Looking for a hard cymbal case that can hold a 24" cymbal.

Road Bull

Silver Member
So I picked up a new 24" Zildjian Medium Ride recently. I have a Ahead soft cymbal case that can hold the 24" ride, but just barely. I have been giving some serious thought to picking up a nice 24" Hard Cymbal Case.

It looks like the top contenders are

SKB Cymbal Vault 24"

&

Humes & Berg Enduro 24-Inch Cymbal Case

Both cases come with wheels, can accommodate 24" cymbals, and have collapsible handles to roll with. I think the Humes & Berg is more expensive, but not by too much.

Most people are familiar with the SKB Cymbal Vault. I have read a lot of good reviews highlighting the advantages and shortfalls of the design.

There is almost NO information on the Humes & Berg. I saw one in a store the other day, but was dumb and didn't bother to check out the inside and throw a few cymbals in.

One concern I have is that people mention that the 24" version of the SKB cymbal vault is more shallow than the 22" version. I don't have too many cymbals, but I need to be able to fit them in comfortably.

I have:
14" New Beats
20" Constantinople
21" Sweet Ride
24" Medium Ride

I do have cymbals that I don't always play, like an 18" China and a few other crashes. I would probably just keep them stored in my soft case, but it would be nice to be able to take an extra cymbal along in the hard case from time to time.

I mean, that should fit into the SKB, but the reviews make it sound tiny inside. I was wondering if the Humes and Berg would be much roomier inside. Anybody have a Humes and Berg to offer an opinion?

Thanks in advance.
 
I really like the Ahead cymbal bag for 24" cymbals (I use a 24" K Light Ride). I got the SKB Vault at first (this one accommodated the 24", had wheels, and a suitcase handle that pulled up out of it like luggage. But the vault drove me nuts because it was such an event to load it and unload it. I mean, you have to lay it down on the ground, take one side off, then remove a big plastic wing nut so I can put the cymbals in. Then you had to put the neoprene sleeves between the cymbals, then put the wing nut back on, then put the lid on, and reverse the process when you get to the gig.

I grew up with a nice Reunion Blues leather cymbal bag and just being able to unzip it and then put your cymbals in them, makes for a way happier me ;)
 
But the vault drove me nuts because it was such an event to load it and unload it. I mean, you have to lay it down on the ground, take one side off, then remove a big plastic wing nut so I can put the cymbals in. Then you had to put the neoprene sleeves between the cymbals, then put the wing nut back on, then put the lid on, and reverse the process when you get to the gig.

I'm actually at this point with my SKB Case. I got it for a good deal, and it's nice for storage. However, it is a bit of a pain to put the cymbals in and take them out especially if you don't have much room to do it. I think I might end up switching back to a bag.
 
I have the Ahead (2 of them) and Protection Racket 24" bags (1), and am very happy with them.
I have an Enduro 22" square case too. I like it , but, yeah, it was an event getting stuff in/out of it.
Thought about a hard case for the 24's, but the bags are great, quick & easy.

I have no fears with my stuff in these bags. They use a pretty good amount of padding, and the Ahead seems to have an even stiffer piece of 'something' inside it.
They also have separator pads with the bag.
Very nice, quality gear--either brand.
 
One thing you need to consider...How many cymbals can each choice hold? If I recall correctly my SKB hardcase, which I never use, barely holds 7 cymbals. But don't rely on that, I could be off there. You should know if your choice can accommodate the amount of cymbals you need to fit in there.
 
I silk try my Ahead soft case again just to be sure, but it seems just barely able to fit the 24" Zildjian Medium Ride. The edges if the ride are right on the zipper. It might be particular to the way in which it put in. So I will double check that when I get to practice tonight. I like the soft case, but I want it to fit in there safely.
 
I like the 24" Ahead case. It fits my Bash Ride just fine (its snug but it fits) and a bunch of other cymbals.

I have a SKB 24" case and its such a pain. I'm with Bo, its too much of a production, so right now it just stores my extra cymbals. I keep it around in case my cymbals have to ride in a van/truck, but when I'm carrying them I always use a bag.

Also, the SKB case should hold your 3 cymbal and hi-hats without a problem. I have trouble fitting more than 5 cymbals though. The 22" SKB case is a little deeper and can probably hold 6 cymbals.

My Ahead bag currently holds 6 large cymbals, 1 hi-hat set, and 3 smaller cymbals. It can probably still hold more.
 
I'd like to see the inside of a(n) SKB. Seven cymbals is not much. I have 9 in my Enduro and I've taken at least 5 out that I wasn't using.

Not to be a smart-allick, but are you guys loading your cymbals in correctly? I would think a company such as SKB would make a case that would hold more than 7 cymbals....
 
I silk try my Ahead soft case again just to be sure, but it seems just barely able to fit the 24" Zildjian Medium Ride. The edges if the ride are right on the zipper. It might be particular to the way in which it put in. So I will double check that when I get to practice tonight. I like the soft case, but I want it to fit in there safely.

Ahead must make two different kinds of bags then? The copy I got is large, and there's about a 3" flat section on the bottom of the bag and the inside has this plush lining, plus they give you plush sleeves to put cymbals in if you want to use those. It easily holds my ride, two crashes and hats. In fact, the outside pocket is big enough to hold the hats on their own, but I mainly use that pocket for spare parts like beaters, extra keys, snare wire, snares, etc.,....it also cost around $100.
 
Ahead must make two different kinds of bags then? The copy I got is large, and there's about a 3" flat section on the bottom of the bag and the inside has this plush lining, plus they give you plush sleeves to put cymbals in if you want to use those. It easily holds my ride, two crashes and hats. In fact, the outside pocket is big enough to hold the hats on their own, but I mainly use that pocket for spare parts like beaters, extra keys, snare wire, snares, etc.,....it also cost around $100.

No, I think I have the same one. I specifically got the 24" version with the backpack straps and fleece dividers and whatnot. But it just barely wants to fit my 24" ZIldjian Medium Ride in there. Maybe because they redesigned the shape of the cymbal, it sits taking up a lot of room? Had to say. Maybe I should take my cymbal this weekend and go try another Ahead bag to see if I get the same results. I could have just got one that someone was testing a shrink-ray gun on.
 
I have an H & B hard case and is capable of holding a 24', the largest cymbal I'm running currently is 21". While it works well, it is frustrating how few cymbals actually fit. I have to carry it and a Sabian "Cymbal Vault" just to bring all of my cymbals and I'm not running 700 cymbals. I think it's mainly due to the china and my Quick Beat hats but I wish I could take them all in one hard case.
 
I'm actually at this point with my SKB Case. I got it for a good deal, and it's nice for storage. However, it is a bit of a pain to put the cymbals in and take them out especially if you don't have much room to do it. I think I might end up switching back to a bag.


For $150 you can't, no way, no how beat this bag DRUMSLINGER EL for larger cymbals. Superior construction to HB, AHEAD, MONO others at a blow-out price.
 
With the Ahead bag, you need to put the 24 in last. The zipper is not in the center, so if it's in first, it kinda gets stuck in the "overhang".
That's my only beef with that bag.
I like the bigger zipper pulls the Ahead bag has compared to the ProRacket bag too.

The TT bag seems cool, and up to 27 " cymbals is convenient for people with big cymbals for sure. If other bags someone was looking at, or hardcase were up near or in that price range, it's a good deal. If I gigged all the time, I might get one of those myself.
 
No, I think I have the same one. I specifically got the 24" version with the backpack straps and fleece dividers and whatnot. But it just barely wants to fit my 24" ZIldjian Medium Ride in there. Maybe because they redesigned the shape of the cymbal, it sits taking up a lot of room? Had to say. Maybe I should take my cymbal this weekend and go try another Ahead bag to see if I get the same results. I could have just got one that someone was testing a shrink-ray gun on.

Hmm. Well, mine doesn't have the backpack straps, just a regular shoulder strap. But I definitely don't worry about the edges because of that 3" flat panel along the bottom of the bag. Your cymbal can't be shaped that differently, no?
 
Hmm. Well, mine doesn't have the backpack straps, just a regular shoulder strap. But I definitely don't worry about the edges because of that 3" flat panel along the bottom of the bag. Your cymbal can't be shaped that differently, no?



So, a bit of am update.

It looks as though my Ahead Armor 24" cymbal bag only just fits my new 2013 Zildjian 24" Medium Ride. However, the cymbal's edge has little in the way of protection. The edge of the cymbal, at least for half of it, rests on the zipper and is nowhere near the padded fleece protection on the edge of the bag.

I had a phone conversation with a representative from Ahead. He said that it was possible that the bag's measurements could be off as much as an eighth if an inch.

Now, because it its essentially a newly designed cymbal with a new profile.

So, I will check to see if another Ahead bag of the same style will work. Otherwise, the search is on again.
 
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