(NGBD) Mono Vertigo gig bag for my 16" archtop

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I decided to bite the bullet and buy a decent gig bag for my Ibanez AF207. The original Ibanez Power Pad gig bag is beautiful, light, easy to carry, and well pocketed. But it's not much protection from physical damage, temperature extremes, or heavy precipitation - so I only took the Ibby out in perfect weather because I don't like gigging with OHSCs. After the usual research, I decided that a Mono Vertigo bag is right for me - it's exactly the right size and it seems both strong and weather-resistant. It has a "sole" over the entire bottom outside surface that looks like the bottom of an LL Bean duck boot, and the inside padding has a nice relief pocket for the endpin. It also has ABS impact-resistant panels in the walls, which is a level of protection well beyond most gig bags of any material.

It just arrived, undamaged and on time via UPS. And it's exactly as expected - a perfect fit in a really well made bag. As soon as I took it out of the box, I realized the wisdom of this choice over the ProBag leather one that I thought I wanted (and was going to order until I saw the current price). The Mono is lighter, more weather-resistant, and (assuming the "neck cradle suspension system" works as advertised) more protective. It also loads from the top as well as the side - the zipper extends much further down the back than it does on standard bags - so you can lift the guitar straight up with the bag standing on the floor or slide it out with the bag lying down, as you wish.

I'd bought a Roadrunner RR5AG bag for the Ibby 2 years ago (at which time there was no Mono Vertigo series - this was the toughest RR short of their Jetway molded cases) without checking its size against the trunk of my Scion FR-S. The RR holds a 17" guitar and is just slightly too thick and long to fit through the opening into my trunk. I posted it for sale and had a buyer almost immediately. But shipping turned out to be about the same as it is for a guitar, which made a $75 gig bag into a $115 gig bag - and they cost that new with free shipping from GC, MF, SW etc. So I told him to buy it new for the extra $10. I can't find my communications with him now or I'd offer this to him first. So if anybody wants to buy a perfect Roadrunner RR5AG gig bag for archtops up to 17" for $50 plus shipping, contact me. I have the double boxes from my new Mono, so it's environmentally sound to send the RR off in them.





And here's the Roadrunner if anybody's interested for $50 plus shipping-

[Herbie]

Congrats for the new travel home of Your Ibby!

Some years ago I bought a Protection Racket soft case for my ES-175 and it made gigging easy. It can be top loaded too and the pockets are big enough for many things Your guitar needs when traveling.

Last summer I bought a Mono Vertigo case for my Les Paul. The case is very convincing, sturdy but light. But it has only one pocket which is very (VERY) tight even for a laptop, cable, strap, a bottle of water and an extra t-shirt.

Mono sells extra ’pocket’ which they call Tick System. It is attached in the neck side of the case but I am not convinced would it solve my problems – or would it make more of them!?

Is the pocket big enough in that slightly bigger Vertigo model?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Is the pocket big enough in that slightly bigger Vertigo model?

It has 3 pockets. There’s one at the head that’s about twice the size of the one at the top of any of my other gig bags. It holds a small pedal or two and probably will take my Tumnus, although I don’t use OD with an archtop.

The largest one is over the body and swallowed up my tablet, a sheaf of score paper, my strap, IEM case, tool pouch, and Boss wireless with plenty of room left for a laptop up to maybe 14”. And the third pocket is a zipped one inside the big one - I put two sets of strings in it easily.

Best of all, the pockets lay flat against the case when empty and only expand enough to hold what I put in them. I don’t know if they’ll stretch out, but they feel sturdy enough not to deform much (if at all) over time.

[marcwhy]

Hey @Never, thanks for the review on this!
[Is this the "semi-hollowbody" size, or another model?]

I've been looking at the Vertigo for one of my guitars, but some of the (mildly) negative reviews have been about the "top loading" design, and the critique that the zippers don't go down "far enough." Any thoughts on these comments?

Thanks!

Marc

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Hey @Never, thanks for the review on this! [Is this the "semi-hollowbody" size, or another model?] I've been looking at the Vertigo for one of my guitars, but some of the (mildly) negative reviews have been about the "top loading" design, and the critique that the zippers don't go down "far enough." Any thoughts on these comments?

Hi, Marc!

Mine is the M80 Vertigo Acoustic (M80-VAD-BLK) - the AF207 is a full depth 16" archtop. I gave those considerations a lot of thought and chose this bag in part because of the top loading feature. It's true - the zippers don't go all the way down at the front or the back. But they both go pretty far down, and I have no problem taking the guitar out with the bag lying horizontal. I didn't like putting my bag down on the keyboard to unload it because when the Nord is on, touching any of those controls changes something and I had to reboot and start over to get my settings (not to mention potential damage to the finish on the Nord). And if I didn't prop the open top of a standard gig bag against a mic stand while unloading it on the keyboard, it flopped over the back and pulled the bag off as soon as I removed the guitar.

The top loading feature is pretty cool when setting up in a cramped performance area - you just have to be careful not to hit whatever's flying overhead with your headstock (which I did many times with my beater Epi LP7 while struggling to get it out vertically from an old bag, before I finally learned to look up every time). The stage at the club in which I play regularly is very tight. This pic was taken before we added a drum frame, a Hammond XK5, a Leslie 3300, and a PRRI. There are now more stage lights overhead too.



Now there's about 3 1/2' from the front of the bass drum to the front edge of the stage and about a foot between the end of the drum set and the left corner of the Hammond (at the keyboard). So being able to pull my guitar out with the bag standing on the floor at a 45 degree angle is a godsend.



So this is exactly what I wanted and needed, although YMMV. Keep the faith - spring is just around the corner!

David

[marcwhy]

Wonderful - thanks for that info!

Marc

[EastwoodMike]

To the soft case owners/ I have often wondered about protection for archtops- particularly excessive pressure on the bridge area which tends to be a bit more elevated in design than solid body or even flat top acoustics. The side rigidity of these cases seem good as does side impact resistance- but do you have any nerves about damage to the body top?
EMike

[EllenGtrGrl]

Congrats on the Mono (and the AF207! - I would love to have another 7-string!). Those are great bags, and in some ways are similar to the SKB soft case/gig bag I use for my Gibson J-35, when I take it to my weekly church band gig - nice and rigid to protect the guitar, but with shoulder straps that make it easy to sling it over your shoulder (or both shoulders for that matter), while carrying an amp. I have been tempted at times to not even put my J-35 back in its hardshell case after getting home from playing it, because the rigidity of my SKB gig bag works very well at protecting it. I think the only reason I put it back in its hardshell case, is because it's easier to control humidity in it, than in the SKB.

SKB Soft Case

[Average Joe]

I have the one they make for for 335 styles. In terms of protection from bumps and blows I think it's easily on a par with the old brown Gibson hardcase I used to have. And since the fit is better, the guitar doesn't rattle around inside the bag the same way it did in the case.

Be aware though, there there are limits to just how rainproff the bag is. It's something I've learned this winter. No water on the actual guitar, but moisture on the inside of the lining at the very top of the bag. That's from about 40 minutes out in very heavy rain on a bicycle (I was a good deal wetter than the guitar). It's fine for normal showers

[Woody Sound]

My friend just bought the bass version for his new 5 string and likes it so far. We do a lot of pit work togther so we're usually in pretty cramped quarters.

[gitman]

My Ibanez GB-15 and also the 16" Heritage thinline fit very nicely into my MONO Vertigo bag which is designed for semihollow guitars. The top-loading feature is no issue at all, all zippers function just fine and I have nothing to criticize - ok, they could be a bit cheaper but what can you do ....

[John A.]

To the soft case owners/ I have often wondered about protection for archtops- particularly excessive pressure on the bridge area which tends to be a bit more elevated in design than solid body or even flat top acoustics. The side rigidity of these cases seem good as does side impact resistance- but do you have any nerves about damage to the body top?
EMike

I don't. The think guitar is safer with soft padding that conforms to the bridge than it is moving around inside a hard case that has more clearance.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The side rigidity of these cases seem good as does side impact resistance- but do you have any nerves about damage to the body top?

I worried about that too. But the really good modern bags have flat reinforcing panels in the top and bottom as well. Mono says theirs are ABS. The bridge top of my AF207 sits a bit away from the inside of the bag top - I can see and feel the space because this one opens vertically.

Mono’s neck cradle is solid and there are mating halves in top and bottom to hold it gently and securely but not tightly when zipped. So it seems to protect the top and bottom much better than bags without such reinforcement. It should protect the guitar well if the case is pushed over and lands on its top. I’m sure the guitar wouldn’t survive a safe dropped on the bag top, but it would probably be OK if another guitar in a case fell on it.

The top level bags from the good makers all have some kind of reinforcement panels in tops and bottoms. Roadrunner uses what they call “corrugated” panels. It’s probably cardboard, but even that’s better than nothing.

[sgosnell]

Corrugated plastic is pretty common, and more durable than paper. Made pretty much the same, and not much more expensive. I would be surprised if case makers use corrugated paper inserts, but I've been surprised before. There is no good reason to use paper though.

[rpjazzguitar]

I have a Mono bag which has been great. M80 I think. Well thought out, well made and I'm very comfortable with the level of protection.

The only thing I'd mention is that the inside of the bag got torn up by the string ends at the tuners. I would cut them with about a half inch of stub end sticking out. It tore up the inside lining. Now I cut them as close as possible.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Corrugated plastic is pretty common, and more durable than paper. Made pretty much the same, and not much more expensive. I would be surprised if case makers use corrugated paper inserts, but I've been surprised before. There is no good reason to use paper though.

Now I’m curious enough to call the case companies and ask what they use. I may well be wrong, but I don’t understand why there would be a $100+ dollar difference in cost between otherwise similar bags that use ABS or “corrugated reinforcement panels” and have an extra 5 mm of padding.

Corrugated plastic sheets are usually polypropylene - this is one of the most common materials from which signs are made. But even PP is a lot more expensive than heavy corrugated paper, and it’s the cheapest plastic used in corrugated sheeting. At the same thickness, it’s not much more impact-resistant than cardboard because it’s brittle and breaks. So I doubt that corrugated plastic would be chosen over ABS, because it’s almost as expensive and much less impact resistant. And I wouldn’t choose it over cardboard because it’s much more expensive but not much more impact resistant.

If I can get any information from Mono, RR, Gator, or SKB, I’ll report back!

[Ukena]

I had the Mono Classic Acoustic/Dreadnought case for my Martin D18A, which worked very well. I sold it and bought a BAM acoustic case for it, as it was a little sturdier; I ended up getting BAM cases for my other dread and for my Eastman AR905CE CC, which the BAM 16" archtop case fits perfectly.

When I bought my Eastman PG2, I tried to find a lighter case than the incredibly heavy case it came in, but since the guitar is an unusual shape, I had little luck. So I thought I'd try a softer case like the Mono, which had just come out with the Vertigo Acoustic case, in which the PG2 sits very well.

This is the PG2, which is a 17" guitar, but due to the offset is only 16" across:

[EastwoodMike]

I saw the BAM cases after I noted what some of my ensemble groups saxophonist and trumpeters had. Look nice but hmm, where I live they are special order and x4 the cost of the Mono M80.
glad you are having good experiences with the Mono. I have one for a SemiHollow and they are well made cases.

[Ukena]

Yes, those BAM cases are expensive. I got mine from Thomann in Germany several years ago, before BAM insisted that Thomann could no longer ship cases to the USA. The cost of my cases from Thomann were under $500, $200 less than buying them in the USA. Now, of course, prices have shot up considerably.