Protec Tenor Trombone Contoured PRO PAC Case PB306CT

The reviews I read about this case helped me make the decision to buy it, so I’m going to share a lot of the details I found, hoping it will help someone else.

SUMMARY COMMENTS:
Overall, good case and I think it will provide adequate protection to my “new” T-Bone!

The only thing keeping me from giving this case 5 stars are two things:
1) The handle not being the rubberized interlocking handle that is advertised on both the Amazon site and the Protec website video claiming “this case has been “redesigned”; and

2) The limited storage space inside the case where more protection is provided. Since it has storage available in the outer pocket (although not as well protected as inside the case), if it had the rubberized interlocking handles as advertised, I would have given it 5 stars.

If the handle & inside storage CONS I note below aren’t a big deal to you, you should be happy with this case. I looked a LONG time at MANY places (online and in Dallas / Fort Worth) and this is the best case I could find.

DETAILED COMMENTS:
I ordered this case to replace the original case that came with my King 605 trombone when it was new in the late 1970’s. The King 605 was replaced by the 606. I recently had my 605 completely refurbished and wanted a nice, new case to protect it. I looked at cases from King (the new OEM case for the King 606, which would work), Gator, and various “Universal” cases. The hard shell case manufacturers still haven’t improved the outer hinges, so looked more to the Protec style case (zippered closure, rather than latches and 3 flimsy hinges that will break over time – I know, mine did & I replaced it with a piano hinge that has lasted decades). After A LOT of looking, the Protec PB306CT looked to be the best available case, considering quality of construction (hard shell protection underneath the nylon outer cover), nice padding and features (storage pouch on outside of case, two storage areas inside the case (**READ CONS BELOW**), lockable zippers w/a luggage style TSA lock, interlocking rubberized carry handle (**READ CONS BELOW**) and grab strap on side, and solid black heavy duty 1680 denier water resistant nylon outer covering). My OEM case never had enough room for all the “stuff” you have to have (slide cleaning snake, slide oil / cold cream / spray bottle, tuning slide grease, liar, etc). The original case only had room for a mouthpiece and maybe a small spray bottle OR bottle of slide oil – nothing else. The Protec PB306CT makes an attempt to improve that problem (**See CONS below on inner storage though**).

PROS:
Delivery was direct from Amazon, on time and UPS tracking worked well (Ordered Friday – Arrived Tuesday).
This case was well packaged & looks well made to provide adequate protection to the trombone.
My King 605 fits snug and the bell section is well protected by the soft, blue, velvoa padding.
The slide is isolated from the bell section by the padded divider flap – w/ a notch for the spit valve (nice).
The 1680 denier nylon looks good and durable, and the hardware used are screws instead of rivets (I like this).
The interior of the case is “luxurious” feeling and very padded around the bell area.
The two storage compartments have an auto-close elastic strap to keep them closed.
The outer zipper pocket (with internal pouch for pens, coins, real small items) is nice for extra storage.
I’ve got slide oil, tuning slide grease, metronome, pens, & shoulder strap stored with room for more
Rubber protection around zipper corners should help protect zipper from damage while loading / unloading.

CONS:
Really, just two things: The outer handle and the lack of good inside storage.

The outer carry handle has a ‘wrap around’ velcro flap that is supposed to pad the handle area and keep the handles together (it’s not very padded). I’ve got one piece of luggage like this and the handle has never been comfortable to carry, the velcro doesn’t stay closed very well over time, and it just isn’t a very good handle design IMO. Some of the pictures of the case on the Amazon site show this handle and some of them show the rubberized interlocking handle. The description of the item even mentions the rubberized interlocking handle rather than the velcro wrap around handle, so thought for sure I’d be getting the new rubberized interlocking handle. I noticed the different pictures before buying, but thought it was the older style and they just had older pics as an example since the “new design” is very similar at first glance (the rubberized handle model looks like it has a bit smaller outer pocket due to location of grab handle) and is a grey/black color rather than solid black. The Protec website even has a video for the PB306CT and it claims “redesigned” with new rubberized interlocking handles (which matches the description of the item for sale on Amazon). Since the rubberized handles were one of the reasons I chose this case, I called Brook Mays to see if they had them (they sell Protec and were one of the listed suppliers on Amazon) and they checked their stock in the Dallas corporate showroom. All 3 they had in stock had the velcro wrap around flap style handle – not the rubberized interlocking handle. Since I really wanted the rubberized handle for comfort and durability / longevity, they called Protec to see if they could order it and were told Protec changed the design back and the rubberized handle is not available any longer (that’s what I was told anyway – if true, Protec needs to remove the video from their website).

The inside storage compartments could be made more usable to provide more protective inside storage by removing the slots for 2 mouthpieces (1 slot is enough – how many people really use more than 1 anyway on a regular basis). Keep that extra space “open” in that compartment (it’s a pretty large area – wasted space for just 2 mouthpieces) for things like slide oil, portable metronome, etc – things that might get damaged in the SOFT SIDED outer storage zipper pocket). The other storage compartment at the end of the case is so small that all I can fit in it is a small pocket sized water spray bottle – nothing else will fit when that’s in there. Suggestion to Manufacturer: make the end compartment longer inside by 1″ (looks like plenty of room to do so) or extend the case an inch or two and make it larger that way.

Hope this review helps someone make a decision.

Got this case for my son who would be using their horn traveling through the subways of new york. The case is darn light for a trombone case and seems very sturdy. My son uses standard and f attachment horns and both fit fine. Only issue which makes sense the bag does not come with a backpack strap and you will need that for long duration travel.

Really great trombone case that fit my Conn 88H with ease. Not too light weight and probably as heavy as my old hard board case. The should strap makes for much easier carrying when lugging a gig bag and music stand at the same. Well worth the money to upgrade. BTW my old Conn case was 51 years old so it time for a change!

I absolutely love this case. My old trombone case was beginning to fall apart and was off balance. I was constantly afraid of losing my horn if I opened it up the wrong way. This case is wonderfully balanced, and protects the horn well. I’m not afraid of the instrument falling out, or of getting damaged in the case. The slide and bell are held securely in place with straps and the mouthpiece compartment zips shut. This case is portable and easy to carry and transport. A little bit heavier than I was expecting but it does not take long to get used to. Overall this case is a good investment and well worth the money.

For reference my trombone is a Getzen 1047 f and it fits the case very well.

This case is just what was needed for a replacement to the black box that came with the trombone. The case is very well constructed and thought out. Heavy duty zippers and nylon exterior. All potential ‘hit’ points are protected with a hard nylon/plastic guards to prevent damage. The handle is sturdy and well padded. Two padded storage areas inside the case, one holds two mouthpieces and the other is for small items such as lube or water spritz. We are using it for a Holton TR158 (9″ bell, F-trigger, tenor) and all fits like it was made for the instrument. The external storage pouch is a nice bonus for cleaning supplies and misc items such as phone, pens etc. Maybe we’re missing something obvious but don’t see anywhere the cleaning rod will fit inside or outside this case. Not a deal breaker but something to consider. Nice padded shoulder strap and we will probably get the ‘back pack’ straps at some point to carry the horn vertical.