Help! Help me find a semi-rigid case for my Bongo 5

[martindupras]

I got my Bongo 5 a few months ago second-hand. I'm over the moon with it.

It came in a rectangular tolex case (not a Music Man case) which is just about adequate, but not great by any means.

I'd like something better and lighter. I just need a case to carry the bass from house to car to gig, not for the back of a van or to carry on planes.

Ideally, I would like something much like the TKL 6136 which is a re-inforced semi-rigid foam case with a tough nylon exterior and heavy-duty reinforced stitching.

The only problem is that the inner length is 119cm. I measured my bongo and with Dunlop strap-lock it's about 124cm.

Can anyone recommend a comparable case that they know fits? Preferably from a brand that is widely distributed as I live in the UK.

Many thanks.

- martin

 

[the unrepentant]

"semi rigid" *suppresses childish giggling fit*

*ahem* anyway yeah, there are some good gigbag type hardcases out there, but for the life of me i can't remember the name of the one i'm thinking of... and with the straplock, do you mean with the actual strap end on there too? or just the button?

 

[Grand Wazoo]

check out my replies on this past thread http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/39667-gig-bag-bongo.html#post637973

 

[the unrepentant]

"incase", that's what iw as thinking of i think, they're expensive though and i'm not sure if your bongo might fit.

 

[danny-79]

This place i pretty good, this advert is for a stingray case but thay do all diffrent types of cases, to suite all kinds of diffrent needs.

Musicman Stingray Bass Guitar Cases m 3

 

[martindupras]

Thanks but...

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I'd seen the gigbag thread.

It's a fine line but I'm not after a gig bag but a semi-rigid case.

It's a personal choice, but I don't really want a gig bag.

In my view a gigbag is good for carrying the bass on your back, while walking, going on the bus, the tube, etc. I would say they are adequate for that kind of carrying, and I'm not disputing that there are excellent gig bags.

However: it's difficult to get a really good fit (whereas in a case I can cut foam bits to match the bass exactly for a snug fit.) And from a preference point of view, I don't want the hanging straps and outside pockets, I find that they just get in the way and things like microphone stands just get caught in them.

And about the strap buttons: good point, I measured with the strap on. I guess that makes it 121cm after all, which is more manageable.

- martin

 

[martindupras]

Flightcasewarehouse

Dan,

Flightcasewarehouse is where I got my pedalboards. Can't fault them, but I'm after a lightweight semi-rigid case. A flight case is even heavier and more overkill than what I have already.

- martin

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Then go for a Hiscox!

 

[the unrepentant]

hmm, your needs sound fairly specific, if you only need to get it from the house to the car to the gig, then i'm not too sure why weight would be an issue?

 

[danny-79]

Calton Cases UK Website

Carton cases maby ? i no thay do thoes in all diffrent shapes, sizes, colours etc .

Or theres these
http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Bass_G...ng&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term={keyword}

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Calton Cases UK Website

Carton cases maby ? i no thay do thoes in all diffrent shapes, sizes, colours etc .

Oh I dunno about those Danny they don't look semi rigid enough, maybe more rigid soft than standing proud, you reckon they'll do, do you?

 

[danny-79]

Oh I dunno about those Danny they don't look semi rigid enough, maybe more rigid soft than standing proud, you reckon they'll do, do you?

I used to have one a few years ago, thay are pretty good, (i had a dreadnought in it D28 accoustic) did the job just great

 

[martindupras]

Weight

Thanks for the replies. Very useful.

Good point about the weight. The reason why I prefer lightweight is that to get inside my studio I have to go through a small booth with two doors at 90 degree angles, and I can't just get the case through parallel to the floor so I have to tip it up when I come in and out. It's pretty unwieldy with the case that I have at the moment. I suppose it's not so much a weight issue as a combination of weight, length, shape and handle location.

Hiscox and Calton are certainly good options. I like that Calton can make to-measure cases in the UK. I'll look into it.

The protection racket case is quite close to what I had in mind, and judging by the photos a lot of thought has been put into them. It certainly looks like they've neatly tackled the stray straps problem.

Thanks for all the very good advice.

 

[Aussie Mark]

then go for a hiscox!

+100

 

[BobKos]

How about an EBMM plastic hardshell case? Lighter than plywood / tolex. Stronger than any soft or semirigid. Best of all - affordable and available everywhere.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

How about an EBMM plastic hardshell case? Lighter than plywood / tolex. Stronger than any soft or semirigid. Best of all - affordable and available everywhere.

Yeah and if you buy the instrument new the case comes with it!

 

[martindupras]

I don't know why but I'm having great difficulty finding a supplier for the EBMM cases in the UK.

I really don't want to make a special order; it usually takes two or three months before they either tell you that it's no longer available, or it'll be another six months.

It looks like my best bet at the moment is a Hiscox case. I've found a local shop which is supposed to get a Hiscox STD-EBP in which the Bongo should apparently fit.

Does anyone have that particular case, who could confirm that it's a good fit?

Cheers,

- martin

 

[Grand Wazoo]

If you want the original EBMM and you are in the UK then you could send an email to the UK Distributor here [email protected] or send a pm to Blind Lemon on this board.

As for the Hiscox case you need to provide the full dimensions of the bass when ordering i.e. 121cm long by 32.4cm wide by 4.1cm thick.

 

[martindupras]

Cool. Thanks for that. I'll try that. It would be ideal if I could get an EBMM case in stock.

Cheers,

- martin

 

[BobKos]

I don't know how different the 5 string bongo is. I used to have a 4 string bongo. The cases for my Stingray 4's and the Bongo 4 were identical. They could be universally interchanged. I thought at the time that it was a bit of clever unadvertised engineering that EBMM made use of the same case for such a drastically different body shape. You may want to consider trying a Stingray case on for size. It might just work fine and any EBMM dealer should have one on hand.