Question A Couple Of Questions About My New JP6 MM

[Flyingvb]

Ok so I recently recieved a John Petrucci Music Man in Mystic Dream after waiting for so long and what can I say, this guitar is so amazing that it's glued to my hands.

But I have a couple of quesitons about it.

1. Does the Music Man case that came with have a TSA certified lock for airports etc.? I don't want them breaking the case

2. I there a way to remove the trem "gently" or do you just have to yank that thing out?

Thank You!

 

[Colin]

1. Does the Music Man case that came with have a TSA certified lock for airports etc.? I don't want them breaking the case

no TSA certified locks have that red logo on them...

 

[ScoobySteve]

1. I wouldn't check it. Find a gig bag and carry it on board with you.

2. A decent amount of pressure and the trem arm should come out. If you're pulling too hard, like enough to rip a cork out, then something might be off.

 

[Flyingvb]

Ok thanks for the tips guys!
But do they let you take it on board in a gig bag? My thought was that the "carry-on" item would be too big?

I have to pull the trem somewhat hard, but not so much, still my biggest concern is damaging the paint haha, its so unique

 

[Flyingvb]

Nah the trem is fine, I just pulled it out, I was probably pulling out form a awkward position or something,I just did it while it was on the stand and that seemed easier than when its face up on your lap.

 

[the24thfret]

Don't check it, they'll break it. Insist you take it on board -- they will let you and you can do it.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Nah the trem is fine, I just pulled it out, I was probably pulling out form a awkward position or something,I just did it while it was on the stand and that seemed easier than when its face up on your lap.

The case is designed to close with the bar in, so there is no need to remove it unless you are removing it for some other reason.

 

[Flyingvb]

Don't check it, they'll break it. Insist you take it on board -- they will let you and you can do it.

Ok ty man! That makes me so much happier

 

[Flyingvb]

The case is designed to close with the bar in, so there is no need to remove it unless you are removing it for some other reason.

Yeah I know, I took it out of my case(when I first got it) with the trem attached. It's a good design, something that makes sense adn I'm glad MM picked up on it.

Yes sometimes I wanna remove the trem for cleaning and such, and because I was simply curious how it looks like with the case haha.

 

[Adamr]

yeah i found if u pull it straight out towards u . it comes out quite easy if u put any sort of pressure on the side of it and try and pull it out . you will have to yank it.

 

[David Corrales]

Flyingvb when I first got my JPM I yanked the tremolo out a accidentally hit the saddle cover slightly damaging it. My advice to remove the trem bar out is to use your thumb to press against the saddle cover while you gently (but firmly) pull the bar until it "clicks out" still inside the cavity. After that you simply take it out.

With that method the "unlocking" part occurs all inside the cavity without any risk to the paint or chrome parts.

 

[Tung]

That being said, I've tried multiple times to carry on my instrument, but they always tell me no. It's just simply too large, and I get rejected every time. The solution I've found is this: get it "checked" as special, fragile luggage. Here in Canada that means you get this little orange tag on your gigbag, and you can carry your instrument throughout the airport (it doesn't get checked with your normal luggage at the counter on the conveyor belt). Once you get on the plane, they take it from you just as you are about to go on, and the baggage handlers retrieve it from the stewardesses directly, that way it's the last thing to go on, and the first thing to come off. They do the same thing with other things such as strollers and other baby accessories I've noticed.

This method isn't perfect because you are still exposing the guitar to pressure and temperature changes, plus it could still get knocked around in the plane, but I've had success with this method the half-dozen times I've used it. Have you been able to take a guitar as a carry-on 24? I've clearly tried before, but I haven't been overly adamant with the airport personal, so I'm just wondering if "pushing" them a bit would help.

thanks a lot for some real helpful tips here. I go to the US from Pearson to play all the time, but never brought my guitar with me, simply out of fear (from all the reasons you mentioned).
I'll be at NAMM in 3 weeks and thinking of making a purchase, but I dread bring it back.
With your method, you still have to retrieve it through the baggage claim? or will they give it to you when you arrive via stewardess? I've seen baby strollers given to them upon boarding, and when arrived, they actually give it to you, instead of going through the conveyor belt, which I think is enough chance there to damage the guitar.

 

[tm21]

There's been a lot of talk recently about Airlines and checking (or rather refusing to check) your guitar, but in my experience it's harder in practice than it is in theory. First of all, I refuse to travel with an expensive guitar, for all the reasons brought up in the Joe Bonamassa thread. But even with the relatively inexpensive guitar I do travel with, I put it in a soft case, and stuff all the compartments (it has lots of compartments) and the inside of the case with bubble wrap. I do this to protect the guitar, but I wouldn't use a hardcase since the soft case seems to provide a "psychological buffer" as well--basically what I mean by that is that workers seem to be less prone to throw an instrument around when it's obvious that it's a delicate instrument rather than a big black box with a logo (a.k.a a hardcase).

I live in canada and I do the same thing. I think its called "skycheck" or something like that. I also use a soft case but instead of bubble wrap, I stuff clothes, socks, sweaters etc into the case to cushion the guitar and plus it usually saves me from having to pack a suitcase never had a guitar damaged or broken, but the guitar usually comes out of the airplane feeling a bit colder, no matter how i pack the clothes

 

[tm21]

With your method, you still have to retrieve it through the baggage claim? or will they give it to you when you arrive via stewardess? I've seen baby strollers given to them upon boarding, and when arrived, they actually give it to you, instead of going through the conveyor belt, which I think is enough chance there to damage the guitar.

when you step off the plane, there will be a rack to your left with all the other baggage that was skychecked. you just grab whats yours and head on in to the airport. i think the baggage handlers place it on the rack, then take the other stuff inside the airport for the conveyor belt

 

[the24thfret]

Have you been able to take a guitar as a carry-on 24? I've clearly tried before, but I haven't been overly adamant with the airport personal, so I'm just wondering if "pushing" them a bit would help.

I've traveled domestic and international numerous times with guitars including my JP6. Yes, pushing them works. Just tell them it is worth $10,000 or something astronomical. Nearly every plane has storage space in the cabin for items such as this, so you need to insist on using it. Obviously be polite, though; would you help someone that was being an asshole even if he had a good point? Just be insistent.

Only once did I have the guitar leave my hands -- this was when I flew on a prop plane in the NW US, very short flight... plane sat about 20 people and literally had nowhere to store it, so they took it out of my hands on the tarmac as I boarded the plane and put it on top of the luggage already loaded. Then I claimed it immediately after I got off the plane when we landed -- it didn't go through any kind of baggage claim or anything. It had a special tag of sorts... same kind of thing that kiddie strollers get so that families can immediately get them back as soon as they get off the plane.

Bottom line is that every airline can accommodate you if you're polite but very firm, so there is no reason to take the huge risk by checking it.

 

[Flyingvb]

Wow thanks for the tips guys, but can you skycheck hardshell cases? Because they're a bit bigger than the softshell ones but are better for transport in like a car.
My problem, is that I may be moving and thestff thats going with the mover will take a while to get to our new place, and I can't live without a guitar, especially my Petrucci, even if I have to play it unplugged so I really need to take it on the plane with me and carry on luggage sounds the best, I'll do what "the24th" said and say its worth like 10k and I have a gig the next week I get there yadayadayada, so basically just bs them but be polite? Sounds manageable

 

[paranoid70]

I would say that after what happened on Christmas, it would be VERY unlikely one would be able to carry-on a guitar case in the near future. I think the check just before boarding is definitely the way to go. Like someone said, they do it with strollers and things like that all the time, so something delicate and expensive like a guitar should be a very reasonable request.

 

[Flyingvb]

I would say that after what happened on Christmas, it would be VERY unlikely one would be able to carry-on a guitar case in the near future. I think the check just before boarding is definitely the way to go. Like someone said, they do it with strollers and things like that all the time, so something delicate and expensive like a guitar should be a very reasonable request.

Makes sense since that failed terrorist attempt, but I don't think a terrorist would be prepared to blow up a JP-6 with a Mystic Dream finish

 

[Octavarius]

I've always had very good luck with American Airlines. At least on the bigger planes, the crew has always offered me to store my guitar in a large compartment on board, that they also use for crutches, sporting equipment, etc. Much like a tall, narrow closet of sorts.

That said, I have always managed to get my gig bag (I use a very tough, rigid Reunion Blues leather bag) inside the overhead compartments when travelling here in Europe. And I rarely get rejected. Recently, when the plane was extremely full, I got it checked as fragile luggage (or "bulky" as some airlines call it). Granted, that obviously didn't translate when I arrived here in Oslo, so I got my 20th dumped on a conveyor belt along with the normal luggage. Luckily the expensive gig bag did it's job of protecting the guitar.
A few months back, though, I did the same "fragile check" with my Höfner archtop in it's wooden hard case, and I got it delivered at a special luggage counter without a single scratch at the same airport. So yeah, there are always risks, but if you gotta bring your guitar, you gotta bring your guitar, man. Simple as that.

I ALWAYS check the airlines carry-on policies at their websites before I book flights, and if I'm unsure I call them and ask. Some have very specific policies regarding musical instruments and some don't. This is from AA:

Small musical instruments may be carried onboard the aircraft providing they meet existing carry-on size requirements and fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. Case dimensions may not exceed 45 dimensional inches (width + length + height), except for guitars which may be brought on board only if they can be safely stowed in an overhead bin or approved stowage location in the cabin.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/carryOnAllowance.jsp


Remember, a lot of people travel with instruments. Cellos, saxes, tubas, even double-basses, man! Imagine that!

 

[Tung]

. This is from AA:



https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/carryOnAllowance.jsp

Thanks for the AA info. I'll be flying AA to NAMM in couple weeks, we'll see how it goes