Gig bag

[Trobo]

Hi all
I am thinking about buying a gig bag.
I have a tenor with an F attachment and a 8 1/2" bell size.
I would like to have some input from people who have bought already or from people who have made some research about what is on the market and considered good.

Thanks!

[BGuttman]

There is no gig bag that will provide as good a protection as a hard case. I would not recommend one if you will be stowing it in a luggage compartment of a bus, for example.

I have tried quite a few different bags and here are my observations:

1. Altieri.Best slide protection of any. Moderate protection for the bell section. The Tenor model fits my symphonic tenor just fine (it's a Yamaha 682). I usually store my cup mute in the bell. Huge pocket for stuff. I fit in a trombone stand, wire stand, mouthpieces, lubes, a music folder, and a change of underwear. I don't like the backpack straps, but I don't like any of the backpack straps. Shoulder strap has pulled out when carrying a huge load in it.

2. Reunion Blues (now Cronkhite). I have the older style with the slide on the outside. Slide goes in a bag with a board on one side. Pack it with the board to the outside to protect the slide a bit better. Moderate protection for the bell section. Nowhere to put anything but the trombone, although I can store a cup mute in it. There is a soft bag for your mouthpiece and other small items like a sprayer and lube.

3. Gard. I have the one with the internal slide storage. Slide goes in a carrier with hard sides on both sides. Bell protection is not very strong. My bag is for a bass and it will accept a 10 1/2 inch (265 mm) bell. I would expect the tenor to fit your instrument. Bag has a pouch that attaches to Velcro on the slide holder for mouthpiece, lubes, etc. Using the slide holder as a separator, I could put a trombone stand on the other side from my bell section. Loadedthat way it's really too heavy for the shoulder strap.

4. Tuxedo. This has virtually no protection for the bell. Slide goes in a carrier with a board on one side. I load it like the Reunion (board outside). There is a pocket on the outside for mouthpiece, sprayer, and lubes. Nowhere to put a folder, music book,or stand of any sort. I stored a cup mute in the bell.

5. Here's one ot avoid. It's sold by many vendors on Ebay for between $15 and $25. Comes in 3 colors; black, red, or blue. Has an external slide pocket with no protection whatsoever. No accessory pocket. Entire bag is just one layer of ballistic nylon with a liner. No shoulder straps and "backpack"straps are a joke. If you really have to use this one, you can dramatically improve its protection by putting a corrugated board insert in the slide pocket (I use a pair; one on each side) and a corrugated disk on the bell end. Probably well suited to that $15 Yard Sale Special that came in the stinky case you needed to throw out.

[Vegastokc]

Probably well suited to that $15 Yard Sale Special that came in the stinky case you needed to throw out.

Lol Lol Lol. Oh man, that sounds way too familiar. Really hits home. Got a stinky Getzen wedge case in my garage right now I'm trying to save.

I'd like to add ProTec's products to this list. I purchased their new "Explorer" model this year. Very satisfied with it. Have an F attachment with 8 1/2 bell that fits with room to spare. Only con is the "music pocket" is not big enough for standard size music folders. But that is what the mute/stand bag is for I guess.
Also had purchased a ProTec for my daughter's voila couple years ago. Both very nice quality for the price.

[Trobo]

There is no gig bag that will provide as good a protection as a hard case. I would not recommend one if you will be stowing it in a luggage compartment of a bus, for example.

I have tried quite a few different bags and here are my observations:

1. Altieri.Best slide protection of any. Moderate protection for the bell section. The Tenor model fits my symphonic tenor just fine (it's a Yamaha 682). I usually store my cup mute in the bell. Huge pocket for stuff. I fit in a trombone stand, wire stand, mouthpieces, lubes, a music folder, and a change of underwear. I don't like the backpack straps, but I don't like any of the backpack straps. Shoulder strap has pulled out when carrying a huge load in it.

2. Reunion Blues (now Cronkhite). I have the older style with the slide on the outside. Slide goes in a bag with a board on one side. Pack it with the board to the outside to protect the slide a bit better. Moderate protection for the bell section. Nowhere to put anything but the trombone, although I can store a cup mute in it. There is a soft bag for your mouthpiece and other small items like a sprayer and lube.

3. Gard. I have the one with the internal slide storage. Slide goes in a carrier with hard sides on both sides. Bell protection is not very strong. My bag is for a bass and it will accept a 10 1/2 inch (265 mm) bell. I would expect the tenor to fit your instrument. Bag has a pouch that attaches to Velcro on the slide holder for mouthpiece, lubes, etc. Using the slide holder as a separator, I could put a trombone stand on the other side from my bell section. Loadedthat way it's really too heavy for the shoulder strap.

4. Tuxedo. This has virtually no protection for the bell. Slide goes in a carrier with a board on one side. I load it like the Reunion (board outside). There is a pocket on the outside for mouthpiece, sprayer, and lubes. Nowhere to put a folder, music book,or stand of any sort. I stored a cup mute in the bell.

5. Here's one ot avoid. It's sold by many vendors on Ebay for between $15 and $25. Comes in 3 colors; black, red, or blue. Has an external slide pocket with no protection whatsoever. No accessory pocket. Entire bag is just one layer of ballistic nylon with a liner. No shoulder straps and "backpack"straps are a joke. If you really have to use this one, you can dramatically improve its protection by putting a corrugated board insert in the slide pocket (I use a pair; one on each side) and a corrugated disk on the bell end. Probably well suited to that $15 Yard Sale Special that came in the stinky case you needed to throw out.

Thanks a log BGuttman!
You were the first to answer my first post on this forum.. very precisely.. appreciated.
But to narrow down.. what do you suggest? I agree, with a hard case, I don't have to worry. What I am looking for is something that has a good protection (without having to worry too much), but which is still light and easy to carry around for concerts and rehearsals. For flights, I guess a gig bag is out of the question.

[harrisonreed]

Honestly, the allure of a gig bag vanishes the first time you find a dent in a place that makes no sense, and you can't remember ever doing anything to get a dent there. Especially if your slide suddenly is busted in the "premium" gig bag you shelled out $500 for. The hard cases with backpack straps are the way to go.

Cronkhite is the best gig bag I ever had, and it still was far from ideal, got stained from valve oil and exposed brass on the nice material lining the inside, and had a necessary design flaw that was exposed if you wanted to store it in a locker on one end -- it was a double case and one of the bells HAD to be stored upside down. Storing a valve upside down makes a huge mess of the tuning slide and rotor, over time, unless you don't maintain them properly.

Maybe a single horn Cronkhite bag in cordura would be the best option if I wanted a bag in the future, but the hard and semi hard cases with straps are just better options in every way.

[hyperbolica]

In my opinion, one of the Protec bags are the practical choice unless you have a lot of money to throw around.

I have a 35 year old Reunion Blues bag that cost $350 in 1984. That was a lot of money back then, and I was always as worried about damaging the bag as I was about the horn. It was a vanity thing. I should have used the money for something else.

If I needed a bag today I'd get the Protec Platinum. If I needed a real case I'd get the Protec Pro PAC. Brass manufacturers use Protec cases for their new horns because of the value for the price.

https://www.protecstyle.com/product-cat ... e-tenor-2/

[Burgerbob]

Sometimes a gig bag is a more convenient choice, sometimes the case is a better choice.

I use a gig bag for my euphonium because it's so much easier to deal with, as well as my double tenor/bass bag compared to a similar case.

I wouldn't ever fly with one, of course.

[Bach5G]

I picked up a Protec Explorer for my bass from MF for $99 incl shipping, which was about 2/3rds the cost of shipping an Altieri gig bag that I sold. I have a hand brace on the horn and it wouldn’t fit in the hard case it came in or my older Protec semi-fitted case.

It’s a gig bag. As long as you keep that in mind and behave accordingly, there should be no problem. In others words, pay attention, be careful.

[BGuttman]

...

Thanks a log BGuttman!
You were the first to answer my first post on this forum.. very precisely.. appreciated.
But to narrow down.. what do you suggest? I agree, with a hard case, I don't have to worry. What I am looking for is something that has a good protection (without having to worry too much), but which is still light and easy to carry around for concerts and rehearsals. For flights, I guess a gig bag is out of the question.

I can't answer that question for you. That's why I gave mini reviews of the ones I have. By the way, I also have a TKL that is essentially the same as the Tuxedo in protection and features.

You need to evaluate the good and bad points mentioned and also factor in costs. I wouldn't ever pay $250 for a bag to contain a student grade horn that is really beat. Also, consider what you want to spend and how much "bling" you want to have. Leather bags are much more expensive than nylon bags, and offer only a little more protection. But they sure look nice.

What do I use? Most of the time Altieri. What do I see others using most of the time? Reunion Blues.

[bigbandbone]

Back in the 70's I bought a Giardinelli gig bag. I thought I was a really cool and hip bone player. After one ride on a crowded NYC subway car I didn't think it was cool anymore! Slide got squeezed/bent. Big $'s to fix.
IMHO - Don't waste your money on a gig bag.

[greenbean]

I also have mixed feelings about gig bags. For tuba, they are the way to go! Because dragging a 20-lb tuba in a 25-lb hard case to a rehearsal doesn't cut it for me.

For trombone, it really depends on how you treat your horn and the type of traveling you are doing. Cronkhite is the best. I have a Tuxedo that is surprisingly good. I have owned Protecs that had poorly designed slide compartments (one layer of cordura between the crook and the outside world!) but other Protecs seem okay. The older Reunion Blues (stamped San Francisco) are nice.

[BurckhardtS]

I have a Cronkhite bag and I have had no problems with it. I haven't used it lately because as said, there's not room for anything except your horn but it does a good job at protecting. Do not ever check it or stow it away, and only put it in the overhead of a plane if NOTHING goes on top of it. I have flown with it.

I prefer hard case for travel because I fly stand-by a LOT, and I end up gate checking my horn a lot as I'm usually the very last person on the plane and there is no overhead space, but the gig bag is VERY GOOD for having to walk long distances in the city like I have to do right now.