Hello, I haven't been on here in a while and i hope you are all doing well.

On wensday I'm flying from BWI to Ontario california, 15 miles north of the fender factory in Corona. I'll be gone for 2 weeks and i really want to bring my set neck Schecter guitar.

Now i have been doing reasearch on what to do and what airline to fly, and how to pack my guitar.

Here is what i know:
1. According to this article (http://www.cathedralguitar.com/Perf/Airlines.html) one of the airlines that will usually allow you two carry-on a guitar is Southwest Airlines.
2. In negotiations between the musicians union and the tsa, you are allowed to carry musical instruments.
3. If i can't carry-on my guitar, or put it in the closet in the cabin, the next best thing is to Gate Check it.
4. I should pack loose areas of the case with cloth like t-shirts and wrap one around the headstock to prevent movement inside of the case and to prevent whiplash.

Now why i'm here

Things i'm not clear on
1. Does it matter if i detune my guitar or leave it in standard tuning?
2. Should i lock my case and attach the key?
3. Should i tape my latches?

Even though i'm carrying it on, i still want to be extra careful while packing incase I have to gate check it.

Any advice will be appreciated!

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Shecter C-1 plus
squier stratocaster
yamaha rbx170(bass)
epiphone dr-100(acoustic)
Fender FM65DSP(amp)

Hi there,

1. Yes, you should. As shaking of the airplane might exert even more pressure on the neck which is already having strings apply standard tension to it. I usually detune my guitars by a step or a step and a half.

2. Yes but why attach the key? Whoever wants to check it would check it before you put it in. So basically after the weighing point no one should open the bags. I always code lock my luggage just after checkpoints.

3. it's always a good idea yes. As they're gonna be shoving the case around a hell lot. Honestly I never trusted any airliner personally with musical instruments taken beyond my sight; Even the "number 1 worldwide" airliners, Emirates airlines. It does not only depend on the airliner's staff, there's also the airport staff which tend to not care at all.

I would personally say that if you can't take it with you to the cabin, just don't bother. It's too much risk for a couple of weeks.

Just my personal opinion.

Cheers,
Sami

If your case is inferior in any way, be it old or worn or of poor construction, buy a flight case! They're huge and expensive, but they will protect your instrument.

The packing is definitely a good idea for standard cases: I use those thin foam sheets that sometimes come wrapped around plates or the like. They can be easily manipulated to fit inside the case and, particularly, around the headstock. Brace it well because, if your guitar is going to break, it will break near the nut or, perhaps, where the neck joins the body. Those are the weak areas, so give the neck every bit of support you can.

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?t=24577

_________________
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." Mahatma Gandhi

Owner of:
-2008 American Standard Strat in Candy Cola Red
-Vibro-Champ XD
-Fender CD-60 Acoustic (Sunburst)

Hi Greeneyes: well, didn't Nils Lofgren use a trampoline for doing mid-air somersaults on stage? That's a bit like flying...

***

And more seriously: if you need the guitar for earning your living whilst away then of course you've got to take it. This issue is what the "flight case" was invented to help with.

If you're just taking the guitar for fun, well then as has been mentioned by diSEMBOWELMENT I think it's a lot of hassle for a little advantage. Give yourself a couple of weeks off from the guitar - strangely, our playing often benefits from a break.

But otherwise, this situation is what "travel guitars" were invented to help with.

Lot of fun options in that field...

Good luck - C

Not Sure If you Read this yet, But hopefully it helps :

http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?di ... rticle=346

Continental and Jet Blue allow you to take guitars on board as long as they fit in the overheads. I've travelled both without any problems on Boeing 737s, 757s, and AirBus 319s/320s. In fact I just came back from Jersey last week with my son's Strat on Continental. They even mention guitars on their website

"Musical Instruments

Musical instruments can be carried on board or checked as baggage. If necessary, a seat can also be purchased for an instrument.

Carried on Board

A small musical instrument can be carried on as a personal item. If the musical instrument appears too large or irregularly shaped to fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment, it will not be accepted for in cabin stowage.

Checked as Baggage

* Instrument should be in a hard shell case to protect it during normal handling.
* Excess charges apply if checking more than the baggage allowance.
* Oversize charges apply to musical instruments that measure 90 - 115 linear inches.
* Overweight charges apply to musical instruments that are over 50 pounds.
* Musical instruments over 70 pounds will not be accepted.
* If the instrument is over 115 linear inches, contact Reservations.

In addition to the above polices, stringed instruments should have the strings loosened to protect the neck from damage due to expansion and contraction which result from temperature variations.

Cabin Seat Baggage

* Continental will allow a customer to purchase a ticket for a musical instrument which is too fragile or bulky to be handled as checked baggage. Upright Basses and Contra Basses will not be accepted as Cabin Seat Baggage.

Excess Valuation may not be purchased for musical instruments."

Hope this helps

_________________
Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

The agreement with the TSA doesn't mean squat to the airlines. If their policy does not allow it as carry on you may not even be allowed to carry it to the gate.

DO NOT lock your case unless you have TSA approved locks. If you lock the case and TSA can't unlock it, they WILL break the locks any way they can.

Come prepared to check your guitar as baggage and do loosen the strings. It depends as much on the airport as it does the carrier. airports like Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta, etc., that see a lot of musicians come through are more lenient than smaller regional airports that see very few musicians.

So far I have not had an instrument damaged and I have watched the baggage handlers load my guitar very gently on the plane, but I have had gate agents give me fits!

_________________
Frank
A legend in my own mind.

Apparently United is a bad choice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

(for those of you who haven't already seen this)

I just got back from Huntington Beach with mine. Flew Northwest, US Air and United (long story) and had no problems. Set up my flights through Cheaptickets, which told me what airliner would be on each leg. Stayed on 757s and Airbus 319/320s. Carried aboard in a gigbag. Got seats in the back, so I could load first. Put the guitar in the overhead, put my laptop in front and then asked someone with a smaller bag to fill in the space. No fuss, no muss.......nobody blinked an eye. I carried a screwdriver to break her dowm (Strat) in case they insisted on checking it.

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Will

Your going to be in the air no time from ontariao to cali. detune to D and wrap your guitar in that temperature proof foam that far east guitars come wrapped in, in the box. Make sure your axe is in a very solid box and your laughin mate. I used to wrap clothes i was takin on tour around the guitar too. Hell your paying for the space.

Thats how to do it on the cheap and keep the profit. Now you can read posts off everyone telling you to get a custom made flightcase.

Like you care what happens to your guitar when both of you land in the water.

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No no and no