Putting a bass in the hold of an aircraft.

[Blapto]

Specifically, a Godin A5 (hollowbody).
It would be a large aircraft (intercontinental) and would be in a hard shell case. Has anybody done something like this before, or should I ground freight it and wait 4-6 weeks?

Thanks

Martin

[Pacman]

I just checked a Tacoma Thunderchief in its hardcase and traveled halfway around the world, twice. It came through without a scratch.


And that included trips through a war zone....

[dunmire]

Not a bad idea to loosen the strings a touch, but yes--it should be fine.

[Stanley Design]

Maybe if you want some extra protection wrap the case in bubble wrap a bunch and shove it all into a big box snuggly.

[davidmurphy]

Originally Posted by dunmire

Not a bad idea to loosen the strings a touch, but yes--it should be fine.

+1

I've heard that if the strings are on as normal, the change in pressure can warp the neck & loosening the strings helps.

Could be one of the many untrue myths around but why take the risk.

Don't forget to stick a couple of Fragile stickers on it too. Just to make sure the baggage handlers throw it around as much as possible!

[theshadow2001]

I doubt a difference in pressure would do much to the bass. You'd probably do more to the neck by tuning up or down a half step.

Originally Posted by Todd Stanley

Maybe if you want some extra protection wrap the case in bubble wrap a bunch and shove it all into a big box snuggly.

+1 thats what I'd do. Wrap one hell of a lot of bubble wrap around the case. It would protect it from being thrown a significant distance. However it would probably not do much if there's a bunch of crap thrown on top of it.

[Blapto]

I'm considering getting one of those bulky aluminium flight cases, the types designed for cameras.

[Stanley Design]

The aluminum cases RULE