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The player that had his Accord case crack offered to give the Accord company some design input. They never came back to him.

The player who opened the said FB thread also had problems communicating with Accord. He simply drove down to them in Croatia and fetched his case.

Klaus

Hi everyone,

I said I would give an update after using the case for a while.

First, the not so good!

Accord as a company, is a giant mess. Communication is a giant mess. My case arrived, and looked gorgeous. But, it was missing some majorly important things. It is missing a bumper, that exposes one of the hinges to major wear and tear, and also the case itself where it receives the most use. It was also missing the movable padding on the inside. The padding that came with the case, is barely enough to even call it a "gig bag."

For 3+ months I had to make my own (bad) padding with materials from a craft store. After 3 months, and some strongly worded emails, Accord sent the correct padding. Accord is also going to send the missing bumper, and a replacement hinge.

The major communication issues seem to be with the distributor for the USA. It seems to be the main issue with everyone in the US and Accord. Emailing Accord directly resulted in a better and faster resolution.

This all sounds bad, but here is the good!

The case itself is wonderful and a work of art, I love it! It looks fantastic, and is incredibly strong and light. It has been on now 8 different planes, and is of course pretty scuffed up, but is doing it's job. Being able to go from plane to a small rental car without a giant flight case, or having to buy extra seats is an amazing feeling! I have not had to pay any weight/size fees yet on Delta/United, and it is technically oversize on Delta. It is thin except the bell section, and weighs 38 pounds, nobody has given it a second look.

I have the back pack apparatus installed, which I recommend 100%. The backpack padding is put on with snaps, which broke off after the first flight. Not a concern for me as I found that thing to be very uncomfortable and didn't use it. The backpack straps themselves are very comfortable and feel safe!

People who keep saying the wheels are going to break off, probably haven't seen it in person. The wheels are incredibly strong! I have no fear of them breaking. Plus, if they even did break, it is a very simple system, I feel like it would be an easy fix.

If you travel, this case is a must, and is worth every hassle to get! Actually, even if you don't travel, paying a little over $2k to really protect a $15k horn is probably a good idea.

Sorry for the wait everyone, but we have received word that the 6/4 case will finally be in production soon. There were just a few details that needed to be taken care of.

If you are interested in more information, please contact Aubrey or myself.

Aubrey Foard wrote:
A lot of aspects of the Accord Case prevent bell damage:
1.) When the case is closed, the kevlar and carbon fiber composite makes it incredibly strong. You would literally have to drop it from the roof of a three story building to damage it.

A Styrofoam cup can survive a 4-story drop if it's empty. Assuming this test was actually done (noting the use of the word "literally"), was the drop test done with an empty, 13lb case? The product of the equation will be quite different once a 25lb tuba--almost twice the weight of the case--is added to the mass of the falling case.
In other words, is the case rated to survive a 4-story drop ("roof of a three story building") with 25lbs added to its mass? Such a differential will would reduce the height from which the case could reliably withstand failure.
I'm not asking to be a nuisance. I've just seen the baggage handlers drive the conveyor ramps around in the inclined position while luggage is on the inclined belt! Plus, the cargo area of most mid-sized aircraft is over 10ft above the tarmac.

Does Accord offer any type of written warranty for their product?

TubaTinker wrote:Thanks for posting the images. The fact that the leadpipe is on the hinge-side of the case is a new one on me. I've always thought the horn was oriented with the leadpipe toward the handle so it's not apt to be exposed if the case is set down hard on the bottom.

EDIT: (Okay, this is a necro-thread. So sue me.)

Ray Grim used to own a wood case for his 186-5U C Miraphone that was oriented that way. The case had formed-plywood sides and was truly compact compared to the usual wood cases of the day, and even compared to the usual ABS cases of today, while providing what I considered to be better protection. (Alas, that case eventually gave up its life for that cause, as seems to happen with all wood cases used by guys who actually do use them and play every day.) The leadpipe does not project out from the line between the bell edge and the bottom bow, so if something gets to it, you'll have other problems, too.

FURTHER EDIT: For Blokes who want to support the bell using the hoop strength of the throat, the old trick of inflating a soccer ball (or other suitably sized ball) in the bell to carry a large share of the load on the bell end should solve any perceived issue with overloading the bell rim.

Rick "who has considered trying to design something similar, but who already has a job" Denney

Curmudgeon wrote:Kariso tuba cases have this orientation.

http://www.hornboerse.de/en/Kariso+-+Case+for+Tuba.htm

Yes, that's the case that Ray used for many years.

Rick "who always admired the shape and orientation of that case" Denney

So now it's September, 2015 - has anyone flown with a 6/4 case yet? I'm ready to order, just curious.
Tony

akniffen wrote:So now it's September, 2015 - has anyone flown with a 6/4 case yet? I'm ready to order, just curious.
Tony

Those cases have still not gone into production. You should call their US distributor (Quality Strings, I think) and tell them you're interested so that they have more incentive to put time toward this.

Thanks, Ken, I have, and he told me to measure my tuba and send it on to him. I will likely do this, but I would be nervous about measuring windows, and even more nervous about being the first one to actually fly with a new design.

Are they now making flight case that would fit 6/4 C tuba?

Rick Denney wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote:Kariso tuba cases have this orientation.

http://www.hornboerse.de/en/Kariso+-+Case+for+Tuba.htm

Yes, that's the case that Ray used for many years.

Rick "who always admired the shape and orientation of that case" Denney

I know it is used for 50cm bells (Kariso 273), but here is the internals I got
"
Thank you for your inquiry.

Here are the internal measurements of the case:

Highness: 96,5cm
Width: 56,5cm (up) 45,5cm(bottom)
Depth: 47cm (bell)
"
Padding will probably accept a tad more then, and could probably even be a (snugg) fit for a 345

FAST FORWARD 7 YEARS….

Any news/pictures/stories of the 6/4 Accord case in action?