Author Topic: Flying (Read 623 times)

ox_junior · « **on:** May 04, 2004, 07:35:09 AM »

I may soon be in a situation where I will have to fly to an out-of-town gig with my Alembic Spyder. I am certain the case will be too big for me to attempt to bring the bass onboard as a carry-on. It's been a very long time indeed since I've had to check an instrument in as baggage, so I kinda forget the procedure as far as what to do to the bass itself. Are you supposed to detune the bass? Has flying ever knocked your intonation out?

Also - since 9/11 you cannot lock your luggage. This makes me very nervous. Has anyone attempted to fly with their Alembic recently? What has your experience been? Can anyone share advice?

Thanks! Mike

keavin · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2004, 08:18:40 AM »

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!,by all means d-tune your bass and if you can, carry it on ,because the last time i flew to vegas from chicago i checked (alembic#12) in baggage & when i got to vegas the head stock was totally brocken off!,and the neck was almost severed from the body,and the airline people didnt give a damn obout it!,,,,(i was pissed!!!),so now when i travel my alembic is in a gig bag in my lap,because airlines wont insure high priced items, but be very careful espicially if you dont have a flight case.baggage people dont give a damn about your stuff.they will toss it around like it aint,,%@#!*&!!!

811952 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2004, 08:22:45 AM »

Mike,
I flew with a Conklin 7-string in 2002. I had it in a hard tolex case, and had that packed in bubble wrap (the big bubble variety) in a rather longish cardboard box taped shut with clear packing tape. I had it marked fragile in large letters on each side, and insured it. It was tuned to pitch. The box (and bass) survived nicely (and unopened). I assume it was a best-case scenario. I have consistently had worse luck flying with instruments pre-9/11. You might want to call the airline well in advance to get their recommendations. There is no such thing as too much preparation. Good luck!
John

ajdover · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2004, 08:31:03 AM »

Mike,

The black tolex case your Spyder will come with measures 57 X 22 X 4.5. If I had to travel by air with my Spyder, I'd pay for an extra seat if I had to. If I couldn't do that, I'd definitely do as John mentioned about bubble wrap, etc. I just don't trust airlines when it comes to high value items. You could, of course, get a flight case, but you'd probably end up bubble wrapping it anyway, so it might not be worth the expense.

When I bought my Exploiter, the gentleman I bought it from worked for an airline in Atlanta. He actually shipped it to me via the airline, and had it packed like John did. Came through without any problems at all (and saved me $50 shipping!). Looks to me if you can't travel with it, shipping it as John stated might be your best option.

Best of luck,

Alan

goatfoot · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2004, 10:03:26 AM »

I recently flew my '96 Custom from Baltimore to Louisville via Southwest. I spoke to the airline before hand and they said that I could possibly carry the bass on if they weren't too crowded and if I arrived early enough.

Well ... that was my plan anyway. The incompetent movers (whom I didn't trust to move my bass) made me late for my flight. So I come running into BWI fifteen minutes before my flight with two huge bags and my bass in its case. I had to check my bass and my bags. The case was unlocked (I never lock it ... afraid I'll loose the key).

The airlines put Fragile stickers all over the case. But you can bet I was pretty worried that my bass would even arrive in KY - let alone in one piece.

My bass was opened and checked. Imagine, terrorist planting a bomb inside an Alembic. HA! They'd use a Squire for sure. There was a note inside my case from the Homeland Security Administration saying that they had opened my bag and had broken the locks if it was locked.

All's well that ends well. My bass arrived safe and sound. If I were do this again, I'd buy a ticket for my bass, as Alan suggested. Get your band to pay for it, Mike.

Kevin

ox_junior · « **Reply #5 on:** May 04, 2004, 10:06:51 AM »

Yeah, I was afraid of that.

Buying a seat for it is not an option, as I'm already losing money having to fly to this gig (as opposed to driving).

Alembic (nor anyone else) makes a soft-shell case for an Exploiter-shaped bass. I'm afraid the regular black tolex case will be too big to carry on. Looks like bubblewrapping the thing might be the way to go.

Anyone experience any issues (besides poor Keavin's example) of the instrument being out of whack after flying? Won't stay in tune, truss rods out of adjustment, etc.?

Keep those suggestions coming in! Thanks, Mike

ox_junior · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2004, 10:16:15 AM »

Looks like this gig is a lousy deal. I'm already losing money by having to fly (as opposed to driving) - my profits are already $0. So....buying an extra seat isn't really an option. I doubt there would be room on the flight to take the chance - this is a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a Friday night at 8pm. The flight will undoubtedly be packed - that flight is a shuttlebus for weekend drunks.

Alembic does not make an off-the-rack soft-shell case for an Exploiter shaped bass (although Mica has indicated that I can, of course, have one made). Noone else makes one, either.

I'm sure handling has improved post-9/11, as I'm sure someone will open my case. I won't be leaving anything in there besides the bass, that's for sure. Bubble wrap looks like the way to go!

Anyone have any post-flying problems such as intonation issues, bass won't stay in tune, etc.? I'm assuming my bass will arrive slightly more intact than poor Keavin's #12.

Keep those stories coming! Thanks for everyone's advice. Mike

811952 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2004, 11:17:26 AM »

Mike,
I find that transporting the instrument tuned to pitch keeps everything pretty stable. Detuning it will introduce all of the stability issues one would expect from the significant change in neck tension from detuning/retuning. Wood sometimes takes a little while to adjust to changes you can't control (temp/humidity), so I try to limit the factors that I can control.
John

mica · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2004, 11:28:03 AM »

Leave it tuned - the bass doesn't really know it's travelling, but it will notice the loss of tension from the strings.

The big concern is insurace - checked baggage generally has a maximum insured value of $300, so you should have your own private policy in case something happens, and make sure your agent knows you'll be flying with it so the coverage is complete while you travel.

I'd suggest packing in the box your bass arrives to you in. There's some high density foam blocks around the outside. Mark it fragile and ask politely if they can load it last and remove it first, like they do with other bulky or odd-shaped items like skis.

ox_junior · « **Reply #9 on:** May 04, 2004, 12:20:17 PM »

Excellent suggestions all, thank you.

Mica, I will contact you separately about a custom gig bag for this bass.

Thanks, Mike

ajdover · « **Reply #10 on:** May 04, 2004, 02:30:04 PM »

Mike,

One other thing ...

I'm not sure how you paid for your instrument, but I paid for mine with a Master Card (still paying it off, but worth every penny!). Master Card will insure certain things if you used the card to pay the entire purchase price. I'm sure this varies between banks, etc., but it might be something worth looking into if you used a credit card of some type to pay for the whole thing. That way, you don't have to insure it above and beyond what you already have available. Just a thought.

Best of luck,

Alan

ox_junior · « **Reply #11 on:** May 04, 2004, 02:44:05 PM »

Hmmmm that's a good thought. I used American Express to pay for this instrument. I will contact them to see what they cover, since their insurance policy is one of the best.

Thanks for the tip! It's a good one!

Mike

gbarchus · « **Reply #12 on:** May 04, 2004, 03:09:09 PM »

sorry for the duplicate post

(Message edited by gbarchus on May 04, 2004)

gbarchus · « **Reply #13 on:** May 04, 2004, 03:11:37 PM »

When I flew back from Japan, my Alembic was checked, tuned in it's hard case in a heavy gauge cardboard box tightly fitted around the case. I carried my Martin guitar onboard in a soft (shelled) case. Everything went smoothly without a scratch. But I miss the days they would let you carry a hard case on board and put it in a clothes bag closet. Sometimes I would have to successfully argue to take it onboard, but post 9/11 I don't even try. Thell'll just tell you to walk if they don't arrest you for disagreeing. By the way, since then my Alembic made another trip to Japan and back with another member of the club, again no problems.

dnburgess · « **Reply #14 on:** May 04, 2004, 11:32:07 PM »

After you check in your regular luggage and get your boarding pass you will have to take your instrument to the large luggage counter - so allow a little extra time for check in.

I had a custom aluminium flight case made for my S1 with a foam insert cut to the shape of the instrument. Went on many flights (tuned) with no prob.s - appart from the fact it weighs a ton (or tonne).

Recently traveled with an Essence in a regular Gator hard shell case - no prob.s. The important things are that the instrument can't move inside the case and the case itself is relatively impervious.

I'm looking at getting a custom flight case built for the Spyder. If you lie the instrument diagonally and contour the case to the body (i.e make the case trapezoidal) it can be a lot smaller than the standard rectangular case.