I was preparing to investigate options for checking my bass on a flight to Europe this summer for a short tour in Scandinavia my new band is doing when our drummer posted this.
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Checking your bass guitar on an airplane
- Thread starter mdlewis
- Start date
Hope theres a special place in HELL for this guy!
I just saw that video an hour ago.......somebody needs to baggage handle him!!!!
Buy a seat on the plane for your bass. It has to be done in advance, and usually can't be done online, you have to call the carrier. They'll most likely try their hardest to wiggle their way out of selling you the ticket, but this type of stuff is governed by international conventions/regulations and they can't deny you the ticket if your bass meets the size and weight requirements, which it most likely will.
Been there and done that personally.
Good luck.
Been there and done that personally.
Good luck.
He works at LAX, so he's already in hell.
Of all the places to commute to for an unskilled, labor-inteslnsive job. Ya. He's there and he's dragging every guitar down with him. Insert "straight to jail" meme here. Eff that guy.
Probably the cheapest and safest option:
Take a bolt on bass, disasemble the neck and stuff both the neck and body inside a suitcase using your clothes as padding.
Also, if you fold the neck part of a soft-ish gig bag inward you can use it as a carry on backpack. That way you have a gig bag when you get there.
Take a bolt on bass, disasemble the neck and stuff both the neck and body inside a suitcase using your clothes as padding.
Also, if you fold the neck part of a soft-ish gig bag inward you can use it as a carry on backpack. That way you have a gig bag when you get there.
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I can just see taking that through TSA checkpoint. They wouldn't know what it was, and wouldn't believe you when you told them. Remember when we had to open and turn on laptops to prove they weren't bombs? Well, it follows that you would have to reassemble and play it for them before they would allow it to pass.
From experience, I will say that investing in an SKB or similar level flight case is one of the few solid solutions, if you are unwilling or unable to purchase a ticket for the instrument, or not keen on disassembling and reassembling it.
In 2017, i was on tour with Strand of Oaks, and our very first show was in Minneapolis, at First Avenue. Our guitarist, Jason, had just purchased a brand new Fender Strat, that came with a “flight case” made by Fender and a perk from the music store he got it from…he was so confident…until we arrived at the baggage carousel and my G&L ASAT came down in the stock hardshell case, totally unharmed…his guitar was nowhere to be found…we walked over to the help desk, and there it was, the case looked like someone had torn off almost all of the outer shell, revealing only the styrofoam…our hearts sank…he opened it up, and luckily it was ok…fortunately, the clerk for the airline asked him how much it cost for a new case…i told him to say $350 or more and she just wrote him out a check on the spot, which he used to buy a new case.
Tim, from Strand of Oaks, later said to both of us…don’t take any chances, just buy an SKB flight case and all will be good…there were still a few times we watched handlers tossing our gear, but everything survived the abuse, until the TSA agents opened the cases and damaged them by mishandling them, causing cracks in the finish, or damage to hardware…things you don’t always notice right away, until you’re at a gig setting up. I know there are really good baggage handlers and TSA agents, and i want to give people the benefit of the doubt, and hope that they consider that musicians are probably making even less than they are at their jobs. Especially with all the crap they’re currently dealing with, it can’t be easy to feel good about your job…but definitely not cool to destroy someone else’s property like that.
If you do get a heavy duty SKB or similar case, I recommend getting one with TSA approved locks. Also, loosen your strings a little, and fill any loose areas within the case with cloth/clothing, etc, so there is less room for things to move about, should someone out there be feeling ape-like that day.
Another option to consider, is borrowing/renting an instrument in whatever country you’re traveling to, or taking an instrument that you are certain can do the job, but aren’t as worried about getting damaged. Friends of mine have traveled with their beat up chipboard cases and have never had any issues…their thought is that maybe the baggage handlers feel especially sorry for someone that can’t afford a better case.
Lastly, this may or may not still be the situation, but i also learned on that tour, that if i traveled with a short scale mustang bass, and i was able to book a seat at the very back of the plane, i could stow it between my seat and the wall behind, and sometimes, the flight attendant would offer to stow it in one of their cabinets, rather than trying to stuff it in the overhead bin.
In 2017, i was on tour with Strand of Oaks, and our very first show was in Minneapolis, at First Avenue. Our guitarist, Jason, had just purchased a brand new Fender Strat, that came with a “flight case” made by Fender and a perk from the music store he got it from…he was so confident…until we arrived at the baggage carousel and my G&L ASAT came down in the stock hardshell case, totally unharmed…his guitar was nowhere to be found…we walked over to the help desk, and there it was, the case looked like someone had torn off almost all of the outer shell, revealing only the styrofoam…our hearts sank…he opened it up, and luckily it was ok…fortunately, the clerk for the airline asked him how much it cost for a new case…i told him to say $350 or more and she just wrote him out a check on the spot, which he used to buy a new case.
Tim, from Strand of Oaks, later said to both of us…don’t take any chances, just buy an SKB flight case and all will be good…there were still a few times we watched handlers tossing our gear, but everything survived the abuse, until the TSA agents opened the cases and damaged them by mishandling them, causing cracks in the finish, or damage to hardware…things you don’t always notice right away, until you’re at a gig setting up. I know there are really good baggage handlers and TSA agents, and i want to give people the benefit of the doubt, and hope that they consider that musicians are probably making even less than they are at their jobs. Especially with all the crap they’re currently dealing with, it can’t be easy to feel good about your job…but definitely not cool to destroy someone else’s property like that.
If you do get a heavy duty SKB or similar case, I recommend getting one with TSA approved locks. Also, loosen your strings a little, and fill any loose areas within the case with cloth/clothing, etc, so there is less room for things to move about, should someone out there be feeling ape-like that day.
Another option to consider, is borrowing/renting an instrument in whatever country you’re traveling to, or taking an instrument that you are certain can do the job, but aren’t as worried about getting damaged. Friends of mine have traveled with their beat up chipboard cases and have never had any issues…their thought is that maybe the baggage handlers feel especially sorry for someone that can’t afford a better case.
Lastly, this may or may not still be the situation, but i also learned on that tour, that if i traveled with a short scale mustang bass, and i was able to book a seat at the very back of the plane, i could stow it between my seat and the wall behind, and sometimes, the flight attendant would offer to stow it in one of their cabinets, rather than trying to stuff it in the overhead bin.
I've only flown with a bass a handful of times but each was a nightmare.
Finding a bass to rent or borrow while you're there is your best bet.
Finding a bass to rent or borrow while you're there is your best bet.
I've flown 4 times with a bass in the last few years. Good HS case once, otherwise a decent gig bag ( a Mono most recently). Gate checked the bass all 4 times. There and back, no problems.
Biggest problem was trying to fit the HS case into the rental car.
I travel with an inexpensive, completely replaceable Squier.
YMMV.
Biggest problem was trying to fit the HS case into the rental car.
I travel with an inexpensive, completely replaceable Squier.
YMMV.
I was on a flight last week and someone had one in a hard case as a carry on bag. The staff had to clear overhead space for him, but they did. Flight was out of Nashville, maybe they see this a lot there?
I fly with my bagpipes all the time (always disassembled in my carry-on)...there has been exactly ONE time where I wasn't pulled out of line and asked to show the TSA what they were. I'm guessing that most of the time people have never actually seen bagpipes in person and were curious. (that one time...my whole band was flying to a competition and by the time they got to me, ten other pipers had gone through the line.
I took a neck only through TSA two years ago. I had previously shipped a neck to an out of State luthier for work. I later made the trip and picked it up and flew home, they of course asked what it is.
I've flown with my bass too many times to count. Successfully flying with a bass stress free, particularly internationally, boils down to using a proper case. This case takes whatever the ground crew monkeys can to to it and keeps my bass safe. Put the bass in the case and check it. Leave the case unlocked so TSA or the international equivalent won't have to break the case open to inspect it. Easy.
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I think you would buy an appropriate case for them to travel in, which NONE of those cases in the video are. The pearl clutching and finger pointing in this thread is hilarious. Flight cases are a couple hundred bucks. So are cheap bases, so are rental bases. Pick your poison, or stay home.
