michinho

Here's a link to some footage from our gig last night at the Tooting Tram & Social! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H7YPmLnl6I&feature=youtu.be

Tonight's the night! come down and say hey!

Sharks Don't Swim @ The Sebright Arms, Bethnal Green, 01/03/2014 Again, rocking the SB320 !!

Sharks Don't Swim @ Bar Solo, Camden, 26/02/2014 Only the one shot here. Using my SGC Nanyo SB320, beautiful bass

Sharks Don't Swim @ The Islington, 15/02/2014 Last Gig w/ my old Fender Mexican Standard P (now sold)

Sharks Don't Swim @ Arch 635, Clapham, 07/02/2014 Sporting my Fender American Standard Jazz Shot of my board in this one Crowd Shot

My band are Headlining the O2 Academy Islington next Friday the 28th. Come along if you're about! Whole evening of bands, live acts and a DJ following on at 10:30 PM! That takes you on to 3/4 AM! Need tickets for this one, so let me know if you want any! £8 entry!

Come down this Friday if your'e in town! For some Indie/Punk Rock madness! We're on about 8 o'clock!

I went ahead and ordered a Mono M80. Should be with me later today when I get home from work. Will take it with me to practice tonight! I'll let everyone know how I get on! I plan on buying a Vertigo at some point as well, and maybe a Reunion Blues Aero.

Mcnach, Does the F1 have reinforced panels like on the contego etc?

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I'm still stumped on what to go for! The Monos seem great but i'm concerned that they are ONLY padding. Even though people are stating it provides ample protection I am worried because the case looks very flexible.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]The Contego looks cool because it has re-enforced panels. The same goes for the Reunion Aero and Continental.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]My concern is the Contego might not support my bass enough well on the inside. E.g. the neck brace doesn't seem as good as some other makes etc. Plus from some pictures the fit of certain basses looks a tight squeeze![/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Completely stuck still! The worst thing is I am not in any position to try any of these out and I need to get one quick! [/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Does anyone know if the Reunion Blues Aero has any storage compartments?[/font][/color]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1394893127' post='2396381'] Here's my F1: one of the things I liked about this, apart from the protection and comfort, was the storage... It has three nice pockets on the front. The first one is not very deep, but can carry a bunch of accessories, cables, etc. The second one is the main compartment. I can probably fit my Shuttle 9.2 head there although I prefer to carry it in its own bag separately. It has tons of space. I typically carry spare strings, instrument cables, a power extension cable, multi-plug adaptors... It has several zips and smaller pockets inside too. The third one is the deepest pocket, but it's a bit shallower. Itll fit A4 notepads etc. Probably a thin laptop too. A tablet/iPad will fit without issues. Deep. There is nice separation between the pockets too. There is a fourth deep pocket on the neck. I don't normally carry much there, because everything I need fits elsewhere. This is the case open: The bass is well protected from the sides (there is some hard reinforcement in addition to the thick dense padding), front and back. The neck rest is repositionable. Whatever is in the pockets will not hurt the bass underneath Nice solid comfy handles In addition to the normal handle, it's got this kind of "pocket" that's used to grab/handle the case. You can grab it like a handle, slide your palm in.. it's simple, but very effective, comfortable and secure way to lift it and move it about. One on the back: one on the front: It has very nice back support and straps (another small pocket in one of the straps, which I don't use), which will be very welcome if you need to walk with it on your back for any distance... I also liked the idea that you can get extra smaller bags that attach securely to the gigbag, but I never found I needed extra storage. [/quote] What is the bottom of the case like in terms of protection? I see that the Mono has a built in type wedge to stop the bottom strap nut going into the body on impact. It looks like it provides a lot of protection for the bottom of the bass too. Just wanted to see how this compares Also, how has everyone found leaving their bass inside the cases for long periods of time? Does it have any impact on the finishes, neck etc?

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1394893127' post='2396381'] Here's my F1: one of the things I liked about this, apart from the protection and comfort, was the storage... It has three nice pockets on the front. The first one is not very deep, but can carry a bunch of accessories, cables, etc. The second one is the main compartment. I can probably fit my Shuttle 9.2 head there although I prefer to carry it in its own bag separately. It has tons of space. I typically carry spare strings, instrument cables, a power extension cable, multi-plug adaptors... It has several zips and smaller pockets inside too. The third one is the deepest pocket, but it's a bit shallower. Itll fit A4 notepads etc. Probably a thin laptop too. A tablet/iPad will fit without issues. Deep. There is nice separation between the pockets too. There is a fourth deep pocket on the neck. I don't normally carry much there, because everything I need fits elsewhere. This is the case open: The bass is well protected from the sides (there is some hard reinforcement in addition to the thick dense padding), front and back. The neck rest is repositionable. Whatever is in the pockets will not hurt the bass underneath Nice solid comfy handles In addition to the normal handle, it's got this kind of "pocket" that's used to grab/handle the case. You can grab it like a handle, slide your palm in.. it's simple, but very effective, comfortable and secure way to lift it and move it about. One on the back: one on the front: It has very nice back support and straps (another small pocket in one of the straps, which I don't use), which will be very welcome if you need to walk with it on your back for any distance... I also liked the idea that you can get extra smaller bags that attach securely to the gigbag, but I never found I needed extra storage. [/quote] Fantastic Review cheers! Seems like it could be between this and the Mono!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394815200' post='2395578'] Bah! Iignore all these poncey and expensive boutique gig-bags! Get yourself a Chase for £25! It'll do everything you need it to! [url="http://www.chasedirect.co.uk/gig-bags-cases/guitar-gig-bags/chase-ccg700b-bass-guitar-gig-bag-25mm-padded"]http://www.chasedire...bag-25mm-padded[/url] [/quote] Haha! The case HAS to be a hybrid! I need the best protection I can get! That's the most important thing for me! The Mono sounds like it might top the bill there!

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1394813018' post='2395550'] I'm 6'2 and don't struggle with the mono at all... I walk the mile or so to rehearsal every week no probs... even in the rain. [/quote] [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394813332' post='2395553'] I'd heard lots of good things about the MONO bags too, that along with the weight factor when compared with other similar bags was what led me to buy mine. It would appear that most of the recommendations came from people who were looking at a lightweight alternatives to hard cases rather than people who needed one to carry their bass on their back. Roland Rock isn't as tiny as me and he's also complained about the discomfort when wearing it on his back. In light of CamdenRob's comment above I would suggest that you make the effort to try one out before parting with your money. It's a lot to spend if you do find that it's not suitable for you. [/quote] [quote name='goblin' timestamp='1394813640' post='2395557'] I use Mono now, having used a leather gig bag previously. It offers great protection, makes the weight of the bass much more manageable and looks fantastic, and it sits at a nice height too rather than swinging around my ankles (I'm only a short to be fair), but like others have said, it does get uncomfortable for a while. Fortunately my walk down to uni with it is less than 5 minutes, so it's not too bad. That said, I've also walked over 2 miles with it on my back before, and it's been fine. Much better than the previous Warwick bags I've used. [/quote] Hmmmm conflicting reviews about the comfort! I doubt I will be able to go anywhere to try one out though with my bass! I have to really on the good people on the internet i'm afraid!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394792631' post='2395234'] Well bearing in mind that a Hiscox bass case (an industry standard flight case) measures 1230mm long by 390mm wide by 135mm deep and weighs 4.3kg: The Mono M80 is 1250mm x 420mm x 120mm (not including the front pocket) and weighs 2.6kg The Mono Vertigo is a slightly different shape to the M80 but has the same maximum dimensions and weight The iGig G515 is 1270mm x 410mm x 90mm and weighs 3.5kg The Fusion F1 is 1080mm x 440mm x 130mm and weighs 2.5kg The Protec Contego is 1245mm x 430mm x 130mm and weighs 3kg The Sadowsky PortaBag is 1270mm x 430mm x (no depth given) and weighs 3.4kg None of these bags are particularly small and most aren't very light - especially when you consider that a "traditional" padded gig bag weighs between 1.5 and 2kg. As I've said previously the big issue when getting a gig bag is comfort when you are wearing it on your back. The only one of these I have first hand experience of is the Mono M80 and that is not at all comfortable to wear on anything but the shortest of journeys. The problem is a combination of the straps being too close together at the top, and the fact that because I'm not very tall (just under 5' 6") the bottom of the case slaps against the backs of my legs when I walk. And this is the compromise. In order for the bag not the stick up too far above the wearer's head the straps are mounted higher on the case which means in order to fit them in the available width, they have to be too close together to be comfortable on the shoulders and at the same time the bottom of the bag is now too low on the body which means that on shorter people it hits that backs of their legs. Looking at the strap arrangement of the other cases, I would bother at all with the Sadowsky. The way the straps are fitted at the top looks just too painful to even contemplate. The iGig looks much better although there doesn't appear to be any chest of hip straps. There are no photos of the straps on the Protec so I can't comment. Overall the Fusion F1 [i][b]LOOKS[/b][/i] the best with it's reasonably widely spaced straps and hip strap (plus it's not too big or heavy). However, having bought the MONO and been disappointed about the comfort of wearing it I personally wouldn't buy any of these without trying it on with my bass in it first to see just how comfortable it is going to be to wear and walk with. HTH. [/quote] I'm 6'3 so it might have a big difference on me in terms of comfort. I've heard a lot of good things about the Mono. Another recommendation I've had is the Reunion Blues Continental. Any comments on this one from anyone?