Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm about to head off to NYC for a week or so (I live in London) and I really want to check out the guitar shops over there. However, should I come across a gem and pull the trigger, I'm pretty nervous about transporting the thing back home in the hold of a plane.

If the situation arises, should I fedex it? should I be worried at all? Is a guitar case totally safe as normal luggage? What do other Rickenbrothers do?

Cheers

Robert,

I have had some experience with this having brought home seven guitars from the US to Oz in September. All arrived here safely and without any hassles.

Firstly, ensure that your travel insurance will cover a not only a guitar but the full value of the instrument. There may be limits on value depending on the cover you have. You want to know that you're covered adequately in case anything goes wrong.

You'll also need to determine what baggage restrictions apply. It is unlikely that you'll be able to carry a guitar on board with you unless you purchase a full ticket for it and place it in the seat next to you. Restrictions may apply to the linear dimensions and the actual weight.

My guitars were placed inside their hardshell Rickenbacker cases, with clothing and other soft padding inside the case to prevent any movement but not to place any pressure on the neck or headstock once closed. This also helps to evenly distribute weight over each piece of luggage. I then sealed each case with duct tape even though I knew the authorities might open it up at some point.

The sealed case was then packed inside a cardboard guitar carton. If you buy an instrument in the US make sure the guitar store supplies a carton with the guitar. Pad the inside of the carton with more soft stuff to prevent the case from moving inside.

Label the carton clearly with your name and address. I placed bright orange 'fragile' stickers on every surface of the carton. Either this will ensure it's handled correctly, or it will ensure your guitar is used as a trampoline! My stuff survived OK so I'd recommend it.

Depending on how much other luggage you have you may have to pay an excess fee. This fee is usually cheaper than Fedex. I paid US$90.00 for all seven guitars after smiling nicely at the check-in attendant. According to my calculations it should have been more like US$140 per piece of luggage.

I hope this info helps. Enjoy your visit to NYC. If you can get to Pick of the Ricks in NJ (about 2.5 hours from NYC) it will be worth your while. New Jersey Guitar and Bass Center is also worth a visit...they had eight or nine Ricks when I was there in September.

Rob - you'll be fine. Just de-tune the strings a couple of turns. Pack it well (dirty laundry makes for good packing material - t shirts etc). Buy some masking tape to protect the case edges and then gaffer tape over the top of that (the masking tape stops the gaffer sticking to the case). Write across the gaffer - fragile.The lovely check in girls at the airport will stick on extra fragile stickers if you ask them nicely. And then when you get to London - walk through the red channel and pay some duty (or if you're very tired and confused by the long flight - the green channel). Expect to pay around 25% of it's value in duty. Job done. Then when you get home open the case and sigh !!! You can't beat that feeling. DO IT!

Cheers guys. It's good to know other people have done it ok. I'm still nervous though. Ricks are just so much cheaper in the states though damn it!

we'll see...

your experience will depend upon how someone at the airlines is feeling that day.

Domestic carriers are beginning to exclude g'tars from the cabin, even with the TSA declaration. Domestic carriers also limit the amount insurable per piece of luggage.

Intl carriers have higher limits but you MUST read all the fine print.

If it were me with a newly found 4005 or 4002, I'd FedEx or UPS it.

IMHO

Write across the gaffer - fragile.The lovely check in girls at the airport will stick on extra fragile stickers if you ask them nicely.

My experience with doing this has been that the airline refuses to handle it because it's "fragile".

Just de-tune the strings a couple of turns.

If it's a RIC, please keep it at pitch. They're designed to stay under tension and resist damage better that way.

I've heard and been told many times that rule #1 is not to de-tune Rickenbackers when shipping. It's not as if you can tighten up a few bolts afterwards and everything's tickety-boo!!

When I got on the plane from LA to NZ this year, my bass was what I was worried about. I had it away from me for months and had it shipped to me. It arrived the day before I left. I put the guitar in it's HSC with some of my clothes.. heh. After the clothes were on it I put bubble wrap on it. It then went into the box it arrived in with a bunch of packing peanuts. It arrived fine. I opened it up as soon as I got to my mom's house in NZ and the bass was fine. I then changes the strings (In a really stupid way) and it still sounded great.

I sometimes tune to e-flat when shipping if the buyer requests detuning ...

Mine was still almost perfectly in tune after a week long journey from Nebraska to Nova Scotia. It was packed (in the case, of course) in a Schwinn bike box with about 2 weeks worth of newspaper & shipped UPS Standard.

we got your wings right here...

Robert,

I've flown back and forth from London to Florida with basses many times. I have an ATA case that can go in the hold if necessary, but have always asked (and with one exception) been allowed to carry it into the cabin. BA are usually very fair.
If you are flying on a 777 the overhead storage in First/Club will accept a bass case comfortably, and the staff will usually place it there if you ask nicely.

Of course, this is all subjective, depending on the day and the crew...

Whatever you do, pack it very well and tight. I have always left mine at pitch too, but it does have fragile on it as well!

From what I've seen, the word "fragile" means "throw/drop kick off the baggage trailer as hard as humanly possible" in baggage-crew speak.

Well there you go Robert. De-tune or don't de-tune. Mark fragile / don't mark fragile. Carry on / put in the hold. A balanced set of advice for you to puzzle over. But basically I think we're all saying - It ain't no problem. So what's holding you back? Go for it!! And let us all know how you get on.

I agree with Graham, pack and seal as he says. You probably won't get it on as a carry on (we were turned away before Passport control this year, even though the BA check in staff said it was OK to carry on). De-tune the strings as minus 70c (or whatever it is) creates hell with wood under tension. If you can pack the case in a carton so much the better, if not mask and gaffer the edges, catches and hinges. Don't post it back as...
1, It will cost up to $200 to post it.
2, You will get stung 24% duty and VAT + a "handling charge" on the declared value (including the shipping), if the customs open it and don't believe the declared value they just make their own figure up and you have no right of appeal (pay up or lose it).
3, If parcelfarce get hold of it you may never see it again if someone at the depot gets his (or her) eye on it (it has happened to me).
4, I have had more guitars trashed in the post than carried back. (Post trashed = 2, carry back trashed = 0).
5, It feels great to bring your new baby home in your arms!

DO IT!!!