To understand how seriously I was thinking about a case INSTEAD OF a bag, I actually OWN a spare (no...not for sale) NEW CONDITION Cronkhite (not old raggedly "Reunion Blues") bag that fits the bell perfectly and is only two or three inches longer than the very short length of this Holton tuba (perhaps designed for a new-style King, or one of the squatty C tubas, such as CB/Getzen, Conn 5XJ, or Eastman...??)
I contacted a longtime friend (who has a huge stash-o-stuff) and - in his multi-FLOORS warehouse - he found this new/very-old-stock MTS (no wheels) case. It BARELY accommodates a 19" bell, and the OUTSIDE length is only 36". Further, it has some classy cast aluminum latches (rather than chrome-plated sheet metal). Even including shipping, he sold it to me STUPID-cheap...but (well...
) the inside was all wrong, so...MRS. bLOKE TO THE RESCUE !!!
I did some of the stuff that required "sttttrong-like-boooll" (pulling the hot-glued upholstery out and pulling apart the hot-glued-together edges of the upholstery, so it could all be trimmed to custom-fit this very-odd-valve-section tuba and reinstalled). but she did all of the trimming, salvaging of plush black fuzzy stuff, measuring, and reinstalling/re-gluing of everything.
I helped on this part, but...
We even cut down the mouthpiece box (so it will be small enough to clear the VERY tall upper bow and the VERY wide bell rim) and reinstalled it as well.
...so the tuba doesn't just "sorta" fit, bit it FITS !!! (Check out the last thing (link) below, which is a video demonstrating that the case's aluminum valances close together on their own, without having to "squish" the lid down. Even so, it is STILL a "snug" (the tuba doesn't rattle) fit.
I'm pleased...even though I'm a bit sick, today...
43-1/2 lbs. - tuba, CASE, mouthpiece, oil
This is only 10 lbs. more than tuba, BAG, mouthpiece, oil.
movie of the lid closing WITHOUT squishing the tuba:
https://i.imgur.com/18ohImY.mp4
bloke "I just like owning a hard case for each of my instruments."