Cases or at least Gig Bags

Down Up Dick

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
4,384
Reaction score
543
Location
Southern California
I’ve been playing musical instruments, off and on, since the the fourth grade. I’ve played most of the brass and two different orchestral flutes. I’ve gathered with lots of violin and viola and even cello players. AND ALL OF US GOT CASES WITH OUR INSTRUMENTS! I even have a hard case for my upright tuba and two baritones (horns) for gosh sakes.

I don’t really know about guitars, but why don’t we get cases, or at the very least, gig bags with our ukes? I know some ukes come with gig bags or even cases, but I think they all should come with some kind of bag or case.

Sometimes cases or gig bags that fit correctly are difficult to find. We shouldn’t even hafta look for one.
I dunno . . . Whatdayou think? :eek:ld:
 
I'm with you Dick, especially on the mid and upper end instruments. My Martin came with a gig bag but I think if you spend over a few hundred dollars, a hard case should be part of the bargain. Anything over $100 should have at least a gig bag too.
 
I mean my Kamaka came with a truly top quality case. I think, as is the case w guitars and bases, a lot of players like the flexibility of getting the case which best suits them, which helps keep costs down for many manufacturers. I'd rather buy one NICE case/bag to accommodate several instruments which fit than accumulate a collection of mediocre-at-best bags with which many guitar/uke makers would nickel & dime you.

Like I LOVE the Mono M80 bag and bike with my Kamaka and Martin in it all the time. It's light and hardy and I can use it for any tenor. Similarly I have a hard case which I toss my sopranos in, along with a Martin bag which I mainly use for my nigh-indestructible OXK. I just think a lot of uke players prefer flexibility, simplicity, and lightness, and don't love the idea of paying an extra ~$30 on a $300 instrument for it to come with case (especially if said case will just be a perfunctory, passable one-ply bag).
 
I think that minimally any unusually shaped ukulele should come with a properly fitted gig bag or case. Examples would be sopranos with concert scale (long necks), Thin bodied ukes etc....
 
I guess I lucked out, as most of the ukes I’ve purchased from builders & dealers have come with a nice case. Mim included a case with my Gary Gill concert scale tenor. Loprinzi & aNueNue came with custom sized cases. The aNueNue case is the nicest one I’ve ever seen. It’s a tank. Three latches, lockable, unique color, and has their logo on it. I like to buy my own gig bags, so I can get what I like. My less $$$ ukes & one I bought on Reverb came naked.
I agree that cases can be costly. When I sell a uke, I always include the case. Makes me feel better about safely shipping it & it adds a perk to the buyer.
 
Last edited:
I don't like zippered bags or cases, but the canvass zippered hard cases are preferable to gig bags. As far as I'm concerned, gig bags are almost worthless. A hard wooden or fiberglass case will protect an instrument from a lot of abuse. My better ukes have better cases. Nothing is stored in a gig bag.
 
I guess I lucked out, as most of the ukes I’ve purchased from builders & dealers have come with a nice case. Mim included a case with my Gary Gill concert scale tenor. Loprinzi & aNueNue came with custom sized cases. The aNueNue case is the nicest one I’ve ever seen. It’s a tank. Three latches, lockable, unique color, and has their logo on it. I like to buy my own gig bags, so I can get what I like. My less $$$ ukes & one I bought on Reverb came naked.
I agree that cases can be costly. When I sell a uke, I always include the case. Makes me feel better about safely shipping it & it adds a perk to the buyer.

Yeah, most of my Gold Tone instruments (I have 5) came with very nice cases or great Gig Bags. I’m okay with good GBs, but I always appreciate having some kinda cover against dust or scratches Even though they’re a pain to store when I’m displaying the instruments.

Next, I’d like a rack to keep them all on, in or out of their covers. :eek:ld:
 
I don't like zippered bags or cases, but the canvass zippered hard cases are preferable to gig bags. As far as I'm concerned, gig bags are almost worthless. A hard wooden or fiberglass case will protect an instrument from a lot of abuse. My better ukes have better cases. Nothing is stored in a gig bag.

Yeah I have at least those hard side canvas cases on mine. Problem is they don't give much protection on the top of the uke. They're better than nothing. Mine have to go into a milk crate on the back of a moped when I head out with it.

I wish those totally hard cases weren't so expensive, but if I had a custom or really expensive uke I'd have one. I wish the Duke10 had come with a better case because it's hard to find a case (a couple of people mentioned the Freemont case, but that just a padded gig bag).
 
Last edited:
My ukes live in their hard cases in my office. During the winter they need humidifiers, so a hard case is a must. I feel better with them in their cases in the event they get knocked over. I normally carry them to group jams, classes, church in soft gig bags. I like gig bags with front pockets for extra stuff, like tuner, capo, pencil, etc. However, I’ve been carrying my Moon Bird everywhere in the hard case. It cost a pretty penny, and I feel better with it in the case. Especially in winter when I may be carrying it around in slippery conditions. I’d be devastated if I fell & it got damaged.
 
Years ago, 60’s, better guitars came with hard shell cases. Less expensive ones either chip hoard cases or nothing. I don’t remember padded gig bags back then, but maybe.

I think ukuleles from the early days 20’s-30’s probably came without cases or came with a canvass bag. I think some came with canvass covered chip board or wood, but others have more info on that than I.

All of my ukes are in hard shell cases or gig bags. I have a Gator bag I use if I take a uke out with me. I don’t have an issue with ukes not coming with a hard shell case unless it is around $1000. But nothing is free, so the cost is built into the price of the uke. Over a few hundred should have a padded gig bag. The cheap canvas “dust covers” should come with most instruments.

John
 
Over the time I got 6 factory new, 4 of which came with gig bags. It was not the cheapest or most ordinary shaped that came without.
Entry level Kala Makala MK-C and Luna pineapple tattoo - gigbag.
Cort concert ukulele - gigbag
Anuenue mahogany tenor - gigbag

But my Fluke, which has an Odd shape: no gigbag, and the vendor didn't even have them in stock to buy at the time. It was without bag for a while.
My long neck soprano - no gigbag. I keep it in my Cort gigbag since I also have a hard case for that.

I can accept having to buy the gigbag on the side if the vendor has the correct fitting gigbag in store. So I could set a checkmark in
Nothing
Gunny sack
Gigbag
Hardcase
... and then pay accordingly. I someone wants a hardcase they shouldnt be forced to pay for a gigbag.
But reality is that the distributors dont keep all brands of gigbags in store, so to keep the costumers happy including a gigbag os the better way.
 
I def think it's a whole different ballgame if it's an oddly shaped uke (even a pineapple). If it conforms to common specs and the manufacturer makes it clear it's not included then I have no prob with it. I'd rather get what I want once to suit multiple ukes than be forced to pay over and over for crummy cases/bags I don't need, but if it's a Fluke or anything out of the ordinary, it needs to have an option available for sure.
 
I paid good money for the two ukes I own. I have good cases for each, one I paid extra the other came with a very nice case. Was looking at a Martin Concert one of the more expensive ones......come on a gig bag with a 1K Martin.....sell the instrument with a decent case. I don't mind the extra weight and volume of a case that's going to protect my instruments. I agree also if an ukulele comes in an odd or unusual configuration the makers aught to come up with a decent case to protect it. The Godin Mulituke comes to mind.....
 
Last edited:
With half decent cases for sale around £35 in the UK, its gonna be costing about ££5 to make them, hardly a deal breaker for the manufacturer if the instrument costs £200 plus...
If I ever have the good fortune (and money) to set up a music shop my policy would be to buy in lots of cases, and offer them at cost when purchsed with an instrument...
 
I think that minimally any unusually shaped ukulele should come with a properly fitted gig bag or case.

Definitely! I struggled to find cases for some banjo ukes, and then I found a nice mandolin case that worked perfectly. It's sold by Musician's Friend. I paid $49.99, but now they're down $10.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/musicians-gear-hardshell-a-style-mandolin-case

I like hard cases for everything. If I'm shopping for a power tool, and one comes with a case, and one doesn't, the case will probably win.
 
With half decent cases for sale around £35 in the UK, its gonna be costing about ££5 to make them, hardly a deal breaker for the manufacturer if the instrument costs £200 plus...
If I ever have the good fortune (and money) to set up a music shop my policy would be to buy in lots of cases, and offer them at cost when purchsed with an instrument...

Right! I wonder if case makers try to persuade uke makers to sell their instruments without cases so that they can sell them to the new owners. For an expensive instrument, a hard case is a necessity, and the manufacturer could arrange to have the perfect case made. I like that Kamakas come with a nice case.
 
If you don’t have a case, where will you put the stickers they sometimes give you — or travel stickers?

I suppose one could sew patches on a gig bag too. I’ve seen travel patches on stuff - neato! :eek:ld:
 
I like it that HMS makes it very easy to obtain a good quality case (or gig bag) to go with every ukulele they sell. I can understand that some makers of some less expensive ukes want to keep their prices down (and obviously to maximize their profit margin) and decide to do this by not automatically providing a case. But when an instrument gets into the $150 to $350 range its nice when a seller can make it easy for the buyer at the time of purchase to buy a protective case if the ukulele does not come with one. HMS provides lots of alternative choices at all price points. And finally, when a uke gets above $500 (or way beyond), these typically do come with a good case (as they should at the higher price points). If a higher priced uke does not come with a case, then I'd think twice about buying and most likely pass.

My Santa Cruz? A great Ameritage case made for the instrument. My Collings? Another great case (also made specifically for the instrument by Ameritage). My KoAloha? A good, sturdy HMS Oahu-branded case. My Kamaka? Kamaka has provided a great looking, strong case. My Martin? A very sturdy Martin-provided thermoplastic case. These ukuleles are all extremely well protected.

It's one thing for these fine ukes to get scratched or dinged while being played (it happens and being played is what they are for) but I hate for unnecessary damage to occur that isn't related to use. And I think this goes for less-expensive ukes as well, they all deserve to have a protective case.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom