TubeNet

Looks like the folks that took over the business have gotten things together enough to start selling tuba bags:

http://glenncronkhite.com/product-category/tubabags/

Yo, Steve Skov, Micky Wrobleski, and Josh Lee! Glenn's 70 Tuba patterns cut and measured for 165 specific tuba models are LIVE. You choose the size and tuba here, we'll dig and dig and dig and find the right pattern.

With some luck we'll get some basic photos up tonight.

The next best fitting line of tuba bags offers -- what? -- 3 or 4 sizes so your $20,000 tuba can flop around? I don't think so!

-- Their Facebook page

Awesome. I wonder are they the same great quality? Who bought the company?

Cronkhite bags was, I believe, purchased by Steve Kriesel of Torpedo trumpet bags.

http://glenncronkhite.com/about-us/" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

https://torpedobags.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Regarding hardware, Torpedo bags (well, at least the one I have) use plastic hardware but the weight difference between tuba and trumpet is large. Kriesel has been very active on trumpet forums and would likely be very receptive to constructive comments. I believe that he truly seeks to build a quality bag/case. Send him a note.

Someone should invite him to join the discussion forum here.

Gotta side with the Elephant here - especially the part about a single strap carrying all the weight. I use only one strap about 95% of the time - putting it over my right shoulder. Cronkhite's bags have been stellar in this regard.

One of the metal parts in the Cronkhite strap system has been discontinued and cannot be sourced elsewhere. That part has been replaced with a high strength plastic part, whether the case was made by Cronkhite or Kriesel. Kriesel/Torpedo hasn't quite gotten their sewing up to Cronkhite standards yet, but hopefully soon. I'll report back when the cases are right.

-F

To respond to Mr. Ferguson's post, I would see replacing a metal part with a plastic one in the strap assembly as a very bad idea. "...cannot be sourced anywhere else.." Are you kidding me? This is not a part for a Formula One car or the Space Shuttle, and I'm sure that someone, somewhere can manufacture a few hundred to a thousand of them at a reasonable price. And, they will do so, as well as everthing else correctly, if they expect to have the same sort of loyalty and respect that we gave Mr. Cronkhite and his product.

That is a bag for euphonium. I agree, I sure wouldn't want to trust my horn's lively hood to some plastic hardware. Picture below:

Here's a picture of my fairly old leather Cronkhite bag showing a proper fastener:

Both photos in this thread are of EUPHONIUM bags with the clip on straps.

The (now old) Cronkhite made tuba bags I own do NOT have clip on straps. I don't think I'd trust the metal clip seen here anymore than I'd trust the plastic one with a tuba gig bag.

The question I have is are the tuba bags the same way? They are using plastic clip on straps now?

At the risk of sounding like a contrarian, just knowing how incredibly solid Torpedo bags are - and just how solid their reputation is for them (ask trumpet players) - I have difficulty believing that they would compromise on something so critical. I'm not saying they didn't - just sayin' I would find it quite baffling and 'out of character' for that company.

Yes, if they make the tuba bags like the one I ordered right before they stopped production, the straps were sewn in. VERY durable... And $$... but was worth it...

Hi -- Steve Kriesel replying to ... ahem ... a fair amount of speculation and mis-information here.

I'm the owner/founder of Torpedo Bags (trumpet cases made in the USA since 2005) and the excited new owner of Glenn Cronkhite Custom Cases. We will continue making these in the USA inside our factory.

Long story short — Glenn Cronkhite tuba bags DON'T use clips on their straps. They are sewn in on both ends, and we will continue to do that.

In the EUPHONIUM bag photo, that’s the plastic hardware Glenn insisted on, since metal clips break MORE often than a good delrin clip. But it has to be a GOOD one, dig? This has been our experience with Torpedo Bags products, and our metal clips are 3X beefier than the metal clip in the photo someone posted, above. Metal clips break, sorry. And again, this whole discussion doesn't even apply to tuba bags.

Glenn showed me about 5,000 of that exact metal clip, and would not give them to me. He was going to throw them out for a reason. The brass clip in the photo above that someone called “a proper clip” was the one he was having issues with — I’d honestly get that swapped out, from what Glenn and others have told me, or double it up with a caribeener.

A good plastic clip will outlast just about any metal clip -- trust me, I've been doing this in the USA since 2005, and have tested everything. I found YKK and Nexus to be perfect. We'd get samples, freeze them, beat them with a hammer in a vise, then repeat after heating them in boiling water. If it broke, we didn't buy them. But mil spec YKK and Nexus are great products that aren't going to break like a metal clip -- I'm dead serious, and I'm aware it doesn't make sense. The fact that Glenn and others have come to the same conclusion should also back this up.

And to the comment above from Steve Ferguson at The Horn Guys about the standards was referring to the VERY FIRST 10 or so Cronkhite bags we made, the MUCH more difficult trombone bags. I was trying to do him a favor because he seemed anxious to get some trombone bags, so he got the first ones we made in July. We fixed the valid issues he observed mostly before he said anything to us -- most were easy fixes and we just needed some more practice -- but he has not seen the better bags from August.

But I look forward to your questions and support going forward. Torpedo Bags has an extremely good track record in the protection and durability department, and Glenn allowed me to take on this project because we share this mindset.

We're about 3 weeks out on orders, FYI.

Great info, thanks!

I am in Minneapolis, not far from you... Do you do factory tours?

Sure! -- not tomorrow (Friday) though! Call ahead, and generally if you miss me, Kelli or Jake can walk you through. She's usually only there until about 2:30 or 3. I'm often there until 6, but my duties are pretty intense, so I'm in and out a lot.

Shop phone is here -- Kelli is an introvert, so email works too:

http://glenncronkhite.com/contact-us-2/" target="_blank

GlennCronkhite.com wrote:Hi -- Steve Kriesel replying to ... ahem ... a fair amount of speculation and mis-information here.

I'm the owner/founder of Torpedo Bags (trumpet cases made in the USA since 2005) and the excited new owner of Glenn Cronkhite Custom Cases. We will continue making these in the USA inside our factory.

Hello Steve,

First I think I speak for many of us - we appreciate your taking on the Cronkhite euph/tuba gig bag business. We hope you keep Glenn's high standards and that you are successful and profitable. Second - it is great that you are a member of the forum and hopefully will continue to post, answer questions and keep us informed of news with the gig bags. Third, I used the contact email on your website and going on two weeks have not heard back. I realize that as a small business in a growth phase it can feel like juggling six balls in the air - but nothing leaves a bad taste in the mouth of buyers like poor or no response to inquiries.

Told you guys. You must not have a lot of trumpet playing friends

My question is: how does one CLEAN one of these bags. Mine is Cordura and is starting to get stanky.

To Steve Kriesel. Thanks for clarifying. Good to hear that Glenn Cronkhite bags are continuing with good quality manufacturing.

Rick F wrote:To Steve Kriesel. Thanks for clarifying. Good to hear that Glenn Cronkhite bags are continuing with good quality manufacturing.

My sentiments exactly - thank you.

I own several Cronkhite cases, and hope to own more in the future.

Thanks for the tour info, Steve -- not something I can do right away, just interested in general. Would love to see how it all comes together!