TromboneChat

I’m looking for at the Marcus Magi Screw Bell Tenor case and am wondering if people have had good/bad experience with the cases. Planning on using it with my Thein soloist.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

In my opinion the instrument moves around too much in the Marco Magi cases I've seen. A couple of students of mine bought Shires bass trombones that came in their standard bass trombone case, and they were damaged inside the case after drops from short distances or bumps.

Marcus Bonna simply makes the best cases available. They are worth the money.

I think it might actually be Marco Magi. I have one of the cut bell cases. I will say it’s a good case, but probably not the best option in the world. There is a bit more movement than I would like in the valve section, however I’ve delt with that by adding in some cloths that stay in the case. Also not the most compact screw bell case on the planet. I get confused for a bassoonist. All of this said, I won’t be buying a new case soon. Something like a Marcus Bona is not worth the cash for me at the moment, especially when the Marco Magi is getting the job done.

The one I've seen was worlds away in quality and design from the bonna.

Wasnt Marco Magi the man that designed and made all of Bonnas cases for several years so there shouldnt be any discrepancy on quality. Design of present cases would be a different matter though. Still the old problem of spasmodic availability too I hear... Doug

Funny, because I've had multiple instruments damaged in Bona cases and won't use them anymore. The slide has come in contact with the bell many times. Did I put the instrument in wrong? Maybe... but the case shouldn't allow me to put it in wrong. I'm often packing up in a hurry.

The Shires-branded Marco Magi screw-bell tenor case I got for my Rath tenor has been really good. It holds the slide very securely and has a iron-clad flap between the slide section and the rest of the instrument. It fits my trombone like a glove and there is zero moving around in there.

DougHulme wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 10:19 am Wasnt Marco Magi the man that designed and made all of Bonnas cases for several years so there shouldnt be any discrepancy on quality. Design of present cases would be a different matter though. Still the old problem of spasmodic availability too I hear... Doug

No. You're mixing things up here.

bbocaner wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 10:59 am ... I've had multiple instruments damaged in Bona cases and won't use them anymore. The slide has come in contact with the bell many times. Did I put the instrument in wrong? Maybe... but the case shouldn't allow me to put it in wrong.

I recently obtained a Marcus Bonna screw bell tenor case, and I too feel like the slide is going to contact the bell section. I feel like I must be doing something incorrectly. Even if I were to layer some extra cloth in between, it sure seems like the F-attachment lever is going to dent the slide. I emailed Marcus Bonna customer support about arranging the movable foam blocks, but they said the pictures I sent them showed I had already positioned the foam blocks ideally. It feels and looks like a well-made case, but I can't shake that unsettled feeling concerning the design.

SwissTBone

No. You're mixing things up here.

Yes you are quite correct I was thinking of Ciro Basili - my apologies... Doug

I’ve got a magi (maybe shires?) screw bell bass case. It is beautiful and well made. Depending on what you want, it is fine. BUT, only shires or Edwards slides fit. Anything else is too long, or has slightly wrong width and hand grip geometry that just doesn’t fit. Also, for a screw bell case, feels about twice as big as it needs to be.

But it is a nice, pretty, hard case for when I need one. If I go farther into screw bell land, I’ll get something different.

Cheers,
Andy

Anyone had experience with the new Gard Cut Bell cases? I'm thinking that, The MB2 screw bell (worried that the slide compartment does not look robust enough) or the Baby screw bell or regular screw bell.

I agree with the sentiments that they are good cases, but feel bigger than they need to for a screw bell. I have one for a shires bass.

I too have only had an instrument damaged in a MB. However, user error in this case (pun intended). I didn’t get the straps setup right and it fell off my back onto concrete and the blow put a dent in my bell. I also found it quite odd that there wasn’t anything separating the slide from the bell… so the slide would leak on my bell, which was raw brass, leaving a weird patina due to the moisture dripping on the bell. There may have been a new design since then. That was maybe 10 years ago though. It also wouldn’t be a problem with the cut bell cases I’ve seen since there’s a layer of fabric between the slide and bell flare

I don’t trust ANY case. I always assume that there is a flaw in the design of all cases. Thus, I place padding or bubble wrap between any parts that I suspect might contact each other.

For example, I don’t trust the case that came with my new Greenhoe TIS bass (I think it is a MB). The F attachment tuning slide and the hand slide are to close to each other for my comfort. I have added extra padding in the area.

I think the Magi cases look fantastic.

I have two Magi cases, one for small bores and one for alto, and to me they seem to do their job quite well.

The bell sections are snug and fit in their places, while the slide compartments hold their respective slide firmly. The only design complaint I have, is that while the slides have to be positioned "upside down" - with the water key up - they should have designed an outtake in the compartment to allow the water key the room necessary without pressing the lever. As it is now, this leaves the water keys slightly opened, which is annoying.

Other than that, I find the Magi cases convenient, fairly light weight and reasonably protective and useful when I have to pack for more maintenance stuff for longer periods away.

In all fairness, I must say that had I not already been very well equipped with back pack-style cases (Bonnas, Accords and Bams), these would not have been my first priority to purchase, but I have very much use for a diversity of cases and that's why I ordered them when I bought my Shires small bore last year.