How fragile are old rics?

[rickenbrother]

And you'll never do that again Scott!!

[rick_ovic]

Whenever I take out a vintage Rickenbacker or my '63 Strat to a gig, I always transport it in a roadcase. I just don't trust anyone else to take care of my guitar the same way I would. I've heard so many horror stories of trucks backing over guitar cases and a multitude of other unfortunate mishaps that I'm prepared to put up with the hassle of lugging a heavy old roadcase around if it means my precious guitar survives.

It's not fool proof of course - you still have to remember to actually put the guitar IN the roadcase and to secure the butterfly clasps!

(By the way, the name of the band is The Very Almosts. The photographer very almost managed to get the full name in the photo)

[jingle_jangle]

Gig bags are fine for Squiers and $150.00 Epiphones.

I recently got in a 21-fret Rick bass that had been carried in a gig bag for at least 20 years....it would be easier to build it another body than to deal with the thousands of nicks, chips, and dents that it possesses...after stripping off the old JG, it looks like it was used for target practice...it'll be about a pound lighter and a quarter-inch smaller all around.

[2112]

I guess this one won't make it to the register page....

[jingle_jangle]

Wow. That thing needs an embalming and a decent burial!

That is one powerful photo.

[rick_ovic]

It's images like the one above I remember when I'm lugging around those bloody great roadcases! That poor old bass might have survived if it was sitting inside one of my Hummer-like cases!

[gibsonlp]

The reason I asked this in the first place is that:

1. I don't have enough place in my trunk for a hard case (Audi A3)
2. I don't want to destroy my leather seats in the rear with a hardcase (last time I put my 4003 with the SKB case - one of the metal parts did a nice scratch on the seats).
3. When I carry my bass - I only take it to rehearsals, I take it from my house, put it in the back seat with 2 seatbelts holding it, take it from my car to the rehearsal room and then back home.
4. The case is really pretty solid and padded.

So - is it still wrong to use a softcase? should I take an extra effort and put something on my rear seat and use a hard case?

[cheyenne]

When I played in a band,,we had a big box truck for our equipment. All of the band members, (12 of us), was enlisted to pack and unpack the truck. (some of the things I've seen,,whew!).

None of my stuff ever went in. I always hauled my own stuff,,and nobody touched my basses but me. Call me anal,,but I've never had anything broken. I figured that way,, I would have no one to blame but myself.

Funny too,, my guitar player / owner of the PA system, (he never let us forget that either), was constantly bitching about his stuff getting torn, scuffed and damaged.

He called them "road scars"........***.

[jingle_jangle]

Gil, I think you've thought things out and your priorities are on display. A couple of points:

Zippers on gig bags will scratch leather seats as well as fasteners on hard cases. Were I to choose a hard case based on your above "talking points", it'd be a molded plastic case (lke the RIC standard case) with ductape over the latches and maybe the hinges, too. You could peel off a dozen or so 6" pieces of the tape, stick them flat to the plastic case, and use them over the latches as others wore out or were discarded.

The back seat of my newish SAAB (that's funny, it doesn't look Newish...badda boom) bears the occasional scar from a case latch. I leave it up to the dealer to treat the leather when I trade it in...

[gibsonlp]

Ok, I will use hardcase from now on, I promise

[gray]

When I run out of room in my car to lay my bass down somewhere, I just stand it up in the front passenger seat area. I put that seat all the way back, and lean it against the seat diagonally, in a hard case.

[gibsonlp]

This could be a problem if an airbag opens you might feel how is it like to get a RIC case flying to your face at very high velocity.

[JakeK]

My oldest Ric dates to 1991 (it's as old as me. What were the chances of that?). It doesn't matter what kind of Ric it is, I would NEVER, under any circumstances, use a gig bag for any Ric. Ric guitars and basses are too valuable and precious to belong in gig-bags. Even vintage and vintage-style Gibsons and Fenders don't belong in gig bags.

[henry5]

Well aren't I the odd one out. I always carry my Rics in gig bags, and that includes my 72 and my CS. Still, as I've said before, I just play the darned things; dings don't bother me, although I have to say that none of the dings in my basses have been caused whilst in their bags; all were present when I bought the basses. Also I don't gig heavily, and my basses always stay with me. It's good enough for Marcus Miller (yes I know he doesn't play Rics but a guitar is a guitar is a guitar IMO). I'll get me coat......

Regardless, it's up to you.

[henry5]

As an aside, Rosetti currently charge around £220Uk (thats $440 US) for a Ric case. Now is it me, or is that a hell of a lot of money?????