New- Cronkhite Bag for Miraphone 5050

[MikeS]

I was on the Cronkhite (Torpedo) site this morning and they are now showing a euphonium gig bag for the Miraphone 5050. It wasn’t there yesterday so it really is “new” like it says. I just thought I’d pass this along.

http://glenncronkhite.com/product-ca...uphonium-bags/

(edited to correct for autocorrect)

[davewerden]

Cronkhite retired as far as I know, so I assume this means Torpedo has taken over the business? It should by a nice synergy no matter how it came about.

[RickF]

That's good to see they're making a Cronkhite bag for the M5050. I'll have to look into getting one of these. The Miraphone blue bag provides good protection, but I'm not a big fan of 'top loading' bags.

There was a discussion on TubeNet about Torpedo taking over Cronkhite in August and the owner/founder of Torpedo bags (Steve Kriesel) posted in that thread. Here's a direct link to his post:
http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic....631521#p631521

[RickF]

I emailed these folks three weeks ago and never got a reply. Just called this morning and got a recording so left a message. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.

[RickF]

I heard back from the Cronkhite Bags (now owned by Torpedo). They are in fact making gig bags for the M5050 euphonium. The lady on the phone (Lindsey) stated that they've sold 10 so far. All bags are made to order and it takes 4 to 6 weeks for delivery (6 - 8 weeks during the holidays). The price for leather is $596, and $394 for 1000D Cordura. BUT they're currently running a sale with 20% off until 12/19 using the coupon code of "Cronk17". There's one description of the bag that is in error. It states, "One zippered side pocket for convenient storage, another open side pocket for music." There is no open side pocket - just the one zippered pocket. That's too bad as I really need another pocket for music. Our band has a huge leather folder that takes up quite a lot of room.

[bbocaner]

I know someone with one of the new bags and, believe it or not, they are actually even higher quality than the original Cronkhite ones! The torpedo folks are heroes!

[djwpe]

Rick-

i have one of these that I bought with my first 5050. I tend to use the blue miraphone bag more often than the cronkhite, as I think the Miraphone bag does a better job protecting the bell

Don Winston

[RickF]

I think you're right Don. I have the Miraphone bag and other than it being a "top loader" it's good.

[djwpe]

Top loader isn't a big deal with a euph. It is a giant PITA with a long tuba like my Hagen. I have the miraphone bag for that horn, and just ordered a Cronkhite.

[guidocorona]

Hello DJWPE and all, one full year since the last post.... Which bag protects 5050 better.... Miraphone or Crnkhite?

Regards, Guido

[RickF]

As both Don and I mentioned the Miraphone bag we think protects the horn better. The padding is 1" thick and it's not the flimsy padding you might see used in some other mfg bags. There's also a wooden circular disk inside the flap that closes over the bell. This hard disk should protect against accidental hits against the bell end. My wife made a soft cover similar to felt with elastic closure to put over the bell. This should protect against any scratches from the zipper if I zip it closed in a hurry. It's a tight fit with the big bell.

I'm getting used to the top-loading feature. You just need to lean the bag against a wall, corner or have 3 hands.

[guidocorona]

thank you so much Rick for confirming your early favorable impressions of the Miraphone bag... Excellent Idea the additional cloth hood to protect the bell from the bag's zipper!

Regards, Guido

[djwpe]

I've since moved on to a Marcus Bonna XL case, since I had an unfortunate instance of my euph getting mangled when it fell out of the back of my car. That was in the Cronkhite, but I expect the result would have been the same with the Miraphone bag.

Don.

[RickF]

Oh I forgot about that Dan. Marcus Bonna makes an excellent case.

[guidocorona]

Thank you so much guys for the additional info... At $750, the Bonna XL case in Nylon seems to be priced some $250 above than the Miraphone hard case for 5050... What are the advantages of the Bonna case over the Miraphone hard case, in terms of protection / ergonomics / construction quality / durability / etc...?


Regards, Guido