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Is the Music Man case suitable for checked baggage?

Ox Boris

Ox Boris

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Nov 7, 2015
Messages
89
Location
Townsville, Australia
Will the case and packaging my new MM comes with, be ok to check in? I'm flying San Francisco to Sydney, with Qantas.
Are there any extras I should add for safety?
 
Screamindv

Screamindv

Active member
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Oct 8, 2013
Messages
33
Location
New Jersey
I gate check mine all the time. No problems to the guitar.Don't know if I would let baggage handlers take it and put it on the carousel.
 
Magic Jason

Magic Jason

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Jul 12, 2014
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1,254
Location
Malmedy, Belgium
As much as I love MM guitars,and I love them a lot, I just hate their cases : there is way too much room for the guitars to "move" within.

MM guitars offer a huge range of shapes. (very cool:cool:)
Cases are kinda "one size fits all". (not so cool :()

But...I just love their "military" look.
 
gurtejsingh

gurtejsingh

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Mar 16, 2014
Messages
286
Location
Australia
I have travelled with the case as a check-in baggage a few times from the US. One thing I always did is that I bubble wrapped the case before checking it in. Also, do NOT lock your case, unless you have a TSA approved lock! I did mine once, and they pried open the case for inspection (random inspection I assume). The process did no harm to the guitar whatsoever, but broke the lock on the case, and I cannot lock it again..

Hope this helps. Cheers.
 
S

Stevie

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May 28, 2007
Messages
384
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I just came back from NY, with an Axis Tribute (and case), checked in and not checked in. I did travel on Qantas.

Hears my number one tip.

Contact Qantas and let them know you are doing so and ensure that the linear dimensions are within their requirements for checked in luggage. Being a Qantas FF helps.

This worked for the NY to LA leg. I was able to carry it on board and stowed the case in a stand up cupboard in the front. However I tried to carry it on board from LA to Melb. No such luck. I got to the boarding gate and was stopped. I argued black and blue to bring it on board and told the gate crew I had made prior plans to bring it on board, which they verified, but no budging. So they took it under the plane as fragile.

I was always weary something like this would happen, so I purchased some masking tape in NY. Took it out of my back pack at the LA gate and wrapped the case and handed it to the gate crew. I sweated for 15 hours, will it be damaged or not, till I got it in Melbourne. All safe and no marks on the case.

This all happened in October.

Best of luck!
 
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Drakester

Drakester

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2015
Messages
11
Magic Jason said:
Scared????

That just shows how skillfully awesome people at musicman are!!!

(and I'm still not conviced with their cases!:D)
Click to expand...

Absolutely, the repair job is outstanding :)

However I would be extremely nervous throughout the journey knowing that my guitar could end up like that even inside the case.

I would check the case as extra luggage (if I really needed it) and carry the guitar with me as carry on baggage in a small but well padded gig bag. I've done that twice before.
 
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P

pentaspan

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Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Messages
49
Tim O'Sullivan said:
Its the only way they would take it! It was a 99 Pound Encore so I was not too worried!
Click to expand...
one of my first guitars (early 80s) was an encore explorer copy. That one also felt like about 99 pounds...90 lbs of that being clear coat. I put it in a garment bag and hung it in that little closet when you first enter the plane.
 
kestrou

kestrou

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Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
1,773
Location
Danville, IL
I just got a Morse Dark Lord delivered today via FedEx, and the guy shipped it "just in the hardshell case" - no outer box or wrapping at all... :eek:

Except for the residue of where he put one wrapping of duct tape around the middle of the case, all is well - but I wouldn't recommend this! :(

Kevin
 
kestrou

kestrou

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Feb 6, 2013
Messages
1,773
Location
Danville, IL
DrKev said:
YIKES! I'm pretty sure if anything happened to that FedEx would have rejected any insurance claim because it wasn't correctly packed!
Click to expand...

You're probably right...

I had no idea he was just chucking it out the window like that - just about fell over when the FedEx guy walked in my office carrying the case by the handle!

Oh well, got lucky for once. :)

Kevin
 
Tim O'Sullivan

Tim O'Sullivan

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Apr 22, 2003
Messages
5,862
Location
Christiansburg, VA
kestrou said:
I just got a Morse Dark Lord delivered today via FedEx, and the guy shipped it "just in the hardshell case" - no outer box or wrapping at all... :eek:

Except for the residue of where he put one wrapping of duct tape around the middle of the case, all is well - but I wouldn't recommend this! :(

Kevin
Click to expand...

When I had my guitars shipped from the UK to USA (when I moved here) they were sent DHL on a next day service. They were all sent just like that - just in the original cases with some tape round them. All of them survived to tell the tale!
 
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