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I'm planning on getting a Willson 3400 Eb early in the new year and I'll be looking for a gig abag to fit it.
The Gard bags look good (and are reasonably priced) but I'm unsure if either size will fit this tuba well.

Any Willson 3400 owners who can recommend suitable gig bags?

Many thanks,

Cam

Very possibly it will, but I can't find any information about the height of the Miraphone models to compare it to the Willson 3400.

The Willson bell diameter 17 3/4" (450mm) and height is 37 1/2" (950mm)

Steve Ferguson is a Cronkhite bag dealer and a super nice guy.

IMHO, and that of many others, Cronkhite bags are the best you can get in a gig bag. They come both in cordura and leather. Their tuba bags are side loaders with full zippers.

On his site, he lists a number of stock tuba bags, the horns they fit, and the dimensions of each. There is no listing for the Willson but you can check out specs for the other bags or give Steve a call.

www.hornguys.com/tubacases

Another good source of Cronkhite is Irvin at www.slidebone.com although he generally stocks 'bone cases, he can get you anything from Cronkhite and is also a great guy to work with. I bought my Crokhite euph bag from him.

I have a Gard bag for my Mahillion. I bought the "Monster Eb" which accommodates a wider bell. I'm impressed with the bag. It's very well made, seams are very good, and the fabric is excellent. The foam padding is very dense. Yours would probably fit in the "large" bag. It's 40.5 in length with a 17.5 bell, so your bell is 1/4 inch over, but I don't think that will cause a big problem. Mine, which theoretically fits up to a 19" bell, has a 20" wooden protector disc in it. I use it without the disc, since the body of my tuba is a full inch longer than the tuba the bag was designed for. Even without the disc it's a good bag with lots of protection, and the price is amazingly low! One internet retailer has them for $150 with free shipping.

I got my Glenn Cronkhite bag for my MW2141 direct from Glenn himself.

He will know what size bag fits your horn. Contact him by phone, get the number from his website www.glenncronkhite.com .

It took 2 weeks to get my burgundy cordura bag. Identical to the old Reunion Blues bags which were designed by Glenn. Cordura or leather, a variety of colors, great bag. And Glenn is a great guy to work with.

Anyone tried soundwear?

http://www.soundwear.com/shopengl/infos ... A_TABD.htm

No, I haven't...
I use an older RB bag which is well past it now. Carrying it on one shoulder with a Wallace mute in and a bunch of music has wrecked the lower strap connection point on the fabric. Good bag though and I'd buy another.

Which bags have the best pockets for music and 'stuff'??

I got a soundwear bag with my Besson 983. It has a nice detachable "briefcase" on the front and is well padded. The only problem I have run into is the cover is separating from the padding along one of the zippers a little after using it about twice a week for about 2 years. I haven't taken it anywhere to see what it would cost to fix, but it doesn't affect its utility.

I use an old-design Reunion Blues bag that was sold as a 3v top-action horn bag. It's a perfect fit.

A Miraphone 186 bag, at least in the RB style, is a bit too long to fit well.

I love the Altieri bags. You can get them custom made to fit your horn and they come in colors now too. Semi-rigid plastic in the outer shell and very nice quilted softness on the inside.

They have several nice features including a custom fit, colors, backpack straps, military ballistic nylon materials, and excellent protection at a lightweight.

bal·lis·tic
Pronunciation: b&-'lis-tik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin ballista
1 : of or relating to ballistics or to a body in motion according to the laws of ballistics
2 : suddenly and extremely upset or angry : WILD -- usually used with go


Huh?

Here's a quote describing the use of the word 'Ballistic.'

DuPont Originalâ„¢ Ballistic Nylon - Originally developed by DuPont for bullet-resistant vests and military flak jackets, ballistic provides a smooth, bright, high-quality look and feel for luggage, packs and bags.

I have three Altieri bags, a custom made 2 piece for my King Bill Bell model rotary valve tuba, a standard bag for my King 2341, and a custom made euphonium bag for my King double bell euphonium. Donna is great to work with and doesn't charge extra for custom sizes.

My only minor issue is that The backpack straps on the 2341 bag are not at a comfortable spot for me to use them easily. They are a little too low for me, but that is more due to my size than the bag and it's only an issue on that one bag.

I thought that the separate cover for the bell would be inconvenient, but it actually is faster to get my horn packed up in this bag than in my Soundwear bag for my Besson. That is because once I have the cover on the bell I just slip it in the bag, pull the drawstrip, and go. Although top loading bags may seem a little less convenient, there is no chance of a zipper breakign and your horn falling out, and the bell cover provides a semi-rigid layer of protection.