How expensive should a guitar be to come with a free case?

[taylornutt]

I have noticed in recent years that manufacturers are less frequently including soft or hard cases with guitars unless you buy a really expensive guitar. I look in guitar magazines to find $1000 guitars coming with no cases included.

At what price point should a guitar come with some kinda of nice case?

I have always thought guitars over $500 should come with a case of some kind. My sub $300 Baby Taylor came with a nice gig bag and even had hard cases their first production year. What do you think?

[SKC Willie]

I feel like 500 is a good marker.

When I got my Fender Jag bass, I didn't get a gig bag or any kind of case. It would have been nice to get something to carry it home in!

[the isaac eaton]

I think guitars $450 and up should come with a case. It seems like hardly any guitars come with a case anymore which is super annoying. If I buy a mexican fender I want a case with it god damnit.

[stewart]

if you're in the store and offer to pay cash (or sometimes you don't even have to) you can often talk them into throwing in a gig bag or strap or both. that's on cheaper stuff too (my squier CV bass, for example). the threat of business being lost to online retailers is ever present. i'd expect to have to pay extra for a hard case though, unless it was quite an expensive guitar.

[kypdurron]

The MiM Fender do come with a gigbag. My Esquire came with a Gigbag that retails around 40 $ on its own. The same gigbag is included if you buy a lower american series, Highway One oder American Speacial. I think the MiM Standard Series comes with a simpler gigbag. The Squiers generally don't include a gigbag. Up from the American Standard series, a hardshell case is included (but I think the SKB cases they use when they don't throw in a G&G are not looking too classy).

So if you want a Fender with hardshell case, that will cost extra in the below 1000 range. Maybe people have been bitching about guitar retail prices too much to expect the companies to be not picky about these "give aways"? Seems like the guitars sell all the same when there is no case included, but it allows a lower price. But if you don't choose to play something that does not fit in a Strat case, you can get a good quality aftermarket case at 40-50 $, sometimes even cheaper.

What really sucked back in 94; I bought my Jazzmaster new from store, there came no gigbag with it and the shop didn't have a fitting case to sell. In fact no shop had at that time. I was 19 and it was my first really expensive buy at all, and I had to carry it around in the shipping box. I had that a long time until I bought a case for bass guitar because I didn't find something else. God bless the internet.

[Simon]

I bought my guitar for £500 and had to pay the extra £50 for a hard case. At the time I think I was just that happy to of found
the guitar I'd been after for a while that I wasn't bothered about paying the extra. I think I just expected to of had to pay for the hard case. I know some people who can be quite cheeky and ask for all sorts of additional inclusions, straps, strings, picks etc.

When I bought my amp, the store I was going to buy from weren't offering the footswitch included in the cost so I went online and found a place that was selling the amp and the footswitch for the same price the other place were charging for the amp!

[stewart]

When I bought my amp, the store I was going to buy from weren't offering the footswitch included in the cost so I went online and found a place that was selling the amp and the footswitch for the same price the other place were charging for the amp!

but most shops can be talked down. if you walk in with cash in hand and a printout from an online store, more often than not they'll match the price. i've done it loads of times. they'll go "oh, y'know, we don't make much on these as it is..." then pretend to put some sums in a calculator... before inevitably saying "ok".

in fact, i once went to buy a novation drumstation and didn't ask for money off, and the guy in the shop said "aren't you going to ask if we can do a better price?" before knocking £50 off without even blinking.

[Simon]

Oh yeah completely. To be fair to them, they were saying that they weren't selling the footswitch instore but their online shop had them in stock - they have different rules for instore to what they do online(bit confusing)

When I was buying my first amp, I took a friend with me to check out the one I was after as he's notorious for blagging and bartering with people so I thought he might help me out if it looked like someone was trying to rip me off. We went into one store and they didn't have it in stock, tried another, same again, finally we found it in this little crappy guitar shop and we played the guy off against these other two stores who didn't even have the amp in stock - 'oh such and such are saying they'll do it for X amount' and he eventually must of knocked off about £70-£80 of the original price tag. I left the shop feeling very guilty but still, like you say, they pretend they can't make much of a profit on their products.

[kim]

yeah, my MIA p bass came with a case, normally it would've been the molded case in bass guitar shape, but because i got a lefty and they don't make the molded cases lefty i got one of those big rectangular ones, which look more classy.

but my MIJ mustang just came with a flimsy fender bag, but that's not a 1000euro guitar, you just pay so much for it with import and transport costs added to the guitar, he only ordered one lefty mustang from fender japan because i wanted one. but the guy at the store said i could have a stag rectangular case for half the price..i didn't buy it.

[Mustang Melx]

I wouldn't want a case with any guitar (because I have 3 in my loft) it seems like a scam to me because it's not like you are getting it free, I'd rather have the choice of buying one with it or not.

[Simon]

yeah, my MIA p bass came with a case, normally it would've been the molded case in bass guitar shape, but because i got a lefty and they don't make the molded cases lefty i got one of those big rectangular ones, which look more classy.

I don't know if I'm in the minority here but being a fellow lefty, do you not just feel like crying every time you walk into a guitar shop
and see all the beautiful right-handed guitars on display?

I actually feel like re-learning how to play the guitar right handed sometimes... yes, it's that bad.

[euan]

you are left handed. you live in a right handed world. deal with it and move on.

[Simon]

I try, I really do.

[kim]

it's frustrating. actually most of the time when i go windowshopping i forget they are all righty. it's when i want to try an amp or pedals that i get really pissed off that, even in megastores here, you can choose between either a squier strat or an epi les paul if you want to test some gear. so when i know i will be trying out pedals i take a guitar with me. there is a guitarstore (where i got my stang) that only sells lefty guitars, i love going there because A: it's never busy, lefties are always a minority. B: i can play EVERY fucking guitar in there and not upside down. i can actually play a bit on an upside down guitar with the strings all upside down, but it's not the same obviously.

i think if you really are so fed up with the lack of left handed guitars instead of forcing yourself to play right give it a shot to play with the strings upside down, that way it's only your right hand that will have to learn upside down chords but your left hand stays your most important tool : rythm !

[Simon]

it's frustrating. actually most of the time when i go windowshopping i forget they are all righty. it's when i want to try an amp or pedals that i get really pissed off that, even in megastores here, you can choose between either a squier strat or an epi les paul if you want to test some gear. so when i know i will be trying out pedals i take a guitar with me. there is a guitarstore (where i got my stang) that only sells lefty guitars, i love going there because A: it's never busy, lefties are always a minority. B: i can play EVERY fucking guitar in there and not upside down. i can actually play a bit on an upside down guitar with the strings all upside down, but it's not the same obviously.

i think if you really are so fed up with the lack of left handed guitars instead of forcing yourself to play right give it a shot to play with the strings upside down, that way it's only your right hand that will have to learn upside down chords but your left hand stays your most important tool : rythm !

See, there is nothing like that round here that deals only in left handed guitars, that's quite lucky for you!

I know what you mean about trying stuff out in shops though, you end up playing the crappest guitar in the shop through a £600 amp!

I can play right handed guitars upside down pretty efficiently, I just learnt from being at friends houses who obviously didn't have a left handed guitar kicking about so I always just messed about playing upside down. I had a Les Paul Studio that I got converted to a lefty, had the nut changed and stuff but after a while it just started to sound a bit rubbish and would never stay in tune so I eventually got in converted back and sold it to fund buying a lefty Telecaster. Best thing I ever did.

Sorry for hijacking the thread with all out lefty views btw.

[stewart]

there's actually a fair few lefties on here now, i think they should all get a badge, poor things.

[euan]

that there are

[Simon]

there's actually a fair few lefties on here now, i think they should all get a badge, poor things.

I'd love a badge!

Could we not just have our own section on here?

[euan]

There are enough forums as there is. and so few left handed guitars that it aint worth it

[Simon]

There are enough forums as there is. and so few left handed guitars that it aint worth it

Ah well, was worth a try I suppose!