|
Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link.
dolven - Posted - 11/16/2009: 15:17:42
I'm posting here because I don't see any other topic that would be more approritate. But if anyone knows of a better list, speak up.
I just got an openback banjo with no case. Now I'm in the market for one and have questions:
If I'm wanting to take it on an airplane, what kind of case should I get?
Would I carry it on? Or gate check it?
How do people handle air travel with a banjo?
Thanks.
George Flink - Posted - 11/16/2009: 16:02:59
Gate check in a Calton case. Pro-Its bullet proof. Con-It costs more than many banjos.
krkintex - Posted - 11/16/2009: 17:23:26
Eric, I've flown numerous times with my banjo and have always carried it on board (flying mainly Southwest...they're great...and Continental). When I get on, it's the only thing I'm carrying (other than my bag of snacks) and carry it pot first with the fretboard under my arm. Banjo just looks smaller that way, but I don't really think it matters. I have just a standard case that most banjos come with when you buy them. Good luck and happy flying! Oh, one last thing, I'm talking big planes here, not commuters.
kk
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 11/16/2009: 20:02:50
I carried a dreadnought sized 12 string guitar on 4 flights this year with Continental. (I'm not smart enough to buy a smaller guitar for traveling.) On the first flight, an attendant was able to place it in a closet inside the cabin. On the other 3, I had to gate check it. Don't count on the rules staying the same. And don't count on a closet having space in it. Gate checking works OK, when the instrument gets placed in the cargo hold, it's pretty much on top, not under a bag of golf clubs. But if luggage shifts, or it gets heaved on top of the pile, don't trust a cardboard case to protect it. The wooden TKL my banjo lives in weighs more than the banjo does, but it is an openback, with only a rolled brass tone ring. Lighter than a lot of 'joes. Still, to carry it through an airport, especially to a distant gate on a tight connecting flight, can be a problem. I frequently opt for a mountain dulcimer for travel purposes. My next toy is gonna be an ukulele. As I said, you never know when the rules will change, so check with your airline's web site at least a few days before flying. And carefully read all the stuff on the link Eagle Island posted.
Paul
"A master banjo player isn't the one who can play the most notes. It's the one who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello
http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...IC_ID=128303 IBARD topic
http://ibard-rendesvous1840.blogspot.com/
MrNatch3L - Posted - 11/17/2009: 04:01:03
If you go waaay back toward the beginning of my blog I have some packing tips and photos that have served me well travling overseas with several instruments.
dangibson - Posted - 11/17/2009: 18:57:16
One trick I use on airliners is to put the instrument in the first available overhead compartment I come to -- as close to the front as possible. This saves carrying it all the way back to the seat, which is really helpful if the seat is WAY in the back. It also lessens the chances of leaving a path of busted knee caps and bloody noses in my wake as I walk proudly down the aisle basking in the admiring gazes of passengers wondering who let me on the plane in the first place.
For what it's worth, I do have a Calton case. It's ten years old and, so far, has never had to survive baggage handlers.
Dan Gibson, Storyteller/Banjoplayer
Dallas, TX; Burlington, NC
www.dangibson.net
Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't.
|
Feeds
