The EM Poll

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Mar 14, 2008 4:54 PM, By Pat Kirtley

           

PROTECT YOUR INSTRUMENTS FROM THE HAZARDS OF TRAVEL

Up in the Air

Air travel is a situation in which your instrument may be exposed to all three travel demons: extreme temperatures, mechanical damage, and outright disappearance. Traveling musicians often harbor misconceptions about where the dangers lie. The most useful attitude is to assume that dangers lurk everywhere during air travel–and they’re present from the time you unload your personal vehicle at the departure drive-up to the moment you retrieve your belongings at baggage claim.

At unfamiliar airports, trust no one while in public areas. In certain airports, grab-it-and-run thefts are common. Once you pass through security points, you’re slightly less at risk, but everywhere else, including baggage claim, security can be surprisingly light. At most American airports, almost anyone has free access to the baggage-claim area. Be vigilant–thefts can and do happen there, especially when the object is something as obvious as a guitar case. Luggage is not too appealing to thieves generally, but musical instruments are an easy mark.

Although the airlines have ever-increasing restrictions on carry-on items, one of the most reassuring things you can do when traveling by air is to carry your instrument onto the plane. Many instruments won’t fit in the sizing devices and containers you see in the boarding area, but they are often no larger or heavier than other carry-on luggage. You can decide whether your instrument in its case (or gig bag–they come in very handy) actually fits into the overhead compartments on the plane. If so, though it exceeds the regulation dimensions, you can politely and gingerly attempt to bring it on board.

You cannot, however, challenge the flight attendants and gate personnel. If they say no, they mean it, but generally they will offer to place the instrument in the aircraft’s baggage compartment. It’s called a gate check, and your instrument will be handed back to you as you exit the plane. Because your instrument is one of the last items loaded into the baggage compartment, heavy objects are unlikely to be placed on top of it. Don’t fear the temperature environment of the baggage area: on every commercial airliner, it is heated and pressurized just like the passenger seating areas.

Airport personnel often recommend that you tune down a guitar when traveling to lessen the tension on the neck and help prevent possible damage. However, that is not a proven preventive measure, and even seasoned guitar repair experts disagree about its potential effectiveness. I never tune down my strings when traveling, and I don’t see when it would ever help prevent damage.

A relatively recent development in commercial air travel is the use of regional jets. That new class of aircraft–a full-fledged, high-speed mini-airliner carrying 35 to 50 passengers–is quickly replacing the fleets of turboprop-powered "puddle jumpers" that travelers have grudgingly endured for many years. The new regional jets have overhead storage compartments, but interior space is severely limited, and taking most stringed instruments onboard is out of the question. The good part is that because most midsize and larger carry-on luggage won’t fit either, the airlines created procedures for gently handling those items. Just before boarding, you place items on a baggage cart at the plane’s side. Some newer airports use jetways to board the baby jets, and you place your items in a special container at the top of the jetway. At your destination, the items are waiting for you as you leave the plane. In practice, it is amazingly efficient, and, wonder of wonders, guitar-size objects are nonissues with the airline personnel.

Bon Voyage

It might seem like a hassle to clutter your mind with all these details when traveling with your instrument. Almost everything in this article, however, was gleaned from personal experience. Once, my guitar was stolen from me right under my nose in a public place (it’s a long story, but the name tag on the handle was the key to its eventual return). My faithful 1965 Harmony electric had its neck cracked at the headstock during travel handling. A fabulous old Martin had its top punctured by a case latch’s sharp point when it was picked up, case closed but unlatched, by a helpful soul who thought it should move to a "safer spot."

Last year, while staying at a friend’s house on the road, I thought my guitar was perfectly safe sitting in its case on the living-room floor until a curious odor awoke me the next morning. I went into the living room to find the case melted and smoking–it was three feet away from a gas fireplace, turning into the kind of contorted mess I alluded to earlier. Thus I learned (the hard way) about the melting characteristics of molded cases. Luckily, the instrument inside was undamaged.

So take heed: always pay attention to the health of your instrument while on the road (not to mention your own health!), and may all your voyages be pleasant ones.