Posted by Lew on September 24, 2002 at 07:00:03:
In Reply to: Re: new King 2341 owners - recommend a bag posted by grocery bag on September 23, 2002 at 21:07:49:
I think of a gig bag as a more convenient way of carrying 'bare' horn. It's certainly better than trying to transport it with no bag or case at all. As long as you treat it as if you're carrying the horn with no protection, a gig bag is a reasonable solution. If you need protection for the horn, the only solution is a hard case.
As for the original question, I use an Altieri bag with my King 2341. I also have a Tuxedo bag that I had used with my old style King. The Altieri fits the horn much better than the Tuxedo. This makes sense because Altieri makes bags specifically for each instrument, while Tuxedo bags come in a few generic sizes. The Altieri has a separate "cap" for the bell that goes on with a draw string before you put the horn in the bag. This takes a little longer to use than the zipper on the Tuxedo, but it gives you a padded surface to stand the tuba on when out of the case, although standing it on it's bell is still not recommended.
Both of them seem to have about the same amount of padding, which is to say not too much. The Altieri has many more pockets and straps, which is also convenient. I don't have any experience with any of the other bags that may be available for this horn.