Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey all.......I need your thoughts on traveling to a guitar show and the best/safest way to get my guitars there. Is shipping them ahead of time better than trusting the airlines? Will the airlines let me put a D-not in overhead storage?? So many horror stories out there have me a bit concerned. Any and all thoughts will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Michael

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Michael Anthony

"Life's short. Play guitar!"

I tried carrying the guitar on with a gig bag on a KLM flight and they had no issue with it. It varies by airline however but I'd try that route, because even if they make you gate check it they will be placed on the top of the luggage pile and therefore get a more careful treatment. However if this is in a gig bag then the risk of damage is high. There's no way you can carry a guitar case on the flight however, it's too bulky.

As for checking it in, make sure the string is loosened, and the headstock area must be fully supported to be immobile.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

To be sure, you need to go by the book... I traveled all around Asia with a guitar in a soft case, and I just "tried my luck" every time. As I got on the plane, I flashed my best smile and asked one of the stewardesses - erm - cabin crew to stow it away somewhere. They usually had a cupboard it fit in nicely. That guitar did only cost me about £7.50 though. I'd think a lot more carefully if I'd have made it or if it was otherwise valuable. (I'm going to make a removable neck travel guitar that fits in the hand luggage rack one day.)

"(I'm going to make a removable neck travel guitar that fits in the hand luggage rack one day.)"

Hi Nick,
I'll try to snap some picks and post them of the travel guitars I make. The neck removes and slips inside the body. I have built everything from a dreadnought to a "size 1" in this fashion. No compromise on the sound or playability over that of a standard guitar.

Clay! I could kiss you! Not that either of us would want that , but thanks, dude! I'd love some tips on making a guitar just like that!!! I tried to come up with my own design for a removable neck joint but it wasn't going brilliantly and I moved it down the to do list.

Eagerly awaiting pics!
Nick

Clay,

I'd also love to see some pics of your travel guitars. That's one of my main priorities to build, so I can
practice when I travel.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

American Airlines current carry on size limits: "The maximum dimensions cannot exceed any of the following measurements: 22" long x 14" wide x 9" tall or 115cm (56 x 36 x 23 cm)." But, I have heard news reports that some airlines are going to start charging for carry on. Also, the airlines I use from my nearby airport use "commuter" planes, which have much smaller overhead bins, and the above dimensions do not apply. The staff takes away your carry on at the gate and checks it into the luggage hold.

Forget a dread-not in overhead!
You can get away with a mandolin. That's about it.
I'd ship ahead, or buy lots of very expensive cases. I once shipped a double mandolin case in the hold of the airline and they packed fish on top of it. When I got the case, it reeked and had a huge sopping wet fishy smelling stain on it. Fortunately, the instruments survived...

Once you remove the neck from a "sack dress" they will meet the requirements of the airlines for the overhead dimension limits (or at least close enough).

Can't remember if it was Oribe or Ramirez who wrote that you should have a sturdy wooden crate to put your guitar and case in to check through baggage. These days, I do not know if such a crate would be small enough to even go as checked baggage. And I have heard that the airlines are fully capable of crushing the wooden crate.

Well if you put your case inside a crate, then it's either going to be too large to check in, too heavy, or both. Reasonable precaution is a hardshell case, strings loosened and peghead fully supported.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Thanks for the replies. I decided to ship via FedEx in advance to avoid any surprises at the airport. Fingers crossed that they get there on time (and intact)!!

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Michael Anthony

"Life's short. Play guitar!"

Fedex is a bad choice in my book. They will not insure packages for over a thousand if I remember right. That's why they are cheaper than UPS. Hope you have insurance that will cover them...

Get a Calton Case or equivalent, pack the guitar right, that way you can safely (famous last words, but...) ship it with the normal luggage.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Michael, best thing is to ship it ahead of time as if you were selling the guitar...normal hard shell case and and an appropriate cardboard box. I've got a guitar show coming up in Memphis next year and have a room set aside for up to 200 guitars being shipped in.

Bob Singer
YourPerfectGuitar.com

You don't have to have Calton but I think the proper way to ship it is put it in a case, loosen the strings, pad the headstock, then put it inside a box and fill that with peanuts.

Or you can ship it inside a custom fitted concrete case where it's impervious to even a plane crash...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I have never shipped a guitar, but
I have read that USPS has less damage to packages.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Only reason people don't always recommend USPS is because while they have insurance, it is very difficult to get compensation for loss or damage. I use post office, express if I am in a hurry because they are cheaper than UPS/Fedex.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I think you're right about that Haans...but when I shipped a couple of guitars last year I spent some time talking with people at UPS and they basically told me that it wasn't really worth me spending all the extra money on the high $$ insurance because since I packed the instrument myself (i.e. they didn't pack it) chances of collecting collecting on the high dollar amount should something be seriously damaged were almost nil.
Because of this and because Fedex ground tends to be about 2-3 days faster at a lower rate, I went with fedex and packed the thing like it was going to be dropped from a 10th floor window. All was fine.

You know the funny thing with shipment is, it costs less for me to send a guitar from Taiwan to the US by postal express (EMS) than it is to send to from the US to Taiwan by USPS Express... I wonder why?

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com