Getting a bass in Cairo?

[Tbeers]

Hi all,
It's been a while since I posted on here. Anyway, I'm going to be studying abroad this spring in Cairo, Egypt. I'd like to have a bass while I'm there. I'm ready to buy a Gage case if I have to, but I would much rather avoid hassle and rent an instrument over there. Does anyone here know someone who knows someone who can point me in the right direction for information? Thus far I haven't been able to dig up anything on my own.
Thanks!
Theo
(I leave on January 27, so this is sort of time sensitive.)

P.S. If you have advice about flying to the Middle East with a bass, that would also be most appreciated. I'm flying EgyptAir from JFK to Cairo. Thanks again.

[bassist14]

is gerd reinke still there? are you studying with him?

[Tbeers]

I haven't seen any evidence that Renke is in Cairo. The bassists in the Cairo Symphony are the following:

Esmat Abbass*
Nermine Abdel-Aziz*
Sherif Elyan*
Ahmed Osman
Iman Mahdy
Samir Abdel-Fattah
Abdel Rahman Ibrahim
Amr Ibrahim
Karim Wassef
Sherine Abdel-Wahab

I don't know who I'll study with over there, if anyone. Making sure I have an instrument is my immediate concern.

[Jazz Ad]

Originally Posted by Tbeers

If you have advice about flying to the Middle East with a bass, that would also be most appreciated. I'm flying EgyptAir from JFK to Cairo. Thanks again.

Pppsssst. Egypt is in Africa, not Middle East

There are music shops there like anywhere else but you're going to have limited choice and insane prices compaired to what you're used.
Buy a decent URB in USA. It will be much easier and cheaper even with shipping. YOu may even make a profit selling it when you leave.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

Pppsssst. Egypt is in Africa, not Middle East

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:G...iddleEast1.png

[Tbeers]

Good point about Africa.... I guess in my bias as a Near Eastern Studies concentrator, I'm eager to make such misattributions! Really all of this is debated. Same thing with Afghanistan – is it Near East, Central Asia, or South Asia? All of the above? And Turkey too – they'd love to be considered European. Anyway such discussions aren't what I intended for this thread.

I already have a cheap bass that I can travel with, so that isn't the obstacle. I'm just not thrilled about the $2900 price tag on the Gage case, or the hassle of getting a bass on a plane, then to my apartment in Cairo.

[bassist14]

Originally Posted by Tbeers

I'm just not thrilled about the $2900 price tag on the Gage case,

you could use one of these:
Foam bass trunks for airline transport?

they cost under 400€ here, and i think they won´t be much more expensive in the usa

[Tbeers]

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to look into alternatives to the Gage.

[NUTT]

Hmm. I studied a broad in Cairo, Illinois for awhile. Not Egypt though (yet). Sounds like fun.

[Khaled]

i can help, message me

[Zwelakhe-Duma]

i'm currently in south africa right now visiting family and playing, and i flew out of jfk on the 23rd december using a david gage flight case and with my bass inside its cover inside the flight case was just under 40 kilos and was only charged $50 baggage fee

[Tbeers]

i bought a flight case from mike asetta in connecticut. it's one of the high density foam cases. bass arrived in cairo without damage. the case is taking visible wear, though. price was right at $600.

[M Ramsey]

Originally Posted by Zwelakhe-Duma

i'm currently in south africa right now visiting family and playing, and i flew out of jfk on the 23rd december using a david gage flight case and with my bass inside its cover inside the flight case was just under 40 kilos and was only charged $50 baggage fee

2 questions. Was your Gage case a newer version? Also, what airlines did you fly on?

[Asetta Strings]

Thanks Theo, Glad to see you and your bass arrived safely. Thanks for purchasing the case.

Mike

www.mikeasetta.com