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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Hey all,
I am flying to Hawaii for a week for Thanksgiving, I was wondering if there are any good guitars out there that I could take with me as carry on? My only acoustic is my trusty 1537 and there is no way I am taking that with me. We're staying so close to the beach you could probably throw a rock into the ocean so I would have plenty of opportunity to sit on the beach and strum away. Don't have a lot of money though so maybe there isnt anything I could afford.. |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | I travel with my CA Cargo. It has served me very well.
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gh1 |
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October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Don't know what you're looking to spend or when you ar leaving but what about this one Galerinski found and put up on the For sale section
http://cgi.ebay.com/2001-Ovation-Celebrity-CC026-acoustic-electric-... |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | we leave Nov 25, I thought my local music store had like a backpacking model on display one time I went there, the neck like folded in to reduce the size and I thought something like that would probably work good but last time i was there for picks I didnt see it, was in a hurry so I didnt have time to ask about it either though..
BT717: that looks like a regular full size guitar, can you take regular guitars on a regular commercial flight? those overhead bins arent very big... We're also taking a small "puddle jumper" from my small town down to seattle where we will transfer to a big plane that will take us to hawaii.. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Applause makes a little travel guitar, I think it's the AA 12 or 13. I bought my daughter one and it's adequate. Definitely better than the Martin Backpacker.
Ovation made a small one, too, but I can't remember the name of it.
Full size guitars will go in the overheads on big planes, but not the small ones. Check for threads on travel guitars and a recent thread on checking guitars on airplanes. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Just rent a guitar when you get there |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
Just rent a guitar when you get there well i wouldnt mind having a travel guitar I could take on vacations anyway.. or even just to the beach here.. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | Buy a ukulele when you get there.
Or here's an eBay guitar, must be great for $18: Hawaiian Travel Guitar :rolleyes:
-Steve W. |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
and a recent thread on checking guitars on airplanes. Mark, I'm searching and searching and I cant seem to find that last thread you mentioned... please help if you can |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | mercury, it's just a few threads down on this very page. "Flying with Ovation". |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | Mercury,
Out of Bellingham there is a good chance you'll be on a Delta Connection flight. The Delta Connex folks are first class (I know a few ;) ) and will take care of your guitar. Just be sure it is in a hard case and de-tuned from concert pitch (to conform with policy). Carry it out to the airplane. If the flight is not full, there is a chance you can stow it in the first class closet on the 70 or 90 seat jet. There's no closet on the 50 seater. Or you might be able to seat-belt it into an empty seat. If the flight is too full, check it plane-side. They'll hand carry it to the cargo compartment and place it in there last with other plane-side checked bags. No "United Breaks Guitars" handling will occur!
At your first stop, the guitar will be returned to you planeside.
On the big airplanes you can carry it on and place it in the overhead bins. Print out the airline's policy on musical instruments so have it for reference if needed.
If you travel on Horizon/Alaska, check out their website for their policies. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | United is a stinker on this one. The other carriers seem to be a little more flexible. Anybody have any luck with a dreadnaught-sized aluminum-sided ata case? Extra checked luggage fees would likely apply on some carriers. |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | I don't know if Delta has changed but when the Les Paul came out, they made me buy a ticket for the guitar which then traveled in the seat (with its seat belt fastened). Couldn't be by a window or the aisle so a couple was seated on the right and left, guitar in the center seat. So, cost me over $600 just to fly the guitar and case.
I always thought Air France was good but when I was researching the Martin D12-45, Roger McGuinn had a D12-42RM destroyed by them. Years ago, I was having dinner with George Grove of the Kingston Trio who said they were constantly sending guitars back to Martin for repair - 15 to 20 a year.
Unless you have to, I wouldn't trust a guitar to hold and I wouldn't take the chance that I could find a closet, etc., on the plane. If you brought it to the gate, what do you do when they say no? |
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May 2008
Posts: 1567
Location: Indiana | If you brought it to the gate, what do you do when they say no? On domestic flights, they gate check it... which is preferable to the baggage system. It's all up for grabs on International flights though. |
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January 2009
Posts: 29
Location: Citizen of the Galaxy | Domestically, if you can get it to the gate, you've won the battle. Either it's going with you or it's going to be hand carried to the luggage compartment and hand carried off and delivered to you at the destination gate. Either way, you've bypassed the luggage (man)handlers which is the main objective. |
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June 2007
Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | I've never had a problem gate checking a guitar on international flights.
AJ |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | AJ, must be that 'cute' Aussie accent :p |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Flight ata cases in a dreadnaught size are $189 on the bay. I can't imagine they're as rugged and well-built as the amp cases costing closer to $300. Has anybody tried one of these? |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | As an aside, you can buy instrument insurance for about $100 per year, plus or minus, depending on the total value that you insure. This covers all losses worldwide due to anything except your intentional dishonest act (fraud). Deductibles run about $15 to $100 per claim. |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Thanks everyone for the replies, I think its just too much of a hassle unless I got one of the voyage air guitars that fold down, I'm not experienced enough to justify spending like 800-900 on one of those though |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Mercury, I fly with a Traveler Pro with its own carrying case which is about the size of a collapsed telescopic fishing rod, but I only use it for practicing, for which it is perfect. If I plan to play out, then I really prefer a full-size guitar. The Traveler guitars are a decent alternative for traveling as their name implies. |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Hmm, I did see those but it was my impression you don't get acoustic sound out of it, does it produce as much sound as a regular electric? When practicing on my electric I don't plug it in because I can still hear sound when I play it. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | About the same as an electric solid body. I use a little Vox mini-amp with mine. There are other personal DI boxes that work well with headphones. It comes with a goofy stethoscope, too. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | If you are open to the idea of a solid body electric, check out the Hohner G3T. It's a headless design with Steinberger hardware. I travel regularly with mine and gig with it. It is a very good guitar plus the added bonus of being compact. The scale is a normal full length, but because of the design it is only nut-to-bridge in length.
I use a Korg Pandora PX-4 as a stereo headphone amp. Lots of effects, decent enough sound to gig or record using it. |
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flying with a guitar
