When you are on the look out for a new guitar case there are many options available to you. Go into any guitar or music store and you will be faced with an ever increasing variety of options on what to buy. I am going to discuss hard guitar cases, their pros and cons. They might be durable but does that come at a cost?

Before you buy you need to consider how your going to be using your guitar, or where exactly you are going to be taking it? Are you in a band with loads of gigs coming up, or are you just a hobby player who jams with their friends every now and then? If you are the latter then a hard case might be a bit overkill for you and you might be better buying a soft guitar case, but read on and see what there has to be said about hard cases.

If you are in a band and are a touring or even just playing a few local gigs, then you really are going to need something more heavy duty than a simple soft or padded guitar case. Think of the time your guitar spends in the band of a car or van. Its going to be getting bashed around, there might be things falling on top of it. A soft case isn’t going to handle this and your guitar is going to get smashed up pretty quick. A hard case is going to offer you some serious protection against the unexpected. They tend to be made from pretty durable materials, wood or even aluminium. These materials are going to save you from receiving a mountainous repair bills after your bands shows.

There is also the chance that while you are loading all your gear into the venue or while people are moving things around during the show other people will be handling your guitar. Not everyone is going to take as much care as your are, so having the hard case is going to give you some peace of mind. No matter who touches it, your guitar will be safe.

There are of course downsides to hard cases. Because of how and what they are made of they can be pretty heavy. If you already have a load of other gear to carry like effects boxes, cables and your amplifier then you might want something that’s a little lighter and save your arms and legs some work.

Maybe you don’t have use of your own transport and have to catch buses and trains or walk to wherever your gig is or where you practice. Carrying the weight of your guitar and case a long distance may leave you too tired to even play when you arrive. Coupled with the rest of your gear, again you might want to take the lighter option of the soft case.

You have to take into account the cost as well, a good hard guitar case is going to cost you a fair amount of money, money which you might not have. If you can’t afford the outlay then you might be better off with a cheaper alternative. Saying that, if you have spent a small fortune on your guitar, do you really want to cut corners and save on something that could potentially save your new pride and joy from an unpredictable disaster?

On the whole hard cases really are worth it, they’re going to save your investment from any damage that might occur, though the downside is weight and expense. Hopefully this will have helped you make your decision a little easier.