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Over the years flying out to and within the Far East on airlines as varied as United, ANA, Cathay Pacific, and Thai, I had accumulated enough miles to usually get bumped up to Business, and sometimes First, Class. On several occasions I checked in early and talked to the gate people and was usually allowed to carry on my guitar, which the flight attendant then stored in the closet where coats were kept. This was especially true on the old 747s on the upper deck.
To digress, I really miss the 747s. I always requested seating in the upper deck which was small with its own flight attendants. It was like being in your own private club. Business Class on the 747 was much better than what they call First Class today on most airliners. It will be missed for sure.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
It is a bit patchy. I usually get away with it (taking as hand luggage) on Easyjet and have just about with Iberia, but both times someone has kicked off an bit and wanted to put it in the hold. The rules are usually a bit ambiguous, citing a guitar size very slightly smaller than any normal classical as allowed, and making no allowance for the case. Plus none of the attendants know the rules anyway.
Posts: 3486
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to BarkellWH)
Back in the 1970s and early 1980s I was always successful in getting the British Airways flight attendants to stash a couple of Ramirez 1a's in the coat closet for the London Heathrow to New York JFK flight, but years ago all the airlines I dealt with started refusing to do it. The last time British did it, the ticket agent refused. I ended up talking to the boss--for quite a while. He eventually gave in, but warned me it would be the last time. By then I had bought the Mark Leaf case for the Ramirez blanca, and started checking it.
Checking in at American Airlines in Austin several years ago with the Mark Leaf, the ticket agent commented, "Nice case. I'm buying a mandolin case like that for my boyfriend's birthday. He's a pro."
"Yes, it's been good so far. Why did you pick Mark Leaf?"
"I worked in baggage for ten years. Never saw an instrument damaged in one of those."
It's really very heavy, though, and the latches aren't secure enough to suit me. I used to tape them shut with glass fiber reinforced packing tape, wrapped all the way around the case, and included a small roll of tape inside the case in the storage compartment. At least a couple of times Security opened the case, but re-taped the latches.
I expressly asked customer support, and they told me they didn't (on flights from Germany to Spain).
quote:
Back in the 1970s and early 1980s I was always successful
Ah, Ye Good Olde Days 😊 In the late 60es, when I was a teenager, terrorism wasn't the problem it is today. I would take my guitar on board in it's black wooden case, and say "It's a machine gun", and everybody would laugh ....
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to edguerin)
I have had good luck on internal and external flights although once, when I was expecting to pick up my guitar from a flight attendant as promised, I had to rescue it when I found it sitting on a belt with a huge suitcase about to fall down on top of it. You can read the British Airways policy on line and ring up 24 hours before your flight to make special arrangements – if you can get through on the telephone. However on the day not every staff member can be relied on to know what is going on. It’s always a risk. I was impressed by the Brune demonstration of the Visenut case. Did he really put that Esesto in the case or was it a trick? If I was still travelling regularly with a guitar I would get one.
Brune tells me he really put Ramon Montoya's Esteso in that case and stood on it. The demo was shot in one take, with no tricks. He says he wouldn't have put that guitar in any other case on the market.
Of course Richard and his son Marshall are Visesnut distributors, but in my dealings and personal interactions with them I have concluded they certainly would not sell any product that didn't live up to its claims.
I'm grateful to Richard for the fact that I have had that Esteso in my hands, and have heard him play it. It's one hell of a guitar--among a collection of great instruments.
Another case demo: Ray Reussner, a Segovia student, made the Reuer cases in a workshop in Goleta, California, adjacent to Santa Barbara. There's a photo floating around the internet of Segovia standing on a platform in the London Underground with a Reuer case. I was told Ray would demo a case by putting a guitar in it and chucking it out of a second story window onto a concrete driveway. But the guitar was a beater, and I never made it to Goleta while he was making them to see for myself.
I bought my Reuer at Dean Kamei's store Guitar Solo in San Francisco, while it was still on Clement Street, around the corner from Sachio Kojima's sushi bar Kabuto.
I don't doubt this - its just that my heart races every time I see the video!
I understand the need to have maximum protection for air travel and also for the stage environment. Oterwise it is nice to have a light case. I used to carry my 60's Ramerez in its cheap Spanish case round London between my knees on a Vespa scooter and it didn't come to any harm.
The Visesnut cases are considerably lighter than a double arch molded plywood case I have. The original Ramirez case departed with an inexpensive loaned out guitar long ago (it never came back), so I can't compare....
I've never tried to use those. Didn't even know it would be possible to fit a guitar up there, even on the larger planes for long-haul flights, seems kind of small for a guitar. I don't fly nearly as frequently with my guitar than some people here, but so far I've always been lucky. Always got an attendant to put it in their coat closet up front. I was surprised to see that they even let me do that on Iberia's low-cost company flights (Vueling).
Maybe if they insist on putting it in the hold, you can argue that it's your psychological-support instrument so it has to stay with you at all times. Get some doctor to sign a paper to that effect. Hey Ramzi, you can write prescriptions right?
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
When I flew to Turkey I actually put my guitar into the overhead compartment, and the aircraft was either an Airbus A310 or A320, which means a pretty small plane. I'd even say my guitar had more space than I had, it was quite cramped Some people take their trollies as hand luggage and a couple of these fit into one overhead compartment. So they might be built a little more spacious than before.
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to edguerin)
quote:
BAM
That's really not a sound you want to hear, even with a solid case.
I guess the brand names THUD, CRACK and BOOM were already taken.
(Or, since they're French, sproutch, splaf, paf or chtonk)
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
ORIGINAL: Piwin (Or, since they're French, sproutch, splaf, paf or chtonk)
Piwin, at what point in history did the French people get addicted to saying "hup" anytime they do stuff? Put baguette on a table - "hup". Pass someone a glass of wine - "hup". Throw condom in the bin "hup". etc etc.
Piwin, at what point in history did the French get addicted to saying "hup" anytime they do stuff?
You realize how dangerous it is to ask that question to a language nerd right?
"Hop" can be traced back to the Old Norse ōp (to shout, to cry), from which we derived the verbs "houper" and "huper". Various onomatopoeiae derived from those verbs are used to coax an animal forward. "hop" for hunting dogs, "hue" for horses. Both have come to have wider applications. On a quiet night on the inclined portions of certain highways near Madrid, you might hear a random Frenchman yelling "allez hue cocotte" to coax his 25-year-old Citroen to make it up the hill. The "hop" used to get the dogs to run then made into the mainstream. "allez hop" (as in "allez zou", or "let's go", "get your rear in gear" or whatever the more colloquial phrases are in English). From there the meaning widened even more and is now used for basically any fast chain of events. So when someone says "hop" when they pass you a glass of wine, there's the idea that they're doing it quickly, that it was an item on their checklist, they checked if off and are now moving on to something else. The irony of course is that you might have asked for that glass a wine a half an hour ago but they'll still say "hop". Anyways, I don't know when it gained so much traction but it's been around my entire life.
@Escribano I don't know if the kids still use it, but I sure do.
PS:
quote:
Throw condom in the bin "hup"
BTW Dudnote, do I even ask how you know something like that? Have you been running off on your wife with some young Jacques?
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Seriously, have you ever watched a goat trying to put on a condom ??
If I had, do you really think I'd admit it?
The hop thing is fine. Just don't get infected by that thing where they say "quoi" at the end of every damn sentence. That one annoys the hell out of me!
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 1607
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to jalalkun)
What do you guys do, if at the last moment the Airline doesn't accept your guitar for in-the-cabin transport? Do you go to the airport with a soft shell (required by most carriers for overhead bins) and a hard case as backup? A couple of years ago I wasn't allowed to take my guitar on board, and not daring to have it go into the hull (hell ), I had to leave it behind in a locker. I just managed to make the plane .
Posts: 15714
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to edguerin)
quote:
ORIGINAL: edguerin
What do you guys do, if at the last moment the Airline doesn't accept your guitar for in-the-cabin transport? Do you go to the airport with a soft shell (required by most carriers for overhead bins) and a hard case as backup? A couple of years ago I wasn't allowed to take my guitar on board, and not daring to have it go into the hull (hell ), I had to leave it behind in a locker. I just managed to make the plane .
It’s not that complex but the reality is what it is, here is the way to go.
1.Don’t ever put a guitar into a SOFT BAG...period the end.
2. Don’t say a darn thing, don’t ASK anything...just SMILE, walk on board find the first open bin with enough space and stuff your guitar in there, be thankful, and sit down!
3. If a flight person asks to help you stow your guitar....LET THEM!!!! ... and smile and say thank you.....
4. If the flight is FULL, make sure you are in the earliest possible boarding group for your budget and expertise and again, DON”T SAY ANYTHING JUST SMILE AND WALK ON...in most cases if you have an assigned seat there is plent of space for your guitar above your seat for you and others that sit next to you.
5. If you are the last boarding group on southwest or whatever, because you failed to check in 24hrs in advance or just bad luck or whatever, then offer the guitar for check in at the gate. They will either A. Send it through baggage, or B. PINK tag it like baby strollers and you will get it when you get off the plane in the wait area of the tarmac. But ASK and make sure that is how it will be handled, they won’t lie they will tell you where you pick up the guitar when you land... and it will be there, most likely not broken.
6. If the plane is SMALL, called an “express” plane, then you can’t fit the thing on and they will gate check it for you and EVERYBODY else that has a bag bigger than your wife’s purse. In these cases they ALWAYS do a proper pink tag gate check deal and hand it to everybody once you get off the plane, usually with a special fork lift thingy since it is so many bags, but it doesn’t go through bag claim at least. I find this the MOST relaxing way to fly, and you should know it will happen when you buy your ticket because they tell you the flight number and type of plane.
In the hundreds of times I have flown Domestic and International I have always gotten the guitar on board just fine or checked it at gate no problems....never got on plane and there was no space and sat their with guitar in my lap like a fool....I have never been told things like “that won’t fit....did you buy an extra ticket for that?....we only allow soft bags in the overhead...” etc etc.... I am sure that the horror stories from folks are only because they ASK QUESTIONS and draw attention to themselves and then get all arrogant about how important their silly guitars are. Nobody cares how much you got ripped off at Guitar Salon, so save your breath about it’s value.
Lastly don’t be a jerk and bring a roll on luggage that can’t fit under seat AND YOUR GUITAR .... this is just rude and self centered. The world doesn’t revolve around you....
It's exactly what to do in the USA. Might be different in some other countries.
Before the FAA policy change allowing instruments on board (as long as there is space) I checked my '67 Ramirez in a flight case many, many times, with no damage.
But the only time the Romanillos or the Arcangel leave the house is when they are under my personal control at all times. Even though both are insured to appraised value, in my estimation they are practically irreplaceable. For a road trip of any length, they don't go along, because at least a couple of times per day the guitar will be out of my sight in the car during a pit stop.
Don’t say a darn thing, don’t ASK anything...just SMILE
That‘s what I tried… but was stopped at the security check … So I guess I‘ll give it another go next time I‘m off to Spain
quote:
Lastly don’t be a jerk and bring a roll on luggage that can’t fit under seat AND YOUR GUITAR .... this is just rude and self centered. The world doesn’t revolve around you....
bam cases are known to be overpriced for the protection they offer, so I've been hearing. but it seems a lot of people buy them soooo. I don't know *shrug*
hey guys, hope everyone is well and nails are just right! hehe After having looked into cases as the timing was to have it that I am also looking at upgrading my case for flights etc the visenut sure did catch my attention, and upon further looking online came across karura. any ideas or opinions and how do they rate with visenut? the throwing scene kinda sold it to me, but these karura also seem quite good. thanking you in advance!
RE: Custom cases in Europe? (in reply to Solquemia)
I think the Visesnut might be lighter and also cost a little less, but not sure.
I have a Visesnut case and it is really strong. I’ve found it scuffs fairly easily, however, so if you do get one it’s a good idea to get the slip cover, as well. It also doesn’t have a TSA lock but a compliant lock can be slipped through the zipper of the cover. I got the four latch case, but now that I have it, I think I would have been fine with the three lock variant.
With the slip cover on, it looks like a featherweight case and I’ve found airlines are pretty good about letting you bring them on. On my last trip to the EU I took Air Canada economy class and I asked the gate keeper about putting my guitar in a closet. She said, I’m not sure we’ll have room for you to do that but you can queue in the line for zone 1 and that will give you first access to the bin over your seat (which was in zone 3). It went in the bin easily.
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), I had to leave it behind in a locker. I just managed to make the plane 
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