TubaForum.net

Hello there,

I'm eventually joining a band as a tuba player, woohoo.
For now, my Eb is traveling in a very cumbersome Wilson case which is heavy and unwieldy.
I'm looking for a gig bag to fit it in.

The Eb is a 3 valves compensating with a 15" bell and a 35" height, which seems fairly standard.
What are my options for a gig bag that would be on the light side, with good backpack straps and well-protected (for a gig bag)?

For now I have seen the Gard 61-LK/MSK, which seems good (I have a 3-trumpet Elite and a single-cornet Pro from Gard already, I have a good opinion about the brand).

Must not be too costly, the tuba is already a cheap one (cost me around 900€), the Gard at 330€ is already on the upper side of my budget.

As you are in France a supplier on the continental side of ‘the pond’ would be best and arguably one within the EU too.

Try looking at what Thomann have to offer: https://www.thomann.co.uk/bags_cases_for_tuba.html
(Obviously find their French / EU site)
In the UK Gear for Music offer some stuff to check out: https://www.gear4music.com/orchestral/b ... 7yRoVGqjGg
Similarly John Packer might be able to offer you something: https://johnpacker.co.uk/collections/tuba-bags

If you’re able to post a picture of your Tuba then someone might be able to identify it for you …

I have the same needs as claf. Besson, same height, 15" bell. I'm trying to avoid getting one to fit a 19" bell because I don't want the unnecessary bulk. Anyone know which bag or case fits the 15"?

The Wessex B220 has the right specs.

https://us.wessex-tubas.com/products/tu ... 7454945460

They are currently out of stock but you can ask them when they might get more. I have a Wessex bag for my PT-15 clone and am quite happy with it.

@2nd tenor I'm not looking for a supplier, but for advice on fitting/quality. Thomann would be my supplier for the Gard.
I will try to do a post for identification tomorrow, but it's most likely a Besson/B&H copy.

@MikeS Could be it, but looks less protective than the Gard for a little bit more price.

I have the above Wessex bag for my 15” bell Eb and it works fine. I also have a Gard on another horn. I think the Wessex actually has about the same protection as a Gard bag. It is surprisingly stiff. The zippers and straps are also superior to Gard. It’s too bad that Wessex has increased in price so much. It used to be a great budget bag option. I had one for my 19” bell Eb as well.

Ordered and received yesterday the Gard 61-MSK.
It's a tight fit, but it's a fit!

Wessex had a used B220 for sale, but shipping was $276! I don't need it that badly! I'll check out those other sources.

Whether it's Boosey and Hawkes or Willson, a 15-in bell top action E flat tuba (though at one time common with B&H, yet before bags were common) isn't particularly common.

You're going to have to look around a lot and hope for some luck, or pay someone to custom make.
The other choice is probably to settle for a bag that is not a particularly good fit.

I don't know what condition your hard case is in or if it's molded or wood, but another choice would be to add/repair wheels to the case and bolster its condition to as sturdy as new (if not in particularly good shape??)

I'm going to get some backlash here, but I don't really understand the people who use bags but carry them in carts. (To me, that's just an inconvenient form of a wheeled hard case.)

All of that said, I wish you good luck in finding something that will make you happy.

Something I've done quite a few times (when I couldn't park near the stage door, and wasn't even allowed to pull up to the stage door and drop off my equipment) has been to take the instrument out of its hard case where I park, put the tuba (encased in nothing) on my shoulder, and carry it from the parking place to the venue. Yes, potentially sketchy people see my tuba, but - if I'm pulling or pushing a case - they're still going to see my tuba.

I took the case which came with my 19" inch Eb for my 15" Eb. It actually works nicely. I didn't like the case but I don't play this instrument all the time.

Gig bags scare me for large instruments. Increasing the surface area for potential disaster.