The right cymbal case

TColumbia37

Silver Member
Upon the purchase of my new ride, I need to pick up a new hard case that holds up to 24" cymbals. I have a gig next week and I don't want to take my new toy out if it isn't properly protected. A lot of the cases I see won't fit more than about 7 cymbals, and won't fit chinas. I don't currently own a china, but I plan to in the future at some point. I need a case to be able to fit my ride, 2-3 crashes, a china, my hats (bottom hat is flat - no bell), and a splash. I'd like to keep my budget around $150, but if I find the right one, I'd be willing to spend a little extra.

Anybody have any suggestions/ideas?

http://store.drumtek.com.au/hardcase-black-24-cymbal-case-holds-12-cymbals-w-wh/

So far, this looks like the one, but the price is kind of high, and I don't want to have to ship internationally.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--AHEAA6023RS

I'm also looking into the Ahead cymbal silo. I'm not that keen on a bag, but this thing looks super nice and like something that I can trust.
 
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The case in your first link for 209.00 says it will hold 12 cymbals.
 
I have used several hard shell cymbal cases throughout the years and have always had problems with chinas. Right now I use an SKB case that holds the 6 traditional cymbals prefectly, but the china has to go in its own bag. In one band I had two chinas, and each one had its own bag. They are a huge pain in the ass. The flat hi-hat will have to go on the top of the other cymabals. Otherwise the other cymbals will flop around within the case.

The first one looks like a good choice, but I have never heard of the company that makes it. I really like SKB stuff becasue of the lifetime guarantee.
 
I have used several hard shell cymbal cases throughout the years and have always had problems with chinas. Right now I use an SKB case that holds the 6 traditional cymbals prefectly, but the china has to go in its own bag. In one band I had two chinas, and each one had its own bag. They are a huge pain in the ass. The flat hi-hat will have to go on the top of the other cymabals. Otherwise the other cymbals will flop around within the case.

The first one looks like a good choice, but I have never heard of the company that makes it. I really like SKB stuff becasue of the lifetime guarantee.

I use the SKB 24" case for my 24" ride, 3 crashes, hats, and a splash. Dynamite case, but they got a couple of design detriments when compared to the 22" case. First of all, the pull out handle covers up the roto-X molding so you can't stack it on top of another SKB case like you can with the 22" case. There should be an option to remove this. Also, the 22" case is deeper than the 24" case for whatever reason. I can store, like, 12 cymbals in the 22" case, but maybe 7 at the most in the 24" case. It would be nice to have a deeper dish in the 24" case. If the profile of my 24" cymbal were any higher, it wouldn't fit at all.

But, I shopped around, and the SKB was BY FAR the best hard cymbal case option. Occasionally I'll use a soft case with straps, though, when I'm playing on a house it and I just need to bring cymbals/snare/throne/kick pedal.
 
The Hardcase brand you've got in the first link are great. Pretty comparable to SKB IMHO. But for the love of god man, don't buy musical gear from Oz. Hardcase aren't available in the US anymore so I'm told, but they are a UK company and I'll bet London to a brick you can source then directly from the UK a hell of a lot easier....not to mention cheaper....than you can from this backwater.

Drumtek are one of my two favourite "go to" stores here in Melbourne, but being from the US you can do much better than paying Aussie prices mate, I'll stake my claim to it.
 
I opted for the Ahead bag. The two big selling points for me were the plush dividers and the shoulder straps. One of my 18" cymbals is full of rivets, and I don't want those coming in direct contact with any of the other cymbals. It hasn't been a problem in my hard case, but once I get a china, I can see that being an issue without good dividers. I've read some great reviews on it, and I've seen their drum cases, and they're just awesome, so I'll give it a chance. If this bag is anything like their sticks, however, I'll be returning it immediately.
 
Hardcase aren,t listed on Drumteks website(online store).
Also i wouldn,t hold my breath awaiting on a email response.
I emailed about 3 different color&size Ludwig Legacy kits&Tama Star Classic mounts&rims.This was 2-3 months ago,
Commented on there FB (Facebook page) about this promised a call STILL WAITING! :(.
 
I have a gator 22" and an skb 24''.

Haven't counted exactly how many cymbals they will fit but if you can go without the protective felts between the cymbals in the skb you can fit lots more.

The gator one is annoying because you have to do alot of unscrewing to get it open and set your cymbals free.

I would make sure I'm not using too many cymbals but I reckon my skb would fit hats, ride, 2x crashes and a china, even a couple of spashes if you're into that.
 
I opted for the Ahead bag. The two big selling points for me were the plush dividers and the shoulder straps. One of my 18" cymbals is full of rivets, and I don't want those coming in direct contact with any of the other cymbals. It hasn't been a problem in my hard case, but once I get a china, I can see that being an issue without good dividers. I've read some great reviews on it, and I've seen their drum cases, and they're just awesome, so I'll give it a chance. If this bag is anything like their sticks, however, I'll be returning it immediately.


So what I determined is that for MY needs, the Ahead Armor 24" soft cymbal case works best for me. I have two 24" rides, a 22" crash, 20" Novo china, and 15" hats. So, the fitting issues come into play with large diameter cymbals, and odd "profile" cymbals, (like chinas, flat hats, and deep dish rides).

All of my pies just barely fit in this bag, and I had yo exchange one because it was too tight to zip my 24s in. The SKB hard case, although I liked it in concept, was a no go. Too small to work. Dam china...

I don't see ever having MORE cymbals, so for me, I am glad the Ahead bag works. Backpack straps are awesom for load in/ out. To me, stamps are way more useful than a roller board. There are too many stairs and whatnot to make the wheels more useful than straps.

IF I had to have another cymbal, I would just get another Ahead bag. But I would hate to have to buy two SKB 24" cases just to transport what I have now.
 
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