Gator GL-LPS Lightweight Single-Cutaway Guitar Case

Most players own a hard case they never carry and a gig bag they don't quite trust. The Gator GL-LPS is the answer to both. A rigid EPS polyfoam frame gives it a shell that holds its shape and takes a knock, wrapped in 600-denier nylon instead of ABS — so it protects like a case but weighs 2.4 kg, less than a third of what most moulded cases weigh, and carries on your back.

Rigid where it counts, light everywhere else

The foam core is moulded, not layered — press the lid and it pushes back rather than folding, which is the difference between this and a padded bag. That rigidity is what keeps a headstock intact when the case tips over against a wall or gets stacked under something in a van. Losing the ABS shell and the metal hardware is where the weight goes: at 2.4 kg you can carry this up three flights of stairs with a guitar in it and a pedalboard in the other hand.

Built for weather and for walking

The 600-denier nylon outer sheds rain rather than soaking it up, so a walk from the car park to the load-in door in a Queensland downpour is a non-event. A removable padded shoulder strap turns it into a backpack-style carry for the trip, and a heavy nylon web handle takes over for the short haul. Two zip compartments — a full-length pocket down the bass side and a raised pouch over the lower bout — hold leads, a tuner, spare strings and a folder of charts.

Which guitars fit

Cut to the single-cutaway outline: Gibson Les Paul Standard, Studio and Custom, Epiphone Les Paul Standard and Custom, and other single-cut solidbodies on the same pattern. Interior is 45.5 cm of body length, a 34.8 cm lower bout and 8.9 cm deep, plush-lined throughout. Double-cutaway SGs, Strat and Tele outlines and semi-hollow 335 bodies need a different shape and will not sit correctly in this one.