Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi All,

I'm going to be flying from California the London later this year for a tour and want to bring my Rick 12 with me. Neither Virgin Atlantic or British Airways will allow you to carry a hard shell case on an airplane-- you might be able to charm/argue your way onto the flight, but it's not likely. This means checking the guitar

Provided it's a non-stop flight, which reduces the chance of it getting lost, and I de-tune the strings, will a standard Rick hard shell case be safe enough for a checked guitar? Anyone had any luck with "gate checking" it (so it goes on last, and comes off first and doesn't go through the carousel meat grinder)?

Last question, kinda silly but I'll ask anyways. I usually re-string my Rick string-by-string so as to never fully loosen the tension. Will I have to re-set the truss rod if the guitar goes with totally loose strings for 24 hours?

Thanks!

akpasta wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 1:44 pm Hi All,

I'm going to be flying from California the London later this year for a tour and want to bring my Rick 12 with me. Neither Virgin Atlantic or British Airways will allow you to carry a hard shell case on an airplane-- you might be able to charm/argue your way onto the flight, but it's not likely. This means checking the guitar

If you are going standard economy then carrying it on will be virtually impossible. There is storage onboard for larger items but you'll have to be Club Class or above to be able to take advantage of it. You could always buy a seat for it though, if that's still a thing.

Provided it's a non-stop flight, which reduces the chance of it getting lost, and I de-tune the strings, will a standard Rick hard shell case be safe enough for a checked guitar?

No. Best option would be a full flightcase (hard ply construction with reinforced metal edges and corner knuckles) but the price of one of those would probably be around the same as buying a seat for the guitar, but if you are doing lots of travelling it could be a good long term investment. They are also heavy which can bring them close to the check in weight limit, which used to be standard at 23KG for long haul but is creeping downward (I've seen some UK-US flights quoted at 20KG max). There are ways around this though- if you can prove that you are 'media' the weight limits can be more flexible. Sporting equipment can get around size/weight limits too (all those skiers, divers and surfers are good business to some destinations) and I have known people to put instruments in hardcases into large golf bags and claim its sporting equipment to get stuff onto an aircraft.
Alternatively, SKB do a useful range of reinforced plastic guitar cases- the iSeries- that are lightweight and strong. However, they are mostly for generic types (Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, 335, Precision and Jazz Basses etc). Refoaming a 335 case to your guitar could be an option.

Anyone had any luck with "gate checking" it (so it goes on last, and comes off first and doesn't go through the carousel meat grinder)?

Yes. I was once assured this would happen and dropped a guitar off at the gate. When I arrived at my destination (London Heathrow) I was told this service was only for pushchairs and wheelchairs and that my guitar would come through the carousel with all the other luggage. So, don't believe them.

Last question, kinda silly but I'll ask anyways. I usually re-string my Rick string-by-string so as to never fully loosen the tension. Will I have to re-set the truss rod if the guitar goes with totally loose strings for 24 hours?

Probably not, but as you will likely have to tweak the set up when it gets to cold, wet, grey London from dry, hot California anyway, I wouldn't worry about it.

One more thing- put an Air Tag in the case. Lots of luggage going astray at the moment and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence out there of people informing the airline where this 'lost' luggage actually is and/or calling the airline out on their lies re: lost luggage.