Gig Bags Gig bags and case covers make life easier for pros and students alike by Heather K. Scott

For musicians with hectic schedules, finding a safe and convenient carrying system for a violin, viola, cello, or bass can be difficult. Busy students and professionals jumping from taxi to bus to subway and back again need to have hands free not just for balance and stability on bumpy public-transit rides, but also to juggle cell phones, PDAs, and other travel essentials. A gig bag or case cover can transform a bulky case into a convenient backpack, provide added protection to a travel case, or act as an alternative mode of instrument transportation between gigs.

How do you know if a gig bag is right for you?

Maybe you have a battered old case that you’ve fallen in love with over the years, despite its being heavy and bulky, and you just can’t part with it. Perhaps you’re looking for a quick slipcover to protect your cello between late-night gigs. Or possibly your pocketbook just doesn’t allow for a new lighter-weight case. Whatever the reason, gig bags and case covers are a reasonably priced way to upgrade your current case, or transport your instrument around town without the added bulk of a hard case.

Matt Stamell of Stamell String Instruments in Amherst, Massachusetts, says most of the players who visit his shop looking for gig bags and case covers are professionals and preprofessionals. Their reasons? "To protect their cases and to give extra carrying capability," he says.

"Hard-shell cases, especially with the larger instruments, are quite unmanageable for some," adds Simon McHugh of McHugh Violin Shop in Wichita, Kansas.

Some musicians feel that gig bags and case covers are even a worthy replacement for the traditional case, especially when it comes to hauling unwieldy basses. "Bass padded covers are the most practical and safest means of protective 'everyday’ transport of the bass violin," says Barrie Kolstein of Kolstein Music, Inc.

What To Look For

"I am looking for quality construction with good protection for my instrument; light weight and easy to carry–also easy and safe to pack and unpack," notes Dorothy Cole, a String Talk forum member (at www.stringsmagazine.com) and cellist with the Charlotte Symphony in North Carolina. Cole is not alone in her quest for a light, safe, and convenient way to transport her instrument. Such requests are the reason most musicians begin their search for a gig bag or case cover.

But what should you look for when evaluating these products?

Stamell says most of his clients are looking for "good-quality construction, good padding, and large pockets for music and accessories."

"Padding is always a prime concern, particularly in cello and bass covers," reports Tom Kagan of T.R. Kagan Violins in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Bow pockets, rather than a detachable bow case/pouch, are favored, as are pockets for rosin, spare strings, and bridges."

Tony Nigliazzo, a violinist and String Talk contributor, sees zippers as the most important aspect of any case cover or gig bag. When a zipper broke on his case last season, the violinist says he suffered a "catastrophic failure" that irreparably damaged his instrument.

For McHugh, the most important traits of a good gig bag or case cover include "serious protection for the instrument, generous accessory/bow pockets, and, above all, substantial zippers." But he adds this caveat: "Give serious thought to the amount of convenience balanced with the exposure to damage. A hard-shell case is hard to beat for best protection."

When shopping for your own gig bag or case cover, take along an evaluation checklist. Case manufacturer Barrie Kolstein recommends "[looking] at the overall structural quality of the cover, the amenities and the features of the cover, and the aesthetics."

You’ll also want to consider the padded and/or insulated linings; reinforced seams and linings; extra-strong zippers; multiple, reinforced, and well-positioned handles; comfortable padded shoulder or backpack straps; and bow, accessory, and/or music pockets.

The Perfect Match

Some musicians find it difficult to nail down that "perfect" bag. Straps may be well-padded and handles well-placed, but the lining may not be as thick as you’d like. Or size may even be an issue, as it was for Strings reader Annyta Klein Vizard.

"We recently bought a cello and found it difficult—impossible—to find a bag case that fit," Vizard laments. "The cello is larger than most and we had to go with a larger, heavier, hard case instead of a lighter padded case. We wish that all cases had a place for music and rosin while protecting the instrument."

Natalie Haas, a professional cellist and Juilliard School student, finally settled on a case cover. "I use something called the 'Blobby’—we nicknamed it 'Dobby the Blobby’—to fly with over my Alan Stevenson cello case," she shares. "It’s a big black denim bag that insulates the case with solid foam on all sides. Dobby and I have a love/hate relationship . . . never once has my cello been harmed when I check it, but it is the most ridiculous thing to carry. It only weighs 35 pounds total with cello, case, and Blobby, but it is huge . . . and it doesn’t have wheels! Still, it’s worth all the awkwardness to know that my cello is safe."

Haas purchased her Blobby from case maker Alan Stevenson.

James Lyon, a professor of violin at Penn State University, found success with a case cover as well. "I love my Cushy! Its padding keeps my Vuillaume safe from extreme weather and cushions any small impacts incurred in transit. The strap is also totally reliable, unlike the one that came with my case . . . . The Cushy case cover, easily slips over any standard full-size oblong violin case and I definitely recommend it!" The Cushy is available from Shar Music.

Sarah Freiberg, a professional cellist and frequent Strings contributor, instead finds gig bags are better suited to her needs. "I have a top-of-the-line well-padded soft cello case by Reunion Blues that I have taken on the road with me," she says. "I just use that instead of a hard case when I’m flying and have a seat for the cello. I remember once flying a red-eye from California to Boston with my infant son, who didn’t have a seat, and the cello, which did have a seat. Because of airline regulations at the time, I had been bumped to first class so that the cello could have a proper seat; soon after I got on the plane, an attendant offered to stow the cello in a closet. So, my son ended up with the seat and the cello was safely stowed."

She adds, "Sometimes, if I have to take my cello on a flight, but it doesn’t have a seat, I send it underneath in a big case, but pack my Reunion Blues case in luggage so that I can use it at my destination."

Better Shop Around

Like shopping for any instrument accessory, it will take time to locate the best gig bag or case cover for your purposes. If you find yourself looking at a variety of brands and wishing you could take the zipper off one, the handles from another, and the lining from still another, you’ll be glad to learn that there are companies that will take your favorite qualities and design a custom gig bag or case cover.

One such firm is the Mooradian Case Company. In business for more than 25 years, Mooradian was the first company to use mountain-climbing materials in its production of gig bags. Today the innovative company offers custom services in addition to its standard product line. You can discuss the qualities you want in a bag or cover, submit your instrument measurements, and Mooradian will create a bag based on your specifications. (The company also makes bags for gambas, basses, and viols.)

If having a custom case made doesn’t fit your pocketbook, consider what String Talk member Kevin Thomson did to solve his own "Frankenstein" dilemma.

After growing concerned over not being able to find a case cover or gig bag that wasn’t black, which, Thomson says, "as you well know [is] subject to substantial heat gain, even when carried in an air conditioned car, I was a little leary of transporting my wife’s $3,000 [instrument] in her black case on a family vacation."

Rather than give up the fight, Thomson devised his own custom case cover.

"I went to my local Ace Hardware," he says, "and bought some Reflectex brand silver-coated, bubble-wrap insulation. I also purchased a stick-on zipper [to use as a cover closure] that was designed to stick to plastic sheeting for construction-site door covers; you just stick the zipper over your plastic dust barrier, unzip it, and then cut a 'doorway’ with a sharp knife. I took the Reflectex and cut a shape to the form of my case, taped it all together with the metal-foil tape I had also purchased, stuck the zipper on the side, cut it open and voilá! I had an insulated, reflecting, affordable case cover that protected my wife’s [instrument] and case to a T!"

Like the old adage says, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

In the Bag

Looking for more details about bags and covers? Here is contact information for the dealers and manufacturers mentioned in this article:

Kagan Violins (919) 571-9546

Kolstein Music, Inc www.kolstein.com

McHugh Violin Shop www.mcfiddles.com

Mooradian Case Company www.mooradian.com

Reunion Blues www.reunionblues.com

Shar Music www.sharmusic.com

Stamell String Instruments www.stamellstring.com

Alan Stevenson www.stevensoncases.co.uk