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  1. #1

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    Hi all,

    I'm currently own a 175 and am planning to take it around a lot this summer. I found that because of the maple build, the guitar is rather heavy( about 7lbs) and with the hard shell case it came with, I just can't carry it for long. So I looked at "hybrid" Gig bag alternatives and am sort of leaning towards the new Reunion Blues Continental Voyager Dreadnought or small acoustic version. Not sure which will fit my guitar better. What do you guys know about the sizes? Which one will fit my 175 the best? I don't want it moving around inside.
    In addition, do you guys think there are better alternatives? I don't want to spend more than the price of the Reunion Blues.

    Thanks guys

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  3. #2

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    I got a Continental Voyager for an L5 and when I had a 175 it fit very well in that gig bag and didn’t feel like the guitar was flopping around in it. It’s very well made, comfortable and most importantly offers very good protection. Haven’t tried the smaller one but thought I’d at least offer some info on the one I have and I do recommend it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by rio
    I got a Continental Voyager for an L5 and when I had a 175 it fit very well in that gig bag and didn’t feel like the guitar was flopping around in it. It’s very well made, comfortable and most importantly offers very good protection. Haven’t tried the smaller one but thought I’d at least offer some info on the one I have and I do recommend it.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    I just want to confirm. So the 175 fits well in the Dreadnaught size right? How's the weight and size? Is it really bulky? Is it light?

  5. #4

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    Don't rule out the softcases or foamcases!

    I have one for my ES-125 (same size as a 175) and it's very practical: light yet better protection than any gigbag. Granted, it doesn't look as cool as my leather ProBag for my ES-333 but I like it a lot. A dreadnought-size soft case fits my ES-125 perfectly. Several brands offer them: Tobago, SKB, Boston, Yamaha, Ibanez. Get one with a nice saddle bag for your accesories. And they are pretty cheap around $100 for the good ones.

    Even my daughter can carry it ;-)


  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay

    Even my daughter can carry it ;-)

    Aw, very cute.

  7. #6

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    I can't speak from direct experience to the combination of guitar and bag you're asking about but I've used gig bags exclusively for decades. This is what I have right now:

    - The original Continental bag (not the voyager), in semi-hollow size. My experience is that the dimensions on the RB site are accurate, and if that holds true, the small acoustic bag should fit a 175. The dreadnought size will be a little big (the site says it has a 17" lower bout, even though dreads are typically 16"), but I don't think it will bounce around because of the way the padding and the neck support work. I've had mine for around 8 years, and I think it will last pretty much forever.

    - A Mono M80 dreadnought size for my dreadnought. I used to have a 175-sized archtop, and the mono fit it very well. It's somewhat lighter than the RBC. IMO it's also a better designed bag - it sits better as a backpack (the RB carries high and can bump into low door frames), and the pockets are more usable. But it's not quite as protective as the Continental (though it's very robust).

    - I also have a more basic Road Runner Boulevard dread-sized gig bag hat I use for my 16" archtop (Godin Kingpin). It's actually fairly protective and really comfortable to carry, and the pockets and pouches work great. Ergonomically, it's the best of the three. Fine for walking around, ok in the trunk of a car if nothing is on top of it.

    Among those three, for a 175 I'd probably get the Mono. I think it strikes the best balance in terms of comfort vs protection and weight. The RR would probably be fine, but given Gibsons' notorious headstock fragility, I'd want a little more protection for one (especially a valuable one). I know from experience that a Gibson headstock can survive a fall in the Mono, but I'm not confident it would be OK in the RR. If I were flying, though, and thought there was a chance I'd have to check it I might lean toward the RBC, which is basically a flight case with padded straps.

    I've also had a couple of Mooradian bags -- they were very comfortable to carry and had roomy pockets. When they were new, they were quite protective, but on the ones that I had, the foam padding disintegrated (literally turned to dust after several years), and the cloth and zippers fell apart. So I wouldn't buy another or recommend them.

    John

  8. #7

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    i've got a reunion blues continental i might get rid of...

  9. #8
    Thank you all for your suggestions. I was going to go for reunion blues for its protection but just found out the dreadnought version weighs over 9 pounds. Since I have an ES-175, I was thinking of going for the small body acoustic version. The only thing I'm concerned about is the inner length. Will my 175 fit lengthwise? If not, can I just take out the extra padding at the bottom? If it can fit, I will definitely go for this because the weight is less than the dreadnought.

  10. #9

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    I use a mono bag

  11. #10

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    Okay, so you want a Reunion Blues gigbag absolutely..... I get it, happens to me all the time: I have my mind set on something so I’m blind and deaf for better suggestions..... ;-)

    Don’t think the 175 will fit in a small body acoustic-sized bag, better try before you buy!

  12. #11

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    I'd choose the reunion blues as well, I really like the foam style gig bags,I think they offer the best protection.

    Regarding mooradian cases, I've had 4 of them, various styles, for almost 20 years now. I've changed the foam that disintegrated and replaced the zippers really cheap (for like 10 Euros a bag) a few years back, and they've been fine ever since. But reunion blues and mono are on a different level.

  13. #12
    Unfortunately, I can't try any of these bags cause no stores I know have them. Size wise the Mono dreadnought seems perfect for me. Also, the weight with the Mono is much better. A 6.5 pounds vs 9.2 pounds. What do you guys think? Is the Mono M80 equal in terms of quality with the RB? I'm leaning towards the Mono because it's lighter and I need something different from my hard shell. How's the size of the Mono in terms of thickness, is it really bulky compared to RB?

    ThNkz

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skadiddle12
    Unfortunately, I can't try any of these bags cause no stores I know have them. Size wise the Mono dreadnought seems perfect for me. Also, the weight with the Mono is much better. A 6.5 pounds vs 9.2 pounds. What do you guys think? Is the Mono M80 equal in terms of quality with the RB? I'm leaning towards the Mono because it's lighter and I need something different from my hard shell. How's the size of the Mono in terms of thickness, is it really bulky compared to RB?

    ThNkz
    The Mono M80 is a very well made case. I've had mine (dreadnought) for around 15 years and it's as good as new. For a given size, M80 and RB are about the same bulk. I do no think one is better than the other -- each balances the trade-offs between weight, protection, function, and cost a little differently. Given they way you've described your uses and needs, I'd say the M80 is the better case for you.

    John

  15. #14

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    I thought that Mono is too expensive and my fellow guitarist told me about Protection Racket cases. Acoustic std case is just perfect fit for my ES-175 RI 1959 VOS 1PU. The price was something like 115€.

    One of my local music shops sells them, I don’t know how widely spread they are.

    I love this! I can slip my guitar out of it vertically, just unzip enough and I get my git. No more looking for enough table space to take the instrument out of the hard case.

  16. #15

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    I spoke with the Mooradian folk recently.They have sorted out the disintegrating padding issue, newer bags should last. I have Hoffee and Calton cases for my archtop and semi-hollow respectively, I like to stuff the Mooradian full of clothes and check it (or stuff it inside a larger duffel suitcase), let the flight cases get through the airport, and use the nice light bag from hotel to gig.

    PK

  17. #16

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    Grab a Glenn Cronkhite bag -- there's a "25% off" code going on right now!

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by paulkogut
    I spoke with the Mooradian folk recently.They have sorted out the disintegrating padding issue, newer bags should last. I have Hoffee and Calton cases for my archtop and semi-hollow respectively, I like to stuff the Mooradian full of clothes and check it (or stuff it inside a larger duffel suitcase), let the flight cases get through the airport, and use the nice light bag from hotel to gig.

    PK
    Always thought that the protective hard shell and gigbag should be integrated. The gigbag should double as the protective hard shell padding. Get to your destination, pull the gigbag out of the hardshell and off you go. This would really solve the conundrum of having to choose between taking hard shell case and gigbag. Now, you can take both in one package.

  19. #18

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    Now that’s a great idea Jabber! Yes, someone should make a hardshell without any foam or protection inside, in which you can just place you gigbag!

    *edit: now that I think of it.... I have a cheapo jumbo-case that only had some foam padding blocks glued to the inside. When I remove those, I think a thinline in it’s gigbag will fit in it..... hmmm....

  20. #19

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    Tadaaa:





    I had to remove the neck support, which is easy since it’s just held in place with some screws.

  21. #20

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    But back on topic: best gig bag I own is the ProBag for my ES-333:





    But I understand ProBag is notoriously difficult to deal with or to place an order (mine was made for a local music shop with their logo on it - they probably placed a large order. I got hold of the very last one in the shop.) Here’s their website anyway: probagwebstartscom
    Last edited by Little Jay; 06-30-2019 at 08:17 AM.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    But back on topic: best gig bag I own is the ProBag for my ES-333:

    But I understand ProBag is notoriously difficult to deal with or to place an order (mine was made for a local music shop with their logo on it - they probably placed a large order. I got hold of the very last one in the shop.) Here’s their website anyway: probagwebstartscom
    Yeah, I have a Probag, too; it's good, but no Glenn Cronkhite (which I've owned and recommended here), but I've also heard they've been "off" a bit lately, so I didn't want to recommend. I just emailed them, so we'll see if they respond.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by marcwhy
    Yeah, I have a Probag, too; it's good, but no Glenn Cronkhite (which I've owned and recommended here), but I've also heard they've been "off" a bit lately, so I didn't want to recommend. I just emailed them, so we'll see if they respond.
    Update: Just heard from Johnny at Probag -- they are still making bags, but their wait time is a bit longer than before (but no time frame was given).

  24. #23

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    I have an Eastman AR910 - no pup - no cutaway - that I'm planning to fly with this fall. It's a pretty big guitar, but I'm thinking that it may fit into the Continental Voyager Dreadnought case. The case looks pretty good; does anyone know if it will fit into an overhead baggage compartment?

  25. #24

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    'Overhead baggage" can vary significantly for plane to plane. You can try to look up your particular aircraft on line, but the specs don't always match up. If it can't fit, hopefully there's space in a crew closet. It helps if you have an early/priority boarding. Best wishes for traveling with your instrument!

    PK

  26. #25

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