Flying with your guitar is always a risky proposition. Before September 11th I was always able to carry my guitar on board in either a gig bag or a regular hardshell case. Then after the airlines got stricter i started reading on internet forums about more traveling musicians having to check their guitars as luggage. This conjures up all sorts of mental images like smashed or stolen guitars, and cases torn apart by the baggage conveyor belts. While these things do happen, i think flying with your guitar is definitely possible if you prepare and take the proper precautions.
For starters I always assume I will check my guitar as luggage. I know some folks that these days still manage to carry it aboard the plane, but i would hate to have to end up checking my guitar and all its in is a regular hardshell case. All it takes is one gate attendant who feels like enforcing the rules. In the past I have heard of people who “gate check” their guitars, which means you carry it through security, then hand it to a baggage handler right before you get on the plane, and receive it right when you step off the plane. While this sounds like a great idea, some of the X-Ray security chutes are not wide enough accommodate a guitar case, which means they will make you go back and check it. In addition, if you do make it through security and they gate check the guitar, it is still subject to be smashed in the cargo hold by other luggage sliding around. So I don’t even consider the option of trying to carry it on, and it removes a lot of mental stress of trying to get on the plane.
So that narrows down our options to having to check the guitar as luggage. Lets first talk about how to prepare the guitar itself, then what sort of case to put it .
There are two main types of damage that can occur to a guitar during the luggage handling process. The first is crushing weight from other baggage, which a good case should protect against; the second is whiplash damage to the neck/headstock area. This happens when a guitar case falls over, but the guitar inside still has a little bit of wiggle room around the neck area. The case hits the ground, and the guitar, having room to move and falling slower than the case, slams into the padded area where the neck rests. The result of this is a broken or cracked headstock. But you can protect against this. First loosen all your guitar strings so they are nice and slack. Next you want to make sure the neck of the guitar has absolutely no room to move vertically once the case is shut. This is accomplished by stuffing sheets of wadded newspaper in the space between the underside of the headstock and the bottom of the case. The guitar neck should still rest on the padded part of the case. Then you stuff more newspaper on top of the headstock/neck joint area. When you close the case you should have to smash the newspaper to get it shut, and now the headstock is safely suspended with no room to move. So if the case is standing on its end and gets knocked over, the neck should not be able to whip lash back and forth.
That brings us to the case itself. I feel by far the easiest way to check your guitar is in a specially designed flight case like a Calton, Accord, or Karura. They are light, reasonably sized, and bomb proof. But they are also expensive; an entry level Calton will cost you $700. Some people may not be able to or want to spend that much. Fortunately there are cheaper solutions. One that has worked well for me is the Case Extreme. It is basically a case for your case, and made out of thick, heavy plastic. Your case sits inside it, and the Case Extreme protects it from being crushed and smashed. I can stand on top of it and walk around with no visible deformation to the Case Extreme. At $235 it is much cheaper than a regular flight case. I have one and it has served me well over a number of flights. It is pretty big though, and may not fit in some car trunks, which is the one downside. So if someone is picking you up from the airport make sure they have a decent size car, or be prepared to put it in the back seat. If using one of these I would still protect my guitar’s headstock as mentioned above.
So there you have it, some good solutions to take your guitar with you on your next relaxing vacation. Take the proper precautions, pack your guitar securely, and it should be fine.
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