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I am nervous using a gig bag with a rotary tuba because it seems to me that when you close the bag there is significant pressure exerted on the valve section from the bag being wrapped around the valves when picking the bag up, etc. I have no idea what kind of pressure those braces that hold the valves in place can take before bending even slightly. I'm guessing that since so many people carry their tubas in gig bags that the chances are not large of bending any rotary components?

I have never had a single problem with rotary tubas in gig bags (or piston tubas, for that matter). I think you need to make sure your bag fits the horn properly, but I've never had any trouble.

On my Gotz bag, I like that the interior of the bag is reinforced and has a different material above the valve section. It's a smooth and thick material, so the valve section will not catch or get caught on the padding. (Hard to describe, but I can take a picture if you want).

The one thing I don't like is drawstring-style bags, but that's with any tuba. Getting that string caught on the valves somehow is just bad news.

bort wrote: On my Gotz bag, I like that the interior of the bag is reinforced and has a different material above the valve section. It's a smooth and thick material, so the valve section will not catch or get caught on the padding. (Hard to describe, but I can take a picture if you want).

Gotz bag? That one I have never heard of. Top or side loader?

Top-loader, made in Germany.

Here's the photo from their Web site (it's not a very good Web site):



I'll try to post some photos of mine (and the inside) when I have a chance.

My GR51 is in a very snug bag, and it has been saved a lot of dents on account of the snugness, I believe. Handling it is less awkward than a horn in a looser outfit.

I've used an Altieri in a Cerveny for maybe 10 years, and a Gard bag in a Mirafone 186 for another 10. Absolutely no problems with either. Both bags had the big pocket over the rotors, and I made sure to put mouthpieces and such in the smaller pocket away from the mechanism.

I had a Cerveny 781 (virtually identical to a Miraphone 186, except red brass) for about 15 years and during that time carted it around in a Giardinelli side-loading gig bag. Never had a problem with it.

However, I also never put any junk in the pockets of any of my tuba gig bags. All the junk goes in a separate fairly large percussion equipment bag I got specifically for that purpose and includes: music; mouthpieces; case containing glasses, pens and pencils, tuner; sit-on tuba stand; clamp-on cup holder (mostly to hold pencils, tuner, etc. while playing); stand light; oil; cloths; etc. There's no way I could get that in a gig bag, and so there's no point in trying to get any of it in the gig bag since I need an extra bag anyway .

With my euph gig bag (Protec), I do put mouthpieces in the outer pocket. But that's a top-valve horn and the mouthpieces don't press on anything when the bag is closed.

I think (and have thought) that if I wanted to put stuff in the gig bag pocket of a front-action horn I would probably get a sheet of some kind of plastic or acrylic (fairly thin and somewhat flexible) to slip into the pocket so that it would be between the junk and the horn, and protect the horn from the junk being knocked or pressed into it. Whether there is a need for something like this very likely depends on the quality of your bag and how it is constructed with regard to the pocket area.

With a properly fitted Cronkhite bag, this is NOT a problem al all. It's the top loaders that are cause for concern.

Just please don't carry your horn in a gig bag with the bell pointing down. Not a good plan.