Why are guitar cases, well, guitar shaped? But bass cases are rectangular?
Because an oblong guitar case would be ludicrously wide, making it awkward to carry. The same is trur of cello cases.
I have seen rectagular guitar cases, but only for electric guitars.
Methinks it is because of the thickness of electrics vs. acoustics. And bass guitars are about the same thickness as electric guitars. Since acoustic guitars are thicker, the a rectanglaur case would be too awkward.
If you’re referring to solidbody guitars and basses I’d have to say neck length. The bodies are similar size but the scale (the length of the vibrating part of the strings and hence the neck) is much longer on a bass. Making a case shaped like the instrument might be awkward as the handle would be on the neck in order to balance correctly where a shaped guitar case the handle would be on the upper bow of the body.
Electric guitarists/bassists also tend to need to carry more stuff in the case besides the guitar/bass itself, like cable, tuner, effects, maybe some tools, that an acoustic guitarist is less likely to be carrying. The rectangular case provides more room for “stuff”.
It just occured to me that Fender, which makes the most commonly uses basses - Jazz and P-bass, has always used rectangular cases while Gibson mostly uses guitar shapes cases.
Actually, my Fender Jazz Bass case is sort of guitar-shaped. It’s flat on one edge, but matches the curve of my bass on the other edge. And actually, a lot of bassists tend to avoid the rectangular cases because, well, they’re freakin’ heavy!
I carry my main bass, a Tobias, in a padded gig bag. However, I do have a hard case coming - I’ll have to wait a few days to see how it’s shaped (I’m getting it free from a fellow bass player who lives across the country, so I haven’t actually seen what it looks like.)
As a player for 25 years, I would offer a variation on some of the explanations offered thus far - there are a number of factors:
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The depth of the guitar/bass - as mentioned, solidbody electrics are narrower than hollowbody electrics or acoustics. The deeper the instrument, the more likely you need as smaller and un-bulky a case as possible - the instrument is big and bulky as it is.
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The need for carrying gear - again, as mentioned, electric players often have a ton of crap to carry - cords, strings, picks, effects, etc…
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The mass-produced vs. custom-made thing: Acoustic guitars come from a history of being custom made, or at least handmade on a small scale - their cases were similarly constructed. Solidbody electrics - especially slab-body, bolt-on neck Fender types - were designed to be mass produced and their cases were, too. So even though Fenders started off with contoured cases, it makes sense that Fender and similar manufacturers would move towards a rectangular shape. Fender still makes some Injection-molded plastic cases with contours, but I think the point still holds…
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Transportability, stackability and protection: Anvil cases - the kind used by touring bands for shipping over the long haul on a tour - are rectangular with molded foam inserts. They provide thick padding, are square for stackability and are less inclined to roll around in a truck. Most Anvil-type cases for acoustics and large hollow-body electrics are simply big, bulky rectangles…even for some cellos, but not that I have seen for double basses…
That’s what I have seen…