Flying with a guitar - advice needed

[remmet]

So this year I hope to bring a guitar to the Rally. Alaska Airlines apparently treats guitars as either as baggage, or as carry-ons (if they fit in the overhead bin, which they won't).

For those who have done this before, what methods do you use? Is a regular sturdy guitar case a safe bet, or do you use a metal, padded flight case? Do you make special arrangements with the airline, or just treat your guitar as baggage and hope for the best?

Thanks.

Richard

[andygabrys]

hey Richard,

i have done some flying with a couple different styles of guitars for gigs and cruise ship contracts - acoustic, big hollowbody, and a strat typ electric.

My policy is always - act stupid first, and sort it out later. and try to get on the plane first. carry the guitar in a hardshell case. Make sure all tools, screwdrivers, extra strings, guitar cables, guitar straps etc. are all packed separately in your checked luggage. Otherwise you will have to leave that stuff behind at the security checkpoint.

here's my reasoning:

If they don't know about it, they won't have time to think about it, and will cut you slack. And if you get on first, you can put your guitar in the overhead bins (they do fit a guitar on most planes that I have flown on 737 and bigger, or airbus 320 and bigger). If you get on last, you will have no chance, as all those people who have bought the maximum size carry-ons and the extra 3 bags of Puerto Vallarta shwag will fill up the bins before you get a chance.

If you are flying with an electric solidbody in a gig bag, you are really rolling the dice except if you can get the cabin stewards to put the guitar in the 1st class wardrobe cabinet - My mooradian bags come with a hook that allows then to hang in a cabinet.

If you let them know about it before hand, I am sure most airlines will ask that you check it. Which means you have a kick-butt metal flight case (for any kind of guitar), or a really solid hardshell case (for electric) or the regular case and an external flight case for an acoustic - which will end up 8" or 12" thick and huge - but at least you can be sure that the guitar will work when you get there. One good thing about this approach: If you plan for checking it under, you will properly pad it properly. google caseextreme.com - these are extra cases that go on top of your hard cases/

what usually happens is you show up, and just carry it aboard as if you don't know any different. They might not care. They might say "the plane is pretty full, do you mind if we tag the guitar so if there is no space then we can check it under?". So then you might come back from the plane and be forced to check your guitar under at the gate. They say that it will be hand carried onto the plane same as strollers and other baby stuff that people have. But.........

After seeing one guitar get air-mailed 2 ft by a baggage handler from where he stood to the baggage conveyor (this is when I was looking out onto the tarmac while sitting in the cabin with my guitar sitting above me in the overhead bin) I vowed never to check an instrument under. Its pretty foolish. Nobody cares. find the song United Breaks Guitars on YouTube. Its true. they and every other airline does it.

About 2004 or so, there was a letter that the AFM issued which was basically "its okay to carry on your instruments....blah blah". I believe it even came from the TSA. But the airlines don't listen to that. If it comes down to them taking a chance or just following rules blindly, they just shirk the responsibility.

sorry for the essay. This is something that nobody really cares about except for musicians. Its a shame.

Good luck!

[AndyKotz]

Expect the absolute worst, regarding the treatment of your instrument if checked-in as baggage. A flight case was designed with one intent. To protect your instrument from airline abuse. Hence the name "flight case". Your instrument will also experience severe temperature when traveling in the cargo bay of an aircraft. There's no heat down there and the compartment undergoes major pressure change as well. I've had 2 classical guitars explode in flight cases in the cargo hold of aircraft. Basically... the glue (on older instruments) just cannot handle the fluctuation in both air temperature and pressure.

A solid body guitar in a soft case will fit in the overhead compartments as that is how I would do it when I toured "back in the day". That was before "9/11". Things have changed and most airlines have stricter rules although you ARE allowed to bring your instrument on board. Some airlines make you pay for an extra seat though...

Just leave it home. I am...

[remmet]

Thanks for your replies, Andy and Andy.

I like the idea of just playing dumb (big stretch there) and walking on board with my guitar. To make it easier, I went out and bought a ¾ size Chinese-made guitar (for $99!) that actually sounds quite good. I’m hoping it will easily fit in the overhead bin or the wardrobe cabinet. I’m also hoping there’s not a guitar convention happening in LA that week!

Richard

[mojobone]

I've done zero flying with instruments thus far, but my strategy is to bring a very durable axe in a very durable case and insure it up the yingyang. I don't expect my strat will fit in the overhead bin; though I know it's dangerous, I'll probably just check it.

[jazzstan]

I don't know the current TSA regs but in the past the magic word to give the crew as you boarded was "please put this in 'door tag' " ... which means it's packed with the hanging garment bags. Most planes have a small area near the front for suit bags, dresses, canes, crutches, etc. I've done this often with an electric guitar in a gigbag - but last time was about 5 years ago.

Final thought... If you did bring an guitar it will spend most of the time alone in your room. The open mic sessions should have an acoustic, (that's even if you get your number drawn) and you will be in classes / sessions all day long, and socializing into the night. But if you're like me and HAVE to play every day .. then the West L.A. music display will have guitar that you can pick-up between classes, just to minimize any withdrawal symptoms. So...for my 2 cents ... I'd leave the ax at home, and befriend someone who brought theirs! Good excuse to make a new friend, eh?

[remmet]

I don't know the current TSA regs but in the past the magic word to give the crew as you boarded was "please put this in 'door tag' " ... which means it's packed with the hanging garment bags. Most planes have a small area near the front for suit bags, dresses, canes, crutches, etc. I've done this often with an electric guitar in a gigbag - but last time was about 5 years ago.

Final thought... If you did bring an guitar it will spend most of the time alone in your room. The open mic sessions should have an acoustic, (that's even if you get your number drawn) and you will be in classes / sessions all day long, and socializing into the night. But if you're like me and HAVE to play every day .. then the West L.A. music display will have guitar that you can pick-up between classes, just to minimize any withdrawal symptoms. So...for my 2 cents ... I'd leave the ax at home, and befriend someone who brought theirs! Good excuse to make a new friend, eh?

Thanks. As I think more and more about this, I'm getting less and less excited about the idea of flying with a guitar. I've asked a couple of LA friends if they know anyone who might lend me a guitar for a few days (no news yet), and I was also wondering about renting one from somewhere (maybe W. LA Music?).

I do like playing every day, but you're right that there won't be much free time. Anyway, two more weeks to figure this out!

Richard

[andygabrys]

I've done zero flying with instruments thus far, but my strategy is to bring a very durable axe in a very durable case and insure it up the yingyang. I don't expect my strat will fit in the overhead bin; though I know it's dangerous, I'll probably just check it.

A solid body with a bolt on neck in a hardshell case (esp the molded plastic ones) I think is probably the safest bet or any guitar type - be it carry on or check under. Chances are low that they can even screw up the case (not necessarily so with a wooden framed hardshell case, they can knock the corners off those).

Pray that if you check it, that it comes out on the baggage carousel right side up and doesn't do any cartwheels on the way. Murphy's law favors the opposite situation (personal experience, and this was a hollowbody. uggg. )

[mojobone]

I'm committed to bringing mine; there's a really cool Wednesday night jam at a nearby locale (Melody Bar) that I don't wanna miss. Supposedly, it's attended mainly by heavy-hitters on the local LA scene, so it's not very likely I'll have an opportunity to do more than listen, but if I get a shot at sittin' in, I want the safety net of having a familiar axe handy. I bought a sturdy ABS molded-plastic case with low-profile TSA-approved latches just for the occasion. (though I'm sure it'll come in handy again, sometime-it fits a Tele just as well) No way would I risk any of my archtops, but I've seen Telecasters and at least one Strat that worked fine after a truck backed over it, and that was with no case at all. (it was still in tune, too)

[davidhayesmusic]

Hi Richard,

I attended my first rally last year and brought my acoustic in a hardshell case from Toronto and luckily had no problems. I've also taken it on vacation many times to Barbados without incident. That being said it's not an expensive guitar and I leave my good stuff ie. Taylor Acoustic at home in the studio.
After reading some of the responses I'm debating about bringing it but last year there were some cool "after hours" type jams in and around the hotel.
Good luck and perhaps I'll run into you at the Rally.

Dave