So I’m about to take a trip for work. Between family, job, and other responsibilities I work hard to fit B2B lessons in. But if I’m alone I might have some time to dig into practicing and playing.
Which means flying with a bass.
Does anyone have experience with this?
I think this means a sturdy hard case. I’ll be flying Southwest and read their policy and I think that means I can try and get it into the overhead bin with me on the plane. Fortunately my desintation is not so popular and it’s unlikely to be a full flight. There’s a risk I have to check it (bummer) and pay oversize bag fees (bummer).
I’m thinking of going with a Gator case that’s available locally (SF Bay). It’s a bit annoying because I don’t have much use for a flight case otherwise but the cost is worth it.
For reference the bass is a Fender Player (mexico) P-Bass that’s metallic turquoise with a tortoise shell pick guard and a maple fret board. (Picture attached for attention ). An instrument this common should be relatively easy to find a case for I would think.
(For the rest of it, a friend loaned me a pedal that works as a headphone amp and my laptop will be with me)
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and/or experiences!
If your instrument (including case or covering) is within the size requirements for carryon items 24” (L) + 16” (W) + 10” (H), you may bring it with you as a carryon item. If your instrument exceeds carryon sizing requirements, it can still be carried onboard if it will fit in an overhead bin or under a seat if there is space available.
Oh you definitely don’t want to fly with that, at least all the time. They are charging you a lot extra for that. May be consider a travel bass. Like this 32" medium scale
or a 23.5" scale Kala Ubass
Our very own talented @Gio is the one on that demo video.
An alternate approach is to buy a small bass with a bolt in neck, take the neck off and put it in a suitcase.
This bass cost me about £70, second hand, with new set of strings. It’s not the greatest bass in the world, but for air travel practice, it works ok. I even recorded a couple of covers on it, although one (Bryan Adams / Summer of 69) got taken down by YouTube
I would advise against branded and brand new hard molded case. Same case in a used beat up condition and peel of the brand sticker. You should also drop an Apple AirTag in the bag or case.
Was definitely going to drop an airtag in the case. Not seeing many promising listings for a hard case that aren’t too far to bother with or just as expensive as new.
This may be a great time to work on visualization skills. Watch and rewatch the lessons you’d be surprised how well it works. Drummers do that every day.
I may have found the best option… a colleague pointed out another colleague who plays (and builds his own) basses… so I’ve arranged to borrow a Glarry for the 3 nights I’m there.
The referral was while I was asking if there was a place to store an inexpensive bass I could pick up while there. (I don’t travel frequently, but have a second trip in a couple of months).
I use a the same method as @sunDOG , using a Blackstar Travel Bass:
EDIT I would not install the Fender Highmass bridge anymore on my travel bass. It’s really a very good bridge, but using something like a Gotoh 404BO allows for easily detaching the strings, so no need to remove the bridge…
I am seriously thinking about the cricket bat travel guitar now and the inserts would be ideal.
Going a guitar rather than bass because I have a spare neck and tuners now Can’t let spare parts just sit around.
). An instrument this common should be relatively easy to find a case for I would think.
