Protection Racket. Is it a racket?

Zickos

Gold Member
I have been touting PR bags for some time. I've been using them since my old hard cases were stolen along with my original Zickos drums. I got them when I bought my new (old) Zickos drums. They are not cheap but much cheaper than hard cases and easier to move in and out of my car. I have had them from 1 to 2 years (bought at different times). They are all holding up well...

...except for the bass drum case. It is developing some holes where the rims touch the flat part next to the heads. I called my trusted supplier at a local music store and he told me they are warranted for 1 year (I've had the bass for about a year an a half) and that I was just out of luck.

Is this so? Is there no recourse? The others are doing so well an I like them a lot but this worries me. Will they fail, too? They aren't cheap and I don't want to replace them. Opinions, guys and gals.
 
I have all Protection Racket bags as well. I have a complete set for my nine piece Tama Granstar and my five piece Tama Artstar Custom, as well as another snare case.

Mine have seen some shows but they are not sliding around a lot. The are stored until needed, then packed with drums and loaded into the van for a short ride. Then they come out and do the reverse.

Your problem seems a bit odd. I have to say that my bass drums cases are for 22"X18" and I have 22"X16" bass drums. So I have a little extra material for the bass drums overall.

So if I understand you correctly, it sounds like the outer black fabric is wearing away at the contact points? If you like the bags overall, I would either buy new ones, or Jerry Rig the ones you have to last longer. It sounds like it is just the bass drum bag giving you drama.

If that is the case, I might suggest finding something to reinforce those contact points. Something as simple as a ring of Duct tape or attaching some thin piece of plastic on the top and bottom of the case as needed. Maybe go to a fabric store and pick out some material to serve as a buffer for extra wear and tear. I would pick something on the thicker side, like a fake leather, or other such material.

Better yet, get the outer material, but also get a buffer material, like a piece of closed cell foam, or carpet padding to sew between the case and the outer material. I think that is what I might do. This only adds a little bulk to the outside of the bag without changing the inside dimensions.

I think there are some limitations to the bags, but I think I am still digging them over the idea of hard cases.
 
I have PROTECTION RACKET bags, order them specifically one size over for ease of use (drums slip right in/out w/minimal effort) and the fact that more material equals more protection.

The drum bags that fail first and most often are the bags that fit the tightest... for obvious reasons. Tight fitting bags also provide the least protection.

How can you guarantee a loose fitting bag? Order 1 size over.
 
I have PROTECTION RACKET bags, order them specifically one size over for ease of use (drums slip right in/out w/minimal effort) and the fact that more material equals more protection.

The drum bags that fail first and most often are the bags that fit the tightest... for obvious reasons. Tight fitting bags also provide the least protection.

How can you guarantee a loose fitting bag? Order 1 size over.


That's not a bad idea as well. Some if my bags are a fairly tight fit. Others have some play, mostly the ones with the correct sizing, but made for rims mounts, (i don't have rims). For the loser bags, the drums slide right in with no fuss. My bass drums have a little room too.

Great idea!
 
I have PROTECTION RACKET bags, order them specifically one size over for ease of use (drums slip right in/out w/minimal effort) and the fact that more material equals more protection.

The drum bags that fail first and most often are the bags that fit the tightest... for obvious reasons. Tight fitting bags also provide the least protection.

How can you guarantee a loose fitting bag? Order 1 size over.

Isn't that odd. All of my cases fit rather tight except for the bass drum which is the one which seems to be wearing the most..
 
Just in case you want to see what I'm talking about, here are a few pics.

DSCF1357.JPG

DSCF1358.JPG

DSCF1360.JPG
 
Isn't that odd. All of my cases fit rather tight except for the bass drum which is the one which seems to be wearing the most..

And what kind of drums ride in those bags most?

T Rods on the kick?
 
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Take the bag to an upholstery shop and have them sew in a strip of fabric around the edges.
The problem will be solved for a few bucks.
 
And what kind of drums ride in those bags most?

T Rods on the kick?

No T Rods. It is a Zickos drum. All tension rods are flush with the rim. In fact, where the rim touches the bag seems to be where the wear is occurring.
 
Take the bag to an upholstery shop and have them sew in a strip of fabric around the edges.
The problem will be solved for a few bucks.

Considered that and I still may. I just think if I pay that much for a bag that it shouldn't do that especially since there seems to be no problem with the other cases.
 
Sorry to read about this, I too have PR bags and think they're great, have you contacted PR directly about this?

Could be a duff batch of material, worth asking directly I'd say?
 
Sorry to read about this, I too have PR bags and think they're great, have you contacted PR directly about this?

Could be a duff batch of material, worth asking directly I'd say?

Working on that now.
 
Obviously/definitely something rubbing making contact with the bag in that area, doubt its a manufacture thing.
 
Obviously/definitely something rubbing making contact with the bag in that area, doubt its a manufacture thing.

Could just be the bass drum hoop pushing against that area everytime you transport it and lay it on the ground? Especially if it gets dragged around.
I have the Ahead Armor cases and those too are expensive.
 
This is the response I got from Dean Bowdery of PR:

Thanks for your mail and thanks for your kind words regarding our cases, very much appreciated :)

Upon reading you mail, I expected the pictures you sent to show the holes on the inside of the case, however they show holes on the outside of the case? I am struggling to see how the drum rim/hoops /nuts on the inside of the case can cause holes on the outer fabric through the inner fleece & 8mm of combination foam? The back of our outer 600denier polyester is also PU coated, it cannot be worn through without a considerable amount of continual rubbing with a sharp object, this would take forever! In 20 years of manufacture and hundreds of thousands of bass drum cases sold, I have never seen this problem before. Simple physics prove that even if the drum were laid on its end in storage these holes wouldn't appear on the outer fabric unless the cases was moving on a rough abrasive surface continuously for a considerable amount of time. The foam used in our cases is the same thickness for all cases.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the case has come into contact with an abrasive surface?

Thanks & best wishes from the UK,

Dean


Although nothing said, it doesn't appear they are going to do anything abut it.
 
This is the response I got from Dean Bowdery of PR:

Thanks for your mail and thanks for your kind words regarding our cases, very much appreciated :)

Upon reading you mail, I expected the pictures you sent to show the holes on the inside of the case, however they show holes on the outside of the case? I am struggling to see how the drum rim/hoops /nuts on the inside of the case can cause holes on the outer fabric through the inner fleece & 8mm of combination foam? The back of our outer 600denier polyester is also PU coated, it cannot be worn through without a considerable amount of continual rubbing with a sharp object, this would take forever! In 20 years of manufacture and hundreds of thousands of bass drum cases sold, I have never seen this problem before. Simple physics prove that even if the drum were laid on its end in storage these holes wouldn't appear on the outer fabric unless the cases was moving on a rough abrasive surface continuously for a considerable amount of time. The foam used in our cases is the same thickness for all cases.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the case has come into contact with an abrasive surface?

Thanks & best wishes from the UK,

Dean


Although nothing said, it doesn't appear they are going to do anything abut it.
I have to be honest & say Zickos, I think Dean's reply is fair. I'm struggling to see how this could be a fabric problem, but I can easily see how this could occur at the point of heaviest compressive load on an abrasive surface. Are they sliding around in a truck?

I know the PR guys pretty well. They're straight up guys.
 
So I guess it's off to the upholstery shop.

Right on. I know that might not have been the way that you wanted it to go down as far as getting it taken care of, but depending on what you go with, you might make it suit your needs even more.

When you move your kit, what kind of vehicle do they travel in?
 
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Take the bag to an upholstery shop and have them sew in a strip of fabric around the edges.
The problem will be solved for a few bucks.

Good idea, or just glue on some leather scraps.
 
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