Gig Bag Suggestions for a Thor

[BBruce107]

Hi all, I am looking into a gig bag for my Thor and I was curious which bags fit the horn well. I am looking into the GARD, Protec, and Alteri bags. I am just not sure which of any of these bags would fit the tuba properly. Thank you in advance!

[DominicTuba]

Just as an fyi, Altieri is currently redesigning their gig bags, so unless they they one in stock that fits the Thor, you'll have to wait a bit. As for the others, I had a Protec for my first horn and it was falling apart after a year and a half. Honestly if you can swing the initial cost or find a used one, a Cronkhite is well worth the investment. A Messina or a Götz would also be a good choice as well.

[Sousaswag]

I had an Altieri with my previous tuba. It was fine. The thing I really liked about it was that it rode higher than many other brands of gig bags. With my current Cronkhite bag I have to lean somewhat forward so I'm not slapped in the thighs by the bag, and I'm a pretty tall guy. For a Thor, which is a larger and taller horn, the Altieri may be a fine choice. That said, they are the least protective (imo) of the custom bags available. Plus that rain cover always kind of annoyed me. You probably can't really make a bad choice with either company, but the Cronkhites are so much more expensive that I personally couldn't justify a new one.

I have little to no experience with GARD or ProTec.

[toobagrowl]

I actually like the ProTec 'soft cases'. The old ones were made a little different than the new ones -- the material is like a hard fabric on the old ones; the newer ones are made of a nylon or polyester type material I think. I've had no issue with either my new or old ProTec soft cases. But then again, I don't fling them over my shoulders and use the backpack straps -- I just carry them to my side with the handle straps as it keeps the tuba lower to the ground. They are good, cheap, soft cases IMO. The ProTec hard bags/soft cases (whatever you call them) come with two large side pouches you can put your mpcs/oil/music in, and are well-padded inside with a semi-tough exterior; especially the newer ones. The only thing I wish was improved was the zipper going at least partially over the bell. The zipper stops right at the bell end, which can make it somewhat difficult getting the tuba in and out of the case at times

edit:. Just remembered to add that there are 2 sizes of ProTec tuba bags. You will want the larger one