Gibson SG Bass - heavy duty gig bag / shaped case

[Charla]

I bought a Gibson SG Bass which came with a moulded rectangular case. This fits in the back of the car, but not the boot! As it's a short scale, but a little longer than my Supro Huntington, I'm having difficulty finding a sturdy Gig bag that isn't for a full scale bass that fits. Anyone have any recommendations.

 

Cheers

 

Charla

[Paul S]

I use these for my shorties:

 

https://www.thomann.co.uk/thomann_gigbag_deluxe_egitarre.htm#bewertung

 

They offer very good protection.  Handy if you are thinking of ordering anything else to spread the postage but, even with £10 added, they are excellent value.  

[Schlippy]

I use one of Gator's Mono knock-off Icon cases (not the bass version, but the G-ICONELECTRIC which is designed for 6-strings), which fits most of my short scales like a glove...except for the SG sad face emoji:

 

 

 

It's very nearly a perfect fit, but the broad headstock profile on the SG coupled with the additional base support cushion in the case means the Grovers are pushing into the sides of the case ever so slightly.

 

Without the support cushion at the bottom it's a better fit:

 

 

 

...but there's still a tiny bit of contact, not enough to compromise the case but it'll most likely cause the fabric to wear over time. To be honest you're going to struggle to find anything as good as the Gibson OHSC, it fits the whole body like a glove, supports and holds the neck in two places and has plenty of room to stop those daft oversize tuners getting in the way, plus is boot friendly as it's only a few inches longer / wider than the guitar itself, thanks to the form-fitting nature:

 

 

Both options are relatively pricey new, the Gator goes for 120-140 and the Gibson one is 150+, but they crop up on ebay & reverb individually every so often for under 100 notes.

 

Or - you could sacrifice the classic profile of the SG and swap out those stupid Grovers for some nice Gotoh ultralights, and not only have a bass that comfortably fits a lot of aftermarket cases but also doesn't have any neck dive. Given how long the SG has had a neck dive issue and how simple the solution is, I can only assume Gibson hold their consumer base in wilful contempt and deliberately sell them overpriced substandard gear because they despise them (see also: the insane weight profile of the Gibson Les Paul, the crime against engineering that is the Gibson three-point bass bridge, the fuggit-that'll-do attitude toward housing the mudbucker on all Gibson basses that have one, etc. etc.)

 

 

[Charla]

Thanks for the replies. Yes indeed it is difficult finding something appropriate. I can get a case from Gibson for the princely sum of £259, against the Gator iat £170! Can't see any pre owned for sale at the moment.

 

I got into short scale basses about five years ago after a tendon issue affected my playing. Since then I've started to love playing short scales and have a Supro Huntington, Sandberg Lionel and the Gibson SG. I fully agree with your views re Gibson design and build, but then again I do love the sound and playability of the SG Bass especially with a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwound Super Slinky 45-100 strings. I bought the Gibson pre used, hence the rectangular case, as I would have preferred the shaped case. 

 

Cheers

 

Charla