Guitar cases can serve as little more than a bag to keep the dust away, or they can offer form-fitting protection for your instrument and ward off damage from impacts and other jostling.
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Best Acoustic Gig Bag
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BEST FOR TRAVEL
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BEST BOHEMIAN
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With so many options, it can be tough to decide on which one you need. Since it would be nice to have some kind of starting point, here are a few of our favorites.
Our Top Picks—Guitar Cases
We’ve looked at many cases and come up with this list of some good ones. We’ve rated them on a five-star scale in a few different areas so you’ll have an idea of the applications each of these might work best for.
Best Acoustic Gig Bag: Cahaya Acoustic Guitar Bag
Star rating: 3
Value: 4
Construction materials: 2
Protection: 2
Portability: 5
Two smooth zippers allow for ease of access, but as a gig bag (a soft guitar case), this is more of a carrying case than an avenue of protection. This case will accommodate an acoustic-electric, as well.
Pros
- Nice, big storage pocket on the front
- Lots of straps offer different carrying options
- Light bag doesn’t add much to your burden when carrying your guitar
Cons
- The padding is really thin
- Will provide poor protection for an electric guitar, which will be too small for this case
Best for More Extensive Travel: Gearlux Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Hardshell Case
Star rating: 3
Value: 4
Construction materials: 3
Protection: 3
Portability: 4
Gearlux makes a solid, hard acoustic guitar case that isn’t more than it claims to be. The 5-inch depth should accommodate most acoustic dreadnoughts and even classical guitars. With more than five inches of room at the headstock, this case can work for many instruments.
Pros
- Great padding inside
- Locks on the latches add an extra layer of safety
Cons
- Not all guitars will fit perfectly in this case
Best for Beginners: Cahaya Electric Guitar Bag
Star rating: 3
Value: 4
Construction materials: 2
Protection: 2
Portability: 5
Lots of straps and storage space, but 6mm of padding isn’t very much at all. This case will keep your guitar clean while it’s in your home, but it will only provide the barest of protection if you’re taking your ax out into the world.
That said, not everyone can spend huge wads of cash on a case. This one works well for new players since they’re probably not super concerned about transporting their instrument out of the house.
Pros
- The interior neck strap holds the guitar that much more securely
- Backpack straps, hanging loop, two different handles for one-hand carrying
Cons
- Not compatible with acoustic guitars
- Too short for an electric bass
Best for Traveling to Local Gigs: ChromaCast CC-AHC Acoustic Guitar Hard Case
Star rating: 3
Value: 5
Construction materials: 3
Protection: 3
Portability: 4
ChromaCast boasts that musicians designed this case, and it shows in the storage space inside— it’s not cavernous, by any means, but its under-neck compartment will hold picks, capos, and splitters, which is all we usually ask of that space.
Plywood construction won’t protect from heaving falling objects, but it’s an acoustic guitar case hard enough to afford basic protection to your instrument.
Pros:
- Light for a wooden case
- One size fits most acoustic guitars
Cons
- Since it’s designed to accommodate lots of guitar sizes, not many guitars fit really well
- Thinner-bodied guitars will rest on their necks inside this case
Best for That Vintage Look: Gearlux Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Hard Case
Star rating: 3
Value: 4
Construction materials: 3
Protection: 3
Portability: 4
Most dreadnoughts should fit in this case. It’s got the vintage tweed look complete with gold hardware (well, gold-colored, anyway).
Another case that’s pretty much a hard-sided gig bag, but the tweed evokes custom guitar cases. This won’t do much during a car accident, but carrying your guitar to and from gigs is what this is for, not flying cross-country.
Pros
- Vintage case look without the vintage case price
- Generous padding inside goes beyond most cases at this price point
Cons
- Not a tweed case, just vinyl with a tweed pattern on it
- Another one-size-fits-most case that allows for many guitars to slide around inside
Best for Yamaha Guitars: Yamaha AG1-HC Hard Case Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Case
Star rating: 4
Value: 4
Construction materials: 5
Protection: 4
Portability: 3
For specific models of Yamaha dreadnought guitars, this is a great hard guitar case. It’s sturdy and will protect against all but the most severe impacts.
This is the kind of case that does the job it’s intended for, and that’s it. You can’t store your amp in here, and it won’t make you a better player. It’s a case and a solid one at that.
Pros
- Heavy-duty hinges and latches
- All-vinyl construction means no issues with wood rot over time
- For the right Yamaha guitars, this case provides a perfect, snug fit
Cons
- If you don’t play a Yamaha (and one of the models this is intended for), this case probably won’t work for you
- It’s heavy
Best for Rock Gigs: Gearlux Rectangular Electric Guitar Hard Case
Star rating: 4
Value: 4
Construction materials: 3
Protection: 4
Portability: 3
Gearlux calls this an electric guitar case but specifies Fender Strats and Teles. Like any good hard case, this one has one inner compartment for pick and other storage.
Pros
- Padding feels nice
- Available for electric bass
Cons
- Three-inch case depth eliminates the possibility of storing an acoustic guitar
- The handle is placed so that the center of gravity of the case with a guitar in it is off just a bit
Best for Fender Guitars: Fender Flat-Top Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Case
Star rating: 5
Value: 5
Construction materials: 5
Protection: 4
Portability: 5
Finding a good case is almost as satisfying as finding the right guitar. A guitar case Fender makes is just as solid as the guitars the company builds, but this case will also fit other dreadnoughts.
Well-built, sturdy, and handsome, this case will work with your 12-string, too. Even coming across one of these as a used guitar case is as find.
Pros
- One-inch foam padding
- Three-ply plywood core stands up to wear and tear
Cons
- Heavy for a guitar case
Best for Hollow-bodies: Crossrock Wooden Case for 335 Style 6 Strings Semi-Hollow & Hollowbody Electric Guitars
Star rating: 4
Value: 4
Construction materials: 5
Protection: 3
Portability: 3
The vinyl tweed design looks nice, though the inner padding material could be softer. This case is for light travel, where it will offer adequate protection. This case isn’t for heavy touring.
Pros
- PVC plastic is nice and tough
- Comes in different sizes for different guitar models
- Provides a nice, tight seal (though not waterproof)
Cons
- The handle isn’t designed for taking much abuse
- Some of the padding isn’t conducive to supporting some guitar models
Best Bohemian Guitar Case: Muscab Guitar Bag
Star rating: 3
Value: 4
Construction materials: 3
Protection: 2
Portability: 5
I guess the stitched pattern on the bag’s spacious pockets is what makes it a Bohemian case. The bigger of the two pockets can fit books and even headphones. Your electric guitar will fit in the case, but there will be lots of extra room.
As we’ve mentioned before, gig bags like this one soft guitar case lend portability but not protection. It will keep your guitar dry if it rains on the way to your gig, but if you knock into something, your guitar will suffer.
Pros
- Soft lining
- Neck strap inside holds your guitar steady
- Backpack straps are always convenient
Cons
- Can feel flimsy, especially compared to a hardshell
- Larger guitars may not fit—measure first!
Guitar Case vs Gig Bags – What’s the Difference?
The difference is the level of protection afforded to the guitar. A gig bag is not intended to protect your guitar from much of anything but dust.
That’s not a bad thing—that’s what the bag is intended to do. Gig bags are also a bit more portable, as evidenced by the number on this list with backpack straps.
A case, with its hardshell construction (wood, PVC or ABS plastic, even polyfoam), will provide more protection against dings and other damage.
Hardshell cases come in various levels of sturdiness—road cases are cumbersome and unwieldy, but they will protect the heck out of your precious guitar.
Do You Really Need a Guitar Case?
If you take your guitar to any gig, whether it’s a coffee house, a church service, or an arena rock concert, then yes, you need a case.
Lugging your ax around by the neck and hoping you don’t knock into anything is impractical and dumb. No matter how careful you are, not everyone around you will be.
And accidents happen. Can you keep your guitar on a stand in your home without worrying about damage? Sure. But once you go somewhere else to play, you need to protect your guitar.
What To Look for in a Guitar Case
Know what you need from your case. If you do a lot of traveling on the subway, don’t get an oversized hardshell case lest you make yourself and your fellow passengers miserable.
However, if you play multiple gigs a week and travel more than a few minutes to get to them, a hard guitar case offers extra protection past just using locking tuners to keep it from going out of tune.
Price will be an issue, as well, but before you think about budget concerns, figure out what you need from your case, then look in your price range for the case that meets your needs.
Final Thoughts
A stunning number of people pay lots for a fantastic guitar but then treat the case as an afterthought.
You need protection for your instrument if you intend to take it anywhere. There’s just too much bad that can happen to an unprotected guitar. Remember, it’s just wood, glue, and wire, so it’s a delicate thing. Treat it as such.
