Many musicians and guitar players dream of traveling and performing in different cities, states and countries around the world. Road trips and traveling can be fun and exciting, but it’s important to consider how traveling will impact your instrument. Most importantly, it’s wise to think about the protection and safety of your instrument as it relates to your guitar case. Unfortunately, not every musician can travel with the most robust and heavy cases on the market. Therefore, it is important to look at a variety of cases and determine which allows the most protection while also fitting into your traveling lifestyle.
When buying a guitar case, a musician first needs to select the right size and shape for the guitar model. Then, it’s time to decide if you need a hard or sort guitar case – or both!
Difference between a soft and hard guitar cases
A soft guitar case is very common for traveling musicians and is popular for a variety of reasons, but mainly easy of carry. Soft cases are much lighter and usually cheaper, but offer significantly less protection. Many soft cases come with back straps, which allow a player to carry conveniently on their back. However, soft guitar cases do not offer optimal protection from moisture, impact or temperature change. A guitar placed in a soft case is very susceptible to small accidents like falling on the ground or being hit by other falling objects in transit.
Although soft cases are usually lighter, and therefore easier to carry, a hard guitar case is most suitable for those people who want maximum protection for an instrument. The use of fiberglass, wood exterior and / or injection molding synthetics can protect a guitar from any possible external scratches or dents, hard impact, moisture or temperature change. However, hard cases can be significantly more expensive and cumbersome to travel with than a soft sided case.
When to pick a hard guitar case?
Generally speaking, a hard guitar case is preferred over a soft case in just about every scenario from a protection standpoint. That said, there are scenarios where a hard case is not feasible or realistic. Weight and space is a significant consideration with a hard case and there are times when a soft case is required. In these situations, take steps to keep the instrument in your possession and control at all times for optimal protection from outside forces. As we’ve noted before, the local climate is also one of the considerations when choosing a guitar case. If you live in a location with extreme variations in climate and/or humidity issues – a hard case can help keep your instrument safe and playing well. Hard cases typically cost more than soft cases, so budget can be a limiting factor when selecting a case.
When to pick a soft guitar case?
A soft case is ideal for a guitar when convenience, weight, space and travel ease is the priority. The second factor for deciding a case is price. Since soft cases are cheaper than hard ones, many people prefer to buy them if they are on a budget or for lower priced instruments. The ideal situation is to keep an instrument in a hard case as often as possible, with a soft case as a backup for those select traveling occasions where weight, size and travel convenience outweigh the protective attributes of a hard case.
At Breedlove we offer a variety of acoustic guitar cases available through the online guitar gear store. View a variety of hardshell cases, gig bags and deluxe foam shell cases for dreadnought and concert guitars. We also offer a hard shell mandolin case.
