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@Mary Ann
Here are the photos of Allen’s bags:

A huge "THANK YOU" to Bill for posting these photographs for me! MaryAnn, I hope this gives you somewhat of an idea regarding the Messina gig bags. I am very happy with mine. Good Luck in your gig bag search!

One thing that seems kind of vague on their web site is the thickness and composition of the padding. Other makers say 20 mm, 25 mm, 1 inch, etc. And use terms like “high density foam”, “medical grade foam”, and so forth. Any clues about what Messina uses?

Thank you and Wowza! Certainly not going to miss those even in a dark room!!

Interesting method of attaching the straps at the shoulder level -- seems a lot of hardware that would be in contact with your shoulders, at least on me. I think I'm going to have to have some discussion about that aspect. I don't need them to be detachable.
My tuba rides in the hatch area of the Roo, with a stiff pillow under the bell branch at the bell end, so there isn't weight on the edge of the bell. And if I think it isn't padded enough otherwise (but Miraphones are tough tubas in terms of dents, at least the Star is) -- I'll just stick more padding underneath the whole thing.

The proud Canadian that I am likes the red colour, although I avoided white as it discolours very easily. I suppose I should have had a maple leaf sewn on it as well! David Messina is very easy to work with and I am sure that the two of you can come up with a solution that you are happy with. Good Luck!

BRS wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:37 am Bags look nice. Their website says they only make bags for upright bells. Looks like bell fronts are out of luck now. Dang.

I am very grateful to have the Messina bag for my bell front. They are very difficult to make and also extremely fussy and time consuming which is most likely why Messina Covers no longer makes them.

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FWIW, I have had no problems fitting my 20" bell Messina bag in the backseat of my subcompact car along with my child's carseat.

Having owned both Miraphone bags and a Messina bag, the Messina is by far higher quality.

arp "took the bait" thark

The Messina bag I had for a while was a nice bag. The ones I have now are better, but they also cost more.

Messina makes good bags. And they are cheaper than Cronkhite. And they probably don’t have the wait time Cronkhite does.

FWIW, I ordered a Cronkhite bag for my F tuba with a 6-8 week lead time.

Messina may receive an order from me for my Tuono at some point.

@peterbas -- top loaders are not top loaders if you are 5'2" tall. They are "put the tuba bell-down on the floor, put the bag on like it was a sock you're putting on your two-year old (except this is a MUCH bigger foot,) while keeping the silly zipped-on lid out of the way. Then invert the tuba with the bag loosely on it, the whole thing being almost as tall as you are, and then struggle to get the lid on right and zipped up. Then put the bow on a chair, sit down, put the straps on, lean forward and stand up, and the try to walk with the bow banging you in the back of the knees."
I'll take a Messina where I can just open the case and put the tuba in it, and then when I do get it on my back, the bow hits me in the butt where it should, because I had them put the straps in a place that is reasonable if you are not eleven feet tall.

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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....

Again, I have never used one. This is just observation.

More direct info from those who do/have this style bag for a large tuba would be welcome.

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DonO. wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:13 am One thing that seems kind of vague on their web site is the thickness and composition of the padding. Other makers say 20 mm, 25 mm, 1 inch, etc. And use terms like “high density foam”, “medical grade foam”, and so forth. Any clues about what Messina uses?

I found the answer buried in their “about us” section. They use “3/4 inch (or more!) foam”. No mention of the type of foam or under what circumstances they would use “more”.

As to the Messina bags being cheaper than Cronkheit, the Messina tuba bag is $595. The Cronkheit is $750, but often a 20-25% discount pops up. If you use that, the cost becomes more or less equal. But I don’t know about shipping charges, and I can’t find those on either site. They may be something that’s hidden until you actually place an order?

peterbas wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 7:51 am Just open the lid, grab the top bow and lift, the bag just slides off the tuba.

I don't know how tall you are, and this is becoming a silly discussion, but I would have to stand on a chair to do that, if I even could lift the weight. It appears you didn't read my description of how I have to use a top loader due to my height.

I have the stock MW bag for my Tuono C tuba. A big, heavy, long tuba being one-armed up in the air to go in the bag is W A Y harder than taking the same tuba and placing it into a bag on the floor.

Some people just can’t use top-loaders. Us young guys can do it but I rarely see them with older players.

MA - if/when you order one of these things and it comes in, I’d love to see where you put the straps. I really liked that about Altieri’s bags. Cool that Messina is willing to work with you to customize it to your liking. Point for them!