Cello Bags and Cases

If you purchased a student cello outfit you will already have a bag or even a hard case for your cello. Just like bows, the quality of bags and cases varies a great deal from one outfit to the next, and you may need to upgrade what you have. This is especially important if your cello is doing a lot of travelling with you to and from school or your workplace. A very basic cover with limited or no padding will do little to protect your instrument when it’s in the car, on the bus or train, or being carried around.

The more travelling you do, the greater your need to fully protect your cello with a hard case or very well padded soft case. There is a lot to choose from ranging in price from around £50 to thousands of pounds for professional level flight cases and covers. You’ll be pleased to know that £80 will buy you a very robust and well-made padded bag, which offers a good level of protection for everyday transportation of your instrument.

When choosing a suitable bag or case for your instrument it is also worth considering the weight. If you’re likely to do a lot of walking with your cello, you don’t want a case that will weigh you down and cause back or shoulder ache. 6kg may not sound like much, but add to that the 2.5 – 3 kg of your cello along with your music bag and you’ve got quite a load to carry – especially if your frame is relatively small. Here’s the catch though: entry level cello cases tend to be a lot heavier since they are made out of cheaper materials – usually fibre glass or moulded plastic. Lightweight cello cases are made out of high tech materials such as carbon fibre or carbon composite. These materials are much lighter and extremely tough and durable, but they come at a high price. Unless you have a valuable instrument and are likely to fly anywhere with it, you are unlikely to be looking at this calibre of cello case. You might think that buying a heavy case with wheels is a perfectly good solution, but your cello will not thank you for the bumps and jolts it will get on the majority of road and pavement surfaces, and you certainly won’t be using the wheels up and down stairs.

This is where semi-rigid cases (made out of high density foam or styrofoam) and thickly padded gig bags really come into their own. Styrofoam cases tend to be rather bulky and are often poorly made, but they are lightweight and offer suitable protection for everyday use. When considering padded bags, 11mm of padding should be the absolute minimum.

Here is a list of reliable bags and cases for a tighter budget:

Make: Primavera Description: 11mm padded cello bag Price: £50 – £60

Make: Tom and Will Description: 20mm padded cello bag Price: £60 – £70

Make: Fusion Description: 15mm high density foam padded cello bag Price: £75 – £90

Make: Hidersine Deluxe Description:  Deluxe 22mm padded heavy duty cello bag Price: £75 – £90

Make: Turtle by Gewa Description: 25mm padded cello bag with wheels Price: £100 – £125

Make: Excalibur Description: High density foam semi-rigid cello case Price: £110 – £130

If you’re planning to fly anywhere with your cello you’ll need to invest in a good quality case. The bad news here is that even the very best cases sometimes fail to fully protect instruments on airlines. There is always an element of risk when you fly with your cello, and you should always check your options with the airline or travel agent before you fly anywhere. The same applies to any other form of long distance travel that does not allow you to take your instrument on board with you.

The following is a list of more robust cello cases worth considering if you’re planning to do any long distance travel with your cello or you’ve invested in a good quality cello:

Make: Archer by Gear4Music Description: Durable fibreglass case weighing 7.6kg Price: £140 – £150

Make: Hiscox (Lifelite Standard) Description: Double moulded construction weighing 5.2kg Price: £175 – £210

Make: Sinfonica Description: Fibreglass case with interior instrument suspension weighing 4.9kg Price: £240 – £280

Make: Bam Classic Description: Extra-durable ABS layer with full foam-injected interior suspension weighing 5.4kg Price: £340 – £370

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© D C Cello Studio 2012