Love my bad-ass OHSC, but now need a practical gig bag

[KnightHorn]

I was lucky that the OHSC was included with the Yamaha (YC1-231) I picked up a few years ago. It is charming and looks like it has carried my cornet on hundreds of bus, truck and train tours. The wear might put some people off, but I find it endearing.

It is the two-tone hard case you may have seen, in dark brown and light golden brown, with spiffing white piping and a bit of white stitching. The interior has that awesome fuzzy plush in dark rust. Two mouthpiece holes, a front compartment, and a compartment under the horn that lifts up for storage. The handle, hinges and feet are worn, but intact and in working order. Yes, it is worn, but it is beautiful. (It came with the horn, and I never saw it until I had made all my layaway payments and went to pick up the horn.)

But it’s too bulky and heavy for practical, everyday coming-and-going from my house to work to the park and subways to play. I need a compact, light-weight gig bag that I can take out of the house with me every day and noodle around on my horn after work. I live in NYC, and having the right bag is a must.

I do not like the boxy and bulky black bags I’ve seen. I won’t be checking this bag onto an airplane, I’ll be dashing around NYC streets and subways, so it must be very compact, strong, sleek, light, contoured, durable, and of course (this is NYC) stylish. Do not underestimate the power of style.

So, I’ve narrowed it down to a Ritter RBS7 Cornet BDT, and as I carefully double-check the specs, I’d like to know if any of you have personal experience with this brand. My choice is the version that retails for €55 rather than the €115 model that can be carried like a briefcase, a backpack, or over-the-shoulder bag.

At 1 kg weight, or 2.2 lbs., it is pretty light. The padding is stated as: 29 mm Padding: 20 mm "high density foam" + 5 mm "soft foam" + 3 mm soft plush + 1 mm “board”, which translates to just under 1 1/8” combined in four layers. I’m trying to make sense of what the "All-Around Piping system for optimal shock absorption” means. Something tells me those Germans know what they’re doing and I should trust this model.

The internal dimensions will be key, as it must of course fit my model horn well. The Ritter bag dimensions are stated as 440 x 225 x 130 mm, or 17.3” x 8.9” x 5.1”. So, with my mouth piece removed, my YCR-231 measures at most 15 7/8” long (tip of the lead pipe to edge of the bell). The height of the valve casing - the tallest part of the horn - measures 6 1/8” from the bottom of the bottom cap to the top of the button when the valve is not pressed down. The only “tight” item might be the bell, which is 5 1/8” in diameter, or 0.14” wider than the stated internal dimensions. However, that seems negligible, as the Ritter is soft sided with a plush interior and it should give. I think it may be wider at one end. I don’t think I should sweat it, but I’m writing to the manufacturer to verify all specs. I will double-check everything.

I know this bag will be super durable, with water-repellent nylon, very well constructed straps and handles, and great metal zippers, pulls and other metal hardware.

So, do any of you know the Ritter brand personally? Any thoughts?

[KnightHorn]

I just emailed Ritter to ask them what is the largest width of bell that this bag would accommodate, and will let you know what I find out. I purposely did not give them the dimensions of my bell, as I did not want to give them the “correct” answer.

After looking at the pictures, it looks like I won’t have a problem; the zippered compartment opens up quite wide in the long shot of the bag from the top. But I’ll only really know once I get my answer. I can’t imagine it will be a problem, as it is marketed as a generic cornet bag, and I’m sure cornets have a fairly standard, relatively narrow range of widths. But when I measured my horn and compared it to the dimensions online, I got a bit nervous. I don’t want to spend money on a bag I can’t use or will have to return.

If you have other ideas of cornet gig bags that are compact, contoured, lightweight and durable, I would like to know about them. I just can’t drag around a thick boxy case around; I could use my OHSC if I wanted that.

Also, if you have experience with Ritter bags (www.ritter-bags.de), let me know. (I think they are German made, but they may be made in Bülach, Switzerland, as that is where their headquarters are. But they have a .de Website domain extension so I’m not sure.)

[Brad361]

[KnightHorn]

Brad361,

Thank you for the suggestion. I did look at the Cronkhite yesterday; someone mentioned it on another thread.

I took another look tonight. They are gorgeous. I wish there were photos of the tan leather and other colors online (I’ll keep looking). Truly, I’d love to own one.

But apart from the price ($212 - $280), which I just can’t afford at the moment (and as a true newly-birthed Comeback player, I cannot justify the expense), they are still too bulky-looking for me. I like that they are contoured, horn-specific, and relatively trimmed down. I cannot and don’t need to spend that much money, nor do I need the uber-protective bulk. If I advance in my playing and invest in a finer horn, I would definitely save up for one in tan leather.

I will be carrying my gig bag, as a backpack or at my side, for a few blocks at a time and riding with it on the subways. Bulk really is the enemy of a New York bag. What I love about the Ritter RBS7 (not the RBS) is that it is even lighter, sleeker, and more contoured. I bet it is half the weight of the Cronkhite. I wouldn’t use it for airline travel (I’d heavily pad my horn inside a suitcase and check it in), and wll not allow others to handle it.

One reason I want lightness and mobility, is that I will be carrying my horn and bag to work each day, and afterwards finding park benches, subways and other public places to sit around and noodle on it to get my chops back. I need to be playing a little bit every day, and this will help me do that (rather than coming home and plopping down in my apartment share). I’m already a busker (read this and this) so I am very comfortable singing or playing in public, even when I rehearse or woodshed. This will be my dash-about bag.

If my Yamaha YCR-231 slips easily into the Ritter without forcing it, I think will be just fine.

Funny story: Yesterday I wrote to Ritter in Germany, as well as Thomann.de, also to its office in Germany. Today Thomann’s brass department got back to me. They couldn’t answer my question about what size bell would fit the Ritter, because they were out of stock. So they tried to sell me on a Protec and said it would be more protective. I don’t doubt that. I’ve seen it, it’s also a nice bag, but it is much too bulky and boxy for a dash-about bag. And still too expensive at $130. I have to admit I’m being way too anal about this (as I am about everything, can you tell?), and if I am being honest, I am quite confident I won’t have a fit problem.

I’m glad you prompted me to look at the Cronkhite. What you did help me do was narrow down my choice of color for the Ritter (if I buy it). As much as I love the golden brown bag and the spiffing gray bag (perfect for a silver horn), I think the charcoal bag would be better for New York. It’s not actually black (I hate black and think New Yorkers should exile that color for a few years), and it has some lovely trim and piping in the brown. It’s less showy, so I think I’d feel safer. It will also show less dirt.

KH

[steevo]

I am also a fan of the Cronkhite bags. While my normal preference is a hard case, I really like Cronkhite bags. I have had a Cronkhite trumpet bag for a long time, and earlier this year I ordered one for my Conn 80A. It took about 8 weeks, but it was well worth it. The craftsmanship is superb. While not cheap, it is an excellent value. I would not use any other "soft" bag.