2015 Fender Bass in a Safe Case?

B

BostonBassPlayer

Jan 6, 2016
4
1
4,531
Boston Massachusetts
www.johnny-drama.com
#1
First let me say I rarely do this sort of thing but this message is meant for all those Fender bass players out there who play finger style exclusively or both finger and pick style like myself.

I can't believe Fender advertises the model #0996175106 bass case as safe for your instrument. An important tool of our trade we carry with us are nail clippers. After a few times tearing off a nail midsong (ouch) with our teeth we've quickly learned to refine our pre-show ritual to include a nail trim.

For non-musicians: An over-grown nail is a terrible irritant both physically and musically to us bass players.

Anyways, articles (including nail clippers) do not stay securely in place within the case's compartment area. I found this out the hard way when my new 2015 Fender American Deluxe Jazz V bass was scratched by my clippers in this case. I called Fender Customer Service (spoke to Haley) to make them aware of this problem. I advised them to put a lid on the compartment. They said they didn't make the case. When I asked them who did? They said they needed my serial number to determine the maker. I provided it, they couldn't even tell me who the case's manufacturer is..."a company in China". I guess Fender has gotten "too big" to care about such tiny things as nail clippers. Bass players beware!! Here's what their ad says:

CARRY ON WITH CONFIDENCE

There is no safer or more stylish way for you to get your instrument where it’s going than by transporting it in a convenient ABS molded case.

Really? I beg to differ.
 
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#4
Each of my hard cases has a ziplock sandwich bag in the (open) catchall depression thingy. It's where small tools or anything small with potential to chip or scratch, reside.
 
#5
fhm555 said:
Each of my hard cases has a ziplock sandwich bag in the (open) catchall depression thingy. It's where small tools or anything small with potential to chip or scratch, reside.
Click to expand...
I haven't owned many basses. Every case I've owned has had a lid for the compartment area. This was a new style for me. Oh well, sometimes you live and learn the hard way I guess.
 
#6
My P Select case has a snap closure that holds the compartment closed. But, I wouldn't carry something like that in my case, anyway. All that goes in the case is the bass, the strap, and a cleaning cloth (old worn out T-shirt). I use a drummer's gig bag to carry all my extra stuff. Mics, mic stands, guitar stands, cables. There are pockets on either end that I use for miscellaneous things like that.
 
#7
I miss the days when the accessory storage compartments in hardshell cases always had doors or covers. The issue OP describes seems like a fairly recent development; it's only since molded thermoplastic cases like SKB or Gator -- where the "storage compartment" [sic] is simply a rectangular depression -- became de rigueur could this even happen.
 
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#8
fhm555 said:
Each of my hard cases has a ziplock sandwich bag in the (open) catchall depression thingy. It's where small tools or anything small with potential to chip or scratch, reside.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't even trust that -- fear of puncture.

Bob_Ross said:
I miss the days when the accessory storage compartments in hardshell cases always had doors or covers. The issue OP describes seems like a fairly recent development; it's only since molded thermoplastic cases like SKB or Gator -- where the "storage compartment" [sic] is simply a rectangular depression -- became de rigueur could this even happen.
Click to expand...

One of the best case designs, IMO, is pretty standard: the accessory compartment that the neck rests above, as in an acoustic or Gibson-type case. Takes a lot for anything to fly out of there.

All the same, if I'm not sure something potentially harmful is secure in the case, it doesn't go in.
 
#10
dalkowski said:
I wouldn't even trust that -- fear of puncture...
Click to expand...

Don't know if it's good luck or what, but it's worked for 24 years in my old US Jazz Plus case. I carry the allens for (Schaller) bridge/neck tilt adjustment, a 3" #1 phillips to remove the rear cavity cover for battery changes, a 6" #2 phillips for all the other screws and a 4" blue point adjustable wrench and a small pair of slip joint pliers for pot nuts and strap locks. The bag gets replaced as needed, maybe 3 times over the years.
 
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