General Music Chat

... but it all comes alright in the end. A little online publicity gets reactions!

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/de ... 19266.html

reminds me of this:

http://consumerist.com/2009/07/07/unite ... s-guitars/

It was funny as hell back in the day

reminds me of this:

http://consumerist.com/2009/07/07/unite ... s-guitars/

It was funny as hell back in the day

My father in law told me about this song last year this time we were going to Vegas to play that gig. I was trying to figure out how to get my guitar there without having this happen. I would advise folks get to the airport early and carry your guitar on. I carried mine on and it fit the overhead fine even took my pedal board too! I paid the extra $25.00 to board early that assured me a spot in the overhead.

I paid the extra $25.00 to board early that assured me a spot in the overhead.

that's interesting, jeff. i didn't know that $25 early boarding deal was an option.

i've got a little two wk mini tour coming up in april/may that is gonna involve some flying and i've been trying to figure out which of my basses is most expendable! (shudder)

it's w a group that i normally play upright w but i will NOT be flying the (un)friendly skies w my doghouse, thank you very much.

I travel with guitars a couple times per year and I always use a soft case and carry it on. They usually have a crew luggage space near the door they let me put it in so it doesn't get crushed by the angry hoards.

I also only travel with a guitar I could replace and not a prized, historically significant, collectors guitar. (The '55 LP stays home)

I paid the extra $25.00 to board early that assured me a spot in the overhead.

that's interesting, jeff. i didn't know that $25 early boarding deal was an option.

i've got a little two wk mini tour coming up in april/may that is gonna involve some flying and i've been trying to figure out which of my basses is most expendable! (shudder)

it's w a group that i normally play upright w but i will NOT be flying the (un)friendly skies w my doghouse, thank you very much.

Mark that is on Southwest I had a VERY good experience both ways with them.

reminds me of this:

http://consumerist.com/2009/07/07/unite ... s-guitars/

It was funny as hell back in the day

My father in law told me about this song last year this time we were going to Vegas to play that gig. I was trying to figure out how to get my guitar there without having this happen. I would advise folks get to the airport early and carry your guitar on. I carried mine on and it fit the overhead fine even took my pedal board too! I paid the extra $25.00 to board early that assured me a spot in the overhead.

So in the land of equality, even though I might work harder to get to the airport early and be among the first in line to board, someone else with more money can just buy their way in line to board in front of me.

Just another unintended example of how crappy capitalism is.

I only bring this up because I went to a general admission concert recently, and even though I was around the 20th person in line by getting there early (and the line turned into 500+ soon enough), they announced to the crowd that for only $25 you can BUY your way into a NEW line that will be admitted first.

Welcome to "steerage"... I ended up being about the 120th person in instead.

But I still won. I'm 6' and 225.. I SHOVED my way to the front of the stage.

Booyah.

reminds me of this:

http://consumerist.com/2009/07/07/unite ... s-guitars/

It was funny as hell back in the day

My father in law told me about this song last year this time we were going to Vegas to play that gig. I was trying to figure out how to get my guitar there without having this happen. I would advise folks get to the airport early and carry your guitar on. I carried mine on and it fit the overhead fine even took my pedal board too! I paid the extra $25.00 to board early that assured me a spot in the overhead.

So in the land of equality, even though I might work harder to get to the airport early and be among the first in line to board, someone else with more money can just buy their way in line to board in front of me.

Just another unintended example of how crappy capitalism is.

I only bring this up because I went to a general admission concert recently, and even though I was around the 20th person in line by getting there early (and the line turned into 500+ soon enough), they announced to the crowd that for only $25 you can BUY your way into a NEW line that will be admitted first.

Welcome to "steerage"... I ended up being about the 120th person in instead.

But I still won. I'm 6' and 225.. I SHOVED my way to the front of the stage.

Booyah.

Life ain't fair Kramer! I am 6' 217 and thats not that big! Down here in Texas I'm really kind of small!

Two words: "Gate" "Check"

A Gate Check is when you carry it with you during boarding, and a guy waits near the hatch entrance of the plane, and takes the instrument and packs it in the cargo /luggage bay. Upon arrival, another person retrieves it and hands it back to you as you disembark from the plane.

Two Better Words "Passenger" "Seat"

This costs money, but sometimes its a far superior investment, than to risk damage to an instrument that will probably never sound the same again if it gets broken.

kramer

"Just another unintended example of how crappy capitalism is."

Not like communism eh? Why I remember those egalatarian Soviet nomenklatura didn't have special stores for big shots, special Dachas at the beach - nope - just lived like ordinary guys rlght?

Liberty and justice for all. only not on earth apparently.


talbot

Carry anything you value considering they break everything else and appear as if it's not a problem for them.

Some guys buy flight cases and let the baggage handlers have at it. I am just not ok with airlines sticking my guitar in the baggage compartment and subjecting it to 1/5 atmospheric pressure, zero humidity, and -60 Fahrenheit for an extended period. A solid body guitar is pretty sturdy but a hollow body or acoustic? That can't be good for it. I'll carry mine on thanks.

Some guys buy flight cases and let the baggage handlers have at it. I am just not ok with airlines sticking my guitar in the baggage compartment and subjecting it to 1/5 atmospheric pressure, zero humidity, and -60 Fahrenheit for an extended period. A solid body guitar is pretty sturdy but a hollow body or acoustic? That can't be good for it. I'll carry mine on thanks.

No wonder Les Pauls keep getting destroyed by the airlines.

No wonder Les Pauls keep getting destroyed by the airlines.

Well there's that and Also the well documented habit of Gibson headstocks breaking at random times for very soft impacts.

Guitars crack at the headstock on airplanes because the owner didn't loosen the strings. At high altitudes the tension increases dramatically because of variance in the atmosphere. Tuned strings will snap the neck fast, especially if it's a hot day on the ground and you go into sub-zero temps above 30,000 feet.

ALWAYS loosen the strings to nothing when flying.



Depending on where you are going, the kind of plane you fly could make it impossible to take it onboard.

The puddle-jumpers they use on routes that don't fill a large plane don't have bin space for a small roller suitcase, much less a guitar. I cringe when I see people with the soft cases because that only makes it more dangerous if you're on one of these puddle-jumpers. They do NOT give you what a guitar is worth when they destroy it, but instead pro-rate it for depreciation from what it cost new in the year you bought it. They gave me $400 for a guitar that would cost $1,200 to replace. Made up a little of the difference on the case.

The only real solution is Calton Cases in Canada. They make cases which are about the same size as a regular case but made out of material used for the space shuttle that is (relatively) light but extremely strong.

You could drive your car over my case and the Breedlove will be just fine, yet it still fits in the overhead bin like any other guitar case.

I try to bring my guitar onboard every time but there are many times when I have to gate check it. I lost 5 cases and a Takamine before getting the Calton Case. It cost $800 for the case....but it paid for itself many times over.