SKB Hardshell Case sizes

AxisDrummer

Senior Member
A couple questions here regarding SKB hardshell cases:

I recently bought a new Tama Silverstar Lacquer 6pc Kit. Love it! Especially considering it's my first new kit in 20 years after playing on and off on a Gretsch kit from Sears.

When gigging, I'd just throw my drums and hardware in the SUV and head out (I have always used a hardshell cymbal case.) Now that I have a "nice" drumkit, I want to buy some hardshell cases for use when gigging. The SKBs get rave reviews everywhere.

1) Will my toms with the Starcast tom mounts fit into the cases comfortably? Same question for bass drum spurs/ base of tom holder and floor tom leg mounts. I'm assuming these cases allow for extra room for standard mounted hardware.

2) My mounted tom sizes are 8x10 and 9x12. I can only get the SKB cases in 9x10 and 10x12. (Ditto for the snare, mine is 5x14 but can only get a 5.5x14 case.) With the extra depth in the cases, will there be too much play room? The floor toms (12x14 and 14x16) and the bass drum (18x22) have cases that match their exact sizing.

3) Recommendation for SKB hardware case? I have 6 boom stands and a hi-hat stand (along with snare stand and throne, but I have a heavy duty plastic tote for them.) Should I get a large case or maybe 2 mid-sizers so it doesn't give me a hernia?

Thanks for any and all help!

---Mike
 
I use Humes and Berg Enduro hard cases and the diameter of the case is the same as the diameter of the drum head. Mine fit perfect with the star-cast mounts on my Starclassics. I know you didn't ask about that but let me offer this...

For a hardware case. Look for a SKB or similar hard golf travel case. I got one on CL for $40 bucks and it's perfect for my hardware. Wheels on one end and a handle on the other. Holds everything. My hardware is very heavy...mostly Tama Road Pro stands. This works great. I should mention that the only thing that doesn't fit is my Roc N Soc throne top. I put that in the case with my floor tom. The base base goes in with the hardware.

Outside:
IMAG0554.jpg


Packed up:
IMAG0057.jpg
 
The best way to find out is to take a couple of your toms to a Guitar Center or other drum store that has SKB cases in stock, and see if they fit to your liking. The SKB cases barely fit the DW isolation mounts, but those are on the larger size of the spectrum. The only way to really see it for yourself is to see it for yourself.

As for the hardware case, I'm a BIG fan of the SKB Freedom case. It's not like a golf club-style case in the sense that you put it down on the floor and open it up like a clamshell. You stand it up and lift the lid off the top, so you can stand while taking your stands out. This is very handy, especially when needing to rush your set up...
 
1) Will my toms with the Starcast tom mounts fit into the cases comfortably? Same question for bass drum spurs/ base of tom holder and floor tom leg mounts. I'm assuming these cases allow for extra room for standard mounted hardware.

Tough one. Simply put, some do and some don't, purely because all shell hardware is not created equal. I've read posts here where some mounting hardware fits inside the case with no issues. But I've also seen comments where they don't. As Caddy suggests, take a couple of toms in and see if they work for you.

2) (Ditto for the snare, mine is 5x14 but can only get a 5.5x14 case.) With the extra depth in the cases, will there be too much play room? .

Specifically on the snare cases. Yeah, there is a bit of room to spare depth wise. I have my 14 x 6.5 snares sitting in 14 x 5.5 deep cases. They fit like a glove. So a 14 x 5 snare in a 14 x 5.5 case will give you about an inch and a half spare. You can always throw a bit of padding and a spare head in there though.....another Caddywumpus suggestion......he's a smart lad, that one. ;-)

3) Recommendation for SKB hardware case? I have 6 boom stands and a hi-hat stand (along with snare stand and throne, but I have a heavy duty plastic tote for them.) Should I get a large case or maybe 2 mid-sizers so it doesn't give me a hernia?

Don't use SKB hardware cases, but I think the other guys have covered this well.
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

Everything considered, for someone like me who will be playing no more than 4 shows a month, would I be better off getting the Gator drum and hardware bags instead of hardshell cases? Of course I realize I can't throw them around (not that I would with hardshells anyway), but at least it should prevent any scratching to the lacquer finish when transporting.

I know the bags (especially hardware bags) can rip when they're overloaded but at the lower price, I'd buy 2 for my 6 cymbal stands and hi-hat stand to disperse the weight.

Obviously the price is MUCH lower but so is the protection. Any thoughts on these?
 
Any thoughts on these?

I have never used Gator, but I used an very similar Aussie made case called Ragone for many years. They seems to be made out of a very similar type of plastic and like Gator, weren't nearly as rigid as SKB. They also had no lining in the cases at all. They have been packed in cars, vans and trucks with a full stage production (amps, PA's, speakers, lighting, rigging etc) and hauled by various band and crew members over the years. Despite all that, they protected my drums perfectly. Whilst not a patch on brands like SKB or Hardcase, my drums never saw any damage at all....including scratches, dings or dents to either the shells or the shell hardware.

All in all, any protection is good protection. SKB are the best I've seen and I recommend them highly, but they are certainly expensive. If you think that nobody is ever gonna do anything unnecessarily stupid while carrying your cases, then Gator will certainly offer protection.

That said, it was only yesterday that I was reading a thread or two highlighting problems with the glue that holds the lining in Gator cases. There were a couple of incidences reported where an adverse reaction with the glue caused rusting and pitting on the drum hardware. Just something that may be worth considering too.

Post #15 of this thread contains the links to the Gator glue issue: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87988&highlight=best+cases
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

Everything considered, for someone like me who will be playing no more than 4 shows a month, would I be better off getting the Gator drum and hardware bags instead of hardshell cases? Of course I realize I can't throw them around (not that I would with hardshells anyway), but at least it should prevent any scratching to the lacquer finish when transporting.

I know the bags (especially hardware bags) can rip when they're overloaded but at the lower price, I'd buy 2 for my 6 cymbal stands and hi-hat stand to disperse the weight.

Obviously the price is MUCH lower but so is the protection. Any thoughts on these?

I like to make as few trips from car to venue as possible when loading in and loading out. So if it were me I'd avoid having 2 hardware bags. Get a hardcase that will handle the weight and make 1 trip. Now, it'll be heavy. I know mine is. But I can manage it by myself.

I used to use a big (giant) blue plastic tub I got at Wal Mart. It held everything great...but it was a BEAR to handle b/c it was so big.
 
I like to make as few trips from car to venue as possible when loading in and loading out. So if it were me I'd avoid having 2 hardware bags. Get a hardcase that will handle the weight and make 1 trip. Now, it'll be heavy. I know mine is. But I can manage it by myself.

I used to use a big (giant) blue plastic tub I got at Wal Mart. It held everything great...but it was a BEAR to handle b/c it was so big.

One word: WHEELS

Either getting a cart/dolly, or cases with wheels, or whatever, save yourself some trouble with wheels. Sure, there will be some stairs, but having wheels not only saves energy and your back, but most importantly, trips!
 
Thanks a heap to everyone again for the suggestions.

I used a HUGE plastic tote a few years ago for all my cymbal stands and hardware, but with all the weight, it got flimsy and eventually cracked. This Wal-Mart storage tote looks a lot more rugged than what I had.

If I go towards the Gator drum bags (which I'm leaning to based on cost), I noticed they have 2 types: bags for standard drums and bags for rim-mount drums. I'm assuming that I go with the rim-mount bags for my two rack toms (Tama Starcast) and standard bags for the rest? I do have a local Guitar Center nearby, but they carry a minimal amount of cases/bags in stock.
 
Sorry man, I misread your earlier post. Thought you were talking about Gator cases for some reason.....even though it's abundantly clear you weren't.

I'm assuming that I go with the rim-mount bags for my two rack toms (Tama Starcast) and standard bags for the rest?

Yep. I did just that with my Protection Racket bags.
 
One word: WHEELS

Either getting a cart/dolly, or cases with wheels, or whatever, save yourself some trouble with wheels. Sure, there will be some stairs, but having wheels not only saves energy and your back, but most importantly, trips!

Absolutely. It would have served me better to have a small cart for my hardware tub. It had wheels but was so big and awkward you could hardly roll it.

I love the golf case I'm using now. It's got wheels and it's easy to handle. Perfect for what I need. I keep 2 cymbals stands, 1 hat stand, 1 snare stand, 1 floor tom stand, 1 throne base, and 3 clamp/boom arms in it. In addition to my cow bell, stick bag, and tool box.
 
I have 2 Starclassic kits in SKB cases: 1 Starclassic Maple with the older Star-Cast mounts and sliding tom mount on the kick and 1 B/B with the newer mounts. While they are a bit snug they will fit. Tama's floor tom mounts stick out quite a bit, but will fit as well. As far as their hardware cases any will work but the golf bag case will be much cheaper. I always have a hand cart with me so I don't really have to worry about heavy hardware as long as I can get it on the cart. There was another thread on this Tama issue a while back if I recall correctly.
 
Wow, I greatly appreciate all the help and suggestions. I'm new here and this seems like a great drum community. Looking forward to being a part of it now that I've rekindled my love of drumming after playing on-and-off for 20 years. Thanks again!
 
Quick update: I ended up purchasing the Gator padded bags (bought the small toms the rim-mount bags) and the Gator rolling hardware bag. 6 drum bags and a hardware bag under $290 new.

Everything seems to fit nicely, although the wheels seem a "bit" flimsy on the hardware bag. However this hardware bag has side pockets which will hold the floor tom legs nicely. Will be looking forward to playing some shows with these in a few months and see how they hold up. Thanks again to a great community.
 
Does anyone have a Pearl Master MCX kit in tom size's 10X8 and 12X9 with optimounts and have skb cases for these? so what size cases did you need to go for? Anyone able to put pics of these size toms in skb cases up so I can see how well they fit?

Thank you very much.

Tdiddy from New Zealand
 
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