>>>>>>>We are usually joined by several members of the fox team after midnight
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I can assure that the tradition will continue. I've got a docs person I need to break in. :-)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ( I guess that's when they come out)!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Oh, we're out earlier than that. We just don't get around to the jam until then.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We have dubbed ourselves Nerdvana, or three John's and a Chris and generally >have a good time.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>*sigh* One of these days I'll work up the nerve to stick my Guild on a plane.
>>>>>
>>>>>If I can put a limited edition Taylor on the plane, you should be able to put a Guild on! The luggage gorillas haven't damaged mine yet. Course, I threatened to wipe out half the airport if they did.< G >
>>>>
>>>>You let your limited edition Taylor fly in the baggage compartment?? Horrors!! The folks at Martin recommend talking to the airline before hand so that you can take it on the plane.
>>>
>>>
>>>I've tried to take it on the plane and the told me i couldn't. I figure if they damage it, i'll give them the option of paying me BIG bucks or me going postal on them!
>>
>>There's some information that Martin puts out on how to get it on board and some extra steps to take if they won't. If I can scare it up, you want it?
>
>
>Sure, anything could help.

John,

Below is what Martin has published regarding traveling with a guitar. I’ve added my own comments, not so much for your benefit, but for anyone with a fine guitar who wants to take it on the road.

Guitar Care While Traveling

The guitar probably travels more than any other musical instrument in the world, and it’ll only be a matter of time before you take yours on its first trip. If you’re going to take your guitar on the road with you, remember, it’s not just another piece of baggage. You have to make an effort to protect it.

If you’re traveling by car, don’t make your guitar ride in the trunk. It’s much safer in the back seat because most car trunks are neither heated nor ventilated so the temperatures can get completely out of hand. Freezing or cooking your guitar is an invitation for a crack or warp to occur. Heat can also loosen the bridge from the guitar top.

Air travel has become the most popular mode of commercial transportation, but protection of your instrument is important. Airlines don’t set out to damage guitars intentionally, but a conveyor system can’t tell a guitar from other baggage. Airlines may consider a guitar to be too fragile for their handling and may require that a waiver be signed which limits or removes their liability. Don’t sign such a document if you can avoid it. Even a hard case can’t always protect a guitar from damage from mishandling by individuals or commercial carriers.

Occasionally you can bypass the usual baggage handling system by asking to take your guitar to the boarding area where it can be tagged and hand carried to the airplane. Upon arrival, notify the flight attendant or customer service representative and try to retrieve it at the gate. Not all airlines give you this option.

Three are size restrictions on carry-on luggage. It must fir in the overhead bin or under the seat ahead of you. Some flight attendants may allow you to try the overhead bin, but if it doesn’t fit, it may have to be checked as baggage. Lowering the strings and using wadded newspaper to keep the guitar tight in its case will decrease the possibility of damage while a guitar is in the baggage compartment. Martin’s hard case will help, but a good case is not a cure-all for careless handling or accidents.

Let me add something about guitars traveling as “baggage”. As mentioned above, one of the biggest enemies of wood is extremes in temperatures. An un-pressurized, un-heated baggage compartment is just about the worst place you can put a guitar. This is especially the case with a classical guitar. Since the nylon strings do not exert as much pressure, the face of the instrument tends to be thinner and therefore more susceptible to cracking under such circumstances. If you have a good guitar and want to take it on an airplane, I’d suggest contacting the various airlines to explain the problem. The overhead, and under the seat areas are, on some aircraft, not the only place carry on items can be stored. If at all possible, try to book a flight where you have the opportunity to bring the instrument with you. This will take the possibility of damage in handling or by the external atmospheric conditions completely out of the equation.