Leather Gig Bags - Cronkhite vs Probag (Texas)?

**55bar** · 02-09-2016, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

The Harvest archtop bag looks great. The price is a little hefty and I'd have to look into the cost of shipping from Germany, but I certainly like the design.

I can't love mine enough neck support is good too.

**Jim Soloway** · 02-09-2016, 12:43 PM

The neck support does look really good. Amazing how well a gig bag can be made when someone really tries hard enough.

**55bar** · 02-09-2016, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

The neck support does look really good. Amazing how well a gig bag can be made when someone really tries hard enough.

The block is also adjustable, the block you see to the right of the neck is an end pin block. Let me know if you want anymore details.

I'm away on tour at the moment but will be back home in 2 weeks I can take some more pics.

55

**lawson-stone** · 02-09-2016, 12:53 PM

I really love the case that came with my Loar LH650.

My complaint with all gig-bags is that the rigidity of the guitar itself is what supports its own weight. It's easy to forget this when carrying an instrument in a gig bag, but the bag itself doesn't have much rigidity.

The bag my Loar came with is like a gig bag with a rigid, super-light frame of some kind, so that the guitar is supported by the bag's rigidity. Still as light as any good gig-bag.

Their cases are made, I think, by this company and I've thought about one for my Epiphone Broadway:

Guardian

I also have a gig-bag made by Levys Leathers, one of their Cordura+Leather models. It's not rigid, but still a very nice bag I've enjoyed using. When I see how their prices have gone up, I realize this gig bag is rather like an investment. It goes now for 4 times what I paid for it!

Deluxe Bag CM20L - Levy's Leathers

**Jim Soloway** · 02-09-2016, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by 55bar

The block is also adjustable, the block you see to the right of the neck is an end pin block. Let me know if you want anymore details.

I'm away on tour at the moment but will be back home in 2 weeks I can take some more pics.

55

Thanks. I've just sent them an e-mail with a few questions. I'll see where it goes from there and let you know. It really looks like they've thought this through.

**snoskier63** · 02-09-2016, 09:39 PM

Here is the thread I posted with pictures after I received my Probag case.

https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...ist-award.html

**Jim Soloway** · 02-09-2016, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by snoskier63

Here is the thread I posted with pictures after I received my Probag case.

https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...ist-award.html

Thanks for the reminder. Amazing that I could have forgotten that entire exchange given that I was obviously interested then and active in the thread. I still haven't made a decision between the two companies. There's also still a part of me thinking about the Ameritage Case, but that probably makes no sense at all. So now that you've had it for a while, are you happy with the whole concept (not just the work that ProBag did for you but just putting your archtop in a gig bag in general)?

**snoskier63** · 02-09-2016, 10:09 PM

I am. A leather bag in general isn't as protective as the Mono case I have for my Aristocrat, but with basic care I feel very comfortable taking it out and about. I can't say how it compares to a Cronchite bag, but it suits my needs and should last a long time. It doubles for my X-500 as well.

**Jabberwocky** · 02-09-2016, 11:41 PM

Hello, Sno, don't mean to grill you but in what ways is the MONO gigbag more protective than the Probagg?

**snoskier63** · 02-10-2016, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Hello, Sno, don't mean to grill you but in what ways is the MONO gigbag more protective than the Probagg?

No problem, jab. My Mono case is semi-rigid, and my leather Probag is not. The padding and fabric in my leather bag is better, and it is rigid enough to stand up vertically without folding or losing its form, but the Mono provides more protection against crushing forces.

**Jim Soloway** · 02-10-2016, 12:47 PM

Thanks guys for a very informative thread. Any more? Hopefully I'm going to make a decision this morning and it would be nice to hear a few more thoughts.

**Franz 1997** · 02-10-2016, 01:38 PM

No experience with pro bag or cronkhite, but I have both a mono bag and the leather harvest bag, and the harvest bag is very rigid due to internal stiffening, stiffer than the mono. Expensive, though.

**electricfactory** · 02-10-2016, 02:07 PM

I wish the Harvest wasn't so expensive, am looking for an archtop gig bag myself and the Harvest seems pretty decent..

Originally Posted by Franz 1997

No experience with pro bag or cronkhite, but I have both a mono bag and the leather harvest bag, and the harvest bag is very rigid due to internal stiffening, stiffer than the mono. Expensive, though.

**Jim Soloway** · 02-10-2016, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Franz 1997

No experience with pro bag or cronkhite, but I have both a mono bag and the leather harvest bag, and the harvest bag is very rigid due to internal stiffening, stiffer than the mono. Expensive, though.

Thanks Franz. Once I've brought it to Canada, the Probag, the Cronkhite and Harvest are close enough in price that it really doesn't matter. I was about to remove the Harvest from my list because they don't do a custom fit interior whereas both Probag and Conkhite do. On the other hand, hearing that the Harvest is more rigid is really interesting. They also claim that the way the case closes immobilizes the guitar inside the case. Would you agree with that?

**Franz 1997** · 02-10-2016, 02:58 PM

Yes, I'd say so. As mentioned, there is a very long, and adjustable, foam support for the neck, and there seems a lot of 'give' in the inner foam, so that the guitar is firmly held. It seems able to adapt to both slightly smaller and slightly larger guitars than the nominal size ( NB slightly!). Empty, the bag will flex slightly with hand pressure, but really not much; it's pretty rigid. I'm very happy with it.

It's not perfect; the strap adjustments can slip a bit in use, but I can live with that - and the leather is 'self-relicing' after a few years of chucking around. It's tough leather, not glove leather, and looks it.

**2bornot2bop** · 02-10-2016, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

He sold Reunion Blues to the current owners and never got around to doing a new site. I think he was getting all the orders he could handle but if you google Glenn Cronkhite you get a ton of photos, literally hundreds of them.

All you had to say is "reunion blues." I had one of their flugelhorn cases in leather 2 decades ago. Great quality work. I looked at the posted pics and had the thought, looks like the quality of reunion blues work...then I clicked on the website...same quality. You can't find finer leather work for instruments. I wonder if he'd do one for a gigging piano?

Just kidding

**Jim Soloway** · 02-10-2016, 03:25 PM

Thanks all for the input. As I said, today was decision day and I decided to go with Probag. I think all three offer a really nice product and the service from all three was excellent as I did my research. Ultimately I went with Probag because of the level of customization they offered and I really enjoyed working through the process with them. The bag will be a smaller version of this ...

Leather Gig Bags - Cronkhite vs Probag (Texas)?-bag_making_085_251x334-jpg