Guitar bags

[Miss-taken]

I've got a new acoustic guitar but haven't as of yet got a bag to carry it in. It won't be going to that many places to be fair but with my driving I think it would be foolish to say the least to just chuck it either on the back seat or in the boot and hope for the best!
Would a soft case do? Should it be padded? The ones I've looked at online are referred to as gig bags and don't seem to be too expensive whereas hard cases cost loads!
I would appreciate any advice from all those guitar playing ABers - I'm a complete beginner needless to say!

Thanks

[saxy_jag]

I'm not a guitarist now, but I do play the sax and the advice is pretty much the same when it comes to cases.

It very much depends what you're going to do with the guitar. If it's only going to be a matter of carrying it from house to car and back again, perhaps the odd lesson, maybe take it on holiday now and then, then a soft case/gig bag would be adequate. The best ones are padded, and it's really worth paying that little bit extra if you can afford it.

If, however, you plan on lots of gigging, in and out of vans, through airports, on and off coaches and tour buses, then you'd be advised to invest in a hard case - again, the best you can afford.

I think much also depends on what you've paid for the instrument and/or how much it's worth. If it was a very expensive pro-level model, then you're obviously going to want to give it a little more protection than an unknown brand you bought from a secondhand shop for a tenner.

Of course, if you buy a good quality case, you might be able to hang on to it when you upgrade to your next guitar.

[Miss-taken]

Thanks for that - its definitely only going to be a matter of carrying it from car to house for lessons etc so as you said - a soft bag will probably be okay
Thanks again........just need to learn how to play it now - fingertips are already hurting!

[luckyeight]

Miss taken - I would say that a soft bag will be fine for you, I have one and it actually affords more protection than you would imagine. Hard cases are pretty much for pro musicians who are always gigging, or if the instrument is at risk of being bashed about in transit.. If you're just carrying the guitar to and from lessons or whatever, a soft case will do you just fine.
Good luck with the learning - remember practise makes perfect!
PS You might not need a case for the guitar at all if all you're doing is putting it in the car.. They're quite hardy instruments!