Soft Shell Case For Lap Steel ?

Tommy Kessler · Post by **Tommy Kessler** » 18 Jun 2011 10:56 pm

I am going to be leaving on tour June 29th and I want to take my lap steel with me to practice on. Can anyone recommend a decent soft shell bag ? Doesn't have to be deluxe, just something with a shoulder strap and better than what I have it in now and I'm embarrassed to say what that is

This is the only one I could find and it seems a bit pricey for a soft shell case

http://compare.ebay.com/like/2707676128 ... r&_lwgsi=y

Any recommendations ?

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 18 Jun 2011 11:24 pm

Sorry I can't help much with the price point, but these are the ones I sell. Very nice bags, and worth the $.
http://www.markvanallen.com/store_accessories.html

Ron Simpson · Post by **Ron Simpson** » 19 Jun 2011 3:59 am

Good bag for a little less money.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GENUINE-GRETSCH-LAP ... 53e7ea730b

Stephen Abruzzo · Post by **Stephen Abruzzo** » 19 Jun 2011 4:53 am

These are very nice gigbags. Good and solid feeling. Check your dimensions before ordering.

http://www.music123.com/Accessories/Cas ... 000000.sku

Hal Braun · Post by **Hal Braun** » 19 Jun 2011 5:46 am

I went the other route..

For about $40 at most sporting good stores, you can find a nice hard shell "break down shotgun" case that my Chandler fits in perfectly. Trim a little foam and voila!

They also sell nice soft sided shotgun cases that also work pretty well depending on what type of lap steel you are taking.. I will try to post a picture a little later, but got to get to church..

Cheers!

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 19 Jun 2011 7:46 am

One reminder if you go with anything that needs foam trimming- it can be hard with a craft knife or box cutter, but oddly an electric carving knife works like a charm!

Tommy Kessler · Post by **Tommy Kessler** » 19 Jun 2011 7:57 am

Thanks for the links everyone. I thought about the gun case after reading some others doing that but I thought about I'll be doing probably 15 flights or so this coming month and I'm not really wanting to cause any speculation on what is in the case

I wanted to get the Gretsch case but according to a website, my steel is 34 3/8'' long !! I'll measure it at my studio tonight and know exactly but I can't imagine a website being wrong

Mark van Allen wrote:Sorry I can't help much with the price point, but these are the ones I sell. Very nice bags, and worth the $.
http://www.markvanallen.com/store_accessories.html

How much is shipping to a business address in 08857 ? It's pretty close to the price of the one I was looking at and I'd rather support a forum member

Does it have straps on the inside to hold the lap tight ? Looks like a lap steel would move around in it due to it being a mini guitar case.

Hal Braun · Post by **Hal Braun** » 19 Jun 2011 10:36 am

No problem with speculation re. what is in the case.. They Xray it. I fly about every week, and would not want to put an instrument in the hands of the airline in anything soft

and the case weighs about the same as a soft side.. (it is really light)

Tommy Kessler · Post by **Tommy Kessler** » 20 Jun 2011 12:59 am

So a friend of mine told me if I had a Steinberger around, that case would work too and I actually had one around so my problem has been temperately solved. It works great and is very padded. I have to have a soft case with shoulder straps for traveling or the gun case would be cool to do

Just wanted to post another option that I found in case someone comes across this thread in the future

Ambrose Verdibello · Post by **Ambrose Verdibello** » 22 Jun 2011 4:11 am

These are $25 which includes shipping:

http://www.casesandmore.com/ProTec-CU200-PRO1106.html

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 22 Jun 2011 9:49 pm

hey, Tommy, the gig bags I have don't have interior straps, just very good padding and a shape that fits many steels. For example Oahu Tonemaster is a perfect fit, as are the GeorgeBoards 6 strings. Measurements on my site.

Tommy Kessler · Post by **Tommy Kessler** » 22 Jun 2011 10:57 pm

Thanks for the information Mark. I just measured my Harmony and it is just under 34 1/2'' so you can add Harmony to your list of steels it would perfectly fit. I am going to use this Steinberger case for now since I had it laying around and didn't realize it had another use

Tom Baylis · Post by **Tom Baylis** » 25 Jun 2011 11:36 am

I'll offer another vote for the Protec case at Cases & More that Ambrose mentioned & linked above, plenty of room for my various lap steels. I liked 'em so much that I bought three! Straps for wearing it backpack style or as a standard case, lots of pocket space etc.

L. A. Wunder · Post by **L. A. Wunder** » 27 Jun 2011 8:36 pm

I have a 10-string Cobra lapsteel that Bobbe Seymour built me a few years ago. I found a Gibson electric guitar bag on sale at the local Guitar Center, that looks just like the Pro Tec case. It's very well padded, and it works perfectly.

Steven Pearce · Post by **Steven Pearce** » 11 Jul 2011 11:04 pm

After reading an earlier post about soft cases and using a rifle or shotgun case..
I stopped by the local sporting goods store today. They had a lot of cases and found a great, well padded 'soft' case. Its for a Gretch lap steel and it fits perfectly. No shifting around nice fit and well protected. Made by Allen its 37" long and wide enough for a good fit. Thanks for the ideas!
Steve Pearce

Product Description
•Endura Shell
•7/8" Foam
•#5 Zipper
•Built-In Sling

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Laurence Pangaro · Post by **Laurence Pangaro** » 29 Jul 2011 5:15 am

A rifle case is definitely a better option than a guitar shaped bag. Here's a link to one of the various old threads on this topic. I bought one of these rifle cases from Optics Planet and it's perfect for my Gibson lap steel.

ciao,
LP

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ics+planet