will the TSA pay attention to my note?

No clue, good luck with that.

 

Probably not. And that key/lock combination is probably not going to stop anyone who wants the contents of the case.

 

Not a chance in hell they'll even read it.

 

Are you assuming someone would steal the bass and leave the case behind? I'm not sure that locking a case does any good in preventing theft in any situation. I'm not really sure why cases have locks, to be honest.

 

If they read it on this end, not sure what will happen in customs on the other end

 

Well, case locks are very useful - they practically ensure that you will not have the hassle of dealing with an empty case for which you no longer have the corresponding instrument!

 

And probably may as well put a sign on it saying "please don't steal, very valuable to me". Kinda like the old "kick me" sign taped to the back gag.

 

If you can't carry it on and put it in a suit closet or behind the last row of non-reclining seats then you should take the effort to pack the case in a box (make one if you have to) and pack it well with lots of stiff Styrofoam or wrapped in a couple of moving blankets inside the box. Use small blocks of Styrofoam inside the guitar case to keep the case from compressing if it gets stepped on. It will be big, difficult to throw and won't look like a guitar.

 

I'd have a better chance of teaching my cats to read that. If they had that Star Wars system like they stored Han Solo in, that would be a great way to ship a bass.

 

Can you perhaps ship it ahead of you? Like, ship it to your hotel.

 

On a serious note, I work in the shipping industry and when I find notes like that I take them seriously. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one that respects other peoples property and you might get lucky and a bass player might be checking it as long as they aren't gassing for a new MM.

 

What if it gets inspected twice? Without the key the second inspector will just break the lock.

 

TSA= Thousands Stqnding Around

Not likely they'll even be able to read that note.

 

Don't they have keys to the TSA locks? I thought that was the idea behind TSA cases.

 

Domestic flights, I always carry my bass with me (FAA has ruled in favor of musicians on this issue). Not so sure about international flights. Man, good luck with this one!

 

After a reading again, the OP doesn't have a TSA case. Sorry.

 

TSA people can READ?

Get a TSA type luggage strap and put it around the case. They can open it with their own key and snap it closed again.

 

Why not unscrew the neck, pack both the body and neck in a backpack that you can carry on and reassemble it when you get to your destination? You could pick up a cheap gig bag and fold it up in your checked baggage, as well as checking your strings and accessories. This way your bass itself is never away from you.

I've not traveled to Buenos Aires but I'd suggest checking with customs on both ends to see what they will and won't let in and out of their countries.

 

Case locks are pretty useless against theft (much like those tiny personal safes), but they do help in keeping the case closed during transit. It'd really suck if in the course of bouncing around in the baggage area, the latches got popped open and the bass itself took a trip around the compartment.