DRUMMER CAFE

I have both.  The bags are great, if you are the only one handling your stuff.  Under the theory that noone treats your gear like you do, a hard hit into a door frame or something is going to damage the drum.  I love my bags, (Humes and Bergs Tuxedos) but I'm always a little nervous when someone else picks them up.  If the snare is heavy, like some of the cast/machined metal snares, the bags probably won't protect most of the hardware, and probably won't hold up against the weight over time.

I agree 100% with 563.  I play a lot of small clubs (I'm in blues band  ), and so storage space can be a factor.  The bags are nice to that end.  I can stuff them away easily

Thanks for the input guys.

I have used Tuxedo bags for all of my other drums for years, but I always worried a snare's strainer might be easily damaged in a bag.  Has anyone ever had this problem?

I have a snare bag that I really like from a company called Levy's Leathers. The foam seems much thicker and denser than other bags I've seen, and the outer material is super tough.

Not sure how many of you have seen them, my local (non GC or SA) music store just started carrying them not too long ago.

Here's the link.


http://www.levysleathers.com/

I’m a hard case guy generally, and I think the SKB stuff is the best. But if you’re into bags, check out the Levy stuff.

For my pre-68, I started with a standard issue Ludwig toombstone case and took the partition out of the bottom of it (the area where you would put the stand).  I then lined the case in foam rubber making room for the throwoff protectors. With the shape of the case, there's plenty of room to play with.

I think I picked up this (very) used case for $10 at a music store. I've also seen them for $5 or $10 at garage sales or tag sales for those of you in the northeast.

If you are at all worried about your snare or the strainer mechanism just get something like an SKB for just the snare and use your Tuxedos for the rest of the kit. In most cases bags will generally do unless everybody else is handling your kit then you might want to rethink that.

I second what Christopher says about the Levy bags. They are sweet. Very well made with 1'' foam and a velvety interior. As far as quality and plushness, I doubt you will find any nicer.

I have a couple different bags for various snares. The Beato Pro I is probably the most durable and weatherproof bag of the bunch. I highly recommend the Beato Pro I bags for drums or hardware - unbelievably well constructed and TOUGH! They are much more durable than any other bag I have seen and can take a poking or beating because the outside material is much tougher than a Tuxedo or Levy bag. It is 100% waterproof also. I do keep my Pearl Free-Floater in a Humes & Berg Fiber square case. If I had to go buy new hard cases right now they would definitely be the SKB's from what I've seen. I have just had the Humes & Berg Fibers for a long time and they are ok. I just hate the way they get all warped over time. I do wish the SKB's were around back then, definitely a superior product and much more rigid than a fiber case at basically the same cost.

Good idea about he square case for the Supersensitive Ludwig. That extended snare mechanism is just too vulnerable (and expensive if you broke it) to damage as most extended snare systems are. That is why my Pearl FF is in one.

Did you check to see if SKB made a square case by chance? I would be inclined myself to maybe get one.