Guitar Cases – Which is Best for Me?

If you’re a gigging guitar player or you’re interested in playing in front of an audience outside of your home you’re going to need something to safely transport your guitar when moving from place to place or venue to venue. There are many different types of guitar cases, some guitar cases are cheaper than others, but they may not as effectively protect your guitar from environmental hazards such as rain, humidity, cold, or snow, which can be very damaging to your guitar, the same way that more expensive guitar cases would. Cases also vary according to the type of the guitar, the shape of the guitar, the size of the guitar and so on and so forth. Some oddly shaped electric guitars for instance require a special kind of guitar case in order for them to fit inside properly or you’ll be left with one side of your guitar sticking out of the bottom end of your case and there for exposed to, rain, snow, cold etc. The following are the few most common types of guitar cases that you’ll find.

The Gig Bag– Gig bags are usually made of canvas or nylon, the benefits out of this Guitar bag is that they are very light, very easy to carry and occasionally even come in a back pack variation so you can comfortably wear it on your back like a back pack. Gig packs frequently have a lot of storage space and external pockets which you can store extra strings, picks, accessories, heck it can even double as a school bag because the pouches are often extremely flexible. These kinds of cases are available for both acoustic guitars and electric guitars and are probably the cheapest cases available. Why are they so cheap? These Guitar cases unfortunately don’t provide much protection for your guitar, while they protect the guitar from the rain and other elements, if you bang your guitar into something, these cases will provide very little protection and if you’re not careful you can break off a tuning peg just before a gig or cause other aesthetic damage.

The Chipboard case– Chipboard cases are commonly thrown in with cheaper acoustic guitars that you might buy at a Walmart. The chipboard case is basically made out of a heavy grade cardboard and sealed with a black protective film. Most of these cases are designed for cheaper end acoustic guitars. While they provide adequate protection both from damage and rain, these cases get damaged really easily and start to look rugged and old after just a few weeks, in other words they don’t last. Chipboard cases and Gig bags are not recommended to be put in the cargo section of a plane because they don’t provide adequate protection. Usually these cases have small interior compartments with which you can store accessories inside. All chipboard cases that I have encountered have been designed for an acoustic guitar or classical guitar.

The Hard Shell case– The hard shell guitar case is the best option if you have the money to spend, your guitar is very expensive, or you just really like your guitar a lot and you want it to be as safe as possible when it’s being transported or stored away. Hard cases are designed for one thing, to keep your guitar safe and to last. However these guitar cases are not without their faults either, hard cases are most certainly the heaviest of the bunch. They come in two varieties— those made of polypropylene, and those made of wood. The polypropylene is lighter and usually just as sturdy, but for some the wood case has that “coolness” appeal. Both are usually molded on the inside to custom fit the instrument and are made to take a beating and keep the guitar inside safe. These cases sometimes even come with a lock on the outside and have a pretty good size accessory compartment. These cases are generally considered to be the most professional and reliable of the bunch, this is why they’re also the most expensive.