TubeNet

Here's a great-looking wheeled tuba travel case on LetGo.com, which is a site oriented toward in-person local selling. So it doesn't provide transaction protections like eBay. The case is in Kirkersville, OH, right on I-70 a little East of Columbus near Buckeye Lake. Seller says it's been used only a few times. Asking only $125. To my eye it looks like it would fit something like a Miraphone 186. If someone else knows better, please reply with a correction.

https://us.letgo.com/en/i/large-tuba-tr ... b8ac58838b

I know nothing about it or the seller; just came across the ad and thought it looked good enough that someone ought to jump on it for a great deal. I posted it on the Dave Werden site a few weeks back, but nobody has bought it yet, so I decided to post over here where it seems that more tuba people hang out.

This ad was first posted quite a while back, and the item no longer seems to appear when you search for it on LetGo. But the link still works, so you can still see the ad. Just today I communicated with the seller, who confirmed that it is still for sale. He told me that he doesn't travel, so the only transaction option is in-person.

Oh, man. I just realized after typing the previous paragraph, that what I've said makes this link look suspicious. I'll message the seller and see if he will renew the post on LetGo so you can find it by searching the site instead of having to trust a link from a stranger. (To search the site, supply "Kirkersville, OH" as the location and "tuba" as the item.) In the meanwhile, if anyone wants to pursue this right away and doesn't trust the link, private message me and I'll see if I can provide you some kind of assurance that the link is legit. One thing you could do is bring up some ads on LetGo.com and notice the syntax of their URLs. Then compare the one I've provided, and since the one I'm providing follows the same syntax, you can trust it and just type it out into your browser instead of clicking on the link. If you have enough patience and accuracy to type a cryptic string of letters and numbers. Or if you copied and pasted it as text into your browser, you could be sure that you are going to that address and not some hidden address instead.

Randy

I had one of these SKB cases for my PT-6. It worked fine. The only problem was the interior had a very distinct chemical odor. I got it brand new, so it must be a Chinese factory thing. Hopefully this one has aired out a bit.

Do I gather correctly that yours did improve over time in this regard?

Well, caveat emptor, I reckon. Good to have the info.

I wonder whether anyone has found a way to neutralize the odor, whether over time or by some chemical means?

Have you tried leaving it in the sun for a couple days? Charcoal (on a towel) in the closed case? Spraying a bunch of febreeze then slamming it shut? I've used all three to get rid of musty smells, I'd think it could get rid of chem smells. Either way, for a tuba case 50%+ off, I would get used to the smell.

It never bothered me enough to do anything about it - never infiltrated my horn, at least. That case is long-gone. This one should be a good deal for someone.

A forum member PM'ed me about the case. He has messaged the seller, but I'm not aware that the seller has responded yet. He says he has had this brand case before and likes them, so maybe any smell won't be a problem to him, or he'll be able to reduce it to an acceptable level.

FYI, one of the more notable sites on the smelly Chinese plastic thing: Campaign to Ban Chemical-Emitting Smelly Plastic from China

I've noticed it mainly with sink stoppers.

Interesting stuff. I think I know the smell, but I guess I haven't bought anything problematic yet.