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In a couple of weeks I'll be leaving for Budapest, Hungary to meet up with my family. I'm planning to bring along my Squier Jagmaster (and a Roland MicroCube), but I can't decide how to transport the guitar.

3 years ago, I removed the strings, unscrewed the neck and transported the guitar inside a hard-shell suitcase (which I've since sold). It worked fine but involved a lot of wear and tear from removing/re-inserting the neck screws.

This time, I'm thinking of just using a heavily padded Gibson gig bag that came with my SG Classic and keeping the Jagmaster in the overhead bin. I'll transport the MicroCube in a small checked suitcase.

I don't mind if the Jagmaster gets banged around a little...as long as it doesn't break! Am I going to regret doing this?

Armchair Bronco wrote:It worked fine but involved a lot of wear and tear from removing/re-inserting the neck screws.

Are you for real? This is not "wear and tear" let alone "a lot of wear and tear". Bolt on necks are supposed to come off and on again easily, it's the whole point.

yea, what wear and tear???

but yes, I've often thought of doing the overhead bin thing, and I think it would work fine as well.

Mike wrote:

Armchair Bronco wrote:It worked fine but involved a lot of wear and tear from removing/re-inserting the neck screws.

Are you for real? This is not "wear and tear" let alone "a lot of wear and tear". Bolt on necks are supposed to come off and on again easily, it's the whole point.

Yeah, I'm for real. I've already traveled this way several times. Each leg of the trip requires me to unscrew & then screw the neck back on. That's 4 times per trip. So I've taken off the neck or screwed it back on more than a dozen times. I think that's a lot. Each time, the screw holes get a little bigger. You can't keep messing with wood screws indefinitely.

what's confusing to me, is that if you read most airlines regulations for carry-on items, they only allow smallish bags, but I've seen people bring acoustic guitar cases on, so I know you can do it.

Just based on your posting content, I wouldn't be surprised if you brushed your teeth really gently, lest your head come flying off.

mage wrote:what's confusing to me, is that if you read most airlines regulations for carry-on items, they only allow smallish bags, but I've seen people bring acoustic guitar cases on, so I know you can do it.

Apparently, a lot of airlines don't really consider a smallish gig bag to be your carry on item. Lots of people travel with a small garment bag plus a small carry one suitcase.

Anyway, it's a pain in the neck to cut off the old string and take off the neck to carry it inside some luggage and then reverse the process at the destination.

Mike wrote:Just based on your posting content, I wouldn't be surprised if you brushed your teeth really gently, lest your head come flying off.

You would be correct.

But tell me: how many times do you think you can take off a bolt-on neck before you start to strip the screw holes? I'll admit I haven't done this too much with guitars. Maybe a dozen times. But with wooden furniture, you can't keep doing this over and over.

47.

It's maple, it's really hard wood.

Mike wrote:47.

It's maple, it's really hard wood.

Well, it's beginning to look like I'll just take the neck off and stash the 2 pieces in some luggage like I always do. If I can trust your estimate of "47 times", I still have 30 removals/re-installs left before I destroy the neck. No one seems to think that traveling internationally with a gig bag is a good idea.

your should book the seat next to you for the guitar, and make sure it's strapped in at all times. try and get the window seat for it, a clumsy stewardess may spill hot coffee on it otherwise. also, beware of people suddenly reclining their seats, or stray children trying to 'touch' it. be sure to take it with you when you visit the bathroom in case of theft/hijacking.

If you're going to be doing this a lot, and you're really concerned about it, you can buy a set of bushings which you (or your tech) can sink into your neck screw holes, then you bolt the neck into these. Can't find a link at the mo, sorry.

link, for benecol

kinda pricey though

Them's the kittens. Thank you.

Invest in a good hardcase and chuck it in the hold.

I brought my duosonic in my suitcase. easy peasy.

it used to be a lot easier to take guitars on planes
i would contact the airlines and ask for special permission
sounds silly-- but it has worked for me-

It seems hit or miss as far as larger or oddly sized carryon luggage. I've seen people bring big shit on, and other times seen people being forced to check their carryon because it was SLIGHTLY larger than the specified size. It just seems a lot riskier trying to gig-bag it, because i bet you can imagine what would happen to the guitar if you were forced to check it in a gig-bag.

It'd be pretty hard to fuck up a 4 bolt neck just by carefully removing and reinserting the screws. If say you do strip the maple (which is pretty hard to do), just throw a toothpick or two in the hole with the screw, then turn the screw...the wood splinters fill in the gaps where the hole is stripped and it actually becomes tighter than the wood itself because there's more compression. I do this all the time with strap pins.

BobArsecake wrote:Invest in a good hardcase and chuck it in the hold.

this. its perfectly fine there. the way i see it here are your other options:

-contact the airline and ask about their carry-on policy for guitars in gig bags. you may get lucky.

-pack it in your case and pad it up with clothes. you may not have enough room for clothes.


why would you disassemble it more than once for each way?