Bass in case - mistaken for a rifle?

LOL.

This is a story I've told more than once, so I'll do my best to keep it short.

Airport. Don't remember where I was traveling to, but think it was overseas. I go to check my bass, yeah I'm nuts like that sometimes. Woman asks me whats in the case. I said, "A bass guitar". She says, sorry but we're going to have to check that out. I had the case taped up, mind you. She puts it in a small room behind her, and I have to wait a while for some official looking dude to come assist in checking it out. They take me into the room, open up the case, and the woman says, "It's a guitar????" I'm dumbfounded, and say, "Yes. That's what I told you." She laughs and says, "I thought you said it was a rifle."

The end.

 

Seen lots of Steinbergers in rifle cases. I can see where that's confusing.
But regular bass guitar hard shell?
Some people really need to get out more. Rifles aren't that shape.

 

Yes. Thin rectangles.

Not big wide fat ones.

 

My little violin bass came in a camo rifle case, that's the only case I have for it. Really, I'm not that kinda guy!

 

Round these parts no one would care either way

 

I'm actually on the hunt (no pun intended) for a cheap rifle or shotgun case for my travel bass. I'm sure it will get a few looks of concern.

A friend of mine who travels all over Europe and the USA to play once got asked what was in her case around 10 years ago. Now, this is an acoustic guitar case, so it's shaped like a guitar. Couldn't really be mistaken for anything else. My friend, who had been having a pretty frustrating time on that particular trip, without thinking through the consequences said "it's a guitar shaped bomb" very sarcastically. BAD MOVE!. She then spent a few hours answering questions and missed her flight. Managed to write a pretty cool song about it so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

 

Yep. Traveling this holiday through LAX with my Hohner B2B Steinberger clone and have received LOTS of scrutiny from airport police. Can't blame them. Scarey times.

 

A couple of years ago I was traveling through the Minneapolis airport and had my bass on my back in a gig bag and a couple of guys asked me what kind of rifle I had. I went uhh it's not a rifle it's a bass guitar why would you ask that and then go well it's hunting season we were just curious.

 

The proper reply to "Do you have any weapons?" Is "What do you need?"

 

Blame the prohibition era mobsters depicted in the old black and white movies. They were known to cary their tommy guns in violin cases.

"We're uh... Musicians. Yeah, that's it. Musicians."

 

Desperado carried weapon(s) in his acoustic case:

 

I walked into my Silicon Valley hi-rise office one morning a few years ago with my Steinie in a Cabela's camo rifle case and the security guard jokingly stopped me exclaiming: "Noooo! Not on my shift!!!" Fortunately he was used to seeing me with a bass case/gig bag in hand a few days a week (I hate leaving gear in cars after too many thefts) and knew what I was up to!

 

Do a search, but you'll find some tactical/AR cases that are very close in dimensions to guitar cases and even a few that are close to bass size. Either way, aside from a few worried bystanders it doesn't really matter, because with some exceptions there's nothing illegal about a rifle in a case, much less a bass.

 

I bought a used bass that was in a rifle case. I don't travel to the airport with it but I use it to transport both my bass or my rifles. Win-win!

 

Bass gig bags are the right size to carry an AR-15 or a shotgun