Trumpet cases

Finding suitable cases can be a serious problem, especially if the instruments you have are of a non standard shape. For example, if you have heavy valve caps fitted or you have a larger bell sometimes the instrument will not fit a standard trumpet case. Even the position of the valves can cause problems. A cornet will geerally not fit in a double trumpet case because the valves are longer.

The first time I had a problem with a case was for the Schilke E3L-4. I found a French FEL double case that fits at John Packer. Its a slightly deeper double case with a shoulder strap, and its fairly sturdy. I now keep my Bb and Piccolo in the FEL case with soft blocks to stop the Piccolo from moving about.

I keep the E3L-4 in a double Yamaha case which has slots for the additional slides. The spare bell lives in the other half of the case.

If I need the D and Bb for a gig then I just swap them between cases.

The ultimate trumpet case would be one you could jump up and down on without damaging the instrument, but the fad at the moment is for gig bags and soft cases. When I was at school the school orchestra went on a tour of Switzerland. One of the trumpet players keft his D trumpet behind the bus with the luggage to be put in the boot, but the driver reversed over it. of course, it was in a gig bag and was completely flattened. This has put me off gig bags for life.

Aircraft!

Getting an instrument on a plane seems to be a bit difficult. A standard trumpet case is too long for hand luggage in the UK, although you can often get away with it. Easyjet no longer have a hand baggage weight allowance but the size baskets are still there at check in and a trumpet won't fit. The risk is that they force you to check it in as hold luggage. If you have to check in a trumpet then your choices are limited to the Wiseman cases (which I did not have much luck with - they stressed the instruments too much for my liking) or a very hard case like the Kanstul gladstone cases which are incredibly strong but weigh a huge amount (5kg with no instrument in it).

The problem does not end there though. If you lock the case it will probably be broken open for a security inspection if you are flying to the US. I know because I once locked a small case and had it broken open with a note of apology put inside by airport security. I really don't know what the solution is. Flying with a good airline and trying to get the trumpet on as hand luggage is the best strategy.

US carriers allow larger lengths of hand luggage so it seems to be a mainly UK problem.

Gig case

One of the problems with instrument cases is that there is never enough room for mutes. At one time I used a Bach quad case with one of the slats removed so it would take lots of mutes but this was still not big enough, so a few years ago I bought a "pilot case" from Argos for about £20. This has been ideal for taking all the extra bits to gigs and means I can use a smaller trumpet case.

It has a large central area for mutes, music stand, trumpet stand and a bottle of water. Two large side pockets for slotting your music into. Outside pockets for a mobile phone (I keep some paracetamol and other first aid stuff in there), and pencil holders inside the lid. I keep my gear in the case all the time and just have to close the lid and lift it out of my practice room when Iam going to a gig.