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I just purchased a 621 CC for quintet, dixie work and whatever. Do any of you have recommendations for a gig bag for this small horn. I use an Altieri for my 52J, and I suppose Donna makes a bag for the 621. Any others? And while I'm on it, what mouthpiece do any of you 621 players use? Thanks! Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!!

I had an Alteri for my 621. Worked great, never had any problems with it, until my wife put a steakknife through it a few times!

Bill Troiano wrote:I just purchased a 621 CC for quintet, dixie work and whatever. Do any of you have recommendations for a gig bag for this small horn. I use an Altieri for my 52J, and I suppose Donna makes a bag for the 621. Any others? And while I'm on it, what mouthpiece do any of you 621 players use? Thanks! Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!!

I have a 621 F tuba and I find the hard plastic case so small and light that I've never been tempted to use a gig bag. Do you have the original Yamaha case? It's no flight case, but it will protect the instrument much better than a gig bag.

I used to recommend a largish Helleberg-style mouthpiece for the 621 F. After getting used to the Finn MF4 on the B&S F tuba, however, the deep Helleberg mouthpiece on the 621 sounds unfocused to me by comparison. But it does help to preserve the surprisingly good low range of the F version, and might be ideal for the C.

Rick "who only uses a gig bag when a hard case is unmanageable" Denney

MartyNeilan wrote:I had an Alteri.... Worked great.... until my wife put a steakknife through it a few times!

Don't leave us in suspence! There's gotta be a great story there!

I have a leather Cronkhite bag for my 621F but the hard case is almost the same weight so I end up using it the bulk of the time for the added protection. The Cronkhite is really a classy and extremely well made bag if you do not have the hard case though.

I am very pleased with the Mike Finn MF4 for my 621 but I also like the totally different sound that I get with a G&W Bora as well. I would think something along their Matanuska or maybe even the Williwaw would be excellent on the cc. Although skeptical at first, I am impressed with the feel and sound I have gotten with the G&W mouthpieces I have tried.

LV wrote:

Paul S wrote:I have a leather Cronkhite bag for my 621F but the hard case is almost the same weight so I end up using it the bulk of the time for the added protection.

This is good info...

My leather Cronkhite (Glenn Cronkhite was the designer/maker of the old pre-China Reunion Blues bags) actually only cost me the same price as a codura as it was purchased from a store who had ordered it in special for someone who then cancelled on them.

I originally probably would not have chosen to pay full price for the leather upgrade if I already had a hard case as they are very pricey. That said, it is an American hand-made bag, the leather used is some of the highest quality material I have seen and adds a tremendous amount of protection over codura. In addition, the workmanship on even the small details is fine furniture grade. I do easily understand the pricing and it is an excellent value in that light. Remember that that very thick leather combined with the extra padding and reinforced leather seams make the Cronkhite leather bag quite heavy compared to codura (about 50% more weight). You get more protection with thick leather but you get the weight as well.



PS: If I were to ever get another bag it would be a Cronkhite and would be leather but as I get older (and clumsier) I will most likely stick to a hard case with wheels.

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Enough has been told already

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Dollybags recently made me a custom sized bag for my 621F and should have the measurements on file. The plastic insert is great (steak knife proof) and the side pocket is HUGE. The bag offers great protection and is easy to carry. At under $300.00, you can't go wrong.

Thanks for all of your replies! I did use the hard case with the wheels yesterday and I know that those of you who posted stating that transporting the tuba in the hard case would be best, are right. Yesterday's gig was tiresome, but I probably won't have to do a gig like that until the last day of school before the holiday vacation next year. Our faculty brass quintet plays in the elem. schools of our school district. We visit 5 schools and play 5-10 minutes in 3-4 locations throughout each building. It's a tiresome day, but using the Yammy 621 CC was a lot of fun. A gig bag would have made things a little easier, but it's probably not worth the $$$ for a once a year gig. I'll use the hard case. Merry Christmas to all!