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You know, I get people walking up to me on the street all the time asking me "Regis, do you know where I can get one of those sweet Mirafone Leatherette bags?" and usually I have no answer for them. Until now.

I have recently taken custody of one such bag. It's brown, probably some kind of vinyl, says "Mirafone" on the side, comes from the early 80's, and has almost negative padding. It's big enough to hold a 188. To be honest, it's probably a few days away from going into the trash. The inside is disintegrating leaving a wonderful black residue on everything. It's really not anything I would ever use.

BUT.

One man's trash could be another man's treasure.

There are some of of you who MIGHT be interested in owning this piece of history - maybe there is an underground society of Mirafone Fans that would worship this like some sort of holy relic. Maybe you're a collector and you need one to complete some sort of collection. The WHY doesn't matter. It's here - now - for that person.

So for the cost of packing and shipping, plus $6 to cover my breakfast at Chik-Fil-A, this can be yours. Act fast, because by Friday 6/4 this thing is GONE.

Man, this is SO tempting!...

greenbean wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:26 pm

Man, this is SO tempting!...

Go read your email instead, @greenbean

I actually have one already. Negative padding is a good way to describe it, but it is a cool looking bag

a thin layer of dry-rotted foam rubber...

I couldn't afford one of those nice vinyl bags (when I bought my first Mirafone), so I ended up buying a funky brown-yellow canvas Yamaha bag (probably made to fit a YBB-201/321 or some such.

I'm probably wrong...(??), but I seem to remember that the Yamaha bag was lined with "red fuzzy".

Fill with styrofoam peanuts, hang from ceiling, instant decor!!

Three Valves wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:03 am Fill with styrofoam peanuts, hang from ceiling, instant decor!!

multi-colored LED light-string...(??)

^^^^

Don't get tacky now, son!!

A few years ago, I found a very early RB San Francisco bag for trombone mutes. The foam had deteriorated into a fine, black powder that would filter through the lining and get all over the mutes. And from there, into the horn...

In the interest of complete transparency:

I would never, ever, put a horn in this bag unless a) it wasn't my horn; b) I disliked the owner of that horn; and c) I would never see the owner of that horn again.

Aside from the disintegrating foam rubber it's actually in pretty good shape, sitting forgotten in a garage or a basement for 20+ years. I suppose it COULD be restored if you were into restoring 70's / 80's era carry bags. It would make a decent tackling dummy for a child if properly filled. And if you filled it with foam peanuts you could have fun taking it to gigs, dropping it, driving over it, throwing off a roof, etc, just to get the reaction of people on camera.

I could imagine someone turning it inside-out, scraping/vacuuming all that stuff out, returning it right-side out, and (as it really could not permeate through vinyl) using it to carry a beater tuba, or a NICE mute, or to sneak a small person into a concert.

Disposed.

No, wait! What about that part about... another man's treasure?! That could be me!...

greenbean wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:43 am No, wait! What about that part about... another man's treasure?! That could be me!...

And in this case, another man's 10 year old saliva and bacteria particles. Oh and maybe some left over dried lamp oil stains.

kingrob76 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:37 pmDisposed.

Seriously? I wanted it. I was going to respond last week but have been in the hospital. Oh well, my loss. I was going to unstitch it and make patterns from it.

Whatever, I enjoyed the post; funny stuff, man.

Somebody has to drive up there and dumpster dive!!

the elephant wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:23 am

kingrob76 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:37 pmDisposed.

Seriously? I wanted it. I was going to respond last week but have been in the hospital. Oh well, my loss. I was going to unstitch it and make patterns from it.

Whatever, I enjoyed the post; funny stuff, man.

It’s in the can but probably no worse than when it went in. Can still be retrieved if you’re serious….

You should see some of Wade's unique quilts - fabricated of vintage vinyl...AMAZING...

In particular a brown-brown-brown-brown-brown-brown pattern (created from this particular bag) WOULD HAVE been truly awe-inspiring !!!

kingrob76 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:14 am

the elephant wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:23 am

kingrob76 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:37 pmDisposed.

Seriously? I wanted it. I was going to respond last week but have been in the hospital. Oh well, my loss. I was going to unstitch it and make patterns from it.

Whatever, I enjoyed the post; funny stuff, man.

It’s in the can but probably no worse than when it went in. Can still be retrieved if you’re serious….

I am broke after my hospital spree, so probably not. I had wanted to use it to make patterns for my own gig bag, but I do not think I am up to that sort of work anymore. I do not even have my old industrial sewing machine for leather. I sold it like ten years ago. I am not sure what I had planned on doing. And maybe I need to make fresh patterns.

Thanks anyway. Your refuse container can rest easy that you will not have to steal back its treasures.