Hard case

[Jerryleejr]

Looking for a hard case that fits a Willson 3400 compact. The MTS 1205V is close but snug on bell size 16” vs 16.7”, the 1207V requires extra padding. I talked to MTS and they did say there’s about a 1/2” of give in their padding. J Winter 2088CF was recommended but seems to be out of stock. Apparently SKB is no longer making tuba cases. Suggestions appreciated.

JJ

[je]

I got a 1204V for my Willson 3400S and am planning to rebuild the interior to customize the fit. It's going to be a lot of work (that I don't know how to do yet), but the case shell appears to be the right size.

[Jerryleejr]

The 1204V looks to be bigger than the 1207V.

[1 Ton Tommy]

I'm following. At some point I'll have to buy a hard case for my Willson 3400. I bought a gig bag for all the Christmas work coming up but it's no airline case.

[je]

The 1204V looks to be bigger than the 1207V.

I based my choice on the fitment guide (https://mtsproducts.com/tuba-fitment-guide-1):

MTS_fitment_small.jpg (74.46 KiB) Viewed 372 times

Although the website does not specify the actual case sizes, it suggests that the 1207V will hold a taller (1-2") tuba with a wider (1") bottom bow than will the 1204V.

For my Willson 3400S and 3060 tubas I looked up (and converted) or measured:

3400S: C-E: 32.28", E-I: 26", B-F: 17", A-C: 16.73", A-D: 21", G-H: 14.5" --> 1204V
3060: C-E: 35.43", E-I: 30", B-F: 19", A-C: 17.32", A-D: 22", G-H: 16" --> 1207V

I'm still waiting on the 1207V to arrive, but the 1204V is here, and it appears to be a reasonable size for the 3400S, ignoring the terrible padding mismatch. The 1205V is probably a bit too small.

[Jerryleejr]

I appreciate the detailed response, J winter finally replied and suggested the 995 front action from their line but it’s big on all fronts.

JJ

[je]

My 1207V arrived yesterday. It turns out that the outer shell is identical to the 1204V, but the interior has different padding dimensions. Most obviously, the bottom bow padding is thinner and the blocks in the lid are different. On the bright side, retrofitting the 1207V padding for the Willson 3060 may be feasible. The Willson 3400S swims in the 1204V padding though, to the point that minor tweaks aren't going to suffice.

If the 1205V is the same outer shell as the 1204V/1207V, then it is probably a better starting point than is the 1204V. But I'd want to check with the manufacturer to make sure of that; the fitment guide suggests the 1209V is larger than the 1204V/1207V, and it stands to reason that the 1205V could also be smaller.