Cases or Gig Bags for Short Scale Bass?

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MarMar

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Sep 9, 2020
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#1
Are there any hardshell cases or gig bags that are specifically designed for short scale basses? A long time ago, my local shop gave me this foam thing to line my case with to help the short scale bass ride better. I'm not sure if that's proper, but I trust that guy's knowledge. I'm also not gigging much right now so I don't really have the opportunity to haul the case and throw it around.

I don't think I've ever seen a case designed for a short scale bass in person so that's why I am asking if they exist and if they serve any better purpose over a full size case.

:cool::bassist::cool:
 
#2
You're not the first person to encounter this problem. I put my Jag SS in an Ultimate Support guitar gigbag. It fits, but I hate that it opens 'backward.'

Here are a couple of threads that may help, or not:

short scale basses get a bum rap, esp. from the gig bag manuf.

Gator Pro Go Electric Guitar Case for Short Scale

Low $$ Short Scale Case Search incl. Monoprice

As for trusting the shop guy's knowledge, well, eh. What he did for you is probably better than nothing, but it also isn't ideal. It's unlikely he had a case that would fit properly, so he did something to get you by. I had to do something similar with a 34" scale bass with a very small body in order to get it not to flop around in my double gigbag. The OHSC was really the only good solution for that one!
 
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#3
I have my short scale stingray in a gator guitar transit series gig bag.
It fits well. It’s a little snug up top but I’ve carried it on airlines all summer in the overhead with no damage.
I don’t know if that helps
 
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#4
Not all short scales are the same size , some , like a Hofner have a trapeze style tailpiece and the bridge sits mid body . Some have a string through bridge right at the bottom of the body . Some hollow body short scales are not much shorter than a regular bass .
 
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#5
Serek makes some gig bags specifically for short and medium scale basses. I didn't try one, but measuring my Mustang it seems that the 45" one would fit it pretty good.
https://www.serekbasses.com/product/serek-basses-heavy-duty-gig-bag/

I tried several "guitar" gig bags and cases for my Vintera Mustang to no avail... Even the longest ones were always an inch short. Ended up just buying the fender short scale bass gig bag while I was waiting for the Fender short scale hard case to come back in stock.
 
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#6
forrestlaw said:
Serek makes some gig bags specifically for short and medium scale basses. I didn't try one, but measuring my Mustang it seems that the 45" one would fit it pretty good.
https://www.serekbasses.com/product/serek-basses-heavy-duty-gig-bag/

I tried several "guitar" gig bags and cases for my Vintera Mustang to no avail... Even the longest ones were always an inch short. Ended up just buying the fender short scale bass gig bag while I was waiting for the Fender short scale hard case to come back in stock.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendation. I never heard of Serek. Those look nice, but I don't know if they are $160 nice. :eek:
 
#7
MarMar said:
Thank you for the recommendation. I never heard of Serek. Those look nice, but I don't know if they are $160 nice. :eek:
Click to expand...

They look to be on par with Mono, Gator, and Reunion Blues. So, $160 is about par for the course. The Fender bag is cheaper, but not as protective (It will get the job done, though). The only other option I found was made by Access cases and it's hella expensive.
 
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#11
For the most part the cheap-o sub $100 gig bags are just something to carry your instrument in and don't provide much protection, but I've flown with a Reunion Blues Continental, lugged it around town, and loaded it into the back of a van/trailer lots. I think it provides as much protection as a hard case.
 
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#12
I noticed that most short scale basses move around a lot in a full scale bass case. I would think this is unsafe for the bass.

Can I put a short scale bass in a full size bass gig bag? Would that be safe if the bass doesn't move around a lot? It fits well in the gig bag I use for my P Bass except there is a little extra room at the top. The gig bag I use for my P bass is supposed to be for a Hofner-style "Beatles" bass and it fits surprisingly well for what I would assume is a gig bag made for a bass smaller than a P bass.
 
#13
A case that fits well is better than one that doesn't, no matter the instrument. But if the fit problem is only that there's headroom, not that the bass rattles around, then who cares? You'll be hauling around a longer case than you need, but that doesn't hurt anything.
 
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#14
One of my friends managed to convince Gator to sell him an extra "Body Block" for his Gator Pro-Go. So he shoves a Mustang bass in there and has two Body Block pads to bulk up the butt-end of the bass case and keep the bass from sliding inside when he's moving it around.

You can see the body block in the photo here:
G-PG-BASS_BODY-575x383.jpg

It just velcros in, unless they changed the design to make it permanent.
 
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#15
frankie5string said:
One of my friends managed to convince Gator to sell him an extra "Body Block" for his Gator Pro-Go. So he shoves a Mustang bass in there and has two Body Block pads to bulk up the butt-end of the bass case and keep the bass from sliding inside when he's moving it around.

You can see the body block in the photo here:
G-PG-BASS_BODY-575x383.jpg

It just velcros in, unless they changed the design to make it permanent.
Click to expand...

Do they usually not sell the Body Block pieces alone? :eyebrow: I'm still searching for a feasible gig bag or case for my most recent short scale purchase. :banghead:
 
#16
I'm in the camp of: suffer thru the sticker shock and get a nice bag. It really really is worth it, both the peace of mind and the superior protection & engineering.

The Gator ProGo Electric very snugly fits Mustang basses. I got it instead of a Serek because I like having some extra pockets, and also the built-in rain liner. Also they were in stock and Sereks were nowhere to be found. I'm extremely happy with the Gator, prob would be quite happy with the Serek too.
 
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#17
Best to try your bass in a bag to see if it fits to your liking. I've got a few short scales and they fit well in regular electric guitar sized Fender, SKB, and other bags.

iakvj0l-jpg.jpg
 
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#18
MarMar said:
I've heard some people prefer gig bags over hard cases because they are lighter and easier to move around. I would think a hard case is safer, but those $160 Serek or whatever gig bags look pretty sturdy.
Click to expand...

Some people don't understand that there is no one "gig bag". A Gator Pro Go, Protect Contego or other high end bag offer more protection than basic hard shell cases.
 
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#19
rudy4444 said:
Best to try your bass in a bag to see if it fits to your liking. I've got a few short scales and they fit well in regular electric guitar sized Fender, SKB, and other bags.

View attachment 4477083
Click to expand...

At this point, I'm probably going to try a bag similar to one I'm carrying my P Bass in. I found one that's a little smaller than that one of the same brand and that brand is nice (and cheap). I'm not gigging right now (nor in a functional band) so I can't justify buying a $150+ gig bag at the moment. :cautious:
 
#20
Short scale bass cases, IME, is a pretty mixed bag (yeah, I know; ha ha...:rolleyes:). It kinda depends on the bass. One of my Aluminum-necked Kramer Dukes still has it's OHSC, but it's a Steinberger/Hohner style headless bass, so it hardly counts for the purpose of this discussion. The old hollow body MIJ Epiphone EA-260 fits perfectly into an ES-335 guitar case, and (surprise, surprise) so does the Danelectro Longhorn. The Warmoth Mini-Precision Bass lives in a more-or-less universal Road Runner electric guitar case; which it fits pretty well. The Gretsch G6119B Broadkaster came to me without it's OHSC, and I gave up trying to get one from Gretsch a long time ago. It's essentially just a Gretsch G6119 Tennessean guitar with a slightly longer neck; I found a nice TKL hollow body guitar case that works quite well. I haven't gotten a case for my Eastwood copy of a Gibson Flying V bass yet (busy with a new house and stuff), but there's a TKL case that should fit. I have the model number written down somewhere... My 2 violin basses (Korean and Chinese) should be fairly easy to get cases for; just haven't bothered... I've had pretty good luck finding cases for my shorty's by taking the relevant measurements, then searching through the case company's websites. I've also had good luck going to the Big Box music stores with the bass in hand, and just asking them if they have a case that might fit. Sometimes, they actually do have one...:whistle:
 
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