GearCast - Protect Your New Gear with the Right Case

Protecting Quality Gear

Are you looking at a shiny new instrument or other sweet gear from this year’s holiday season? Maybe you are professional musician, recording engineer, producer or venue owner, and your gear is your livelihood. If you are on the worship team at a church, you know that your speakers, musicians and even microphones are essential parts of bringing your message to your congregation.

Musical instruments and gear like speakers and amplifiers can be expensive, and many of them will only increase in value over the years if they are kept in good condition. Proper storage is an integral part of maintaining condition. The right cases can protect your gear from many sources of damage, including:

• Drops or falls, particularly while in transit
• Fading or other damage from UV light
• Environmental conditions including weather, temperature, humidity and even bugs

Case Types

There are two main types of cases to consider: soft and hard. Soft cases, or gig bags, are typically made of a padded, durable and waterproof fabric. They are lightweight and easy to carry, but they don’t provide a significant level of protection from impact. If you will be shipping equipment, heading out on a truly extensive tour or checking gear for a flight, hard cases are a better idea. Further, hard cases that fit your gear closely will provide a greater amount of protection.

Life-Saving Gear That You May Be Forgetting

Once you have found the cases that you need, there may be even more gear that you’ll need. Here are two other possible types we recommend:

• Extra cables, connectors and any other essential wiring are great tools to have on hand. Having a spare just may save your concert or theater production when an important piece goes missing at the last minute.
• You can also protect your equipment (and your performers and technicians) by investing in the right carts, dollies and racks. What you use to transport and display your equipment can have a big impact on how easily you can set up for a performance, as well as how good your speakers sound and how impressive your lights look.

If you were on the nice list and Santa brought you some amazing new gear, take the time to protect your gifts. It might not be as fun as shopping for a new guitar or set of cymbals, but making sure that you have the right cases, cables and stands will protect those fun purchases for many years to come.