TromboneChat

A friend came in recently with a nice Bonna case. I've always thought of those as vanity purchases. Granted, they are nice, but are they really worth all that? A new Bonna costs as much as a typical trombone purchase for me. If I were buying a $4-5k instrument, I guess a $600 case would be nothing. But in most cases, I'm buying a sub-$1k instrument and replacing a ~70 year old case with something lighter, more convenient, etc.

My most recent case purchases were a Crossrock and an Eastman. viewtopic.php?t=34187 I compared the cases. They are cosmetically kind of fussy with that shiny finish, and still >$300. And not really all that light.

I acquired a Protec ProPac with a bass, and it was monstrously heavy. I mean it's a great case. It was what came originally with the Kanstul 1662i. But wow, is it big and wow is it heavy.

I've had a number of gig bags, leather and nylon. Leather is fussy and expensive, and nylon is cheap and... cheap.

The things I was looking for were
1) light weight
2) preferably good looking
3) convenience without stupidity if that makes sense
4) affordability

Looking at the factors that were important to me, I recently bought a Protec Max 306 for my new-to-me 3b+F. It's remarkably light. Even lighter than the Bonnas. Cases range in weight from about 4 lbs to about 10 lbs. I'm tired of carrying heavy cases. Even the King "carbon fiber" case for the 3b is just about average weight and more expensive than you'd want it to be.

Protec makes a 305 case and a 306 case for straight and F attachment bones. It has 2 internal storage areas with lids and an external area to hold a music and/ or trombone stand. Straps to hold the slide and bell sections. Case end handle, bandolier strap, and I think backpack straps. It's reasonably good looking, but only came in black. I was hoping for a different color interior because you're always putting your horn away backstage where its dark, and that black plush on the black exterior is hard to see.

The most useless or stupid feature it has is the (non-removable) music holder. It's not big enough to hold actual printed music without bending the corners, and it certainly won't hold a standard music folder. It just looks stupid and it's in the way. Unless you use it as a stealth Ipad carrier to display your music, then you better hope that you have 20/20 vision, because it's gonna be small.

I checked out a lot of cases, and I was willing to spend some cash if it turned out to be worth it. But the Max at about $130 was easy to justify against $600 and 6 month waiting time for a Bonna.

I agree with everything you say here. There just isn't a middle of the road case that's between the really expensive cases and the cheap ones. I think the Protec Max case is great for a budget case. The hard Styrofoam padding doesn't really do it for me, but if you don't want to shell out $300 (after taxes) on a Pro Pac then the max is perfect. But you're right the pro pac is HEAVY. I also had one for my bass trombone and recently upgraded to a used BAM classic case that I snagged on the forum for $200. it's 2-3lbs lighter and makes a world of a difference when I'm carrying my horn, backpack and trombone stand into a high school for lessons.

Personally, I just bite the bullet and buy Marcus Bonna, but it can be hard to justify, especially when I already have 2 cases (jazz and tenor). My thought process is that you pay the $500-600 now and hope the case lasts at least 20 years if not longer.

it's also worth mentioning that I really like the SKB 360 case. It's not for large bore instruments. In fact the 462 is really bulky, but if you need something slim and not that expensive the SKB 360 is great too. But again, the Protec Max is the best budget case you can get given all the features it comes with.

I've tried them all and the Crossrock cases are my favorite, except for their price. I recently got this Gator Adante for my 3B Silver Sonic. It meets the lightweight but protective balance for me.

I had a pro pac for my bass trombone (PB-309).
It was good but I eventually switched to a Marcus Bonna for weight considerations. The Bonna is also less bulky.
I live the Bonna, but I wouldn't buy one for a "cheap" instrument, the cost is not worth it in this case.

I also have 2 pro pacs for trumpets: the solo gig bag avant the Mike Vax trumpet+flugel wheelie. Weight is less an issue for trumpet cases so they are perfect here, but the wheelie is quite heavie to get on and off the car trunk.

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Fri Mar 21, 2025 11:16 am

The things I was looking for were
1) light weight
2) preferably good looking
3) convenience without stupidity if that makes sense
4) affordability

Yamaha Xeno/Custom Z cases! They're slim, classy looking with no frills, but still have enough room to fit most (if not all) of what you might carry with you. The only trouble is that if you buy them direct from Yamaha they're ludicrously expensive, so you'll have to find someone who upgraded to a fancy aftermarket case.

The older Yamaha cases are handsome and lightweight but overly bulky in my opinion. And I've never had tons of confidence in their latches

nateaff wrote: ↑Sat Mar 22, 2025 1:46 am Yamaha Xeno/Custom Z cases! They're slim, classy looking with no frills, but still have enough room to fit most (if not all) of what you might carry with you. The only trouble is that if you buy them direct from Yamaha they're ludicrously expensive, so you'll have to find someone who upgraded to a fancy aftermarket case.

I've seen those cases and they are nice. Wish there were a good source new or used.