BAM Violin Case Review Guide

If you’re a string player, you’ve probably heard of BAM violin cases.

And in any orchestra, there’s probably a decent number of musicians who have chosen to protect their instruments with BAM.

There’s a good reason for this, BAM cases are awesome!

And there’s definitely a lot of cases to choose from. They come in all shapes, sizes, materials, and styles.

The number of cases available can seem daunting!

Which is why we here at Great Violin Cases have decided to create a Bam violin case review guide!

We want to make sure you have a very good idea of which BAM violin case would be perfect for you.

Table of Contents

• Who is BAM?
• What are BAM violin cases known for?
• Intro to BAM violin cases
• Standard BAM violin cases
• Hightech BAM violin cases
• The violin case shapes
• The materials used
• The BAM violin case collections
• Hightech violin case collections
• Standard violin case collections
• Choosing the right BAM case

Already Know What You're Looking For?

Are you set on getting a BAM case? And you simply want to look at some of the different options?

Skip ahead by clicking on the links below:

• Hightech Violin Case Collections
• Standard Violin Case Collections

Who Is BAM?

BAM is a French company that specializes in manufacturing musical instrument cases. Their mission is to create cases that are not only protective and durable, but also very stylish.

Even though many other case brands have been around a lot longer, BAM has definitely made a name for themselves in a very short amount of time with their beloved cases and constant commitment to new and innovative designs.

What Are BAM Violin Cases Known For?

Protection

Probably the most important factor of an instrument case, it has to be protective! These cases are built to protect valuable and fragile wooden instruments.

Top violinists around the world trust BAM with their violins that are worth five to six figures.

Durability

These cases can last for decades. That’s because BAM does not skimp out on the little stuff. Such as hardware components (zippers, hinges, etc.).

For example, BAM has worked with reputable travel luggage brands to design their combination locks for their cases.



Style

Many brands can make protective and durable cases, but very few can make them as stylish as BAM.

What’s very unique about the BAM cases is that they come in collections, almost like fashion lines.

Innovation

If we had to pick one word to describe BAM cases, it would be innovative. They’re constantly coming out with new collections, new levels of protection, and new accessories to go with their cases.

We love seeing a brand that is constantly pushing the limits when it comes to protecting valuable instruments.

Intro To BAM Violin Cases

For this article, we will focus specifically on violin cases. If we wanted to create a guide for all their instrument cases, we would probably have to write a book!

BAM violin cases come in all kinds of collections. However, we can divide these collections into 2 main categories:

1. The Standard BAM Violin Cases
2. The Hightech BAM Violin Cases

The Standard BAM Violin Cases

These cases are all around $400. And they all have zippers. Here’s a link to all the Standard BAM Violin Cases

The Hightech BAM Violin Cases

These cases start at $750. They feature hard shells. And they use airtight seals instead of zippers. Here’s a link to all the Hightech BAM Violin Cases



What’s The Difference Between The Standard And Hightech Violin Cases?

1. Protection - Hightech cases are a lot more protective than the standard cases.
2. Weight - Hightech cases weigh almost half as much as the standard cases. Generally around 3.5 - 4.4 lb.
3. Weather-resistance - Hightech cases are a lot more water-resistant than the standard cases.
4. Cost - Hightech cases also cost about twice as much as the standard cases.

The Different BAM Violin Case Shapes

BAM violin cases come in four different shapes: cabin, contoured, slim, and oblong. The cabin and slim are only available for the Hightech cases.

BAM Hightech Cabin Case



These light and compact violin cases are designed for air travel. The cases themselves are about 24” long. Which means they meet almost all of the airline carry-on regulations.

However, they have no bow-holders, since the bow itself exceeds 24” long. A bow tube is included (if purchased from Great Violin Cases). The bow tube can fit up to 2 bows.

2 Elastic bands are also included to secure the bow tube to the case. This way, if the airline does not allow the bow tube as a carry-on because of its’ length, it can be checked in.

After all, it’s a lot safer to put the bow under the plane, than the instrument itself. The bow tube can also fit in standard check-in luggage.

These cases also feature 3-digit combination locks that are TSA-approved.

BAM Hightech Contoured Case



These shaped violin cases feature simple and compact shapes.

They all feature 2 bow-holders.

For the standard contoured cases, there’s a zippered shoulder rest pocket on the back of the case. These pockets can fit most shoulder rests.

Quick Note: We have received comments that the zippered shoulder rest pocket is a little tight. It can fit Kun style shoulder rests, but nothing larger.

The standard contoured cases also have zippered sheet music pouches on the backside of the cases.

For the Hightech contoured cases, there’s a velcro strap for a shoulder rest to the side of the neck of the instrument.

All BAM shaped cases have small removable accessory pouches, good for rosin and cloth.

BAM Hightech Slim Cases

Also known as the BAM Half-Moon Violin Cases, these cases are a little more spacious compared to the contoured cases.

They have 2 bow holders, and larger removable accessory pouches. You can fit pens and pencils in these pouches.

They feature 3-digit combination locks.

The only downside of this case is that it doesn’t really have a space for shoulder rest, as demonstrated on The Violinista’s Youtube video.

However, if you’re not one to use a shoulder rest, or you carry it somewhere else, this is one of the most unique and stylish cases out there!

BAM Oblong Cases

The BAM oblong cases are the most spacious cases.

The Hightech oblong cases all have 4 bow holders. Whereas most of the standard oblong cases have 2 bow holders.

Most of the oblong cases have removable accessory pouches as well.

The Hightech oblong violin cases have velcro straps under the neck of the instruments for shoulder rests of any size, as demonstrated in this Youtube video.

The Hightech oblong cases do not have sheet music pouches. However, there are certain ones “with pocket”, where you’ll see a zippered sheet music pouch on top of the case.

Most of the standard oblong cases feature zippered sheet music pouches on the backside of the cases.

The Materials Used

BAM cases are quite unique in the fact that they don’t use standard materials the way many other case makers do.

There are no BAM fiberglass or wooden cases. They don’t really have carbon fiber violin cases either, which we will explain later.

BAM uses their own unique materials that are often a combination of other materials. Taking the best components of each material to build durable, protective, and light cases.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common materials they use.

Hightech

We’ve seen this word several times throughout this article. But it’s basically what is used to make BAM’s hardshell violin cases.

The Hightech exterior shells are a combination of 3 high performance materials: ABS, Airex foam, and another type of ABS).

BAM chose these materials as part of their mission to build light, protective, and durable violin cases that are ALSO temperature-resistant!

Which is why they don’t make carbon fiber violin cases. Even though carbon fiber is an extremely light, protective, and durable material.

Carbon fiber can heat up on a hot summer’s day.

For some of the BAM Hightech cases, they may say black carbon or silver carbon in the title. But that’s just “the look”.

The case itself is still made of temperature-resistant Hightech shells.

High Density Polyurethane Foam

Sounds fancy, but we’d like to think of it as a Tempur-pedic foam mattress.

This foam is what suspends your instrument within the case. You’ll find this in all of the standard BAM cases.

The Hightech cases feature injected foam cushions to suspend your instrument.

This high-density foam is really the day-to-day protection that your instrument needs.

The chances of your case being run over by a car is quite slim, but having your case slip or drop out of your hands can happen.

And when it does, the foam absorbs the shock, not your instrument!

Another great feature of this foam is that it acts as an insulator for your case. It doesn’t absorb the dangerous temperatures of hot, humid, or cold weather.

Polycarbonate

This material has been a relatively new innovation among BAM.

You can find these polycarbonate cases in their Supreme L’opera violin cases and Ice Supreme violin cases

Why polycarbonate?

Polycarbonate is one of the strongest plastics out there! It’s also used to make shatterproof glass.

One especially great feature is how scratch-resistant these cases are compared to standard hardshell cases.

And because it’s a plastic it doesn’t absorb heat like metal. Making the cases more temperature-resistant as well.

ABS Reinforcements

This is another common feature you will see within the standard BAM violin cases.

Because all standard cases feature high-density foam, that doesn’t necessarily mean the exterior is hard.

So on most of their standard collections, the cases are reinforced with ABS. Which makes the exterior of the cases more rigid and tough.

PVC Fabric Reinforcements

PVC fabric is not as rigid as ABS. You’ll find PVC fabric reinforcements with the BAM Artisto violin cases

This means the cases are not as rigid as the ABS reinforced cases.

But they’re also slightly lighter at 6.6 lb.

No Reinforcements

No BAM case description will list that the case is not reinforced!

But we think it’s important to mention, as we do sell online, and a case may look more rigid than it actually is.

A case without reinforcements would just simply be a high-density foam case, such as the BAM performance violin cases

This allows the case to be incredibly light at 4.8 lb.

But you definitely would not want to sit on the case. Again, think of it as a Tempur-pedic mattress.

Great suspension and temperature-resistant properties, but the rigidness is between a gig bag and a hardshell case.

The BAM Violin Case Collections

Now that we have a good understanding of BAM, it’s time to dig in and take a look at the different collections.

There’s definitely a lot of choices, but start by focusing on the features you want in a violin case.

If you’re a traveling musician, you may want something light and compact.

If you use a large shoulder rest, you may need a more spacious oblong case.

And of course, the most important thing to consider when selecting your BAM case - your budget!

How much is your violin worth? How much sentimental value is there? Do you want to keep it in pristine condition?