MaryAnn: Messina Bag Photos

[Mary Ann]

You did seem a bit out of character to me and your comment explains it. Ha, I liked you better the other way, not that which way I like you better is of any concern.

[tofu]

I

[BramJ]

Ah, the Wessex bag , I once ordered one and the only good thing was the price.
I see that they upped the price by 3

Ouch, that price has gone up a lot
I got mine for €120, now €350
Definitely not worth the new price, for the old price I guess it is "ok-ish"

[Sousaswag]

I’m glad I didn’t buy one of those for my 6/4 Holton. I’ve never heard great things about the Wessex bags. To each their own, I guess.

[LeMark]

Ah yes... We have side loaders, top loaders, and then the infamous wessex front loader. Not a huge fan, but for a while they were a great price and had lots of sizes available

I woukd love to have the money to go to protec and throw enough money at them that they would build me 100 of their platinum bags in 4 or 5 different sizes.

[bloke]

I believe I've noticed that those who don't have a backstage area and folding tables prefer top-loader bags. I suspect they set their tubas on their bells, drop the bags over them, then flip them over, and zip them up. When there are nice sturdy tables in a backstage area, tubas can be set on those tables, unzipped, and opened/closed like a case - comfortably at waist level, and people whose rehearsal and performance situations are set up like that generally seem to prefer "clamshell"-style bags.

Some of us goofballs have stopped using bags, because we've grown weary of dent removal - even when we can do it ourselves.

[LeMark]

When I bought my Norwegian star it came with a miraphone bag. I will say I do like the bell protection built in, so maybe I'll give it a shot

[Lch3]

I guess gig bags - like tubas and their mouthpieces - are all a matter of perspective and a function of what works best for you.

I happen to be a big fan of the Wessex gig bag as I don’t have to lift the tuba ala top loaders or bend way over ala side loaders. I can get the tuba into the Wessex bag with a slight lean forward. In fact, I even abandoned one of the ever popular Cronkhite bags in favor of the Wessex. (The Wessex is different and I have seen people struggling until they learned the proper approach.)

Whatever works best for a given situation, right?

[bloke]

I'm glad you would never do that. Tell me more; it's fascinating.
(At least you helped me see how silly my post is.)

[Mark]

Some of us goofballs have stopped using bags, because we've grown weary of dent removal - even when we can do it ourselves.

Agreed. Wasn't it @Rick Denney that coined the term Dent Bag? I have seen that term used in this thread yet.

[bloke]

I don't ever drive to gigs, because automobiles are only held up by four mostly smooth tires stabilized with nothing but compressed air and articulating asphalt with a bunch of automobile oil dripped on it and sometimes even has rain water on top of the engine oil. I always require that any gigs - for which I'm contracted - are scheduled to be held at blokeplace.

https://ririro.com/de/die-drei-dummen/

[bloke]

Some of us goofballs have stopped using bags, because we've grown weary of dent removal - even when we can do it ourselves.

Agreed. Wasn't it @Rick Denney that coined the term Dent Bag? I have seen that term used in this thread yet.

I sort of thought that I coined "dent bag" and "elephant room" and that Tony coined "BAT", but maybe Rick coined "dent bag", or maybe he just uses it more than I do. It matters about as much as any of the last few posts in this thread. We are on page 3, are we not?

[Mary Ann]

I got a huge laugh out of the other two people in the Quackers (double reed trio) today when I explained what BAT stood for.

[The Big Ben]

I have never owned or been near a top loader bag while it had been loaded or unloaded.

Just looking at the pictures, it seems to me that it would be very difficult to maneuver a large tuba in and out of one. Standing up, you have heft the horn up and out. Probably with one hand while tugging the bag free with the other hand. Or lay it on the side and drag the horn out, also one handed....

A section mate plays 6/4 Cerveny CC (not sure which specific model- it's big!) She uses a top loading bag and it comes out and goes back in easily. She's about 5'5" but has no problems. Another section mate plays a Mira 186 CC and uses a top loading Mira bag. Same thing- comes out and goes back in without a fuss.

[davidgilbreath]

Been using a miraphone bag for the last couple of days. here's my observations

1. I like the bell protection
2. I dont like how the valves always want to hang on the entry of the bag.

[bloke]

I've seen worn distressed and torn-apart Miraphone bags. I'm not criticizing the bags for being worn and torn up. People cause that crap. What I'm about to say is that - inside the walls of the bags - the stuff in there doesn't look to me to be as good as the stuff that's inside California-style bags. Again, the only reason that I would choose a top loading bag over a clamshell bag is the lack of access to a backstage table. I certainly have tables at home... and yes, top loading bags are susceptible to the lining being torn by sliding instrument parts.

But maybe I shouldn't be posting at all, because I have abandoned bags. They're just not enough protection for a tuba.

[Rick Denney]

Some of us goofballs have stopped using bags, because we've grown weary of dent removal - even when we can do it ourselves.

Agreed. Wasn't it @Rick Denney that coined the term Dent Bag? I have seen that term used in this thread yet.

No, it was some bloke.

Rick "who uses them but is careful" Denney

[bloke]

bags:
Sometimes, I need three (or even four) of my own instruments for some cornucopic gig, or for multiple gigs on the same day at multiple locations.

Additionally, colleagues or schools on the way to/from somewhere) have repairs to hand off to me or receive back.

When a bunch of stuff gets stuffed into my vehicle like that - and my own things are in mere bags, there can end up being damage to my stuff - particularly if there's some huge pothole (ex: hidden by some truck in front of me, etc.) or someone slams on their brakes on the freeway.

"but bloke, you shouldn't be tailgating"

pfft. I leave safe following distances, but two or three cars (as everyone here knows) change lanes INTO those safe following distances.

[LeMark]

I don't know how old the bag is that I received with my Norwegian star, but all of the piping that goes around the zipper pocket was all torn up and hanging loose so I just took scissors and removed it all. The zippers themselves seem to be in good shape

[York-aholic]

bags:
Sometimes, I need three (or even four) of my own instruments for some cornucopic gig, or for multiple gigs on the same day at multiple locations.

Additionally, colleagues or schools on the way to/from somewhere) have repairs to hand off to me or receive back.

When a bunch of stuff gets stuffed into my vehicle like that - and my own things are in mere bags, there can end up being damage to my stuff - particularly if there's some huge pothole (ex: hidden by some truck in front of me, etc.) or someone slams on their brakes on the freeway.

"but bloke, you shouldn't be tailgating"

pfft. I leave safe following distances, but two or three cars (as everyone here knows) change lanes INTO those safe following distances.

While that can certainly be an issue, it isn't an issue I ever have. My horn, in its bag, sits across the back seat, with no other 'stuff' on top of it. :-)

I recently took the same horn to a university concert band rehearsal in a perfectly fitting Jacob Winter case. Not wanting to destroy the newly replaced wheels on the case, I carried it across the large, rough asphalt parking lot. Even switching hands/arms a few times, I definitely felt the weight of it in my hands and arms by the time I got to smooth concrete.