Best Tuba Case & Best Tuba Gig Bags
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The compartment in which you carry your tuba could mean the absolute difference between enjoying your tuba until when it turns out to be a vintage collectable and having to go online to order a new one because yours is damaged beyond use.
While cases and gig bag are essential for the longevity of your tuba, you need to know what to look for when shopping for a reliable one.
What are the Best Tuba Cases & Gig Bags to Buy?
2) SKB-390W Large Tuba Case
- Hard Plastic Case
- Excellent Protection
- Extreme Comfort
- Inline-wheels
- Solid Design
- Great Value
1) Gard-Mid Suspension Small Tuba Gig Bag
- Waterproof design
- Rugged and robust leather design
- Adjustable strap holders
- High Quality
3) MonkeyJack Oxford Cloth Bag
- Oxford material design
- Affordable
- Portable and lightweight
- Professional humanized design
Consider the size
No matter the amount you are going to spend on your case or gig bag, always remember that the most critical aspect is the size. The last thing you want is a case or a bag that is too big, leaving your instrument to wobble inside like a dancing cricket, and which will further damage the parts of your tuba during transportation. And if it is too small, well, you already know what that means–a complete waste of money.
So, to ensure that you have a perfect size, make sure you have the right size that fits your tuba. You can determine this by first studying the size of your tuba before going out to order your case or gig bag.
However, if you intend to upgrade your tuba in the foreseeable future and you don’t want to spend more on a new bag or case, then buy a model that is slightly larger than your tuba and fill in the spaces with bubble wraps.
That said, have it at the back of your mind that you are still only guaranteed 100% safety for your instrument with a perfect-fit case or bag.
Case or Gig bag
Depending on your plans for your tuba, you have the options of choosing between a case and a gig bag. Each of these accessories has their peculiarities with the same end goal in mind. For instance, a gig bag offers you the chance to load in and store your tuba in the safest manner possible, especially those that are slightly larger.
But you don’t have such a luxury with a case. Once the case is small and the tuba appears bigger or of equal size, you can’t manoeuvre it to fit in properly, as that could damage the tuba in the process.
Furthermore, gig bags offer more secondary storage compartments where you can keep other useful items meant for your tuba. Nevertheless, some cases have similar secondary storage pockets, howbeit not in the volume offered by bags.
On the other hand, you can only get maximum protection from cases, especially the hard-case types. If you are the type that loves to travel with your tuba, consider a case, especially if you will be going through an airport where some luggage handlers are not always the best when it comes to taking care with people’s properties. This is even more crucial if you have invested several thousand on your tuba.
Again, a case offers a tight fit for your tuba in a way that is much better than what a gig bag offers.
Now, that is all there is to know about the tuba case and gig bag buying guide. It’s time to go down and buy yourself one of the best tubas case or gig bag in the market.
5 Best Tuba Case & Gig Bag Reviews
1) Gard-Mid Suspension Small Tuba Gig Bag
Gard comes out with this excellent and beautiful bag that performs remarkably. The bag features a waterproof design that makes it suitable for all seasons. It is the type of bag you can trust your tuba with during the raining/winter seasons.
Unlike a host of other bags, this bag requires you to unzip it and load it from the top. The exterior layer of the bag features a rugged and robust leather design that will stand the test of time.
When made to lie down, the bag comes with a solid central handle that you can grab and move the bag like luggage. Just close to the zipper points at the top lies two adjustable strap holders where you can conveniently connect your backpack straps and move about with your instrument like a hiker.
The zippers are rugged and will not pull off easily. It weighs 12 pounds and measures 38.8 x 19 x 18 inches in dimensions, making it extremely suitable for your tuba storage needs.
If you have a bell that measures 16-inches or an instrument that reaches 35-inches in height, Gard is the bag to hold it. The padding I sufficiently convenient for a stable package.
2) SKB-390W Large Tuba Case
If you prefer a case to a bag, you may want to consider one from SKB. This case features excellent body construction that provides extreme comfort when using it.
The case features a solid ABS plastic construction of the highest quality. It represents an excellent choice for extra protection for your instrument. The case comes with inline-wheels that mean you can get the best stability out of this case. The plush lining on the inside provides improve stability, including a soft surface that prevents scratches from affecting your tuba.
In spite of the solid design of the case, it is incredibly lightweight, weighing less than 11 pounds. The size is 40.5 x 19 x 21 inches in dimensions, which makes it suitable for all large size tubas.
Another excellent feature in this tuba case is the TSA locks that keep the instrument secure and lock well in place to ensure that the tuba doesn’t wobble inside the case.
So, if you have a large tuba, this is the case you need to keep it and make it easy for travel.
3) MonkeyJack Oxford Cloth Bag
The protection your tuba need is not far from you anymore. This gig bag from MonkeyJack is more than capable to make sure your instrument is safe from scratches, dirt while giving you a convenient way to move it around.
The bag features an Oxford material design, and the quality is pretty good. The cloth comes with a thick sponge that offers extensive protection against any up and down bumping movement while walking about with your tuba inside the bag.
What we like most in this bag is the body frame. The manufacturer structured the design to meet with the needs of your body. As such, the bag offers a high level of convenience when using it.
The bag comes with a large storage compartment where you can store other accessories as well.
Since sizes are significant when it comes to choosing your gig bag or tuba case, we decided to see what MonkeJack has in store for us with this bag. The bag measures 26.77 x 8.11 x 2.26 inches in dimensions, which shows just how large it is.
The bag is breathable, and the two adjustable straps make it convenient to carry about.
4) Miraphone Deluxe Tuba Gig Bags
Miraphone is a name that has featured prominently in the world of musical instrument accessories. Your horn wouldn’t have been happier to find a bag that is neither too big nor too small.
The Miraphone Deluxe Bag comes with a design that allows you to load it from the top, just like the Gard’s bag reviewed above. The bag has all-round thick padding for improving protection. It is thrilling to know that this bag also comes with a fibre protector disc that is specially designed to protect the bell area of the bag from the impact.
It does this by transferring the impact energy away from your instrument, which means you can comfortably go through doorways and elevators without worrying about damaging your instrument when your bag hit such areas.
Miraphone exclusively designed these bags to hold their instruments securely. So, if you have a tuba made by Miraphone, then this is the bag you can use to secure it.
We like the shoulders and backpack straps that ensures the bag will not slip off your shoulders. If you have medium to large tubas, this is the bag to hold it.
5) Grundorf 4/4 Tuba Case
Naturally, the best protection is derived from hard-shell cases, and the Grundorf is a typical example of that. The case is very reliable when you are going through a traumatic road full of bumbling.
The case has a wedge shape design that creates more than enough room for your tuba to lie-low. The included wheels also make it comfortable to carry about when on the road. They provide extreme stability and comfort when transporting the case.
We like the velcro strap that is included in the overall design, as it helps to hold the tuba in place. On the inside, there is a little compartment where you can keep items like oil, valve, mouthpiece, and more.
Grundorf offers a 40-inch height size with this case for any tuba with such a large size. The case can also conveniently hold up to 18-inch size bell. So, if you have a tuba that meets this size requirement, you can get yourself this hardshell case that features the best of high-grade plastic construction for long-term durability.
Choosing the Best Tuba Cases & Gig Bags
Tuba cases are essential accessories you cannot overlook if you want to keep your instrument safe.
Considering that you have paid a lot of cash to get your tuba, it would be unwise to leave them to the mercy of scratches, dirt and other damages.
With a tuba case, you can safeguard your tuba and make transporting it from one place to another look like taking a stroll in the park.
2) SKB-390W Large Tuba Case
- Hard Plastic Case
- Excellent Protection
- Extreme Comfort
- Inline-wheels
- Solid Design
- Great Value
1) Gard-Mid Suspension Small Tuba Gig Bag
- Waterproof design
- Rugged and robust leather design
- Adjustable strap holders
- High Quality
3) MonkeyJack Oxford Cloth Bag
- Oxford material design
- Affordable
- Portable and lightweight
- Professional humanized design
The above-mentioned tuba cases and gig bags are by no means the only excellent products out there in the market. But they constitute some of the best available options. So, when deciding on which tuba case or gig bag to choose, you can try out one of these options, and you won’t regret you did.