Keyboard cases are useful for any musician who is traveling with his or her keyboard. Whether it is for a weekend gig, or a tour spanning several months, a musician wants to protect his instrument. You rarely see a guitarist carrying an acoustic guitar around without a case, and if you do, chances are it is either a really cheap guitar or it is in bad shape. Or both. Most standard keyboards are made of hard plastics and partially composed of wood. A keyboard that is not properly taken care of will ultimately suffer damage, whether it is a piece of a key chipping off or a corner getting scratched up. For these reasons, it is very common to protect keyboards with keyboard cases.
There are many different types of keyboard case makes and styles. The more popular keyboard cases used to be soft cover, but recently hard keyboard cases have become more common. This makes sense, since keyboards are delicate and dropping a keyboard in a soft case won’t necessarily protect your instrument. If your keyboard is going to be stuffed into the back of a truck and endure long road trips, then you may want to look at harder keyboard cases. If you occasionally bringing your keyboard to a recital or friends house to play, then a soft cover case may be enough to get the job done. As it stands right now, musicians tend to be leaning towards hard and semi-hard cases. Seeing as a keyboard is usually an expensive investment, this is not a surprise.
Hard keyboard cases are a great way to give yourself the security of knowing that your keyboard is safe, regardless of where it may be. Hard cases are usually made of metals or tougher compounds like polyethylene. Because of their durability and higher cost of production, hard keyboard cases are understandably more expensive than soft cover cases. In general, you won’t find a hard keyboard case for under $150. One feature to look out for when purchasing a hard keyboard case is if the case has wheels. A lot of the new makes have wheels attached, which make traveling with your keyboard infinitely easier. A great hard case model is the Gator GK261R ATA Keyboard Case, which is currently going for $239.99 on Amazon. Since hard cases are so durable, you may want to consider purchasing a previously owned case at a local music store or online. Sure, the case may be a little banged up, but if you are not concerned with aesthetic, then you can find great deals.
That is not to say there aren’t positive benefits of using a soft cover keyboard case. There is minimal bulk compared to a semi-hard keyboard case, which saves space in tight quarters. Soft cases are also significantly lighter than harder cases. Traveling with a keyboard can be a pain if it’s a heavy model, and adding extra weight from a hard case does not help the cause. If you are going to purchase a soft case, make sure you get one with ample padding. One of the best options on the market right now is the Ultimate Support USS1-61 Series One 61-Key Electronic Soft Case Keyboard, which is currently selling for $49.95 on Amazon.