TubaForum.net

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I'd like to see pictures of tubas in those Gard wheelies --- they say good for x inches bell, but the rest of the tuba is not centered over the bell, and if the case is only wide enough for the bell, the tuba is not going to be upright even if you can cram it in there edge-wise. I wouldn't think anybody is insane enough to transport a tuba that is only resting on the edge of the bell inside the case.

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... pictures of things that - if they came with a tuba which I purchased to flip - I would make certain that they were re-sold with the tuba, as well.

peterbas wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:58 pm ...

I have seen those old plywood cases for a big Miraphone Kaiser Bb tuba
New ones might be better designed, but it is surely going to be over 10 kg.

I've certainly seen some terrible old wood cases, for sure. And terrible old and new plastic cases, too.

But this style is different--the edge of the bell can't peel over because it's not a bell-mold slapped onto a flat sheet, the whole side is curved to transition from flat on the bottom bow end to bell-shaped on the bell end. That gives it much more strength and stiffness when impact from any direction.

I would still prefer a bell plug for the tuba inside the case if anyone else was going to be handling it.
(snipped from Thomann's website)

As to efficacy, anything can be overcome. But the 3301 I just sold had only a handful of small stage dings on it, and I can assure you that its owner wasn't that careful. Its life in even a horrible case that I had to transform to allow me to sell it with a clean conscience has nevertheless protected it.

Ray's case for his 186 that was similar to the above lived about 25 years and that included a lot of handling by people who didn't care what it contained. Where it died was in the hinges and joints, and even then it protected the tuba.

But, not, it's not a flight or shipping case.

Rick "saving up" Denney

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That's what I remember the position of the tuba is in a Gard; cock-eyed. There is a Guitar Center near me and I can order stuff online (or used to be able to) and then return it to the store, which I did with the Gard when I first had the Star. I do not remember seeing a bell cone, or at least any structure that would convince me it would survive going bump bump bump through a parking lot, and once again, Nope. I do remember quite a few stick-on foam pads.

I need to measure for that Messina, but that involves laying the tuba for tracing on the tile floor, VERY carefully, and that in itself is a bit of a struggle. There will be big guys here tonight for the quartet -- methinks I will ask for assistance. The yammy 822 player is subbing on euph, and he's definitely a typical tuba-sized guy, probably can pick it up with his little finger.

peterbas wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 4:38 pm I don't see any difference, if it falls bell down = bell will be smashed.

Would it be any better in a gig bag?

Rick “again: it’s not a flight case” Denney

No case is airline/gorilla proof, but those weird "How did that happen?" dents come to an end... well, unless your tuba is as large and as thin as mine, and cordura nylon piping on a little bag dents the bell.



As far as creasing bells inside of cases is concerned, who is our friend who - very sadly - died of cancer and had come up with the idea of strapping the bottom bow tightly against its end of the case to prevent the bell rim from knocking against the (typically: thin) pad on the bell end of the case, to protect the bell from a really severe impact?

Oh yeah: Charlie Krause.

That is a fine idea, the bottom bow strap. It does remind me of the very expensive flight case I bought for the 182F, that when I put the tuba in it, literally the only thing held in place was the bell rim, and the tuba was going to swing like a pendulum inside. I lost a lot of money sending that thing back, and I took my horn with me on the plane instead.

The Gard Wheelie is HEAVY, usually much heavier than the horn that goes in it.

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I was at a get together last night and someone had a Hercules folding stand which was very sturdy for a metal folding stand but also compact, lightweight and one piece.


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com ... ipo=images

I guess the question is then "is Hercules as inexpensive as km101?". The two extra arms on the km101 are dual-functional, in that they can hold the music down in wind, or they can extend outward for support of up to four pages.

I guess those arms - that are mounted halfway down, rather than at the top corners - of the Hercules function in the same way.

... so it looks like that Hercules stand is 50 bucks on Amazon.

Hmmm. I found different prices. You could have saved $2.50 and had a sturdier stand that might take that 100 chart folder instead of the ipad.

Actually, it's hard to read music on anything less than a 14" display (for people without perfect vision), and of course Apple doesn't make anything that practical. Plus I really want the e-ink thing for more natural look and lower power usage. Unfortunately, this combo doesn't exist. I don't think the whole electronic sheet music thing is ready for prime time until you can meet specs like this at minimum. I do have a 14" Android tablet that cost $150, but it's unbelievably slow and burns through charge pretty quickly. I use it for practice at home as it has most of my sheet music collection on it, but haven't used it at a real gig or rehearsal.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/144803638594?v ... 6c37866bb4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265458844660?m ... 6574e72a4b

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I have this one from Amazon, very happy with it. Breaks down small and much more stable than a wire stand. Plus it gets tall enough to use while standing for sousaphone playing.

https://www.amazon.com/Vekkia-Sheet-Mus ... 98776&th=1

peterbas wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:38 am Except for the money there are no real arguments to not use a tablet.

Besides money, there's also the "range anxiety" if this device is going to last for the whole concert. And then just one tumble or a mishap in the bag, and all this delicate glass and plastic is busted. Nobody's going to steal a 20 pound music folder, but a couple of tablets, Score! Plus, tablets are unbelievable overkill just for reading PDF files, yet simple readers aren't big enough to be practical. Apple is so tied to their own form factors that they will never make something more useful for reading music.

I use my $150 tablet at home, and its definitely not something I'd take a chance on outside of the house. Not all of my music is in electronic format. I've discussed doing this with my quintet, but damn, that's a lot of money for a function that can be done way more simply and reliably by something much cheaper and sturdier.

I love the idea of letting go of the printer, but you've got to have a scanner, and not just one for individual sheets, but also books and large format stuff. I love the idea of never losing a sheet of paper or getting them out of order, but can you imagine the tech support of showing (guys older than me) how to run a piece of technology like that? If they can't keep numbered sheets in order, how will they be able to use a tablet? Show someone else who has never used one how to turn it on and off and find the thing that loads files, get files on and off the device... And then do that a dozen times. And that burden would take away from music time. The tech support issue is probably the biggest one, especially as the size of the group gets larger than just a quintet. The problems it creates are larger than the problems it solves. It's ok for one person handling their own stuff, but for groups of people, it's highly impractical.

The pieces are coming together where this will be practical for widespread application, but that time is not yet.