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Airline travel with prized possession

#41
Garry Goodman said:
Hawaiian Air has never damaged any of my gear and I've flown as much as ten flights a week with them between 1984-2006.
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Hawaiian is the best, I fly them whenever I have the choice. I don't trust most of the other airlines as much though.

On another subject, I met you about ten years ago. I was in a country band here in Honolulu with a couple of guys that knew you, and you came over to our keyboard player's apartment and demonstrated your technique on your Fender Bass VI. We were all very impressed. I guess you've moved up to what, 11 or 12 strings now?
 
#42
Showdown said:
Hawaiian is the best, I fly them whenever I have the choice. I don't trust most of the other airlines as much though.

On another subject, I met you about ten years ago. I was in a country band here in Honolulu with a couple of guys that knew you, and you came over to our keyboard player's apartment and demonstrated your technique on your Fender Bass VI. We were all very impressed. I guess you've moved up to what, 11 or 12 strings now?
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Hows it? I took my Fender there between 1982-86 then in 1990 for a short time, but mostly I used my Tobias 7-string from 1988-1999.
So maybe the early 90's?
What was the band name? Diamond Back? Who else was in the band? Good to find you on here!

Yeah, 7,9,11 and 12.
 
#43
Garry Goodman said:
Hows it? I took my Fender there between 1982-86 then in 1990 for a short time, but mostly I used my Tobias 7-string from 1988-1999.
So maybe the early 90's?
What was the band name? Diamond Back? Who else was in the band? Good to find you on here!

Yeah, 7,9,11 and 12.
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The band was called Showdown (that's where my moniker came from). Our singer Steve had been in Diamondback, this was after that. The other members of the band were Mike Hemm, Tommy Miske and Eugene Matsumura. It would have been around 1998, at Mike's apartment nicknamed the "rathole" on Isenburg. Mike's roommate was a bass player named Miguel. It was definately your Bass VI that you were playing that day. It stuck with me enough that I eventually bought a Schecter Hellcat VI. I never learned to play it like you though....
 
#44
Garry Goodman said:
Also,look into insurance to cover the cost of the bass. Mine are one of a kind, and I finally learned to travel with basses that can be more easily replaced.
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Where do you find an 11-string SX? ;)

But seriously, even though I don't spend anything close to what you spend on basses, I recently bought an SX Precision copy to fly so I don't have to fly my more valuable basses, none of which cost more than $1500. It's the cheapest bass on the market, it sounds great even though it doesn't feel great, and if the airlines break it, you're only out $110.
 
#45
I just found this a few minutes ago here at work. Starting Thursday,you will be able to carry on guitars,and small musical instruments on board Delta aircraft as a carry on.Provided they fit in the overhead bins,or in another storage area in the cabin like a coat closet.This rule has been kind of on and off since 2001,but it's official now for Delta customers.It should be on Delta's homepage.
 
#47
73jbass said:
I just found this a few minutes ago here at work. Starting Thursday,you will be able to carry on guitars,and small musical instruments on board Delta aircraft as a carry on.Provided they fit in the overhead bins,or in another storage area in the cabin like a coat closet.This rule has been kind of on and off since 2001,but it's official now for Delta customers.It should be on Delta's homepage.
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If I am not misktaken, Delta has been the subject of a boycott by most muscians union members. Globally, they have had one of the very worst records in dealing with musicians and their instruments.:mad: :spit:

I will wait and see. I hope that other airlines follow Delta's lead, assuming it is genuine. If Delta does follow through, it would be a good thing. However, I must admit I am skeptical. Fed-Ex is still the airline for my Sadowsky--until I see and hear a lot of evidence. :eyebrow:

But...if you are interested in checking out the record of your US airline at handling baggage and being on time, etc., :ninja: go here:

Link Removed

Some amazing info there. :D :D :D
 
#50
Joe Nerve said:
Sorry, but that is simply NOT true. I've travelled (in bands) and over time seen roughly 5 dozen taped cases get checked in without a single one getting opened up and retaped. I'm certain of it as we all had our own duct tape and know how we taped em shut. Not sure why people make the claim that you do. Do you think they open every piece of luggage also?
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i flew with my bass, cables, and a minidisc player in my gig bag, packed inside a cardboard box with packing peanuts.

when i got it back on the other end, there was a TSA sticker, everything had been unpacked and repacked, and they seperated the tape inside my minidisc from the player.

im going to start flying with a rack. im sure they are going to **** when they see a 16 space rack with all those cables and synth boxes on the X-Ray. :o
 
#51
Jim Carr said:
If I am not misktaken, Delta has been the subject of a boycott by most muscians union members. Globally, they have had one of the very worst records in dealing with musicians and their instruments.:mad: :spit:

I will wait and see. I hope that other airlines follow Delta's lead, assuming it is genuine. If Delta does follow through, it would be a good thing. However, I must admit I am skeptical. Fed-Ex is still the airline for my Sadowsky--until I see and hear a lot of evidence. :eyebrow:

But...if you are interested in checking out the record of your US airline at handling baggage and being on time, etc., :ninja: go here:

Link Removed

Some amazing info there. :D :D :D
Click to expand...


i work for delta. :o

as an employee i fly free anywhere, anytime, so i take what i get. :o

from experience, i will say, if you are going to fly 4 or more times a year with your instrument, just put the thing in a damn ATA approved flight case and be done with it.
 
#52
The last time I flew, I put my bass case in a big cardboard box. I put all of my dirty laundry from the trip in with it on the way home. I got a search letter and can only imagine how it must have gone for the poor bugger that went through it.
 
#54
All I have to offer here is my own limited experience:

Regular hardshells should not be checked! Not only are the latches weak, the case itself is weak. I checked a standard Fender molded case once, brand new, first time ever. I duct taped all the latches, and all the way around the case. Came out on the other end with one completely destroyed latch, and several large holes in the case.

Anvil types cases are good; the latches are recessed and it would take a serious impace to puncture one. Mine's been around the world multiple times, and while it's not pretty and it's a little twisted, nothing's ever been damaged. Always tape over the latches, even if they are recessed. Maybe the tape will be breached, maybe not, but it sure can't hurt.

I'd like to see a modern interpretation of the anvil flight case, along the lines of what some guys are making for double basses. i.e. lightweight composites, light alloy hardware, air bags, wheels, etc.

Also, I'd really like to see more basses built with bolt on necks and threaded inserts, and cases to match so that a bass could easilly be packed into a much smaller case or bag. That way it could go as carry on for sure; a soft sided case with an internal from, that looks like a suitcase. Also, the big anvil cases don't fit in a lot of cars. Ever ridden with one in a cab? Anvil case on your lap, head/small rack next to you, and the 410 in the trunk... No fun.
 
#56
toman said:
All I have to offer here is my own limited experience:

Regular hardshells should not be checked! Not only are the latches weak, the case itself is weak. I checked a standard Fender molded case once, brand new, first time ever. I duct taped all the latches, and all the way around the case. Came out on the other end with one completely destroyed latch, and several large holes in the case.

Anvil types cases are good; the latches are recessed and it would take a serious impace to puncture one. Mine's been around the world multiple times, and while it's not pretty and it's a little twisted, nothing's ever been damaged. Always tape over the latches, even if they are recessed. Maybe the tape will be breached, maybe not, but it sure can't hurt.

I'd like to see a modern interpretation of the anvil flight case, along the lines of what some guys are making for double basses. i.e. lightweight composites, light alloy hardware, air bags, wheels, etc.

Also, I'd really like to see more basses built with bolt on necks and threaded inserts, and cases to match so that a bass could easilly be packed into a much smaller case or bag. That way it could go as carry on for sure; a soft sided case with an internal from, that looks like a suitcase. Also, the big anvil cases don't fit in a lot of cars. Ever ridden with one in a cab? Anvil case on your lap, head/small rack next to you, and the 410 in the trunk... No fun.
Click to expand...
SKB makes a lightweight composite flight case with wheels called the Bass Safe. So the next generation of bass flight cases is happening.

But as far as bolt-on necks and threaded inserts, pass. Traveling to gigs by plane is hard enough without having to re-assemble a bass in your hotel room. Sure, it only takes a few minutes to screw the neck back on. But then you'd have to give it a whole new setup because it's almost certain that the neck isn't going to bolt back on exactly like it was before. I can almost guarantee it will need a truss rod tweak and an action reset at least one out of every two times you re-bolt it. That's too much work for me. Fortunately I always get picked up in either a large van, bus, or a limo, so jamming everything into a taxi is not usually an issue.
 
#57
I haven't taken the neck off and on a bass frequently, so I can't say for certain, but it seems to me like it should be easy enough for a quality instrument to have an accurately made neck pocket and corresponding neck/hardware to get a tight fit. Look at firearm magazine wells; same kind of idea, only simpler on a bass. Maybe a machined metal neck pocket lining? And as for the neck and truss rod, ok, we'll go to a composite neck. With all the active electronics and the options in body materials, I seriously doubt it would comprimise the tone of a bolt on bass.
 
#58
I have flown all over the world with my basses, always as checked baggage, usually just in a stock case. What I do is pack all the voids in the case with socks, t shirts and undies. Shut the case and leave unlocked and secure with 2 luggage straps. Then I COMPLETLY overwrap the the entire case with packing film which is like heavy-duty Saran Wrap/Glad wrap cling wrap stuff that they wrap up pallets for shipment. And dont be stingy with the wrap ...use like 10 meters and leave the handle free. Some airports (like San Francisco)have a wrapping service and charge like $5. Office supply stores usually have the wrap.
Never had any damage except a knocked off handle.
 

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