Budget bag

Was talking to friends recently about budget / value for money guitar bags. Budget here refers to a guitar bag fit for essential use or to put it bluntly, a get-by quality. Nothing excessive but it gets the job done. It's also not extravagant, a MONO or Reunion Blues bag are definitely not in this category. Friends cited KODA as a good example. The KODA ONE is available at Swee Lee for $15. My experience with the ONE is that the guitar does not stay put in the bag & excessive movements would strain the bag's stitches as well as increasing the damage potential to the instrument; scratches & dodgy tuners are examples.

The bag you see above is something I purchased from SHOPEE. I seldom purchase stuff from this commercial platform due to authenticity issues as well as clueless sellers who misrepresent their items & insist they are right. This bag costs less than $10 & the zipper quality would put many similar products to shame. The only downside here are the thin straps which to not offset weight distribution if you are carrying heavy guitars, a Les Paul is an obvious example. But hey, this is a get by consideration & in this aspect, I would rate this bag highly. It's definitely not for pro musicians who would want physical security for their instruments should a hard knock or unexpected fall happen. More importantly, it offers a snug fit for many guitar models, limiting movements.

Selling: PRS SE bag

 Letting this PRS SE bag go...

• PRS SE bag (brown)
• 9/10 condition
• Self-collect @ CCK / Yew Tee mrt statio
• Confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No reservations / trades
• Price: $59 (final)

Price watch (37)

Despite the price that includes an amp & a multi-FX unit, a non-Japanese Ibanez with a nasty chip at the body is a very difficult proposition for more than $2K. (Update: Price had been revised to $1.5K as at 19th July).

This one's listed at Amazon - $616 for a guitar bag? Even if you are not a guitar fan, that price is suspect.

G bag

Do I need another Gibson bag? No, I don't. 

Doing my bit to help out a fellow cancer patient. I thought I had it bad but his chemo turned his fingers & feet black. This is another timely reminder for me to be grateful for everything, even in the face of adversity. Folks, unlike Gibson hard cases, the bag is generic & it fits both LPs & SGs. According to the manufacturer's website, this is the Premium soft case. Let's see if it will do its job down the road.

Available but not available

It seems that the distributor here wants you to be content with just the bags... without the goods. *facepalm* 😜

Soft approach

Gibson's 2019 SG Standard will not come with a hard case. As seen above, it will be supplemented with a 'soft shell case'. 

The case in question looks like an over-zealous (leather) bag. The immediate effect- a reduction of USD40 from the RRP so this is something to take note of if you're in the market for an SG in the near future.

Pic: Reidy

In the bag

Hello. I'm the fur kid in this house & I love it when my dad brings home big bags for me to play with (like the one from Davis GMC seen here). I can also camp in for hours but I prefer the bed at night, he he...

Snapped

And this happened. After 7 years of use, in & out of the house, under wet & dry conditions, the strap gave way but the bag's still functional. To be continued. 

Kiesel: Vader 6 (2)

This is a mandatory purchase with any Kiesel, they won't ship any instruments out without one. This one was made to fit the Vader so it looks stunted, like a violin bag of sorts. The padding was impressive, will rival a MONO or GRUVGEAR, no doubt.

How the innards look like. I do not see any branded parts used so this is where they keep the costs in check but everything works to a tee, it's a matter of durability. You know how these things go dead in time to come for any instrument.

If you are ready for your Kiesel adventure here's an order overview:

• 10th March 2017: Order keyed in & submitted. It took them only a day to process the submission, downpayment & generate an order number. Awesome 👍
• 31st May 2017: Order completion & notice of final payment.
• 31st May 2017: Item shipped out
• 7th June 2017: Item received

The guitar could have been at my premises on 6th June as indicated by the shipment tracking log but FedEx chose to effect the actually delivery on the 7th instead. I re-scheduled my 6th June just to receive this guitar but it was a no-show & was rather pissed. However, in view of Ramadan, it might have affected some people's work schedule & I'm totally OK with that; a little consideration goes a long way. 

This isn't my final Kiesel adventure for sure. Such an experience is important to me. It showed how an establishment commits itself to the sign of the times & they did well, I must say. The product in question is deserving of the asking price in view of the custom order status, the Kiesel camp stayed true to the exclusive vibe so hats off to them. With this in mind, we'd do well to scrutinize our expenditure when it comes to worthiness for our next purchase; is it worth buying something else knowing there's a custom shop experience waiting to be had? There are indeed standard production instruments out there rivalling custom shop status for this much money, John Page & Sugi-made guitars are among others. So today, the informed buyer will give much thought to worth as opposed to acquiring a certain brand name to fulfil status achievement.👌

Selling: Ibanez bag

My friend is clearing this Ibanez bag from the ISG series, able to fit 6, 7 & 8-string guitars. Should you be interested, you can reach him at: 8-3-88-645-3. Item condition: 9/10

Necessary tagging

Spring cleaning done today- I simply can't remember which guitar is in which bag any more as there are several identical bags bought on grounds of cost (the cheapest!). There was an old shoe box lying around so it was cut up to become crude tags...

Bag for SOB

Those of you who wish to purchase the SOB, please be informed tat there is a ready bag for it but sold separately: $45.00

Bag talk: CNB

The CNB bags for musical instruments are rather unheard of unless you are one to specifically hunt for a well-padded unit to protect your instrument in storage or in transit. I was looking for such a bag & came across the CNB brand name which offers superior padding to such an extent it makes carrying logs like the Les Paul very manageable. Read on, please...

As you can observe, in addition to the generous compartment inclusion, the bag in question is very well-padded at the rear, especially the straps. This means the carrier wouldn't be poked by the instrument's hard edges while on the move. I especially like the netted surface because this design dries sweat faster- so you thought it was mere design, eh?
That small, outer-most compartment is actually detachable & features a rear loop for your separate use; you can belt it up for additional personal storage. You'd thought that it's mere novelty but small compartments are more ideal for fragile accessories like tuners & such so that these items stay put & not move about while in transit only to end up with cracked display surfaces (because they knock against your cable tips/ pedals/ etc.).
But the utmost importance here to me, is the bag's inner features:

• Velcro-type strap for the guitar's neck security
• Waterproof inner lining
• Layered protection on the bag's cover sleeve to withstand string scratches.
• That minimal but important inner pocket for the instrument's body insertion to further secure your prized possession. A good bag ensures minimal/ no instrument movements; it virtually hugs your guitar all the time

It's futile exercise to give excessive praise to any brand name because chances are, it reflects personal preferences but the CNB bag gets my absolute thumbs-up in terms of design considerations, durability & value for money.

CNB bags are available at Davis Guitars.

PS: Guitar featured above- Edwards E-LP92-SD/P