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Thread: Tuba Gig Bags

  1. #1

    Tuba Gig Bags

    I only noted a small string in this forum for Eupho gig bags but nothing for tuba gig bags.

    All of us who play a tuba have at least purchased one tuba gig bag at some time or another. The problem with all of these bags is that they are internet only pruchases since very few music stores are willing to put forth the cost and space to house one type, let alone a selection. I also find it very hard to drop several hundred dollars on a case that I cannot feel or try. Like many of you I also do not want to kill half my budget in lost shipping fees for any case I hate and need to return. Hopefully we can all add to this post for those in the market for a new tuba (or Eupho) gig bag - like me right now. Add brand name, pros, cons, top load, side load, horn size, pocket sizes, endurance, etc. If it outright sucked, say so.

    My case (now needs replacement):

    Custom Dolly Bag - custom fit to your horn (I had a 19" bell, 35" horn depth), top or side load (I had a top load), any variety of straps you want (I had backpack style), comes with 1" foam padding "mounted" on thin flexible plastic all covered in black nylon on the outside and black velvet on the inside, extremely robust zippers, strong handles, custom pocket sizes, etc.

    Pros - Excellent protection and custom fit for $300 to $400.

    Cons - Long wait for delivery, hard to contact Dolly, depending on how the bag "forms" itself with use sections of the flexible plastic can split/tear under the fabric (the panel against my back split and rubbed my back wrong), the plastic provides protection but is heavy.

    I am interested in hearing about (in order of preference):

    Tom and Will
    Ritter
    Altieri
    Reunion Blues
    Humes & Berg
    Gard Cordura
    Miraphone
    Protec
    Dan

    York 3082 - Silver 3+1
    Giddings & Webster Bayamo Heavyweight

    Practice by itself is not fun but it sure makes performing an absolute blast!

  2. #2
    Sorry for the delay in releasing this. It got diverted to "moderated" status because it triggered something or other in the filters. Unfortunately, the system won't send me an email when this happens, so I have to check now & then.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  3. #3
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    I feel your pain -- and unfortunately have nothing to offer except a couple of second-hand observations. These are gleaned from what I have read in various forums and on various vendors' sites over the past couple of years.

    First, from everything I can see that everyone is saying, the Dolly Bags are now unobtainable. If you have other information on this, please post it here.

    Second, the most highly regarded bag now seems to be the Cronkhite Bag (http://www.glenncronkhite.com/). These are also available from The Horn Guys (http://www.hornguys.com/tubacases.php). $400 for Cordura.

    Reunion Blues is in the same ballpark in terms of price -- actually seems to be a bit more expensive. I THINK that the old Giardinelli bag I had with the Cerveny I just sold was actually made by Reunion Blues, but it was bought about 20 years ago (cost me about $200 then). It was quite "adequate", with some caution and care.

    One thing you need to decide is whether you want a top-loading or a side-loading bag. I would not want a top-loading one. Too much hassle and too precarious to load safely from my point of view.

    My Mack Brass euphonium came with a standard JinBao "case" -- thick rigid foam with a rather thin nylon shell -- that I find perfectly adequate and better than any gig bag I've seen. I believe the Wessex Tuba I've just ordered comes with a similar hard shell case.

    It is painful to spend $400 for a case. But in order to protect a much more expensive investment, that may be reasonable. On the other hand, I used to play with a guy who frequently used a Miraphone 186 that he hauled around in a Miraphone hard case and he constantly complained that his horn was always getting dented.

    I think that nowadays if I needed some kind of gig bag or case, I would likely build one myself by using a "stitch and glue" technique as is used to build strong light-weight kayaks and other small boats out of very thin plywood, laminate with epoxy and fiberglass, and do the inside with an expanding spray foam approach. This would require some effort (both in design and construction), but would be much less expensive than commercial alternatives and very likely better. However, it's not the sort of thing that everyone would want to do, or have the time and tools to do.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  4. #4
    Thanks for the info Gary. I have no problem paying good money for something I can see, feel, test, etc. But these days just about everything tuba related seems to be online only since few stores can handle the inventory expense.

    As to the top vs. side, I have always had a top loading and never had any issues. The concern I have always had with the side loading is what happens when you carry it like a backpack and a zipper comes undone/breaks? However, putting the horn in the side loading case is a little less cumbersome.

    Also, on Youtube there is a 40+ minute video on how to build a soft case for a large Conn tuba. Yes, I watched it all before deciding it was time to buy one instead.

    PS: I do believe you are correct. Dolly Bags are no longer available. When I bought my case a few years back she was already shutting down shop.
    Dan

    York 3082 - Silver 3+1
    Giddings & Webster Bayamo Heavyweight

    Practice by itself is not fun but it sure makes performing an absolute blast!

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigdh2000 View Post
    But these days just about everything tuba related seems to be online only since few stores can handle the inventory expense.
    Not just tuba related: EVERYTHING. I saw a report a couple of days ago that large companies (at least clothing companies) are beginning to open "brick and mortar" stores, the sole purpose of which is to allow people to try on clothing before ordering it via the web. They won't carry a full line in terms of colors and such, but you will be able to try things on. And clothing will not be available for purchase in the store -- though you may go to a computer in the store and then place your online order. I expect we'll see this approach spread.

    I'd like to get some kind of case for my little Eb Buescher, but mostly just for scratch protection rather than dent protection. It looks like there are some cheap ones available on Ebay that would do that sort of minimal trick: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Upright-Tuba...item19af158585.

    I expect that with my new Eb compensator I'll be happy with the hard case provided, although I also expect it will be pretty large and bulky. But I lived with that situation when I had my Yamaha YEB-321S and never worried about it getting dented in transit. Always tradeoffs.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  6. #6
    I'd like to find a bag for my Eb, but that bag that you posted is still watt too big. Looks like I'm going to have to have one custom made. 31" high, 14" bell. I'll be out around $400.... dang

  7. #7
    BTW, here's a better link for that bag

    http://www.1800usaband.com/products/view/1834

  8. #8
    My experience with tubas is limited -- I've been playing only since 2009 -- but one of the purchases I made and don't regret is the one where I bought a Cronkhite bag for my Kanstul 33-T.

    At the time, Glenn C. did not have a template for the 33-T, so I dutifully took all the measurements of the horn he asked for and emailed them to him.

    The bag fits the horn like a glove. Zipper is first-rate quality. And I prefer a side-load bag because of the issues that Gary spoke of.

    I've had the horn for about 3 years now, the bag for about 2.5 years, and to the best I can determine, NOT ONE dent in the horn. Of course, I don't pile music stands and golf clubs on my tuba when it's in the car, but the bag does a credible job in protecting the horn AND gives me the backpack feature I'm looking for when schlepping the bloody thing.

    I went with leather, which definitely wasn't cheap. But I didn't want to scrimp when it came to getting a bag that I almost always will use in lieu of the plastic "hard shell" case that the horn came with.
    U.S. Army, Retired (built mid-1950s)
    Adams E2 Euph (built 2017)
    Boosey & Co. Imperial Euph (built 1941)
    Edwards B454 Bass Trombone (built 2012)
    Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba (built 1958)
    Kanstul 33-T lBBb tuba (built 2010)

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by 58mark View Post
    BTW, here's a better link for that bag

    http://www.1800usaband.com/products/view/1834
    Thanks for that link. It's on sale too! And free shipping! Now I face one of the problems we've been talking about: Would my horn actually fit into that bag? My "little" Buescher has interesting dimensions: 32" high, 17" bell, 18" wide (from the mouthpiece receiver to the outer edge of the opposite wrap).

    So it LOOKS like it would fit into this bag, except possibly for the bell which is 1" wider than the claimed "Maximum Bell" width. It's an unusually wide bell for a small Eb.

    Maybe I'll give them a call.

    Edit/update: Just called Taylor Music. Nice people. Very helpful. That won't fit my horn. Just can't get a 17" bell into it. All the ones they have that will take the 17" bell are really considerably longer than I would want. They just don't make tubas like this any more.
    Last edited by ghmerrill; 04-23-2013 at 11:48 AM.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,368
    Looks like I found a "gig bag" that is both inexpensive and will fit my 1924 Buescher Eb tuba very well. It's top-loading, but does have both a handle and backpack straps. And at least one outside pocket. Color selection was not great, but I'm happy with it. Total cost including shipping is just shy of $28.

    http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/ZRW-173

    I'm thinking that I can address all the reviews that say rather unflattering things about how it smells. Hoping to receive one that corresponds more to the comment that "For the price, these little jewels are worth it." Hope springs eternal.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

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