Guitar cases are vital for instrument care. Do you invest, or should you cheap out? Check out this guide to find what works for you.
Different Types of Guitar Cases: Electric Guitar Hard CasesElectric Guitar Gig BagsAcoustic Guitar CasesJumbo Acoustic GuitarsHumidity
What Guitar Case Do You Need?
Soft guitar cases are lightweight, affordable and portable, which make them ideal for short journeys.
Hard guitar cases offer better protection from knocks and varying changes in climate, making them ideal for most scenarios.
The right guitar case for you will blend budget, practicality and instrument care. But, it also depends on how and where you use your guitar.
Electric Guitar Hard Cases
To start us off, we’ll be checking out this *Thomann E-Guitar Case. Suitable for most of your electric guitars, such as Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Thomann E- Guitar Case · Source: Thomann
More of a budget option, this is still a great way to look after your electric guitar. Hard cases have their pros and cons. An advantage of this particular unit is that you get a thick yet soft inner lining to protect your guitar. Meanwhile, the outer layer is ABS plastic to ensure hardwearing protection.
However, for younger players, these hard cases can be difficult to carry. Despite an ergonomically designed carry handle, there’s no getting around a hefty weight, especially with a guitar inside. Although for a reasonable price, this is a great example of an entry level hard case.
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Thomann E-Guitar Case ABS
Customer rating: (2922)
$75.00 / £68.00 / 79.00€ at
But, what if you’re on the road a lot and want to guarantee that your guitar stays in pristine condition? Well, at the other end of the pay scale, we have this *SKB 3i SKB66 case.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – SKB 3i SKB66 · Source: Thomann
Think of this one as a money-no-object kind of thing. Saying that, it’s not actually that bad. With a reinforced frame, we’ve got a cast plastic exterior, to again reveal a layer of deep grey padding. Moreover, the bottom of this hard case has wheels, like you’d find on a suitcase, allowing for easy transportation.
Realistically, this level of guitar case is for taking on tour across one or many countries. To help with that, there are durable hinges with TSA-approved locks to make sure that your guitar stays in that case.
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SKB iSeries ST/T-Style Flight Case
Customer rating: (20)
$429.00 / £357.00 / 430.00€ at
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SKB 3i-4214-66 iSeries Waterproof Strat/Tele Guitar Case
$379.00 at
Electric Guitar Gig Bags
Thirdly, let’s take a glimpse at something more down-to-earth. Gig bags are a great alternative to hard cases. Mainly because of their convenient storage compartments and back straps. Again, this *Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag Eco is a solid budget example that’ll still look after your instrument.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag Eco · Source: Thomann
Where would you use a soft guitar case? Personally, I have plenty of students that use this exact guitar case for getting to and from their lessons. It contains a large front zipped pocket, perfect for song sheets, spare strings, capos, picks, and other accessories.
Considering the value for money, I wouldn’t wish to use this gig bag for anything more than short trips or as a dust jacket. With that said, there are other budget examples that offer the same, if not better, protection at Thomann:
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Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag Eco
Customer rating: (6267)
$14.30 / £12.90 / 14.90€ at
Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag RD
Customer rating: (636)
$18.90 / £17.30 / 19.90€ at
Thomann E-Guitar Gigbag Deluxe
Customer rating: (1431)
$29.00 / £26.00 / 29.90€ at
Thomann V-Style Gigbag
Customer rating: (636)
$23.90 / £21.80 / 25.00€ at
More from Thomann
Likewise, let’s also look at the big daddy of gig bags. This *Rockbag Leather Bag offers a durable and protective gig bag. But is it worth paying hard case money for something softer?
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Rock bag Leather Bag Electric Guitar · Source: Thomann
This handmade leather bag is complete with solid chrome hooks and zips, along with solid cotton shoulder straps. Already, comfort and durability are covered. Furthermore, there are extra sections of leather padding across the bottom of the bag and behind the headstock.
This gig bag is littered with storage potential. We get 5 outer pockets for all of those accessories you may need when out and about. What I like about this Rockbag leather bag is that the pockets are different sizes. Ideal for dividing your leads, pedals, sheets and notes, etc. Plus, because it’s genuine leather, it’s also waterproof.
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Rockbag Leather Bag Electric Guitar
Customer rating: (4)
$419.00 / £382.00 / 439.00€ at
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Acoustic Guitar Cases
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about acoustic guitar players! Arguably, protecting an acoustic guitar is more important than your electric. That hollow body won’t look after itself. Starting with this *Fender Dreadnought Case, we’ll see what the world of acoustic hard cases can offer.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Fender Dreadnought Case Flat Top · Source: Thomann
I’m no brand snob, but it’s really cool to have the Fender script on the top of this case. Suitable for western acoustic guitars, we’ve now got a wooden hard case. The inner lining is black and plush, containing a single storage flap.
Sadly, there is a lack of storage with this particular example. However, there is enough space for your guitar strap, capo and a couple of picks. Along the edge of the case, there are 4 solid chrome clips.
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Fender Dreadnought Case Flat Top
Customer rating: (42)
$122.00 / £111.00 / 129.00€ at
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Fender Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Case – Black
$169.99 at
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For a middle-ground approach, this *Harley Benton Light-Case is somewhere in between a gig bag and a full hard case. Offering protection at an agreeable price.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Harley Benton Light-Case · Source: Thomann
Made from high-density foam, you get the solid protection of a hard case, but the lightweight usage of a gig bag. Plus, you get the backpack-style straps for carrying this on your back.
Our other guitar cases have lacked when it comes to storage. Thankfully, here we get a single large exterior pocket, in addition to internal storage within the velvet interior. Ideal for gigging musicians, the nylon exterior is waterproof.
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Harley Benton LightCase-Dreadnought
Customer rating: (143)
$52.00 / £48.00 / 55.00€ at
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Jumbo Acoustic Guitars
One final thing to consider is the size of your acoustic guitar. I myself have been caught out thinking that my regular acoustic case would be suitable for my Jumbo acoustic guitar. I was wrong. Therefore, here’s a personal recommendation in the form of this *Gator Deluxe Case.
Guitar Case Guide: Should You Buy Soft or Hard? – Gator Deluxe Case Jumbo · Source: Thomann
Straight away, allow me to highlight the main strength of this guitar case: it’s suitable for both 6 and 12-string jumbo guitar models. I’ve had a Gibson J45 stored in here, in addition to my Harley Benton Custom 12-string jumbo.
Otherwise, it’s the same old story here. A solid exterior with a comfortable and supportive interior. One single storage compartment and sturdy clips to lock down that flat lid. However, at this price point, I’m delighted to report that we get a lockable clip. And, the keys are included!
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Gator Deluxe Case Jumbo
Customer rating: (91)
$95.00 / £85.00 / 98.00€ at
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Gator Deluxe Wood Case – Jumbo Acoustic Guitar
$159.99 at
Gator Cases Official Website
Humidity
Especially for acoustic guitars, humidity levels within guitar cases is often overlooked. Naturally, this depends on where you live and the local climate.
I’ve seen and heard of tragic cases where strings can rust, and wood can rot even when a guitar is safely in storage. Therefore, it could be worth getting hold of some humidity packs, or even monitoring systems. Allowing you to keep your guitar in tip-top condition even when you’re not using it.
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Daddario PW-HPK-01
Customer rating: (195)
$30.00 / £28.00 / 32.00€ at
Boveda 4-Pack Size 70
Customer rating: (14)
$20.90 / £18.90 / 22.00€ at
MusicNomad Humitar ONE MN311
Customer rating: (23)
$28.00 / £24.90 / 29.00€ at
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D’Addario Humidipak Maintain Automatic Humidity Control System
$25.99 at
Boveda B49-70-4P 2-way Humidity Control Packet (4-pack)
$20.99 at
MusicNomad The Humitar One Guitar Humidifier and Hygrometer
$29.99 at
Conclusion
With regards to guitar cases, I would always buy the best that you can afford. That extra money on protection could be the insurance against a headstock break.
You wouldn’t put cheap tyres on a sports car, so why would you put your expensive guitar in a cheap bag?
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