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The Pro Tec my Kanstul came with was starting to fall apart. The seams were tearing open, exposing the horn. Obviously it was getting dangerous to keep the horn in it, and luggage repair, shoe repair, and seamstresses wouldn't touch it, so I replaced it.

Turned out for this horn, my options were really to get the same Pro Tec case or a custom Cronkhite. I went with the Pro Tec again because this case seemed to do pretty well for 20 years. And the model is definitely updated--it has more structure, a strap to clip backpack straps together, etc.

The issue is it seems to be a shame to simply throw out the old case. That's a large case, a lot of garbage, and it probably has use somewhere else. I just couldn't trust putting a 30+ pound horn in it, when it's definitely the reason the seams are opening up.

I really like the platinum level bags, I wish they made them in more than one size. They could seriously cut into the market that the more expensive bags.

The reat of their line is pretty good. I appreciate the large and multiple pockets, and the zippers are nice and chunky. Again, the main issue is a lack of usable sizes. . 0001% of the tuba population uses tubas that actually fit the bags they offer

Truthfully, I just don’t think there is any reason to not throw it in the trash. Maybe someone else has an idea.

ProTec bags are nice for those on a budget, or those playing the HUGE American BBb tubas that never had bags around when they were made.

Otherwise, Mark is right. They don’t fit much. They’re either way too big or way too small. If it were up to me, I’d probably purchase a Miraphone bag if it fit an instrument that I had, over a ProTec.

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:31 am I really like the platinum level bags, I wish they made them in more than one size.

Agreed. Their Platinum line only had an 18" bell? I think? And while the Kanstul site says this is an 18" bell, the tape measure put it in a solid 19". I wasn't about to play with that extra bit of size. This was their "large" size Gold level. I do appreciate that it was on sale, and I got it for $215 on Sweetwater. I really do like how much more structured it is; unless the old bag just got so old it lost its structure. Still has the same features, though...and I forgot Pro Tec has a 5-year warranty; a lot of reports on the other forum were that these didn't last a year, and I'm wondering if they took advantage of the warranty now.

Sousaswag wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:41 am Truthfully, I just don’t think there is any reason to not throw it in the trash. Maybe someone else has an idea.

Takes up an awful lot of space in the garbage for another use to not present itself. I've used my Yamaha gig bag as a luggage bag before while on tour, so I could swap my Conn between the hard case and gig bag when we had a long sit down in a city. This might work for that, but again, I don't know that there's much of a way to fix the seams. Maybe recycling the zippers or something? I don't know if the seams are rotting or they just tore, but I assume the zippers are still in good shape.

Sousaswag wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:41 amProTec bags are nice for those on a budget, or those playing the HUGE American BBb tubas that never had bags around when they were made.

Otherwise, Mark is right. They don’t fit much. They’re either way too big or way too small. If it were up to me, I’d probably purchase a Miraphone bag if it fit an instrument that I had, over a ProTec.

Yeah, this is a large tuba. 5/4 Kanstul BBb horn. There wasn't much out there, and even if I COULD afford a Cronkhite, I'd have to have a back-and-forth discussion about which bag to get, because the 900-4B isn't listed on their site. And I needed it quickly, because I didn't want to take the horn out to a gig too many more times to find out how much longer this bag was going to last.

And it was a bad time to have to replace. Had to replace my suit (which was falling apart in the same manner), and the overhaul of the Conn just finished. Over $1,000 at once meant I just didn't need another large price tag right now.

Makes sense to me. I purchased a brand new Cronkhite using their discount for my newly repaired F tuba, and that was still a nice chunk of change.

I still have yet to receive it. We are getting close to their 12 week estimate.

ProTecs certainly have their place. I have one for my Holton and like it well enough.

Maybe you could use it to just stuff a bunch of stuff in while traveling. That may be a good idea.

I pack up my troubles in my old gig bag and smile, smile smile!

BopEuph wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:27 am The issue is it seems to be a shame to simply throw out the old case. That's a large case, a lot of garbage, and it probably has use somewhere else. I just couldn't trust putting a 30+ pound horn in it, when it's definitely the reason the seams are opening up.

Look up a textile recycling place or drop box near you if you can't find another use. Cordura or similar materials are highly recyclable and it at least keeps it out of your garbage.

I've bothered ProTec about expanding the Platinum bags line, and their response is the essentially the juice isn't worth the squeeze. Too many different size and shape of tubas, not enough buyers want their stuff due to public opinion, and just not enough tuba players buying bags to waste space in containers coming from overseas.

I'm being totally serious here


I would order 200 gig bags if they would make them in a couple different unique sizes and allow me to put a stencil name on them. I wonder what the minimum order it would take to get their attention?

aarongsmith wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 11:52 am
Look up a textile recycling place or drop box near you if you can't find another use. Cordura or similar materials are highly recyclable and it at least keeps it out of your garbage.

That's definitely a good option!

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 11:56 am I would order 200 gig bags if they would make them in a couple different unique sizes and allow me to put a stencil name on them. I wonder what the minimum order it would take to get their attention?

Good idea. It's interesting to me that they don't at least have one large tuba bag option in their platinum line. The last guy that owned the horn bought it in 2005. I assume he got the gig bag at the same time. Honestly, if that's true, then I think 20 years for the gold line is pretty impressive.

"Old lady" is disrespectful enough, but - seriously - "old bag" is beyond the pale.

If I can make this happen, I would seek out community support to find out what one or two designs would be the most under represented in the "affordable" gig bag market

Personally I'm thinking of F tuba size, (18 inch bell, 37 inches tall) and 2341/Eastman 832/632/534 size. (20 inch bell, 35 inches tall)

Maybe York 6/4 size?
Like I said, I need to talk to Protec and make a business offer before any of this can happen

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 11:56 am I'm being totally serious here


I would order 200 gig bags if they would make them in a couple different unique sizes and allow me to put a stencil name on them. I wonder what the minimum order it would take to get their attention?

Honestly, they do OEM work for a lot of companies. I've got no clue what a minimum of each would be like.

Makeshift body bag?

Best gig bag I ever had was one that was designed by my ex-mother-in-law in Central Java, Indonesia. (This was when I was teaching in West Java--1995-97). I have her a photograph of the bags Miraphone makes for their tubas. She measured my 1962 Mirafone (the spelling was different then) 186-5U CC tuba and went to a shop in her village that specialized in auto upholstery. Too bad her daughter divorced me twenty years ago. I could use a couple more bags like that one.

One of my bandmates got a new Protec bag for a Miraphone 187 to replace the longtime Protec bag before it. This new one has fallen apart in just a few years of use. The strap anchor needed repair and the edge seem on the bag is failing too.

I was surprised to see a Protec bag fail so quickly.

OhTubaGuy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 10:32 am One of my bandmates got a new Protec bag for a Miraphone 187 to replace the longtime Protec bag before it. This new one has fallen apart in just a few years of use. The strap anchor needed repair and the edge seem on the bag is failing too.

That's disappointing to hear. The new bag is the same model as the old one with some updates, and I kinda like it. It even sits higher than the old one, so my legs aren't bouncing off the bag while I walk. So I hope it isn't going to fall apart that quickly. The old bag, I assume, was purchased at the same time as the last owner bought the horn, around 2005 (he passed last year, so I can't ask him). So it did pretty good for nearly 2 decades.

Do you know if it was a platinum level bag or a gold? My experience with the Platinum is they are built to a much higher standard than the old bags

Matching the current products, my bandmates NG case seems to be a gold series, C240.

OhTubaGuy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:08 pm Matching the current products, my bandmates NG case seems to be a gold series, C240.

I think I mentioned that I do have a gold bag for my kaiser (it's actually a perfect fit) but I only use it a couple of times a year, so Hopefully the bag will last a while just out of the fact that it's not used daily

My Protec euphonium bag has lasted years without a single problem, but it's a much lighter instrument