.

Good Lords we were happy. . . .

 

 

Today I prefer the same sparse treat f.x. when the band is together. No 'luxury' – or as little as possible. Theory is that it makes the members slip through to their former selves – the time before grown-up comfort sat in. The ideal state of being for focus and for making the music represent something important.

 

Carry All Ages ~

 

and your guitars with strength and pride

 

rock n roll :-)

or withnail and i springs to mind

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