When you’re looking for the best materials to protect your guitar, 3 choices come up: So for the next section, we’ll cover the most resistant materials of all: Molded Plastic/Fiberglass/Carbonfiber Guitar Cases Now, woodshell cases are tough, but being made out of an organic material, they can suffer from extreme temperatures. They’re very resistant and will protect your guitar through the roughest of conditions at an affordable price.įor this list, I chose to stick to a range of $50 to $100 for which you’ll get the most value: These cases are the typical dedicated musician’s gear. They are fit for transportation but on the downside….Wood cases have wooden or laminate outer layers covered in Tolex, which is the same material used to cover the wood of guitar amplifiers cabinets.
They’re HARD, which is the reason why they are fit for being carried around and tossed in the trunk of a van, for example. Cases made out of other materials – which include ABS Plastic, fiberglass and carbonfiberĪnd in the next section we’ll cover each one of these in more details,.Wood cases – which frame is made out of wood.Hard cases can be divided into 2 categories: So soft cases might be a good enough solution if you don’t plan on throwing your guitar in the back of a van regularly…īut if you do, definitely look into a higher level of protection. Cordoba Classic Guitar Case – ( Amazon).Now, I was initially going to include a “Budget” category but since better cases cost nearly the same, I decided not to. Recommended Soft CasesĪfter thorough research, I found that most decent-quality gig bags fall in the $50 – $160 range, with some exceptions under $50. So that’s what you need to know about soft cases. The decisive factor for buying a gig bag though is very often the backpack straps. If you commute a lot with your guitar, being able to carry it on your back can make all the difference. They are therefore far from ideal for transportation though some high-end/premium models offer pretty decent protection with added features such as: I was completely wrong - indeed, gig bags suck for gigs, because they offer the LEAST amount of protection. Now, when I first heard the term “ gig bag“, I thought these cases were the most suitable for, well, gigs and guess what… The thicker the padding, the better the protection, which is why low end/budget cases will typically have from NO padding to 10mm padding.Īnd if you care just a little bit about your guitar, don’t even consider cases without any padding as they offer NO protection whatsoever. Soft Guitar CasesĬommonly referred to as gig bags, soft cases simplest and cheapest way to protect your guitar. And each of these have their own sub-categories that we will look at now.