A couple of months ago I bought a replacement case for my tenors. When I went into the music store I hadn’t really planned to buy a case. But when my friend Kevin and I stopped at Massullo Music in Vancouver, I noticed that they had a silver case hanging in the back.
When I took a look at it, it seemed to be pretty decent. The case was made by J.W. Eastman, and it is a very sleek and compact tenor case.
I hadn’t heard of the brand before, so I had nothing to go on with regards to reputation. Massullo wasn’t a regular dealer of the brand either, so they couldn’t offer any real information. For them, this was a one of.
Looking at the inside, there was a lot of storage space for such a compact case.
I was impressed by the neck storage compartment, the little storage compartment with a lid, and the included mouthpiece pouch and straps.
The fibreglass case is quite well made, and will take a good hit. (I tried it in the store.) There is a bit of flex when the case is open, but nothing the would be too problematic. It flexes much less than my Protec contoured tenor case does.
It has 4 latches for security.
The straps can be used either over the shoulder, or backpack style.
There are 3 hinges on the bottom, as well as 4 rubber feet.
The handle appears to be either leather, or a very good imitation. It is very precisely stitched around the edges.
Since I didn’t have any of my horns with me, I couldn’t try them out to see if they fit. Luckily Massullo Music did have a few vintage tenors in stock.
Unfortunately they didn’t have a Zephyr in stock, but the did have a Super 20. It fit nicely, as did a Selmer Mark VI. None of their other vintage tenors were like mine, so I thought if nothing else, it will fit for my Mark VI.
Personally, I am not a fan of storing the neck in a storage compartment that is on the outer edge of a case. I feel there’s too great a risk of it getting damaged if the case takes a hit. Also, this compartment will not work for underslung necks.
I always store the neck in the bell of the horn like this.
The top inside of the case is well padded, and protects the horn well.
I haven’t tried all my horns in this case, but the Zephyr unfortunately doesn’t fit. The Kohlert Regent does however. I don’t know if it will work on horns with left-sided, or split bell keys. I will check this and update this post a little later when I get a chance. (Or if someone knows, please leave a comment.)
Would I check this case with an airline? No, it is not a flight case. But its compact size might allow you to bring it on as carry-on. According to the J.W. Eastman website, the case dimensions are as follows:
Exterior Dimensions:
Length: 34.25″
Width: 12″
Height: 8.25″
Interior Dimensions:
Bell: 6.25″
Body Length: 32.5″
Weight: 7 lbs.
I have been using this case for a couple of months now, and I quite like it. It is a good alternative to the Protec contour cases, and other similar ones out there.
Is it as good as my BAM Hightech bari case? No. But then it doesn’t cost as much as a BAM Hightech case either. I paid less than $200 for this case.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced replacement case, J.W. Eastman might very well be an option for you to check out. IMHO, they are definitely worth a look.
I have a 1931 Buescher True Tone tenor with split bell keys. Have you determined whether the Eastman case will work for a horn like mine?
I’d have to check again, I made a list somewhere—it might have been on SOTW—of what saxophones fit and which didn’t. But to the best of my recollection, no, my Martin Handcraft with split bell keys did not fit. The case is too thin to allow for that wide a horn.
When I bought the case, I tried it out on a King Super 20 the shop in stock, and it did fit. I don’t use it for my Zephyr though, it’s too tight a fit for my liking. My Mark VI does however, as does my Kohlert Regency—which is the horn that regularly lives in the case. I’ll update this comment when I’ve found my listing of saxes that fit in the case.
OK, here’s the list. I retrieved it from SOTW. It’s from 04-07-2013.
Helen,
I also have the bam bari sax case! that is the best case in the world for my bari I absolutely love it! my tenor has one of those walt Johnson flight cases, again nice case but expensive though. I like the neck compartment. I also get worried shoving a neck down a bell (in a bag of course)
Thanks for posting!
Hi Jason.
I originally was going to get a BAM Hightech tenor case, but at nearly $600, I couldn’t justify the cost right now. I bought my bari case for that price when they first came out, and I thought it was crazy amount of money then. But then I was protecting a baritone, and when you’re protecting a $5,000 or $6,000 Selmer, $600 is not too much to spend on a case.
The current case prices are a bit too steep for me since I take good care of my horns when they are under my control. When they are not under my control, I already have really protective cases for those purposes.
You raise a goood point about the neck in the bell. I don’t use the pouch that came with the case. (Although it might look that way in the photo due to the colour.) Because I’m worried about possible damage to the octave key, I never store the neck down the bell if the horn isn’t under my control. The pouches I use are really well padded, and don’t allow for any movement when they are in the bell.
Looks like a very nice case 😉
I would prefer the ones that look like a rectangular piece of luggage they stack and store better And have more room inside 😐
I know the contoured ones are really popular right now. That said if it serves your purpose its a good deal. 😆
I hear what you’re saying about stacking. I currently have 3 contoured cases of different varieties standing up against each other because they don’t stack.
I was specifically looking for something like this that I could take to the more local shows where I’m the only one handling my gear. I have enough other gear to schlep with me, that I want as light a tenor case as I can carry, and then the rest of my stuff just goes into a metal briefcase.
I carry my horn stand, screw driver set, towels, cleaning swabs, mouthpiece, extra reeds, etc. etc. all with me in a briefcase that, when fully loaded, weights nearly as much as this tenor case with my horn inside.
On top of all that, I have all my electronic gear. which, thankfully, lives in our rehearsal space, and comes to and from the show, with the rest of our sound gear. However, I still have to set it all up, and tear it all down at the end of the show. It lives in 2 metal cases, 1 duffel bag, and then of course there’s the amp which acts as my on stage monitor.
So as you can see, I have lots of gear. Compared to some players, I still have very little, but compared to others, I have a great deal…. Insert G.A.S. joke here… :devil1: