Tuba Gig Bags

[58mark]

I saw that... weird..

I think they probably just took a stock picture of a tuba and superimposed it into the bag.

[bigdh2000]

Still waiting on the Virtuosi Tuba gig bags. No one will sell me one until they have them in stock. Makes you wonder if they know something about the stability of the company that us mortals do not. A review will be posted shortly thereafter.

[bigdh2000]

Gig Bag Purchased

Well, I ended up getting a Gard Cordura Tuba Gig Bag 62-SK (19.5? Bell, 37? Deep) from Musician?s Friend. There were some discrepancies when I tried to order it online, so I called and got a few huge discounts for my troubles.

First, I got tired of waiting for the Virtuosi bag to become available. Every time I tried to order one they kept shifting the availability date?so I shifted my search pattern.

Second, I have always had top load cases. I tried a friend?s side load, like many of the models out there, and was not very pleased.


Now for a review of the case:

Executive Summary ? outstanding case for the cost!

Pros

• Top loading.
• They have multiple sizes for just about any standard tuba being sold out there, including the ones being shipped in from Europe/Britain.
• Extremely lightweight.
• Padding appears to be roughly one half to three quarter inch thick.
• Smooth felt lining to prevent scratches while carrying.
• Sturdy canvas exterior.
• Heavy duty zippers.
• Top quality stitching.
• Solid leather handles attached with both stitching and rivets.
• The unusual side handle (seen in any pictures of the case) is very handy for holding the case up as you slide the horn in and out or when you have it loaded and propped next to you while you talk.
• It has a raincoat (see pictures on any website) that is permanently attached and stored in a bottom pocket. A sharp pair of scissors can detach it if desired.
• Side pocket can hold a 1? three-ring ?D? style folder SNUGLY. The pocket contains padding allowing it to be used for an uncased/unprotected mouthpiece as well.
• Back pack straps adjust fine for me but I am still getting used to the best way to take it on and off my back given how big I am. A smaller build would make it a lot easier.
• There is a covered piece of plywood with a ?stretch-over? padded pillow like covering that you can wedge in the top of the case. It provides excellent support to the bell and the lid as you close it. The plywood is also covered in felt by itself. If you wish you can remove the ?stretch-over? pad and stretch it over your bell instead before placing the horn in the case. To each their own. The jury is still out on how I intend to use it.
• When you stand the instrument with the bell up, the bottom of the case (when viewed as a backpack) is reinforced with a leather strip with four grommet legs to prevent wear when you set the case down vertically.

Cons

• Padding at one to one and a half inches might have been better but would make the case heavier.
• Limited pockets. The raincoat pocket is really not designed to hold anything else. I squeezed in a bottle of mouthpiece cleaner and valve oil. The only true pocket can be used for your music folder or your bits and bobs for the horn, not both.
• A separate mouthpiece pouch would have been nice. However, the rigid lid inside the top of the case can be removed and the ?stretch-over? cloth pad removed allowing one to stitch a mouthpiece pouch onto it to hide in the center of the bell when the top is closed.
• Backpack straps could use some padding and sit a little further apart for big boys like me.

If I missed anything, add your question below.

[ghmerrill]

Does any reading this topic have any personal hands-on comparison experience with Gard standard gig bags (e.g., the 62-SK) versus the Gard Mid Bag Suspension System bags (e.g., the 62-MSK)?

Does the mid bag suspension system contribute substantially better protection? Is it more problematic to use (more difficult to get instrument in/out of the bag, requires constant/frequent readjustment, etc.)?

Any idea why the standard (non-mid bag suspension) bags are not listed on the Gard web site? Are they being eliminated from the line?

[bigdh2000]

I looked at a suspension bag but thought it looked too complicated and went with the standard style bag instead. I never read anything stating they were better which would have been the case if they really did something spectacular. Besides, I spend too much time buckling my kids into car seats. The last thing I want to do is the same thing for my tuba every time I pull it out of the case.

[ghmerrill]

My 62-SK Gard bag just arrived. Wrestling with the size/bulk of the Wessex/JinBao case just got too wearing, and I knew my life would be better if I had something easier to horse around -- in and out of the back of the SUV for practices, and just moving it around the house when I need to get it out of the way. After looking around thoroughly, I settled on the Gard since it seemed to meet my criteria and price. Dan has already offered some detailed comments on it, and I'll just piggyback on those with some other observations.

I would say that it is ALMOST as good as the Giardinelli bag I bought for my Cerveny BBb back in the early 90s. In some ways it is better. The Giardinelli was a side-zip bag (for a front-action horn), also Cordura. The thickness of the padding on the Giardinelli was a little thicker, but not much -- maybe 1/8". But the bell protection on the Gard is much better as a consequence of the padded rigid top insert (which, by the way, was a little difficult to get inserted until I got my wife to hold the end of the bag up and I could use both hands to ram the insert in the top flap ). In terms of the fabric and straps, the Gard and the Giardinelli seem equivalent -- about which I am very pleased. The Giardinelli wore like iron, and was still in excellent condition when I sold the horn after fifteen years. I expect the same of the Gard.

The bag is very easy and safe to load -- and has convinced me that a top-loading bag for a top-action tuba is probably better/safer/easier than is a side-loading bag.

I'm okay with the back straps because I only use one of them to sling it over my shoulder and never hike more than a hundred yards or so with the instrument. I also don't care about pockets since I now haul all my "tuba support" stuff around in a great percusionist accessories bag I got a couple of months ago. I can't imagine using the rain cover since I can't imagine circumstances in which I would be standing around in the rain or hiking in significant rain with a tuba. But I'll leave it where it is.

I totally agree with Dan about the utility of the "side" handle (which is really what I think of as at the "top" near the bell).

I called Musician's Friend to ask about the differences between the "standard" bag and the "mid-suspension" bag. I didn't get what I regard as a really coherent view of the mid-suspension bag, and the guy I talked to recommended that I get the standard bag -- which I did. However, the conversation made me suspect that either he had no clue about the properties and usability of the mid-suspension bag, or that maybe they didn't actually have any of them. But I was going to avoid it unless it clearly was easy to use and provided something substantially better than the standard one. So I'm very happy with what I got. Altogether, it cost me a few cents over $157 (including shipping) and it arrived in five days.

[tampaworth]

The bulk of the Mack TU-410 case, although a great case and very protective, is similary wearing to deal with. I picked up a real nice Protec Deluxe Gig Bag (side zipped) which is nicely padded and has way less bulk but concerns me a bit regarding stress on the rotary valve linkages lugging it around. I love this horn and have fine tuned the linkages to now be smooth and quiet, but sure prefer pistons. And FWIW I do agree that as far as tuba gig bags go a top loader is way more convenient than a side loader!

[Paul Schmidt]

I am the guy who posted the 40+ minute YouTube video on how to make a gig bag for tubas, using my Conn 24J as the example. Rather painful to watch...I had no plan to make a documentary when I was fiddling around with my first attempt at case making, but did take some photos by way of documentation. That was all I had to put in the video. I really felt that there was a need to show others that a good gig bag could be made cheaply and fairly easily, as long as a standard sewing machine was available and the case maker has access to a normal fabric/craft store. But although I carefully scripted my narration in order to be accurate and cover all bases, the result is very dry; wish I had been able to do better.

I got into making hard cases (not yet a subject for a YouTube video) as part of my position as assistant curator for an instrument museum that routinely sends the horns out on the road. I got into making gig bags when I became disappointed in the recent work done by Altieri, and could not find any other company that would make gig bags for detachable bell tubas, such as my big Conns.

The upshot of this is, I have now been carrying two tubas around for a couple of years, using gig bags that I made myself for minimum investment and no special equipment, just using native problem solving skills, some experimentation, and a week's worth of evenings. It really is not all that difficult, and if you lament that you can't find a bag to meet your needs, please keep this in mind. A friend had his mother make him a tuba gig bag, after she watched my video and saw one of my bags, and she was neither a tuba player nor a skilled seamstress. She, like I, had prior sewing experience limited to altering the length of pants legs.

[Paul Schmidt]

A few thoughts on tuba gig bags, based on my experiences with my large tuba collection and with several commercial gig bag makers over the last few decades.

- I used to love Altieri and had many great gig bags made there. But then I had two in a row that were substandard (very poor fit, straps that could not be adjusted due to overly thick straps in the buckles, fasteners that wore out quickly, poor customer service and a bad attitude when I tried to work with them to resolve the problems).
- I tried several other well know and respected gig bag companies, but they all had a very limited set of gig bag models, none of which would fit my tubas, and they had no interest in designing new bags. This is where Altieri used to shine.
- I still have a couple old-fashioned canvas gig bags that came with tubas I bought while living in Germany. They are very basic, don't have backpack straps, and no padding. But their durability is amazing. Even my best bags from Altieri and other makers that produce similar bags have worn out in perhaps 10 years of use. The failures are almost always with zippers, Velcro fasteners, and plastic parts. Never had a problem with the actual fabric or with seams letting loose.
- Quilted batting makes a poor padding material for large brass instruments, although it is useful to act is a barrier between fasteners and such scratching the tuba's finish, which is why I DO use quilted batting o gig bags that I have been forced to make myself. But the stiff yet flexible foam padding used in cases by Altieri and others cannot be beat....it really does diffuse local impacts over a larger area of the tubas, preventing most dents. If you plan to make a gig bag, or have somebody make a gig bag for you, make sure to inquire if they are using closed-cell polyethylene foam for their padding. It is the way to go.
- I agree with others that backpackable tuba gig bags are the best way to go. The older I get, I find that there is no other way to carry something like a tuba without hurting myself or throwing out my back, messing up a shoulder, etc. But still there are times when a shoulder strap or side handle makes more sense, such as when getting the tuba into and out of cars. Best to have all options. And I can't recommend strongly enough that the gig nag have some sort of method for tucking the unused straps away and out of trouble when using some other way of carrying the bag. I got Altieri to do this on some cases, but I always got an argument over it. And I don't see this as even an option on other brands of bags.
- Most of my tuba gig bags are top loading types, and this works well for mainstream 'German rotary' style horns. But many of my tubas have other configurations that don't fit well in bags that close with a drawstring, or else are difficult to get in and out of bags that close that way, due to the shape of the horn. My more recent purchased bags, and all of the ones I made myself, have either top or side entry zipped-closed bag layouts, and now I much prefer this to the traditional top loaded drawstring bags. You can also get better fit between bag and tuba when you dispense with the drawstring closure.
- If you often take tubas on airplanes but then need to transport them on your person, there is something to be said for having a basic canvas (or ripstop nylon) sack without padding, which can be rolled up small and tucked into the bell, while the tuba is inside its hard shell case. I have this approach on a couple of horns that I take on the road, and it is a good compromise. Also such lightweight bags should be inexpensive and easier to make.
- I used to get Altieri and other bags that had pockets within pockets, to hold all manner of things, from mouthpieces, oils and slide grease, electronic tuner and/or metronome, stand light, water bottle, pencil(s), sheet music, tools (in the case of rotary valve horns). These always ended up being hard to access, impossible to see into (had to be used by feel), and had closures that failed earlier than the rest of the case. Altieri sent me a couple cases that had a slip-in 'messenger bag' type insert. This was a stiff piece of some material, with fabric or mesh pouches on both sides, which would slip into a single external pocket on the gig bag. Put all the accessories into the pouches, then slip the insert into the large pocket. MUCH better and easier to use than the other methods, and nothing to wear out, and if it did all you replace is the insert instead of the whole gig bag. I would not use any other method now if I have a choice.
- Velcro is great, but not really designed for many hundreds of fastening operations over the life of a hard working gig bag. There is no way to fasten Velcro to fabric that will hold up against the force required to tear the Velcro open that many times. Here, zippers are much better. This is another reason why I prefer the 'messenger bag insert' with a single zippered pocket on the bag, as opposed to lots of little Velcro-closed pockets.
- Another good way to carry sundries in a tuba gig bag, other than the messenger bag insert method, is to put them into some sort of pouch that can be put down inside the tuba bell before it goes into a simple gig bag. I did this on the gig bags that I made myself. To remove the chance of anything in the accessory bag denting the bell, I rolled a sheet of thin plastic (from the hobby shop) into a tube and slipped it inside the accessory pouch. Nothing in the pouch can dent the tuba through that plastic layer. The pouch will only go down the bell so far, and can be pulled out if you tie a length of shoe lace, etc; to it.
- I don't understand the carping about spending a few hundred dollars on a gig bag for a tuba that might cost $6,000 to $10,000. Even Altieri bags don't cost as much as $400 (a number cited on this discussion thread), and they do a good job of protecting the tubas. Cronkheit bags cost more, but even then they are cheap for what you are getting and for what they mean to your tuba.

[ghmerrill]

- I used to get Altieri and other bags that had pockets within pockets, to hold all manner of things, from mouthpieces, oils and slide grease, electronic tuner and/or metronome, stand light, water bottle, pencil(s), sheet music, tools (in the case of rotary valve horns). These always ended up being hard to access, impossible to see into (had to be used by feel), and had closures that failed earlier than the rest of the case. Altieri sent me a couple cases that had a slip-in 'messenger bag' type insert. This was a stiff piece of some material, with fabric or mesh pouches on both sides, which would slip into a single external pocket on the gig bag. Put all the accessories into the pouches, then slip the insert into the large pocket. MUCH better and easier to use than the other methods, and nothing to wear out, and if it did all you replace is the insert instead of the whole gig bag. I would not use any other method now if I have a choice.

I put NOTHING into my tuba bag except the TUBA . I don't want to put anything into the bell or into the case with the horn where it could mess up the action or finish. In addition to all the stuff Paul mentions, I also have a "tuba stand" that I sit on and then on which the tuba rests. So what I've been doing is using the "baglet" approach with all the small items, and then a World Tour Musicians Gig Bag for everything to go into. This is really intended as a gig bag for percussion people to carry their junk, but it works really well for me.

There are two outside pockets: the one large one visible in the picture, and one that isn't so thick on the back side of the bag. Most of my small stuff, mouthpiece pouch, and baglets go into that outside pocket. The main compartment then holds my music (in a 3-ring binder, typically), the tuba stand, and my glasses case. This is a really well-made bag with a carrying handle and shoulder strap. And inexpensive!! So generally I just have the tuba in it's (Gard) bag and all the rest of the junk in this one. It won't quite hold my stand, and so when I need that, it goes in it's own bag. But it's possible to carry this bag and the stand in one hand, or sling one over my shoulder. This is the best approach I've come up with, and I've tried a bunch of alternatives.

[Paul Schmidt]

Accessories in tuba gig bag

I put NOTHING into my tuba bag except the TUBA . I don't want to put anything into the bell or into the case with the horn where it could mess up the action or finish.

Of course everyone can have their own calculus on what is safe to carry in their tuba gig bags, besides the tuba. But I prefer to take an engineering approach to gig bag use and features, as opposed to putting nothing in the bag out of concern. One example is that I have this 30 year old Miraphone that I bought new, and it has been cared for very well and is free of dents even though it has been carried in Altieri (and other similar) gig bags exclusively (not hard cases ever used for it). Although the case padding combined with my careful handling prevent dents, the bottom bow lacquer is crazed with thousands of tiny scratches from contact with the inside of the gig bag. So, no damage to the horn except from what is caused by simple friction as the horn shifts slightly in the bag was it is carried. And those gig bags always had a folding music stand in their outer pockets, along with several mouthpieces, tuners, clothes pins, music folders, a zippered valve maintenance tool kit, lubricants, etc. As an engineer, this tells me that as long as the pockets and pouches are properly positioned and padded, there is no fear of them damaging the horn. The largest item, and the one I was most concerned would hurt the horn, was the metal music stand. But on those gig bags, the stand was in a padded sheath that was positioned alongside the valve rotors on the side of the horn that would usually be grasped by the left hand, with the stand parallel to the main tubing section that goes from the top bow to the bottom bow. This is a great place for the stand, and experience has proven that no damage came to horn from it. I would not hesitate to place stands in such a position in a gig bag.

On my Conn 24J/25J gig bag, I have a rolled plastic tube inside a drawstring sheath, sized to fit inside the bell tube below the detachable bell ring. Nothing in this accessory bag can scratch or dent the horn...it would be impossible given the design. Nothing can escape the bag to get out into the inside of the gig bag (and possibly scratch the horn) because the drawstring closure will not open the way it is designed, and I put the smaller items inside their own smaller drawstring bag that is in turn put inside the larger accessory bag. Consider all the trumpet players who use the spider stands for their trumpets that fold up and fit inside the bell. If the storage is designed properly, there is no possible damage to the horn.

Frankly, the main thing that worries me are things like euphoniums with the side operated 4th valves, when put into gig bags. This is just a bent valve stem waiting to happen, but most players I know who have these lock that valve down for transit, and as long as they remember to do that there is no chance of damage.

I would hate to have to cart around all my tuba accessories separately from the tuba gig bag.

[bigdh2000]

So, the prodigal son returns.

Still has the Gard case and Gary guessed correctly, it wears like iron! I have run it through all the paces with no damage to the instrument and the case only looks a few weeks old. I would definitely recommend them.

[victormatta]

Of course everyone can have their own calculus on what is safe to carry in their tuba gig bags, besides the tuba. But I prefer to take an engineering approach to gig bag use and features, as opposed to putting nothing in the bag out of concern. One example is that I have this 30 year old Miraphone that I bought new, and it has been cared for very well and is free of dents even though it has been carried in Altieri (and other similar) gig bags exclusively (not hard cases ever used for it). Although the case padding combined with my careful handling prevent dents, the bottom bow lacquer is crazed with thousands of tiny scratches from contact with the inside of the gig bag. So, no damage to the horn except from what is caused by simple friction as the horn shifts slightly in the bag was it is carried. And those gig bags always had a folding music stand in their outer pockets, along with several mouthpieces, tuners, clothes pins, music folders, a zippered valve maintenance tool kit, lubricants, etc. As an engineer, this tells me that as long as the pockets and pouches are properly positioned and padded, there is no fear of them damaging the horn. The largest item, and the one I was most concerned would hurt the horn, was the metal music stand. But on those gig bags, the stand was in a padded sheath that was positioned alongside the valve rotors on the side of the horn that would usually be grasped by the left hand, with the stand parallel to the main tubing section that goes from the top bow to the bottom bow. This is a great place for the stand, and experience has proven that no damage came to horn from it. I would not hesitate to place stands in such a position in a gig bag.

On my Conn 24J/25J gig bag, I have a rolled plastic tube inside a drawstring sheath, sized to fit inside the bell tube below the detachable bell ring. Nothing in this accessory bag can scratch or dent the horn...it would be impossible given the design. Nothing can escape the bag to get out into the inside of the gig bag (and possibly scratch the horn) because the drawstring closure will not open the way it is designed, and I put the smaller items inside their own smaller drawstring bag that is in turn put inside the larger accessory bag. Consider all the trumpet players who use the spider stands for their trumpets that fold up and fit inside the bell. If the storage is designed properly, there is no possible damage to the horn.

Frankly, the main thing that worries me are things like euphoniums with the side operated 4th valves, when put into gig bags. This is just a bent valve stem waiting to happen, but most players I know who have these lock that valve down for transit, and as long as they remember to do that there is no chance of damage.

I would hate to have to cart around all my tuba accessories separately from the tuba gig bag.

Hi Paul

I'm sorry to bring that up after so much time.

I just recently bought a Conn 20J without a bag or case.

Do you have the plans for the bag you built or do you have the time to build a 2 piece bag and sell them to users?


I haven't been able to find any bags on the internet for this Conn 20J with the upright bell within a reasonable price and attention to details to players like you have.


Thank you for the consideration