Conference napalm::guitar

    
    Good luck, airlines traditionally are not interested in taking on
    musical instruments unless you are willing to be responsible for
    damage.  Obviously, a flight case (i.e. like an Anvil case) is the best
    but I doubt you have one  8^)  8^).
    
    I would call the airline and ask to talk to their customer service
    people about it.  And call now so you have time to work out your
    options.

    
    
    Brian,
    		As usual, you offer good advice, I'll call as soon
    as I know what airline I'm flying on.. 
    
    		Any tips on how to package the bass? (No anvil case
    :-()
    
    -Tom
    

    You might bring the bass (in the case) to a packaging store where it
    can be boxed and packed with a million of those little puffy styrofoam
    things.  Then you can check it as luggage.  I've seen this done
    recently and it worked out fine.  I do understand there will always
    be that concern from the point when the instrument leaves your hand
    until the time when it returns.   I would also mark the box as
    *fragile*!
    
    B.

    I flew to Washington D.C. on business in May and someone brought
    an acoustic guitar with them as carry on luggage, they put it in
    the overhead compartment.  You might want to see if they will let
    you do this.  The airline was UNITED.
    
    
    Don

    I flew Eastern a few times...  One time carrying on a Full Synth,
    sequencer, drum machine and a pile of patch chords.  They stuffed
    it in the overhead and I had no problem.  I've also carried my Ovation
    (I don't even have a case) on board and have had them put it behind
    the last seats on C-9's and 727's.  Of course I don't care what
    happens to my Ovation, so take *that* with a grain of salt.
    
    I'd be real careful about anything you can't carry on.  Also, put
    a few packs of desicant in your case...You know, those little packs
    of silcate blobs that say "DO NOT EAT!" on them ?
    <Like, who would want to eat those things anyway!?!?!?!>

    FWIW,
    jc

    
    	re: .-1
    
    	Interesting, I'm sure it wouldn't fit in an overhead compartment
    if it were in the case, but it might if it were in a gig bag. If
    I did it this way, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.
    
    	re: .-2 (packaging store)
    
    	This is a good idea. I had planned on checking it as luggage.
    Does anyone know where one of these "packaging" places is? I live
    in Lowell, so I'd need one close to home..
    
    -Tom
    

    Yeah, I'd go for the gig bag...  Heck, even a nice blanket would
    probably work...And it'd *look* high-tech as all get-out !

    Don't forget the desicant.
    
    jc

Carry-on is the way to go...if not, you may want to check out the Tom Paxton
song, "Thank You, Republic Airlines" for advice.  ;-) :^)

Seriously, guitar cases can be made to fit into the overhead bins but you'll 
want to be one of the first ones on so that the bins are not clogged.  Beware
of some planes like the DC10 that DON'T have overhead bins.  Ask your travel 
agent or airline 800 number, they'll know.

The other alternative is to ask as sweetly and kindly if the flight crew would
mind putting it in their coat closet.  More often than not, flight crews contain
insipient musicians sympathetic to the cause.  On the other hand, if you are
bitchy, kiss off any chances of seeing your guitar intact again.

If you are a member of a frequent flyer program on the airline you're flying,
try to upgrade to first class.  Your chances are better of getting more service
from the flight crew that way.

Lastly, if you do have to check your instrument (sigh), MAKE SURE IT GOES
IN THE PRESSURIXZED HOLD!  The pressurized hold is not only pressurized ( :-)
but heated and humidified since live things like animals are put in there.
That way your instrument is not subjected to -30� F at 0% humidity for several 
hours.

Good luck,
BobW

    I mentioned this before in this conference a long time back, but I'll
    repeat the advice. I once took my Martin to S.F. in it's hard case,
    letting the airline (I don't recall which one) handle it as "Special
    Baggage" after they assured me it would be handled with care. When I
    arrived in S.F. I went to the luggage place to pick it up, and I was
    told there was a separate counter for the Special Baggage, so I went
    down the hall to find it. There I came across a counter with several
    parcels on it, including my Martin (with the word "Martin" in big bold
    letters right on the case, of course), sitting there *completely
    unattended*. Anybody in the airport could have just walked up and
    carried it off - fortunately I got there before they did. The guitar
    was fine - but I was a nervous wreck.
    
    Just a warning. I'd opt for carry-on - I think most airline crews will
    be accomodating if you arrive early and act polite.
    
    - Ram

    
    
    	If I do opt to carry it on the plane, should I use a gig bag
    or should I bring the hard case? I think it'd fit better if I
    went with gig bag, but I'd have to buy one first! :-)
    
    -Tom
    

Depending on the airline and what class you fly you  can get special handling
at no extra charge. I flew business class to Europe on Northwest and they hand
carried my $1000 worth of fly rods on and off and kept them seperate from the 
rest of the baggage...inthe states however, I've foudn that only delta will 
allow me to carry  them on....

dbii I never fly with my guitars!

    I too have some experience with flying with guitars.  The two jobs I
    had before this one, I had to travel a lot for extended periods of
    time, so I wanted to take a guitar along with me.  I found that the
    airline personnel were always very nice about it and helpful.  
    
    One thing I found was that you never want to ASK the people at the
    baggage check (check-in) section if it's ok to carry it on, because
    invariably they'll tell you that you can't or give you a bunch or
    flack.  Just carry it to the plane and hope the the people working on
    the plane will give you a break.
    
    A lot will depend on what kind of plane you fly on and how full it is. 
    If the plane is full they may check it for you when you come onboard. 
    If they do check it for you, it'll usually get better treatment then
    the regular baggage check mechanism.  If the plane you're flying on has
    enough room in the overhead baggage areas for the guitar (bass) to fit,
    then you're all set.  If not, they may allow you to put it in the coat
    closet, or behind the last seat in the row. 
    
    I've seen a thing that was like a gig bag that looked like a hanging
    clothes bag which you could carry on and hang in the clothes closet and
    they wouldn't know the better.  The only problem I saw with this is
    that some airplanes don't have a hanging closet and they require that
    you fold your clothes bag in half and stuff it into the overhead
    compartment.  Naturally a guitar isn't going to fold very well.
    The other down side of this is that if they refuse to let you carry it
    on, I'd feel really insecure about having a guitar checked in a gig
    bag, ESPECIALLY one that didn't look like something fragile!!
    
    Along the same lines, I thought of getting a gig bag and having a
    removable tang for a hook put on the end so you could just hang your
    gig bag up.  Seems like it might be a convenient way to store it at 
    home too. 
    
    I guess the bottom line is that the airlines don't have to let you
    carry it on and whether you get to or not will depend on how
    sympathetic the flight crew is to you and what kind of a plane you fly
    on (long overheads, closet for hanging bags...).
    
    Hope this helps,
    Greg                                                         

 re:I've seen a thing that was like a gig bag that looked like a hanging
    clothes bag which you could carry on and hang in the clothes closet and
    they wouldn't know the better.  The only problem I saw with this is
    that some airplanes don't have a hanging closet and they require that
    you fold your clothes bag in half and stuff it into the overhead
    compartment.  Naturally a guitar isn't going to fold very well.

Sounds like a bolt on would fit the ticket, just unbolt the neck and fold away!

:-)

dbii

    re: bolt on
    
    I'd actually considered doing that!  I think if I were to do it now,
    I'd probably want to have the threaded sleeves installed into the neck
    so all the bolting/unbolting wouldn't tear up the wood.  Seems like it
    wouldn't be that big a deal.
    
    Greg

    
    	Well it seems the pro's have the same problem , what do they
    do? Well I read an article that interviewed some well known artist
    and there comments were the same.
    
    	o They never bring there favorite guitars anywhere they buy
    stage instruments. If they need to travel with the favorite instruments
    they always buy an extra seat on the plane next to them.
              
    expensive to buy an extra ticket but worth it if the instrument
    can't be replaced.
    
    	B.g.

    
    
    
    	After careful consideration, I've decided to leave the bass
    home. It turns out that for ~$30.00 I can rent a bass for the 
    whole time I'll be gone. Even though it won't be *my* bass,
    I'll still be able to practice *and* feel good about not 
    travelling with my bass. 
    
    	Thanks to everyone for the advice. 
    
    -Tom
    

    I fly with a guitar fairly often (probably 5 times in the last
    18 mos.).   I bought the *CHEAPEST* classical I could lay my hands
    on that had a comfortable neck.  I detune the strings, put the guitar
    in my best hard case, lock it and check it as vanilla baggage. 
    
    The two things I found annoying in doing this are: 
    1). The nasty little form they make you fill out that permits them to 
    fling your instrument onto the tarmac, run over it several times
    with an L-1011 and *NOT* be held liable for damages incurred.
    2.) It takes at least a day or two for the strings to re-tension
    properly.
    
    I have never had any trouble with the instrument in doing this.
    I guess plywood tops are pretty much indestructable. I'm not sure
    I would do this with my OM-28, but I probably would with an electric
    bass if it had a good, lockable hard case.
                                              
    
                                          jt

    
    
    I've flown guitars in the past, and have had varied results.  My advice
    (besides renting, which is a safe solution) is when you bring your
    guitar, be prepared for the worst.  Last time, I took my guitar ONLY
    because I was flying first class.  They still made me check it. 
    Sometimes they really wanted me to take care of it myself (carry on),
    sometimes I've had to check it.  I would keep it in its case, and make
    sure its secure, instead of packing it in a box with popcorn, because
    an ordinary looking box WILL get the normal abuse that airline luggage
    gets.  I would hope that they treat an instrument case more gently when
    they see the obvious fragility of the package.
    
    If you ever get on a plane early and stash you axe in the overhead
    compartment, sit and count all the groans the other passengers make
    when they see it up there!!!!!
    
    Dave

    
    I just purchased a Martin HD28 and the saleman told me that if I was
    going to travel with this or any accoustic guitar to the the following.
    Tune the strings down,,, lock the case,,,,  and most important! remove
    the guitar strap peg from the body of the guitar.  He said the most
    of the repairs he had seen were do to the cases being dropped hard on
    the butt which and if the peg is in the hole,,,  it cracks the wood.
    
    I don't know if your base is accoustic or not but I throw this in for
    general information.
    
    Bruce May
    
    

    rather than start a new note (there's enough of them already), why limit
    this discussion to just Airlines?  How about the van lines when moving
    across country?  Driving yourself for long distances?
    
    I've moved across country twice with DEC (once to Mass., then back to
    Arizona) and I'd highly recommend supervising/watching the packers so
    that everything is taken good care of (hear that Coop?).  I didn't
    play guitar at the time of those moves, but I still had expensive/valuable
    items.  We were moved by Allied Van Lines and they did a great job both 
    ways and damage was minimal.  It also helped that they were up for a 
    contract renewal with DEC so they went out of their way to make me happy.
    
    What about putting guitar gear in the car and driving to a place a few
    hundred miles away?  What precautions would you take?
    
    Mike

    When I moved out here from NC a few years ago I brought my better
    guitars with me in the car (actually a little pickup) and made sure
    they weren't in the sun and didn't get hot.
    
    I had a Hiwatt 100 watt combo that they transported in the van and when
    it arrived the speaker board had pulled out and the speaker was
    displaced back about 4 inches.  That was the only thing that was
    damaged at all.  
    
    (FWIW, I put enough screws in that thing to hold up half my house when
    I fixed it, it wasn't constructed heavily enough to handle that big old
    EV speaker in there!)
    
    Naturally the first thing I started looking for when they unloaded at
    the house was the guitars that I didn't take with me and the amp.  They
    all arrived in good condition.  I'd made sure I watched them load 'em
    up in the van too and advised them that they were extremely fragile.
    
    So anyway, I guess it worked out well for me at the time.  I don't know
    what I'd do if I had to move now, since I have so much more equipment. 
    I guess I'd probably do about the same thing, take the
    expensive/fragile stuff with me and let them ship the rest (and pray). 
    
    I'd for sure take my rack, my top 2-3 guitars, and my Kitty Hawk with
    me! 
    
    Greg

    Did you perform any special packing on the equipment you put in your
    pickup?
    
    Mike

    Not very much.  On the guitars that didn't have tight fitting hardshell
    cases, I made sure I padded the inside of the cases with towels and
    that kind of thing so that the guitars weren't moving around in them,
    but other then that I didn't do much of anything.
    
    Greg

When I moved to SC from Massachusetts I had a GK, a 4x12 and seven guitars.
Like Greg, I brought my expensive stuff with me.  Obviously, a GK and a 
couple of guitars would fit nicely in about ANY car made.  I shipped the 
rest of my axes in their cases (which all fit) that were placed inside
cardboard boxes.  I sent them UPS with a TON of insurance...I'd lost a 
beautiful tiger maple Ibanez once...

The best boxes (I guess) are available from a guitar (toy) store.  They 
are the ones the factory uses to ship them to the dealer.  Mr.C in Marlboro
let me have a truck load of them for nothing...(probably glad to see me go).
Obviously, mark them clearly as being extremely fragile.  

When I move to Colorado, I'll probably bring everything (except my 2x12 
cabs, Kitty, Marshall, GK) with me in the ole Mitsubishi Mighty Max.  That 
means two guitars, my rack, and my little 1x12's for practice.

jc

    In 1980, I moved from Chi-town to Colorado Springs. I drove across,
    in order to transport my two cats and four guitars (I've more of each,
    now :^)). I was just totally uncomfortable with letting the gorilla
    from the American Tourister commercial handle my precious Strat, et al.
    
    It turned out to be a good thing, because when I unpacked everything
    from storage, my turnatble and one or two other things were "missing".
    I eventually got my turntable and other stuff, packed in the
    "original", "lost" box. Only thing was, the packing was not the same as
    what the movers had used; it was a St. LOuis, Mo. newspaper....
    
    Anyway, I personally wouldn't let my instruments out of my sight. Have
    you ever seen how they cram stuff into the moving vans?
    
    Bill
    

    Three weeks ago I had to Fly from Edinburgh to London, and took
    the Guitar with me.  Being a little paranoid about my guitar and
    baggage handlers, I called the airline company in advance and asked
    if I could carry the guitar to the plane myself and supervise the
    loading into the hold.
    
    On arrival at the airport, the check in desk said no problems, the
    flight is full but one passenger has called to say that he wouldn't
    make the flight.  When it came time to board, I was *escorted* to
    the plane, and told that I could take the Axe on board but I may
    have to allow the stewardess to stow the Axe.  I get on board the
    plane and the stewardess tells me I can stow the guitar in the overhead
    locker myself!  As the flight was about to take off, the stewardess
    asked me if I wanted to take the guitar down and put it in the seat
    next to me, as the check in desk had kept that seat free and there
    were no standby passengers.
    
    All I can say is, if you gotta fly with your Axe in the UK... go
    by British Midland!
    
    Bonzo (totally impressed)

    That's outstanding!  Very impressive service.  I wouldn't expect that
    from a US airline for sure.  Last I heard they expected you to BUY A
    TICKET for your guitar if you wanted it to ride in a seat...
    
    Greg

    Any suggestions on travel/transport tips for a guitar?
    
    I'm flying home for the holly daze and would love to bring my Yamaha
    acoustic with me, but I'm afraid it might get damaged in the cargo
    hold.  The case I have is rather inexpensive and has about 4 clasps
    which keep it shut.  Taking it in the passenger section is out of the
    question: the airline has stict rules regarding the size of carry-on
    luggage.  I think I'd have to buy another ticket to go that route!
    
    Has anyone has success with airline travel and their guitar?  
    
    Any help is much appreciated.  Thanks!
    
    
    'noky

    I hear it's best to loosen your strings before taking off. I've flown
    with my guitar and they let me carry mine on the plane (it was a
    flying V and I didn't have a case so I didn't have much of a choice).
    I guess it just depends on the airline. However, be forewarned. I've
    heard several horror stories about damaged equipment and how baggage
    handlers don't give a darn about what nice equipment you might have.
    And if it's especially valuable they may make you sign a disclaimer
    so that they are not liable if it does get damaged. I think I would
    insist on taking it on board.
    
    -ss

    I'll never try to bring a guitar on a flight again unless absolutely
    necessary. The last time I did, I had called ahead to the airline to
    make sure that I could bring it on as a "carry-on". They said "no
    problem"... wrong!!!! When I got on the plane, I was told that it
    would have to be stowed in the baggage compartment or taken off the
    plane. I reluctantly let the stewardess stow it. When I retreived the 
    guitar at the end of the flight, I found some MAJOR dings in the case.
    Luckily it was a well-built hardshell case. Otherwise, many of the
    dings would have found their way thru to my guitar.
    
    my 2 cents,
    
    Bill_K
    

    
    I took a guitar in a gig bag, and I walked it to the gate and asked
    them to hand carry it to the luggage area, which they did and no
    problems.  On the way back, I think I was able to carry it on and put
    it in with the coats, but I should think that with overbooked flights
    for the holidays, there'll be no room to spare.  I'd go with the
    handcarry route, and do what you can to secure the case.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Justine

    I guess having a decent case would be a good idea too.
    
    I invested in the best case I could find, a Hiscox, it's really light
    and the demonstration in the shop consisted of one guy dropping it and
    the other jumping on it, i.e. it's quite strong.  Mine cost 76 pounds
    for a strat sized case, and they are made near my home town (Cannock,
    Staffordshire, UK).
    
    tmp

    I would strongly suggest a top of the line case, reducing the string
    tension and most important,,,, remove the pin for the shoulder strap
    from the body of the guitar.  A friend of mine who repairs guitars says
    it is common to see cracks in the body from being dropped during 
    transport.
    
    Bruce

I have a Mark Leaf case.  It would be hard for the airlines to damage a 
guitar in a Leaf case and avoid being found guilty of negligence.  The 
point about removing the end pin is important.  Given the airlines history,
I think I'd consider shipping the guitar ahead of me.

Jim

    
    The only guitar/bass that mixes with airliners is a Steinberger;
    it's perfectly adequate carry-on fodder.
    
    Unless you have an ATA-approved case, and specifically insure
    the guitar for the flight, your guitar might as well be the
    Samsonite suitcase the gorilla was using in that TV advert...
    
    -b

    Add my vote for shipping the guitar ahead of you.   
    It's cheaper than an extra ticket, and you can do your own packing.
    /=\
    

Guitar cases have a very distinctive shape, making them obvious targets for
theft. It may not be apparent what is inside your ordinary run-of-the-mill
suitcase, but it is very apparent what is inside a guitar case, even to the
dimmest of thieves. Carry-on is, without a doubt, the most secure way to get
your guitar from point A to point B; even then you still want to keep an eye on
it.

Just something I've read several times, from various sources.

    All the airlines I fly regularly (American, Delta, Contnental) have
    provisions for "gate checking" odd pieces of carry-on that won't fit
    under the seat or above. It flys with the coats.
    
    Guitars are common.
    
    I once fly back from LA with a friend who shipped his guitar WITHOUT
    a case. He wrapped a jacket around it and sent it as checked luggage.
    It arrived unscathed! {Not recommended}
    
    Edd Cote

>   The only guitar/bass that mixes with airliners is a Steinberger;
    
    Actually, my Steve Morse model guitar is designed (by Steve Morse)
    to exactly fit in an overhead compartment.   He told me personally
    that he's never ever had any problem but gave me some tips:
    
    	1) Don't use a "case", use a "gig bag".  
    
    	   The few times he's been asked to check it as baggage he's
    	   pointed out that it would CERTAINLY get damaged if it was
    	   put into the baggage section and they have accomodated him.
    
     	   You couldn't make that argument as easily if it was in a
    	   hardshell case.
    
    	2) Board the flight as soon as you can.  You can even go on
    	   before your row is called because they never bother to
    	   enforce the "now boarding rows 20 thru 25" crap.
    
    	   The best way to get sure you get your guitar into an overhead
    	   compartment is to beat everyone else to that overhead
           compartment.  They never ask people to check what's already
    	   in there, only what needs to go in there when there's no
    	   room left.
    
    	3) Obviously you need a guitar that will fit in the overhead.
    
    	   Steinbergers obviously work, but so will many other instruments
    	   with space-saving headstock designs.  On my Morse guitar, the
    	   headstock is shaped like a standard strat head but the top two 
    	   tuners are on the bottom side and so it is in fact much smaller
    	   than the standard strat head.
    
    Most of Steve's guitars are trucked around in cases obviously, but
    he keeps one with him at all times because he practices so much.
    I think he even practices in-flight if the seat next to him is vacant.
    
    	db

    What kind of money do Mark Leaf case's cost,I seem to remember a friend
    who had his Ramierez in one. He use to get a big kick out of watching
    people react when he jumped off a chair on top of this case and then
    claimed he could drop it out the window 4 floors up and the guitar
    would survive. Not that any of us would ever do this! ;^)
    
    							Rick
    

    Re: What do Mark Leaf cases cost?
    
    Probably more than the guitar in .28 (the note that revived this
    string).
    
    I think Elderly Instruments sells them for about $500.
    
    Jim

    Brian (or anyone else for that matter), have you ever had trouble with
    security carrying on a Steinberger?  The reason I ask is, the thing
    looks like a weapon.  Do you ever have to convince them it's really
    just a harmless instrument?
    
    Awhile back there was a story posted on the net about someone shot and
    killed by police, because they mistook his gig-bagged Steinberger for a
    gun. (could be urban legend material I suppose)
    
    /rick
    

    There was a note in here once about a guy that was shot and killed by
    Police. Police were conducting a drug-raid, and the guy was holding
    an electric bass. One of the police officers thought the bass was
    a gun and shot the guy. I think it was in note 1954, quite a while
    ago. 
    
    I wouldn't mind owning one Mark Leaf Case for when I need to travel,
    but they definately aren't cheap. I think $500 is right. It's the
    only guitar case that is ATA.  There is also a case on the market
    that is made entirely of fiberglass that is supposed to be
    indestructable. These sell for ~$250. Might be an inexpensive 
    alternative to a Mark Leaf. 
    
    BTW, a dreadnought-sized case will accomidate a lot of differant
    guitars, especially if it has arched top and back. These will hold
    any 16" instrument such as an ES175. 
    
    Mark

    
    Rick;
    
    I haven't had any problems, although the Steinberger has
    received some strange looks.
    
    I did once claim the Steinberger was a weapon though, but
    it wasn't at an airport, it was on Newbury street in Boston.
    I told some Scientology geek that it was a rifle to get him
    to go away... it worked like a charm!!! :-) :-)
    
    -b