I had rigidly stuck to using these long-discontinued Kaces Not Leather gig bags, but recently had to give them up. They are made with a vinyl outer coating that tears too easily, and they started looking very ratty, so it was time to retire them. But I had very specific criteria for a new one:
---Didn't want a hard case disguised as a gig bag
---Had to fit in an SKB Roto Bass Case (formerly the Bass Safe)
---Didn't want it to stick way over my head and make me feel like Herman Munster
That last criterion was a major sticking point with almost all gig bags I saw, so I asked on Facebook if anyone had any recommendations. Got a few good recommendations, with several people recommending I check out Gruv Gear's bags. But the Gigblade 2 didn't meet two of my criteria, and even though it didn't stick up over your head, didn't seem to me like it was very ergonomic to tote. My friend Mark Damon of The Pretty Reckless told me that they had a newer slimmer model called the Sliver, said they were very easy to tote, and offered to put me in touch with Jay Baldemor, head of Gruv Gear, if I had any questions. So I asked Jay a few questions through email, and he responded within an hour on a Sunday night, no less! He said his customers said it fit in the SKB case and showed me a video with several ways you can strap it on and tote it. So I ordered it through Sweetwater, and it arrived earlier today.
To be honest, I wanted the new even smaller Edge bag they have coming out, but it won't be ready till July and I have fly gigs in May so I got the Sliver instead. Turns out Mark was right. It is super easy to tote on one shoulder like a messenger bag, and the options that it has for toting (including adding an optional second shoulder strap and toting it trad backpack style) give you a lot of choices, none of which do the Munster thing. As for fitting in the SKB Roto case, it's a pretty tight fit that made it a bit of a wrestling match at first, but it does fit. To be honest, I'm slightly worried that when TSA inevitably opens it up (I guess nobody at TSA can tell through x-rays that there's a musical instrument inside), they won't put it back together correctly, but I think it'll work out fine, really.
Anyway, that's my first-day review of it. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I was extremely impressed with Jay's responsiveness and commitment to his company and customers, so I've become a Gruv Gear and Jay Baldemor fan. And there's no question that this bag is very high quality, so I have a feeling I'll still be pretty big on the Sliver a year from now.
---Didn't want a hard case disguised as a gig bag
---Had to fit in an SKB Roto Bass Case (formerly the Bass Safe)
---Didn't want it to stick way over my head and make me feel like Herman Munster
That last criterion was a major sticking point with almost all gig bags I saw, so I asked on Facebook if anyone had any recommendations. Got a few good recommendations, with several people recommending I check out Gruv Gear's bags. But the Gigblade 2 didn't meet two of my criteria, and even though it didn't stick up over your head, didn't seem to me like it was very ergonomic to tote. My friend Mark Damon of The Pretty Reckless told me that they had a newer slimmer model called the Sliver, said they were very easy to tote, and offered to put me in touch with Jay Baldemor, head of Gruv Gear, if I had any questions. So I asked Jay a few questions through email, and he responded within an hour on a Sunday night, no less! He said his customers said it fit in the SKB case and showed me a video with several ways you can strap it on and tote it. So I ordered it through Sweetwater, and it arrived earlier today.
To be honest, I wanted the new even smaller Edge bag they have coming out, but it won't be ready till July and I have fly gigs in May so I got the Sliver instead. Turns out Mark was right. It is super easy to tote on one shoulder like a messenger bag, and the options that it has for toting (including adding an optional second shoulder strap and toting it trad backpack style) give you a lot of choices, none of which do the Munster thing. As for fitting in the SKB Roto case, it's a pretty tight fit that made it a bit of a wrestling match at first, but it does fit. To be honest, I'm slightly worried that when TSA inevitably opens it up (I guess nobody at TSA can tell through x-rays that there's a musical instrument inside), they won't put it back together correctly, but I think it'll work out fine, really.
Anyway, that's my first-day review of it. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I was extremely impressed with Jay's responsiveness and commitment to his company and customers, so I've become a Gruv Gear and Jay Baldemor fan. And there's no question that this bag is very high quality, so I have a feeling I'll still be pretty big on the Sliver a year from now.
