SOLD: IDEAL SIZED PAIR OF REAL USA PRO FLIGHT CASES - REALLY NICE CONDITION

[bloke]

If you are young and auditioning for jobs or schools or traveling with your tubas back and forth to summer music festivals on airplanes or any of that kind of stuff, I have two cases that you should buy. These are Walt Johnson really tough fiberglass cases. They are NOT plastic cases that look like fiberglass. They are REAL fiberglass. They are also NOT stupid fuzzy gray wooden boxes which are impossible. They are not lightweight, but if you tell me what airplane limits are for luggage weights I'll tell you what each one of these weighs with a tuba inside it.

One fits a full size (B&S, etc.) F tuba perfectly, and the other fits a 6/4 York style C tuba perfectly. They both have nice big wheels and super duty latches.

You'll probably want to come get these. There are a couple of places that I can get them to that are south and east of me that might save someone who's south or east of me a little driving time. I would imagine that someone - as the type of people I've described above - probably would want both of them. I'm willing to let go of the pair for $1,500. If you want to make an offer that you think I might consider, you won't hurt my feelings but I haven't really felt like selling them for a long time, as soon as I sell them I will need them, but I'm sort of tired of having them and not using them.

If you've never heard of these, Walt Johnson was Elvis Presley's lead trumpet player out in Vegas, he would fly around to do other gigs or for various reasons with his trumpets, the airlines would always tear us trumpets up, and he designed a couple of cases that actually protected his trumpets from airline abuse. Other people saw them and asked if he would make something similar for them, and it became a little bit of a sideline. After Elvis died, this became a full-time business for Walt and his wife. It's been a while since made these, so they aren't available new anymore. This isn't some carbon fiber gimmick thing that is lightweight and people claim is tough (but actually isn't tough). These things are tough and protective. I'm sure they weigh more than any carbon fiber case, but whatever. I'm also NOT asking something like $2,000 a piece for them. I'm asking $1,500 for the pair, and they are the exact pair that so many of you probably could use.

It's night time, but I'll put up some pictures tomorrow. They're pretty damned impressive, but aren't excessively large in relation to the size instrument they hold. These aren't like those big ugly fuzzy gray wooden boxes. These are shaped tuba cases made of thick tough fiberglass.

[matt g]

Good price.

I’d imagine the smaller case could also fit some 4/4 rotary CC/BBb tubas as well.

[bloke]

I just tested a 17-3/4 inch bell Miraphone 186 in the smaller case. The bell probably (??) fits, but the 186 is too long.

A 188 (shorter than EITHER 186) might ...?? fit, but I wouldn't bet on it...maybe...
... ' best to consider it an F tuba case.

I can do a bunch of pictures, and answer a bunch of questions...

I'm willing to clean up old tape residue from the larger one, and touch up the paint...

I'm willing to compare pricing between the two shipped individually via FedExGround or both strapped to a single pallet and shipped via common carrier. One of my suppliers generously allows me to use their truck-line shipping account, for best pricing. I'm also looking into possible (??) local responsible college kids (just asked the marching band director) who might be willing to do a last-chance-to-get-out-of-town road trip for gas money and some spending money.

[Matt Good]

These are great cases, especially if you still have the courage to fly with a tuba as checked baggage! I used to have one of these for a MW 2165. It was 88lbs with the tuba packed inside of it. I sold it with that tuba as I no longer check tubas when I fly.

-M

[bloke]

Yeah Matt,

I believe a previous one of these that I had bought weighed about 76 - 78 lb with my thin wall Gronitz pck in it. Picking up this case, I think Mr Johnson put more fiberglass into this 6/4 shell than he did with the other one that I bought.

One could easily see how the thickness of these could vary from one to the next.

SOLD

[bloke]

I finally found a local business (a huge fiberglass products factory in the next town to the south) that would strap these to a pallet for me.

I was wondering about buying one of those electronic strapping devices; the guy told me they cost $3000...

[York-aholic]

Those are some serious wheels on the bigger case!

[bloke]

Those are some serious wheels on the bigger case!

They were obviously designed for something else, but are the factory wheels...
There is a block of wood - filling up that [-shape - in both of those wheel assemblies.

The smaller case had small wheels screwed onto the bottom of the fiberglass (rather than on either side of the fiberglass).

smaller case:
I tore out the tiny under-the-bottom-of-the-case-frame wheels and their axles, left the axle's steel FRAMES in place (fastened securely to the fiberglass), and then drilled out the axle HOLES (on the support frames) to accommodate the larger-diameter bolts for the REALLY large wheels - that were used in conjunction with the DEG-sold Costra Rican wood cases...

...so (though fiberglass) the SMALLER case is now configured in THIS manner: