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Anyone had experience with Pro Tec tuba bags? Ghiardinelli's has them for a fairly low price plus free shipping (?). Is there much padding in these bags? What are the best and the worst features of the Pro Tec bags? I'm in the market for a good bag for my new Jupiter 482 "Pro model" 3/4 BBb. It's a surprisingly GOOD horn considering the low cost. Got mine (with hard case with wheels) from Baltimore Brass Company for $2,200 plus FREE shipping all the way from Baltimore to SF Bay area. Such a deal.

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codytuba wrote:Agreed, the Pro Tech bags suck. The straps are too low, and even on my 6'2" frame, the horn still bumps the back of my knees.

Agreed. I'm 6'3".........if you cinch the straps up all the way, you can walk more or less normally...but the straps suck and won't stay where you set them. (the MB straps do stay put......)

I had a few good years of service out of an altieri bag with my CC.

I have a chronkite bag for the CC now....it's stylish, well padded, sits well on my shoulders......but they're expensive.


Moral of the story: you get what you pay for.

Neil

Go with Dollybags. Inexpensive and very protective.

Moral of the story: you get what you pay for.

Moral of the Story (revised):

You get what you pay for, unless, perhaps you buy a dolly bag in which case you might get more than you paid for.....

~or~

Save your money, buy the pro tec, and start lacing your cereal with fertilizer.

The choice is obvious!

Neil M.

Dolly Bag...hands down the best gig bags you can get.

Mine is a heavily padded side loader with good backpack straps and excellent zippers. The pocket on the front is about big enough to put a euphonium in, and is built in not buttoned on like the Reunion Blues ones. Most impressive is the layer of plastic built in to the entire bag that makes it stiffer and more light impact resistant than most gig bags. The cordura on my Dolly Bag seems more "rugged" than the cordura Reunion Blues uses, too.

I would like to have a leather flap on the bottom bow end (like the RB has) to keep the zipper from getting damaged and I'd like to have the suitcase style handle clasp (thing that joins the handles together) the RB bag has too. Those are pretty simple changes to make that would turn a great product for me into an amazing product for me. Had I not purchased my bag used, I would have asked that those features be built into my bag.

I have an American made Reunion Blues cordura bag that came with my CC that has worked fine and held up well, but will replace it with a Dolly Bag when the time comes, although I like the leather Cronkhite bags I've seen too. Cronkhite is the original maker of the Reunion Blues product line. The new Reunion Blues bags are made in Asia and the quality isn't up to par with the old ones.

The downside of Dolly Bags is that they are made to order (which is a good thing) so they take a long time to get new. The cost new, from what I understand (having not purchased one new) is in-line with Cronkhite bag prices.