Re: Side Loading, Gig Bag Problems?


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Posted by Wade on January 10, 2001 at 20:50:13:

In Reply to: Side Loading, Gig Bag Problems? posted by Curious on January 10, 2001 at 18:19:25:

This has happened to a student of mine...he was using (pay attention, now) a HOME-MADE gig bag that I had tried to get him to dump. It had a really cheap zipper from a fabric store. When it gave out, you guessed it! Mom replaced it with an identical one. It broke as well. The horn was a St. Pete, and after I ran it across my shop bench it was , sigh, still a St. Pete...

I have never, ever heard of this happening with a good (read as "expensive") gig bag.

HOWEVER...I have heard of three instances where the axe-man doth left the axe-bag in a less-than-fully-zipped state, only to pick it up at a later time and have it come further unzipped while walking! Two times the paddle rack assembly caught and snagged/tore the inside fabric enough to stop the horn halfway out. Both were saved. The third was a heavy, piston BAT. It slid right out onto the pavement and broke the less-than-responsible tubist's heart. (Woe, thy name is "Gig Bag.")

My point is:
A bag is only going to provide a limited amount of protection, regardless of brand, strap hardware, zipper configuration, padding, or exterior covering. So, what to do?

I look for these things in bags:
1. Side zipper with a padded, non-removeable internal "sleeve" that fully protects the tuba from the zipper.

2. A heavy-weight "YKK" brand zipper. These are standard luggage zippers and can be replaced locally by a luggage repair shop (or in a pinch, a tailor) with the EXACT SAME ONE as on your bag. The zipper MUST be by the bell when closed, as this will prevent the horn's falling out if the bag becomes more unzipped (think it through, now...). My bag, unfortunately, has one that zips closed toward the bottom bow; not as good. However, as it is a YKK zipper and has gotten a bit ratty over the last seven years (and goes the wrong direction, too), I think I will try to beg my wife for permission to get it replaced at the luggage shop at our mall.

3. Super good padding. Not merely good; super good. At least one inch thick if it is really firm stuff. Mine is 1.5" thick padding, with hard plastic sheeting covering the body prior to the exterior material. This plastic sheeting has saved my horn MANY times when going through doorways or running over slow symphony patrons/orchestra board members (sometimes, once in a while, you just gotta do it).

4. Thick leather on the outside (if you can afford it). I am talking Reunion Blues thick, like a baseball glove, not your mama's dress glove! This thick leather offers a small bit of extra protection for your tuba. Thin leather is merely cool looking and expensive.

5. Zero, nada, zip on the number of plastic parts anywhere on the bag. No plasitc. Nope, none. Plastic, no matter what the seller calls it (i.e. polycarbonate, polystyrene, nylon, teflon) WILL break! "Steel is Real!"

This last point leads me to my only personal "rotten bag" experience. I bought a Tuxedo bag for my CC in 1993. At that time (and I hope not currently) these bags "featured" nylon strap buckles and "D" rings. After nine months in my new gig, I had used the bag a pretty good deal. But I had taken good care of it, as it protected my baby. Well, one day, while going in to our hall, the left plastic strap ring broke and the whole mess fell to the floor. Results: crushed bottom bow, taco-shaped bell, and a ruined bag. A long, angry phone call to Irving Berg himself solved the problem to a certain extent, but it should never have happened in the first place!

Boys and girls: you get what you pay for.

My 2,222¢ worth (and all legally documented regarding the Tux bag, for any of you lurkers from the Humes & Berg Legal Department...).

Wade "top-loading bags are for the birds" Rackley









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