Hard or Soft Case?

[Worldtraveler 48]

I’m getting a Weltmeister Juwel 72 bass in a few weeks and have a question re: cases. The instrument comes with a used green Weltmeister soft case and there is also a new $80 Weltmeister hard case available. The soft case opens from the side instead of the front and I wondered if anyone here has experience with that style of case?

The hard case is very inexpensive and looks it. The only padding is 4 squares of foam over the felt covered wood. The fit is snug and I’m unsure if I’ll have room to add a towel for padding. I don’t expect to leave the house with the accordion often, perhaps only to go to lessons if I can find a teacher in the area.

If the soft case opened from the from the front I would most likely pass on the hard case, but wonder about wear on the box putting it in and out from the side. I normally always keep instruments in the cases when not playing.

The shop is on the east coast so shipping is not inexpensive. Having the box sent with the hard case or with both would cost more than just with the soft case. The dealer has already said he is not interested in “swapping” so doubt I would get much credit if only the hard case was sent out.

If I was able to see these in person the choice would be clearer. Perhaps I’m overthinking this. Any comments/suggestions welcome.

Cheers,
David

 

[Martinmcl]

What additional wear would occur from removing from the side?

I have a soft case and removing from the side seems to be handier as you can have the accordion right onto your lap without having to turn it. I believe bigger fancier accordion bags also usually remove from the side.

Good luck with the Juwel, it seems like the perfect accordion for a lot of people! (myself included)

 

[cat]

Nice accordion! I have one of the soft bags pictured in the first image - if it has the same zipper as mine, avoid it: it's not an appropriate heavy-duty zipper - as standard equipment on the Hohners, and other bags - and will no doubt limit the bag's useful life, when it fails.

Otherwise, I guess it depends on how you want to travel. Personally, I use bags with shoulder straps as I wish to have my hands free for other stuff - opening doors, carrying other instruments/gear, etc. I don't think I've ever carried a piano accordion in a case.

I consider it a "top loading" bag - with the bag on its side on the floor.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

As a general rule, hard cases offer more protection than gig bags, but there is lots of variation in both types.

I’ve found that Fuselli makes decent-quality gig bags, but even this one manufacturer has different quality lines. They also make bags that are branded with the accordion manufacturer’s name, but I’m convinced that the accordion manufacturers charge more for a given bag than the equivalent bag from Fuselli without an accordion manufacturer’s name on it. I once bought a side-loading bag and wound up being very unhappy with it. If you decide on a gig bag but don’t want to stick with the green one, check others for general construction, padding thickness, zipper placement and construction and weight.

Hard cases are a must if the accordion is a high-end instrument. Whenever I buy a product that’s packed in styrofoam, I save some of that styrofoam to use as fillers if the accordion’s hard case is a little too roomy. Hard cases, by the way, are not anywhere as substantial as they used to be, but then again, not as heavy as they used to be. Hard cases are also essential if the accordion has midi with Hall-effect detectors, as these can easily go out of adjustment if the accordion sustains a hard bump. Some hard cases come with wheels and an extension handle, but I don’t think that’s an issue for 72-bass accordions. If the case comes with locks, please put the keys on your key ring and only use them if the locks accidentally get locked.

 

[jozz]

I would reject that softcase for the simple fact that it doesn't seem to have any accessory pouch?

I have both hard- and softcase for each accordion I own and they serve different tasks, but the soft cases see the most daylight. This is because I rarely let anybody else handle my instrument, and I need to be able to carry it on my back because I often need to be able to do a "one-way trip" to the stage hand-carrying other stuff.

Hardcases I see more as "storage" cases.

 

[davidplaysaccordion]

I use a d'luca bag. I originally got it for my first full size accordion because the box that that came in was pretty much dead. I now play a Roland FR4x and while the bag is a little bigger than it needs to be, it works well. The zip on the accesory pounch on the front died a couple of yeas ago but otherwise it's fine. There's a zip down each side to the front flap can be completely opened making it easy to remove the accordion. I like that there are two straps in addition to the zips to stop it opening up should the zips fail while carrying the accordion in the bag. There are also back straps so I can throw it over my shoulder and carry my other gear bag in my free hand while still being able to open doors etc.
The hard case for my Borsini is packed away in the closet. I would only use it if I really needed to protect the accordion on a journey, otherwise the gig bag works great.

 

[godgi]

i prefer soft bags myself.
I have a few hard cases in the attic that will perhaps never see the light of day.
Godgi

 

[JeffJetton]

I'd go with the hard case, mainly because I'm assuming they'd ship it in it, and that's better protection than shipping it in the soft case.

Both kinds are great to have though. The ability to carry your accordion on your back is very handy. You can always buy a soft bag down the road.

 

[debra]

I have used both soft and hard cases. For "smaller" accordions a hard case is not too large to handle and offers better protection. For "large" accordions a soft case is more useful as you can carry the accordion like a backpack. A bag like the one shown by Worldtraveler 48 is most useful for cassotto instruments and accordions with chin switches. When made correctly they let you carry (and store) the backpack in the upright (playing) position which is always best. When the chin switches are at the top the risk of damaging them is smallest (even better if there is a small cover going over them, like with large Russian bayans
The main danger with a soft case is that it can get "squeezed" in the area where the keyboard, grille and registers are, and then you risk damaging the registers. But this danger also exists with a hard case when you put things inside like a music stand (which will hit and damage the registers and/or grille). When you do not put anything inside however, the hard case offers better protection. With large instruments the chin switches do need separate protection when using a hard case, and sadly most Italian accordion manufacturers do not offer such protection.

 

[Valski]

I have used both soft and hard cases. For "smaller" accordions a hard case is not too large to handle and offers better protection. For "large" accordions a soft case is more useful as you can carry the accordion like a backpack. A bag like the one shown by Worldtraveler 48 is most useful for cassotto instruments and accordions with chin switches. When made correctly they let you carry (and store) the backpack in the upright (playing) position which is always best. When the chin switches are at the top the risk of damaging them is smallest (even better if there is a small cover going over them, like with large Russian bayans
The main danger with a soft case is that it can get "squeezed" in the area where the keyboard, grille and registers are, and then you risk damaging the registers. But this danger also exists with a hard case when you put things inside like a music stand (which will hit and damage the registers and/or grille). When you do not put anything inside however, the hard case offers better protection. With large instruments the chin switches do need separate protection when using a hard case, and sadly most Italian accordion manufacturers do not offer such protection.

I was skeptical about the soft case that came with my FR8X however it quickly grew on me. I think that it protects quite well because its essentially all padding. If I was traveling with the accordion I would probably want to invest in a hard case with wheels where I could place the accordion and gig bag inside the hard case.

A few years ago I purchased a plywood case for a custom use. I don't remember the price anymore but it was reasonable and the custom accordion case would probably be affordable.

 

[debra]

I was skeptical about the soft case that came with my FR8X however it quickly grew on me. I think that it protects quite well because its essentially all padding. If I was traveling with the accordion I would probably want to invest in a hard case with wheels where I could place the accordion and gig bag inside the hard case.

A few years ago I purchased a plywood case for a custom use. I don't remember the price anymore but it was reasonable and the custom accordion case would probably be affordable.

The issue to watch out when putting/carrying an accordion in a case (hard or soft) is the protection of register switches (treble, bass, chin), because they are mechanically coupled and should never be pressed simultaneously. With the Roland there is no such mechanical coupling so there is no issue.

 

[donn]

I have a hard case, really just a sort of random equipment case that a previous owner found somewhere. I never use it. I can carry my accordion for miles in my soft case, maybe one block in the hard case.

I don't know about shipping accordions, but conventional wisdom with tubas is that if you're getting a hard case, it should be shipped separately. The instrument needs to be surrounded by an immense quantity of elastic, yielding material. A hard case doesn't leave enough room in there. Personally I think I would defy that advice and ship tightly packed in the case, and surround the case with the shock absorbing bubble wrap or whatever. But the point is that the tuba is not really protected inside the pack - any strong inertial force will be fatal no matter what, so the only thing that matters is a bulk of packing material that spreads that force out over time; a case alone is a death trap. The physics here certainly applies to the accordion, particularly the bass mechanism.

Interesting point about the register switches. I wonder how hard it would be to make a sort of soft case, but with a rigid cap that would protect the buttons and switches. That have to be somewhat thought out, because there's some risk that it would end up causing exactly the kind of accident it intends to prevent, distributing an impact that would have contacted only one register switch were it not for the cap.

 

[debra]

...

Interesting point about the register switches. I wonder how hard it would be to make a sort of soft case, but with a rigid cap that would protect the buttons and switches. That have to be somewhat thought out, because there's some risk that it would end up causing exactly the kind of accident it intends to prevent, distributing an impact that would have contacted only one register switch were it not for the cap.

For Italian accordions I make my own "cap" that goes over the chin switches and is held in place using velcro. (My Russian bayan comes with its own cap that goes over the chin switches. In a soft case the bass register switches are still unprotected and when you bump into a wall while going backwards carrying the case like a backpack the bump may damage the bass register switches.

 

[Worldtraveler 48]

Many thanks to all that responded for taking the time to express their comments and suggestions.

After some thought I decided on getting a Fuselli Soft Case Gig Bag since the hard case looked so snug and had almost no padding, as well as “cat” mentioning the zipper on the Weltmeister soft case was not heavy-duty. The other consideration was that soft cases weigh less and that I will most likely not be traveling much with the Juwel, so need less protection. I’ve had experience with Fuselli soft cases in the past as the concertina I used as a trade-in toward the accordion came with one, and I was impressed with the construction and padding.

One funny thing in my search for a case was how hard they are to find. Many were listed and then when I followed the link, the shop was out of stock. I never imagined there was such a demand for a PA 48 bass hard or soft case! I finally found one of the Fuselli heavy-duty gig bags for $79 from Liberty Bellows. Just after I placed the order I noticed when I went back to the web page that they were out of stock. Apparently they only had the one.

“Martinmcl”: I have no experience with side loading bags, but it just looked like it would be more awkward to slide it in rather than simply placing it into an open enclosure. Thanks for reporting on your experience. From what I see online the Fuselli can be opened from the side or from the front.

As many of you pointed out hard cases offer more protection, but without padding I wonder how effective it would be. If the accordion was rare or valuable I would seriously consider investing in a good hard case. I’ll just have to keep my wits about me when moving around with the soft case!

This is what I ended up with:

 

[jozz]

nice bag!

 

[debra]

Best quality bag (that I have seen around here). One small tip, less so for the small light accordion than for larger ones: always place the accordion bag on a table so you can pick it up like a backpack, with both straps at once. The straps for carrying the accordion on your bag are not designed to carry the load with just one strap.

 

[Valski]

Best quality bag (that I have seen around here). One small tip, less so for the small light accordion than for larger ones: always place the accordion bag on a table so you can pick it up like a backpack, with both straps at once. The straps for carrying the accordion on your bag are not designed to carry the load with just one strap.

I've never been tempted to carry my FR8X backpack style because in my opinion it's too heavy and I would be afraid of dropping it with disastrous results. My Roland came with the soft bag and I'm very satisfied however the straps for the backpack don't seem to be comfortable because they lack sufficient padding. I like your tip and will remember it.

 

[lordzedd]

This thread was helpful to me in my search for a soft case, so I thought I would share my end result. I bought a Bayan2 pro case from AMC Music through a seller on eBay. It cost about what a Fuselli case would.

It has has about 15-20 mm padding, two sets of feet and handles, and backpack straps with load adjusters. This alone makes them the most serious straps for carrying a 20+ pound instrument on my back, in my opinion. The other thing I liked was the very snug fit of the case for my Tula 61 key bayan. It is exactly the right size in 2 of the 3 rectilinear dimensions. I expect it would exactly fit a 5 row bayan of the same type. They make this case in 8 different sizes.

I live a 5 minute drive in the city from my bayan teacher, so I intend to walk to lessons when the weather cooperates.

 

[debra]

This thread was helpful to me in my search for a soft case, so I thought I would share my end result. I bought a Bayan2 pro case from AMC Music through a seller on eBay. It cost about what a Fuselli case would.

...

This is definitely the best gig-bag I have ever seen!

 

[JIM D.]

Many accordionists prefer a hard case for protection. As some you might know I make custom instrument cases.
Roland "V" accordions are only sold with soft cases and as a result I get many requests for custom "V" accordion
cases. I made one for our forum member Jimgansett and can be seen here -----

Roland 8x hard case and bellows straps

When Roland made the 8x model, they eliminated the bellows locking straps. Why? Only they know for sure. In addition, there is no hard case available from Roland for the 8x. Well, I didn't feel comfortable picking up and moving the 8x without bellows straps, and didn't like the soft gig bag...

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