The Elephantine Rant of the Day - Bags and Cases

[MartyNeilan]

BUT.....

How much are your back / shoulders / name-that-joint worth after carting around one to two tubas in mega protect hard cases day in-day out all over the place?

I USED to be a fan of hard cases, until I had to carry my Miraphone 190 the entire length of the Atlantic City boardwalk. About literally dislocated my arm. A gigbag ensued, and was later used to take that tuba on the bus and NYC subway regularly. Yes, the tuba received its share of major dents. But, I can still walk today, and fit my horns in vitually any vehicle.

[lgb&dtuba]

One word....

Wheels.

[MartyNeilan]

One word....

Wheels.

Going through a subway turnstyle with a 5/4-6/4 case?
Taking it on a bus every day?
Putting it in the passenger seat of a Civic?
And dragging those "wheels" down a boardwalk?

[imperialbari]

One word....

Wheels.

HELL YEA!

They go 'round and 'round.

Although those cheap plastic wheels do nothing, like on yamaha cases, all of our wheels broke after a season and a half

[ginnboonmiller]

*Advice not valid in New York, Boston, London or other cramped metropolitan areas with small train turnstyles.

[lgb&dtuba]

One word....

Wheels.

Going through a subway turnstyle with a 5/4-6/4 case?
Taking it on a bus every day?
Putting it in the passenger seat of a Civic?
And dragging those "wheels" down a boardwalk?

No subways around here.
Don't ride a bus.
I drive a pickup.
No boardwalks either.

Maybe you should consider playing trumpet or piccolo. Or moving.

Marty, I know you were just making the point that a hard case would create problems in your particular circumstances. We don't all live under those circumstances though.

My hard case has 5 inch pneumatic tires. Before that I used a Reunion Blues leather gig bag strapped to a folding baggage hand truck. It also had 5 inch wheels, just not pneumatic. I don't think a boardwalk would slow me down much either way. I also have a "tuba coffin" that I put four 4 inch casters on because the 2 built in wheels were too tiny for the size and weight of the case. I only used the coffin when I was going somewhere I needed maximum protection and was willing to put up with the size and weigh of that monster. Now that I have a good hard case I'll probably try to sell the coffin eventually.

I never collected a dent when using the coffin. I haven't collected any dents with my current hard case. I did collect a few, well more than a few, from using the reunion Blues bag.

Wade's point that soft cases are not going to prevent dents, even in best case normal use, is certainly valid.

[MartyNeilan]

Wade's point that soft cases are not going to prevent dents, even in best case normal use, is certainly valid.

And with that, I wholeheartedly agree.
However, I would still rather visit a brass tech every two years than a chiropracter twice a week.

[TUBAD83]

Protection for your VERY expensive tuba needs to be what you need and not what you want to spend. In most cases we are talking about a couple of hundred dollars difference from what you bought to what you should have bought. If you are set up financially to purchase an HB-50 (even used) how stupid do you have to be to lug it around in an inadequate Tuxedo or Altieri bag? How stupid? If this applies to you and I have upset you with my common sense and logic then I apologize for your bruised feelings but not for what I typed here, not at all. Wise up! Go forth and attain for thyself a better storage and transport solution for your very expensive tuba. And no, you are not careful enough. No one is. You cannot be careful for all the other non-tuba-playing, clueless drones you will encounter at gigs or on the way to one. You will see this one day when your tuba is bashed to smithereens in a split second as you watch in helpless disbelief; ype, you were "careful enough" to let that moron get near your tuba! An impact to your tuba-filled gig bag will happen eventually. So I hope you listened to me and got yourself a better bag.

Wade is right on target, guys. I know several guys here in town who use those cheap-assed gig bags for their uber expensive pro axes. And yes, I have one as well and I WILL be upgrading this weekend. My horn did not cost alot but, I would be VERY upset if something were to happen to it because I wanted to save money on a bag. If we are going to invest this much cash buying these big babies, we have to treat them right--from the moment we purchase them. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, El.

El: Throw some names at me from when you were at Ft. Hamilton--I knew some guys there back then!

JJ

[pittbassdaddy]

I just toss my 20j in the trunk of my '77 Cadillac. It fits nice, and I doubt that I could afford a nicer 'case' for it

[The Jackson]

I am absolutely sure that I am 99% sure that the design of the case for the Yamaha 621 tubas came from some crumpled-up piece of parchment of some rejected torture device from the Crusades. Why does such a small tuba have such a Payne-Diaz case?

[sloan]

Factory hard cases ...
Please, these nylon socks have padding that is about the same as what you get from a thick quilt that goes on your bed. If you tuba is too nice to carry around wrapped up in a bed quilt and slung over your back then spend some freaking money on a decent storage and transport solution.

[/rant]

"A gig bag is a handle, not a case" - Rick Denney

[jmerring]

I have both a hard case and an Altieri bag. I NEVER travel with my horn, except to practice and concert (we only play one concert venue, 2-3 times a year). I have not accumulated a single dent or scratch from the bag (thank God).I agree that a bag would not be a good method for long distance travel by commercial carrier. Only a hard case offers a modicum of protection.

Having said that; my horn is a Miraphone 186 BBb, for which I bought an MTS large frame hard case. Question: does Miraphone make cases for their own horns? By the way; the Altieri is a pain in the butt to load (ymmv).

Jim

[Z-Tuba Dude]

......we only play one concert venue, 2-3 times a year.....

I guess that it does depend on how much control you have over the external conditions. For a working professional musician, you are likely to find yourself in many new places/situations, where you may not have much control over the environment.

[averagejoe]

I like my mts hard case, but have used my cordura bag a lot in the past because my hard case (at the bell) is larger than the space between the back seat and the door in my van. I am forced to put it on a seat and somewhat impair my visibility, or take a seat out. I may just permanently remove the middle seat, and then the problem will be solved. While the elephants post was rude, I agree with his point. I have been putting my tuba in risky situations and have been lucky. The question now is; should I sell my gig bag, or should I hold on to it just in case there is a flight case in my future?

[TubaNerd88]

What's your view on the ProTec Gig Bags, elephant? I ask this because that is what I currently use for my horn.

[averagejoe]

Uh, how on Earth did you decide that my post (which one, BTW?) was "rude"??? Seriously? Is that a reading comprehension thing? (Oh, now THAT was rude!)

I was referring to your original post. I said that it was rude because that was my honest impression. I thought your wording was heavy handed. If making fun of my opinion gives you the jollies then go right ahead, the bottom line was that I agreed with you and actually want to take your advice.

[peter birch]

the question it begs is this - if the instrument manufacturers are prepared to take big prices for the product, at what, we may assume, is a reasonably healthy margin, then they should provide a case for the instrument that will afford adequate to good protection for normal day to day use. If you have to fly with your tuba or ship it that is a slightly different matter, but to sell a multi $K instrument without a decent and usable case is poor business practice.
what the owner does with the instrument then becomes his or her own affair, my tuba travels everywhere in its case, it sits in its stand when not being played and bar one or two small bumps is dent free, my colleagues who don't use their cases, have bottom bows that are dented to the extent that they resemble a lunar landscape. The aesthetics are one thing, but the reduction in value has to hurt.

[jmerring]

Once again; The Elephant was right on target. He was not rude to anyONE and was making points about his PROFESSIONAL expertise are regards cases/bags. I know I seem a bit of a suck-up, but that is decidedly not my intention. His writing, while a bit verbose was readable and understandable. His opinions are from his perspective and not everyone's.

On a related matter:
Again, I ask; does Miraphone make cases for their horns?

[bill]

On a related matter:
Again, I ask; does Miraphone make cases for their horns?

My Miraphone 184 came with a nice case, albeit heavy and Roger Lewis, a WWBW has a line of nice looking Miraphone bags. I do not know if Miraphone sells hard cases without the horns but what would it cost to ask if you wanted only the case?

[Bill Troiano]

Maybe, it's just the idea that Wade initiated this post by saying if you don't buy a hard case with your new tuba, you're a fool. If it was in response to someone else's post, it might not have come off as it did.

Personally, I have no need for a hard case. My car is my hard case. My tubas go in the bag and into the car. Just like I never buy extended warranties on anything and gamble that I won't run into trouble with the product, I gamble that I won't have an car accident and wreck my tuba. Besides, if i used a hard case, I'd have to buy a bigger car. If I travelled by bus or plane, it would be a different story.