Tips on flying with a bass guitar

[kev451]

Hello everyone,

I will be flying out west for some shows and I am real nervous about the airline damaging or losing my bass. I will be flying Delta airlines and I was hoping I could take it aboard the plane in a semi hard case. Can anyone provide tips or advice on getting my bass there safely? I really appreciate it. I will be looking at insurance as well for the trip. The bass costs around 800 dollars. It’ s Not my most expensive bass but still isn’t super cheap if something happened to it, plus I would have to scramble to find a bass in another state on short notice.... I will be taking a Sire V7 vintage 5.

SKB Injection molded case. $272.00 on Amazon. I’m active duty Military and have deployed to the middle eats MANY times and have my wife ship one of my basses. This case is TSA approved and if it can handle flying to the Middle East in the worst of conditions it’ll take a Con USA flight. Now mind you I’m having my Spectors shipped. This is me and my Amberburst Spector Euro LX in an undisclosed location in the Middle East. Those cases are Amazeballs.

 

[Happy Jack]

For coach seating, they always board from the rear. At least on JetBlue which I fly allot. Southwest goes by groups, but it is open seating. That’s why I always pay for the early boarding so I am in the first group.

Just flew to/from LA on United. The rear seats were the last boarded, both directions. And both flights were rammed.

I am SO glad that my bass was in a rigid hardcase ...

 

[Das Jugghead]

+1

The absolute safest bet, and what many pro cello players do, buy an extra seat for your bass. I somehow talked Princess Cruises in to doing this for me two times before, and it was glorious! One flight attendant actually made me put it in a closet anyways because it “wasn’t safe,” even when buckled in to a window seat with a seat belt.

Flying with a bass ain’t for the faint of heart!

I watched my vintage jazz bass get thrown off the plane. The case held up, (barely) but I'll never do it again with an expensive instrument. It was quite a few years back, but I suspect it might have been a delta flight. If you can't get it as carry on, I hope you have a good case. I agree with Manticores comments about renting a bass.

A bit off the OP's original query but a story worth relating when it comes to travelling with instruments that you want to arrive in pre-flight condition at your destination.

Years ago I flew TWA from JFK to Frankfurt and on the same flight was a youth orchestra. I noticed a stunningly gorgeous cello player who was speaking with the ticket agent directly ahead of me in line. Her parents had purchased a seat for her cello and the ticket agent was explaining that this was totally unnecessary. The ticket agent described a "white glove service" that would ensure the safety of her prized instrument. After much back and forth the young lady and her parents agreed to this "white glove treatment." You already know where this is going.

An agent came to the counter and confidently told them he would personally carry the instrument to the baggage handler and that the baggage handler would carefully transport the cello to the airplane where it would be "hand loaded" and that they could watch from skyway. Mind you this sacrificial instrument was in a soft case. So there we ended up on the skyway - me mostly because at 13 years of age I couldn't stop looking at the girl and partly because I knew what baggage handlers were (in)famous for.

Out walks the afore-mentioned agent carrying the cello like an offertory which he then handed off to a baggage handler. We stood, staring though the glass windows of the skyway as time practically slowed down. The hand-off went well, the agent turned, smiled, waved at us watching through the windows, and gestured to the baggage handler walking across the concrete to a single cart baggage tug as if he were carrying a newborn child. By this time a crowd had started to gather to see what was going on and as the crowd grew so too grew the log-jam of passengers trying to get to their gates as well as my anticipation of what I knew was to come. He laid the cello ever so carefully in the middle of the baggage cart as it was the sole passenger on this trip to our plane. He turned, faced us on the sky bridge, smiled, pointed at the cello, and waved. At this point another ground person came up to him and began yelling something in his ear and pointing at something or someone we couldn't see at another gate.

As this exchange went on another baggage tug pulled up on the opposite side of the cart containing the cello. The guy got out, and began efficiently throwing suitcases over the top of the baggage cart onto the cello. It was almost in slow motion as an inhuman howl went up from the girl that crescendoed into a desperate shriek. A collective moan issued from the watching crowd and people began pounding on the windows. I am not sure at what point the hand-off man realized what was happening but the next thing I saw was him and the guy who had been talking to him both ripping suitcases off the baggage cart in a frantic attempt to save the cello. It was crushed almost worse than the poor girl's soul. I'll never forget that moment when I looked at the ground crew holding a folding soft case and the girl who had collapsed on the carpet of the skyway and I wasn't sure which I felt worse for.

 

[lermgalieu]

I just detune it, put some socks and undies in with it to make sure it can't move around at all, then put it a hard shell case (I've used molded plastic and stock Fender hardshell cases) and check it. I've flown this way 10-12 times and never had an issue.

 

[guy n. cognito]

I just detune it,

Quite unnecessary.

 

[DigitalMan]

I think they stopped doing that Board From The Back To The Front thing a couple decades or more ago; every flight I've taken in the last ~20 years has boarded by "Groups" which are arbitrarily scattered throughout the cabin.

Correct. Groups are largely based on a combination of status and class of service. Someone can have high status with an airline but sit just about anywhere on the flight based on what seating was available at the time they booked their ticket. For example, United has 5 boarding groups. If you want to carry on a bass, you can probably do it if you are in group 1 or 2, but it is unlikely if you are 3 or below. Also, groups are not equally sized. Over half the plane can be in boarding group 1 if you happen to be flying to or from a United hub city due to the large percentage of flyers who have high status.

 

[lermgalieu]

Quite unnecessary.

If tuning down a whole step is unnecessary, color me apathetic. After all, I didn't say it was necessary. I said it's what I do ;-)

 

[Blissful_Lad]

I'm sure many people will not love my answer, but in the last few years I've been asking the tour manager to just rent a Fender Jazz bass wherever we go.
It's been great. Super consistent, always very well set up and acclimated.
sometimes we play as little as a 40 min set.
Sometimes I have to make minor set up adjustments but I'm very happy just always having a bass there waiting for me and once we're done I just put it back on the stand and walk away!

BEST solution. Double Bassists have been doing this since the beginning. How many pianist travel with their 9' Steinway? Just rent! Rent the Uber driver, rent the hotel, rent the back line, rent the bass.

 

[whero]

Here in New Zealand (so not really relevant to the OP) due to the size of the country we have a high percentage of smaller turbo prop planes mixed in with the larger jets. With the exception of a couple of main routes, you never know what you're going to get. These puddle jumpers have no room in the cabin for big things like guitar cases. So (and this is where it should get relevant) my advice is to always arrive at the airport assuming you will have to check the bass in. This means:

1. Make sure it's in a decent hard case that fits it well. Add some extra padding if you have to. My last hard case was a generic one so I glued a little extra foam into it so the cut-out fitted the bass like a glove.
2. Consider an additional luggage strap to keep the case closed in the event of lock/catch damage. You can get TSA approved ones.
3. Have the case well labelled with your name and contact details. I also have "Reward offered if found" written at the bottom of my address tag.
4. Put a couple of FRAGILE! stickers on the case if you can find some and tie the airline's official FRAGILE! tag to the handle. You should find these at the check in area where the baggage name/address tags are found.
5. If you check it in you'll get the sticky baggage label with your name, flight number, etc. on it. Make sure you get a sticker with the label number to put on your boarding pass or, if they can't give you one, take a photo of the number/bar code with your phone, in case you have to chase it up with the airline later.
6. Get adequate insurance that will cover you for loss and damage. Many generic travel insurance policies only cover loss, and reimburse you by weight, so if the bass goes missing, any payout you get won't cover replacement.

 

[BurningSkies]

I'm doing this gig at the end of summer. It's a pickup that I'm learning 60min of material (along with my drummer) and we're running riddim for a band at a reggae festival in St. Lucia.

The event booking people have promised that I'll have a 5 string on stage for use when we get there, but holy carp do I not trust that...and I'm prone to sleepless nights over such things. With a guitar I probably won't worry as much, given that 95% of guitars will be a 6-string whatever. But I'm never convinced that the production people will be on top of a 4 v. 5 string and don't want to be scouring St. Lucia on saturday afternoon for a playable 5 string. I'm not going to be checking any of my Dingwalls either.

My solution is to buy a Steinberger XT-25 for the sitch. If I like it enough and get the vibe that I'll be flying more I'll keep it. Otherwise I'll sell it, take a $100-ish hit on my balance sheet for the gig. I should be able to easily carry it on, stow it overhead, etc.

 

[AcridSaint]

I have successfully taken a bass on a plane exactly once. Most flights I've been forced to gate check. One trip I was forced to check it when I checked my bags. Although many people have told me that you can nearly always carry it on and worst-case gate check, my experience is that best case is gate checking. I would not bring it to the airport with anything that you don't trust to be checked with regular baggage.

 

[pudge]

SBK bass safe is pretty solid.Stuff yur gig bagged bas inside and go.Make sure you gate check it.

 

[Inky13]

Thrust, Lift and Drag. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

 

[Kmonk]

I have flown with my bass many times. I always call the airline ahead of time. They check the type of plane to make sure the bass will fit in the overhead bin or the closet at the front or back of the plane. Then they put a note in the system so that when I get to the check-in counter, they are aware that I will be flying with my bass. I’ve never had a problem.

 

[AcridSaint]

I have successfully taken a bass on a plane exactly once. Most flights I've been forced to gate check. One trip I was forced to check it when I checked my bags. Although many people have told me that you can nearly always carry it on and worst-case gate check, my experience is that best case is gate checking. I would not bring it to the airport with anything that you don't trust to be checked with regular baggage.

I should also add that when I checked my bass, I watched it get launched through the "fragile items" curtains. Literally thrown blindly through, with other fragile items and crated animals on the other side of the curtains. So, check it with a case that you trust to have that happen. Or bring a bass that you can stand getting trashed.

 

[Bflat]

I've flown twice with a bass guitar both times on Delta, the first time I was asked to check a Ibanez acoustic bass at the gate..... when I got it back they had broken one of the tuners, not a great day!!!! the second time I bought an extra seat for the Audiovox 736 bass from Seattle to Atlanta, 300 dollars. I told them it was the first bass ever made in 1936 and I don't trust anyone to touch it......I even brought a front page Article on it from the Seattle paper......So when I got to the airport everyone wanted to see it and of course I was nice and polite to them, but I told them this was reported all over the world and I'm sure they wanted good press from it. They couldn't have been nicer, they even served it snacks and drinks!! I had to seatbelt it and it had to fit in the seat with the original case, but we made it......real fun trip

 

[user362432]

I am just lucky one. I don't fly.
These days, flying is a hassle. But, from the moment they setup airport Gestapo, I said: I am done.
Couple of months ago, there was a situation to go to Europe and do some stuff, than next year something larger and I was seriously thinking what to do. My conclusion - I would just buy some Squier, do a little work and at the end of gigs, I would either sell it or give it away. It's not worth so much hassle.
Thank God, that thing in Europe is not happening. So, I am in peace.

 

[Happy Jack]

BEST solution. Double Bassists have been doing this since the beginning. How many pianist travel with their 9' Steinway? Just rent! Rent the Uber driver, rent the hotel, rent the back line, rent the bass.

Best just rent a local bass player then ...

 

[Bob_Ross]

My solution is to buy a Steinberger XT-25 for the sitch.

An expensive solution, but probably one of the safest: Every time I fly with my Steinberger L-2 it goes into the cabin with me as carry-on luggage, fits in the overhead bin with no problem, it is the most worry-free/no-hassle travel bass I ever had to deal with. No flight attendant or TSA agent has ever questioned it or even looked sideways at it (or perhaps even noticed it). No heavy/bulky ATA flight cases, no oversized luggage fees, no "should I ship this air freight and pray that flight coincides with my passenger flight?" logistics, no "I wonder if they'll let me bring this onboard or make me gate-check it?" angst. 100% worry-free. If I can get away with playing a 4-string bass on any of my fly gigs I don't even think twice about it: Just grab the 'berger.

 

[BurningSkies]

An expensive solution, but probably one of the safest: Every time I fly with my Steinberger L-2 it goes into the cabin with me as carry-on luggage, fits in the overhead bin with no problem, it is the most worry-free/no-hassle travel bass I ever had to deal with. No flight attendant or TSA agent has ever questioned it or even looked sideways at it (or perhaps even noticed it). No heavy/bulky ATA flight cases, no oversized luggage fees, no "should I ship this air freight and pray that flight coincides with my passenger flight?" logistics, no "I wonder if they'll let me bring this onboard or make me gate-check it?" angst. 100% worry-free. If I can get away with playing a 4-string bass on any of my fly gigs I don't even think twice about it: Just grab the 'berger.

Depends...What I get out of it, is having played the bass before getting to the gig, knowing I'm getting a required 5 string and roughly what it will sound like. Some sleep because I'm not worrying. The basic cheap Steiny is ~450 new, they sell used for 300-350 if I want, after the gig. It'll be a wood one rather than a graphite composite, but even so... I may decide to keep it in the tour van as a backup since it doesn't take up much space.