Customer Reviews

SKB ATA Rated, Electric Bass Safe with Wheels (Hard Clamshell Design for Use with GigBag)

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I took this case on tour, flying US-Europe-Scandanavia with it. What a dissapointment. It seperated on three seperate flights, to the point that on one flight my guitar was damaged. No joke. I would never use it again, for anything. The latching system seperates if any lateral pressure is put on the case. The only way to prevent this would be to stuff the case with so much clothing or other items, that it won't bend and seperate. But if you do that, TSA and other authorities looking in your luggage won't repack it right or won't be able to re-latch it, so you are still out of luck. Whoever designed this case A) Doesn't go on airplane flights, B) Doesn't play music, C) Didn't do any real-world testing of it, and D) DOESN'T TOUR.

When I first heard about this case, I thought it was too good to be true. It is. Get a standard hardcase instead.

I got one of these right when they came out in 2003 before flying to the East Coast to do some shows with my band. It works pretty much like the description says. You put your bass in a soft gig-bag, and then you put that inside this locking case. The case is in two pieces, you put the body end of your bass into the lower piece, and then fit the neck end of the case over that. It locks together really tight, and you have what seemed to me to be a near indestructible cocoon for your instrument. It was designed with traveling in mind, and has convenient wheels on the bottom and a two long handles so you can find the most comfortable grip. You can just walk around in the airport with easy, towing this guy behind you as you go. This will not fit in an overhead compartment, but neither will any other case for most basses. I felt little trepidation about checking my bass while it was locked up tight in this case, although really, anything can happen once your baggage is in the hands of the screeners, and there isn't a case made that can protect your bass from mishandling once it's out of the case and being inspected. I recommend this over other flight cases based on the price, and the fact that it has wheels. When I ordered it I thought that might be a handy extra feature, but once I was trudging through an airport with all my gear I realized how valuable the wheels are.

I haven't been able to put it to the test yet, but you'll be the first to know!

side note, my MONO gig bag BARELY fits. anything smaller will be great.

It looks like SKB has fixed the latch issue, but I've only shipped my bass once so far. Check out the SKB site and read about the newly redesigned latches. The previous reviews on this product are a bit misleading because the latches were definitely a problem when this case first came out.

All in all, I'm satisfied so far. A good investment.