nyartist - Posted - 11/28/2025:  09:54:08

Does anyone know of a good padded gigbag for an 11" a scale openback? Some of the standard bags are too large.

banjonz - Posted - 11/28/2025:  12:38:12

quote:

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Originally posted by nyartist

Does anyone know of a good padded gigbag for an 11" a scale openback? Some of the standard bags are too large.

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Aliexpress sell very affordable ones for 11" banjos but these are mostly for resonator banjos. An open back would have a bit more wiggle room.

I am not aware of gig bags made specifically for open backs.

srrobertsiii - Posted - 11/28/2025:  12:56:35

Superior has a gig bag for a shorter scale open back. I just purchased one from Bob Smakula; it’s model 267T. (Not heavily padded, but adequate for my purposes, and with a shorter length.) You might check it out.

Edited by - srrobertsiii on 11/28/2025 12:57:32

nyartist - Posted - 11/28/2025:  13:07:18

thanks.. I'll check it out and maybe add some of my own padding for plane travel (overhead compartments).

John Yerxa - Posted - 11/28/2025:  13:31:06

blueheroncases.com/

Pricey, but very, very good.

nyartist - Posted - 11/28/2025:  13:41:36

nice but almost 1/2 the cost of my banjo!

dbrooks - Posted - 11/28/2025:  13:58:53

I use a Boulder Alpine gig bag for my openback A-scale. Prices seem to range from $60-80. It's sturdy but I wouldn't want it in cargo on a plane. Carry-on is more appropriate. 

David

jbalch - Posted - 11/28/2025:  14:00:17

I used to have one of those superior bags for a small travel banjo. Adding a little extra foam padding worked well for me.



Also one had a custom bag made for a rare c-scale Bart Reiter banjo. It was great but pricey.  I used these folks:  mooradian.com



JB

Edited by - jbalch on 11/28/2025 14:02:02

nyartist - Posted - 11/28/2025:  14:39:53

That custom shop is remarkable - never heard of them.. I just want to protect my $500 openback in overhead compartments on my trips to Europe. Either the Superior with added protection of something like an Access bag or Protec bag will have to serve as imperfect solutions.

AndrewD - Posted - 11/28/2025:  17:03:20

I've got an A scale Goodtime that I bought when I was frequently travelling across the Atlantic. I disassembled it and put it in my hold luggage for the trips. Neck in a length of plastic drainpipe. You can stuff a surprising amount of underwear in an 11 inch pot and around a pipe-bound neck as padding. I packed a gig bag as well for use at either end. But, disassembled, it would also fit in an overhead case as it has a coordinator rod rather than an integral dowel (they may have reduced the allowed dimensions yet again - so check)