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Air Travel with your Les Paul.

lefty lespaul

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Aug 6, 2002
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1,798
I saw somebody at an airport in Japan two weeks ago yelling up a storm about wanting to take a LP on an international flight. The flight was full and the guitar went in cago with everything else.

You seldom get them on International. I bet Slash doesn't take his LP on the plane. :hee
 

Nihon Jim

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Jun 12, 2007
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511
I've flown all over the World with vintage Bursts, coming and going - at least 25-30 times, as recently as three weeks ago. I have NEVER EVER had ONE problem WHATSOEVER in boarding the plane WITH the guitar and stowing it either overhead or in the coat closet. Granted, MOST of the time I fly First/Business First, but even on the Coach Class flights, I've never had a problem. Having an agent tell you that you have to buy the guitar a seat is a bunch of HORSESHIT!!

Having said all that, I AM always at the gate EARLY, always try to get in line as "first" as I can, and am polite to EVERYONE, including TSA personnel. I've also flown with $250K in CASH with NO problem WHATSOEVER (not Internationally, just Domestic), so anyone that tells you you can't do THAT is full of shite too! Good idea to request a "private TSA screening" by a TSA Manager, however...

I hope this puts some myths to rest...:ganz

+1

I fly routinely between Tokyo's Narita and Dulles (usually in economy because the flight is nearly always full in business - no upgrade...), usually with a guitar in a hard case. Never had any issues. On a 777 the guitar is usually in a closet, on a 747 in the outboard overhead bin. No problems. Can't speak to carrying large amounts of cash.

Good luck. :jim
 

sonhenry

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Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
14
FWIW, I bounce between the UK and the East Coast on a regular basis and generally travel economy. Never had a problem getting my guitar on board. The flight crew is usually ok with helping me put it in a coat closet if it doesn't fit in the overhead. But I take great pains to make sure I don't show up late, and I reserve a seat close to the back so I can be one of the first people on board when they board by rows.

One thing to think about, pick your airports and your route carefully. Avoid transferring through Paris at all costs, and don't leave from Heathrow if you can help it. It may be just me, but I've got some horror stories behind my reasoning....
 

sonhenry

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Feb 5, 2010
Messages
14
FWIW, I bounce between the UK and the East Coast on a regular basis and generally travel economy. Never had a problem getting my guitar on board. The flight crew is usually ok with helping me put it in a coat closet if it doesn't fit in the overhead. But I take great pains to make sure I don't show up late, and I reserve a seat close to the back so I can be one of the first people on board when they board by rows.

One thing to think about, pick your airports and your route carefully. Avoid transferring through Paris at all costs, and don't leave from Heathrow if you can help it. It may be just me, but I've got some horror stories behind my reasoning....
 

Tea41

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Joined
May 8, 2009
Messages
38
If you really need to take a '59 Burst (or other nice guitar) with you, I'd say do what Howe does, buy the seat next to you also, some guitars are worth it, and the worry is over. It's cheap insurance and piece of mind as you have it right next to you the whole trip. It also depends on the price of the plane seat, then the person has to weigh pro's and con's. UPS has been known the break a headstock or 2 in their day during shipment.
 

BluesDisciple

Member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
99
If you really need to take a '59 Burst (or other nice guitar) with you, I'd say do what Howe does, buy the seat next to you also, some guitars are worth it, and the worry is over. It's cheap insurance and piece of mind as you have it right next to you the whole trip. It also depends on the price of the plane seat, then the person has to weigh pro's and con's. UPS has been known the break a headstock or 2 in their day during shipment.

Food for thought: When shipping a guitar (or anything else) via UPS, something to remember. When the UPS guy gets to my house, and if I am not home, the UPS man will lob my package over the 6 foot high wood gate in a side breezeway at my house, onto hard concrete, for "security". In 14 years of living at this home I have never had so much as a newspaper stolen. The last item that was shipped to me, a SM-57 with stand, came through unscathed although the tape burst on the outer packaging.

I usually use the U.S. Postal Service or Fed Ex, which both deliver to my doorstep without last minute aerobatics. Yet for the grace of God goes UPS...
 

frank3si

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Feb 22, 2007
Messages
290
My UPS guy is super careful with musical shipments - so it just goes to show ymmv...

I recently flew with a guitar in a gig bag from Philadelphia to Ft Lauderdale, and from LAX to Philadelphia with a plane change in Phoenix. I had no problem whatsoever. This was on US Air, which has a specfic policy regarding musical instruments. I'll echo what was said earlier - check your airline's Web site for their baggage policies on items that are not standard luggage. Many specifically detail what you can expect regarding instruments.

On a side note, I usually carry a large laptop bag with all my travel papers and all my electronics. This time I had all kinds of stuff in there, including iHome speakers, an iPod, guitar cables, and a Tascam CD GT guitar trainer, which I run via line out to the iHome speakers for practice on the road. I fully expected special attention from the security screeners due to the amount of electronics, and indeed I had to fully unpack everything in both Philadelphia and LA to be individually examined and wiped for explosive traces. If you're carrying guitar electronics, bake enough time into your airport arrival for this kind of scrutiny...
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
I've heard so many awful stories about broken instruments that I never travel without my guitar in the cabin.
Extra cost, but peace of mind.
______________________________________
Alexandra
Also see air freight rates
Not so if you have a good flight case . A regular case = no , but a flight case you should be good to go . I would not even think about it as long as it is a reliable flight case .
 

NINFNM

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2018
Messages
75
I have flight with my LP checked as luggage in its standard hard-shell case a number of times with no problems:

afbplDk.jpg


The key is to loosen the strings and to avoid any movement inside the case. Fill the body gaps, but without protecting the headstock, nothing hast to touch it, otherwise it can be killed by love.

The stiker works for nothing, by the way
 

Hotshot

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Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
I travel with a LP a ton as I bring it on the road with me a bunch.

Being in in the aviation biz, here’s some options I see daily. You can take guitars as carryon. I love seeing how chamberd my Paul’s are via the X-ray machine.

Once your at the gate, pending on aircraft size, capacity, and policy take effect. Best way to arm yourself with options.. IMOH, crush a dencent gig bag in your carryon, and have your hard case.

A lot of airlines Gate Check the hard case. I’d prefer to then shove the guitar in a gig bag, and keep it above the wing. If your nice to the staff, I’ve never seen this option fail. Then gate check the empty hard case.
 

Xpensive Wino

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Nov 3, 2012
Messages
6,079
Never, ever will I fly commercial with a Gibson unless I buy a seat for the guitar(s) next to mine. That headstock is just too fragile to risk consigning it to an overhead, closet, or hold.

Guitars have to be in a bulkhead, window seat. You can fit more than 1 in with a seatbelt extender, which the flight crew will supply on request.

Fenders I can send air freight in flight cases with no worries, and never had an issue.
 

KR1

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Sep 11, 2016
Messages
266
If you get stuck and you’ve just got to take it along, talk with the Captain. Some safe spaces (lockers, closets) are often available in the larger aircraft where it is perfectly legal for the crew to pack your guitar. I’ve taken many.

Always worth asking :hank
 

Hotshot

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Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
If you get stuck and you’ve just got to take it along, talk with the Captain. Some safe spaces (lockers, closets) are often available in the larger aircraft where it is perfectly legal for the crew to pack your guitar. I’ve taken many.

Always worth asking :hank

This is true. We like to accommodate. Some of us Love Les Pauls. :)
 

herryjerry

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Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Messages
5
I'm thinking about taking the neck off the Ampeg and placing it for my situation with my garments, which leaves me with the migraine of getting the Les Paul there securely. I'd preferably not take the neck off the Ampeg, yet it would seem that its the best way to get the two guitars securely out to LA. I am additionally considering sending them through a dispatch and meeting them out there or does anybody know about a uber flightcase they would trust on a plane?
 

johnreardon

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Mar 15, 2006
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