Moderately priced gig bag that will fit a shorty?

[slinkp]

My DC Tribute bass came with a not particularly great gig bag.
I'm looking for something a bit better to carry it around. With backpack straps.
Some guitar gig bags ALMOST fit - I have a Fender electric guitar bag that is about an inch too short, and a great Henry Heller EGB is even shorter.

I'd also love something to fit my daughter's Gretsch Junior Jet II, which is about another inch longer than the Gibson - maybe 41.5" long (1060 cm).
Anybody recommend a good solution?
Something like an Ibanez IGB541 could possibly fit the Gibson but seems right on the edge for the Gretsch, and I've not seen one in person.

I don't want a bottom-of-the-barrel gig bag, but nor do I want to splurge over $100 US.

[ilan]

How about an acoustic guitar gig bag? That's how I schlep my shorties.

[Pilgrim]

I got a Road Runner at GC some years ago. It fits my Bronco very well and is good for other shorties that don't have real wide bodies. I still can't make photos work.

[Grog]

I have been using Gator HSC's for my DC Tribute basses. This light weight case is likely the same dimension. They usually have 15% off $99 or more.....

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/gator-gl-lps-lightweight-guitar-case/546107000000000?rNtt=gatore%20LPS%20case&index=4

[Dave W]

I have been using Gator HSC's for my DC Tribute basses. This light weight case is likely the same dimension. They usually have 15% off $99 or more.....

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/gator-gl-lps-lightweight-guitar-case/546107000000000?rNtt=gatore%20LPS%20case&index=4

I wouldn't assume that. But Gator does list interior and exterior dimensions on their website.

[patman]

I use the gator hsc for mine. Fits perfectly.

[morrow]

I picked up a hard shell LP case that my Jr fits in , but much of the time I drag it out I just fire it in a regular gig bag.

[Grog]

It lists the total length as 42", which is a tad longer than the HSC.

[slinkp]

I have a decent HSC for when I want that - the (used) Gretsch Electromatic G2220. came shipped in a Roadrunner case that's about 43" long externally - tight fit but decent case.  The desire for gig bags is more for backpacking around the city, which is how my kid and I both are most of the time.

A couple that I've tried and sent back already yesterday:

• Ibanez Powerpad IGB540 - too short for both the Gibson DC jr and the Gretsch G2220.
• Henry Heller HGB-E2 - I tried this because someone on Reddit swore it worked for his G2220. But not the one I got. The Gibson DC jr could fit in the bag, just barely, with a bit of squeezing; but the Gretsch couldn't fully clear the zipper over the headstock no matter what I did. Too bad, I really liked this case.
  

While researching this, I heard folks with Jaguar / Jazzmaster guitars have similar challenges, and some have landed on using gig bags that are designed for hollowbody guitars, as those seem to run long too. I have a Protec hollowbody gig bag on the way, will let you know how that works out.

Also on a tangent for 34"-scale basses - when I ordered the Henry Heller bag, I also got a matching HGB-B2 one sized for 34" basses, and that one's a keeper. It'll replace the similarly priced Gator GB-4G I was using. The HH gig bag fits all my 34" scale basses - except notably not a Greco Thunderbird. Compared to the Gator, it has similar padding, more storage compartments, an internal foam neck support attached with velcro, and MUCH better backpack strap placement, plus a couple other nice handles and hooks the Gator lacks. Whoever designed those Gator bags never tried to actually wear it with the backpack straps. It sits VERY high. The headstock is about seven feet in the air and will not clear any doorway. Walking around with that bag is an exercise in "how much do my old knees need to bend to avoid breaking my bass or knocking myself over?". Every tree limb or sign post is suddenly a hazard. Mine is up for sale on Reverb now.

[Ken]

I get that argument about the bag sitting high and having to duck, but I still prefer it to the bag hitting the backs of my legs when I walk.

I have had both the Gator ProGo and Icon.  The Icon is wider at the bottom, so it better fits the Thunderbird, but I prefer the pockets on the ProGo.

[slinkp]

Good news: the Protec semi-hollow guitar bag works well for shorties.
It's supposedly 43" total interior length. Nice backpack straps, good storage compartments, thicker padding than most budget bags. It was an xmas gift to my daughter, and here it is with her Gretsch G2220 Electromatic junior jet, which hasn't fit anything else I tried so far.

I might get another one for my Gibson DC Jr!

https://www.protecstyle.com/SEMI-HOLLOW-BODY-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-GIG-BAG-GOLD-SERIES

[Dave W]

Nowhere near an exact fit but good to know.

[slinkp]

Yeah it has extra room, but less so than the absurdly large (possibly acoustic?) bag Gibson provided for the DC Jr, which I had loaned to her meanwhile.
And, it has storage for notebooks and instruction books, which the Gibson bag had none of, just a tiny pouch that might fit a pack of strings.

[morrow]

That Gibson bag was awful. I used it for carrying around a Flying V , with about an inch of the headstock pointing out of the bag, but it was so huge it went around the V. My V came with an enormous Boblen hard shell case I hated lugging around.

[ilan]

When I still owned the ginormous 1968 Gretsch 6070 I had to custom order a gig bag, made to measure. Sometimes you just have no other choice.