Question / Advice on Cases

[remhed]

Hi all,

I have a Gretsch Renown Maple kit that I gig with. 10, 12, 14, 22" I have had them in soft cases for a while now, and they are a pain to negotiate putting them in taking them out on stage. So i'm thinking about getting hard cases for them and looking for thoughts / advice.

Are the nomad cases a good option? I don't gig a ton- maybe 6 - 10 times a year. Since they are fiberboard I'm skeptical of their durability. If not them, then what do you guys recommend and where is a good source? Having a 14x14 floor tom makes it hard to just buy a 5 piece set from one of the big box stores.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[A J]

I use mostly Beato Pro 1 or Beato Cordura soft cases. Pro 1 has a little better exterior. They both have very thick side walls and remain open when you're loading drums. Soft cases are more forgiving when you're loading them into your car. They have some "give" and won't scuff and scratch your car's interior like hard cases will. I also like the insulating properties of soft cases, especially when I'm moving drums from a 70 degree bar out to a 15 degree parking lot.

By the way... I LOVE Gretsch Renown bass drums - best kick drum on the planet (IMHO). I have two of them.

 

[remhed]

By the way... I LOVE Gretsch Renown bass drums - best kick drum on the planet (IMHO). I have two of them.

Yep the bass drum is bar far the best part of the kit. Especially tuning a 14 x 14 floor tom is a challenge.

 

[bob e michael]

if you're hauling only your own gear , i wouldn't spend the money on hard cases , and like you said , you only gig 8-10 times a year .
now if you're hauling your drum set with other gear , then i would definitely get hard cases
i haul my own gear now , i use a hard case for my snare , and cymbals only .... the rest are in soft cases

 

[doubleroll]

+1 for Beato Pro cases for my Gretsch USA customs. I do use an SKB hard case for my cymbals at times.

 

[DanRH]

I have many gigging kits and I use soft bags for them all...except my Craviottos. I got the Protecktor cases because I really wanted to protect my investment.

After a few months with them, I wish I had gotten another set of nice soft bags. Like the Beato 1's, Armour bags or Protection Racket's. They're easier to transport and store during the gig as I nest them and they're light. My 2 cents.

 

[A J]

By the way, if you do decide to go with hard cases, the "fiberboard" stuff you mention is actually very durable. I have an ancient 20"x20" Anvil cymbal case that's suffered more abuse than I care to mention and it's still going strong. I purchased it used 30+ years ago with my very first drum set. Nowadays I use it to carry emergency spare drum heads.