A Survey - survival rate of guitars in gig bags placed in an airplane's cargo hold

bohemewarbler

I bought the guitar at the luthiers' village at Samois-sur-Seine from Jordan Wencek, luthier, Bar-le-Duc, France. After reading this and seeing photos, you might understand why I have decided to call this guitar "Picasso."

Here is what the luthier sent to me via e-mail...

"I made the soundboard from a tree I bought 5 years ago from Jura in France (jura's spruce).
The back and sides come from big planks of sapelli I bought from an old cabinet maker in Newark, England. They are around 30 years old.
The neck comes from a stair of one house I restored some years ago (african mahogany). The guy wanted to burn it but the wood was too wonderful for that and so I kept it!
And the bracing is make with pyrenees larch.
Ebony and rosewood comes from my exotic wood supplier (shame, but I never travel to India or Africa at the moment).

I made the guitar in my little workshop completely by hand (except to cut the tree) glued with bone glue, and finished with a coat of shellac and beeswax for the neck (beeswax from the bee hive of a friend's garden)."

I just submitted info to the guitar archive with photos. It might take a couple of days to be posted.

Jazzaferri

Sweet...how does it sound?

Buco

What a great story. Thanks!

bohemewarbler

Jazzaferri asks, "How does it sound?" The simple answer is that it's got the right bark. It's on the treblely side with a nasally punch. It's also naturally loud. It's like a thoroughbred. It wants to run. To play softly, it works best if I brush my top knuckles lightly along the strings. The sound of the guitar is what attracted me to the guitar after testing out most of the luthiers' tents on the first day of the Django Reinhardt Festival at Samois. It really stood out in my ears. I almost completely overlooked everything else about the guitar until Jordan Wencik, the luthier, handed it to me to take home with me.

I arrived at the luthiers' tents early Wednesday, the first day the festival, so I could sample guitars before most of the players would be arriving. I then had Michel ("Mitch" on Djangobooks) play along with me to get his opinion. I asked Jordan to hold it for me and made the deal the next day. I think the guitar sounds a lot like what I hear from the recordings on the Thomas Baggerman Trio CDs. Thomas plays a Dupont Md50 and his brother plays a guitar by Belgian luthier, Sebastien Carmantrand.

The beauty of the guitar didn't really dawn on me until I brought it back to our Fontainebleau apartment where my family stayed during the festival. I didn't know anything about the history of the guitar described above until I was back in the states and had sent an email to Jordan asking if he could provide more info on the guitar's construction.

We have GJ jams twice a month in St. Louis at a Starbucks. I'll be bringing it to the jam this Monday. Looking forward.

Jazzaferri

Good description. Sounds like you got one of those magic guitars that good luthiers occasionally get everything just so and the result is something beyond their normally very good guitars.

bohemewarbler

As we are in the window of least expensive airline ticket opportunity for those lucky enough to fly to Europe for the Gypsy Jazz festivals there or the DIJ and other festivals in the U.S., it's a good time to recall the travails of air travel and your guitar. This thread has about everything you might want to consider when traveling with your guitar via the airlines. There are 3 main things to avoid: (1) Checking in your guitar with the rest of freight (most players don't want to risk the possible damage). (2) Discovering your gig bag won't fit into the overhead bins (In one regional flight, my Boulder bag at 17.5" across could fit, but my 19" could not). (3) Finding yourself at the back of the boarding line only to discover the overhead bins are full when you enter the plane and there's no room for your guitar (Line up to board ASAP!).

The good news is there are a lot of useful tips on this thread and there is a domestic law now in effect stating musical instruments should be stored just like other carry-on bags, on a first-come, first-served basis.

https://cms.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Musical instruments_FR_final rule.pdf

SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation is issuing a final rule to
implement section 403 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012
regarding the carriage of musical instruments as carry-on baggage or
checked baggage on commercial passenger flights operated by air
carriers. This rule responds to difficulties musicians have encountered
when transporting their instruments during air travel.

Basically, the rule says musical instruments should be stored just like other carry-on bags, on a first-come, first-served basis. Nobody has to remove a bag to make room for a guitar, but once the guitar is in the overhead bin, its owner doesn't have to move it for anyone else.

DATES: Effective Date: This rule is
effective March 6, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Clereece Kroha or Blane A. Workie,
Office of the Assistant General Counsel
for Aviation Enforcement and
Proceedings, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave.

Jazzaferri

Delta has been in Facebook twice in the last few months for busting guitars in cases in the hold.

If you have a decent guitar one needs a case that is proven to be airline proof, not a case that guitars are supplied with.

guitarmike

Anyone interested I have an indestructable Calton case for sale.
Will fit any guitar up to 16 1/2" large ( originaly for a Favino )
I can bring it to Django In June.
I know this should belong in the classified section but......still related.
The case will survive any abuse.

bohemewarbler

P.S. To avoid any possible confusion, when I posted that my Boulder bag at 17 1/2" width would fit in the overhead bin, but my 19" bag width would not, I am referring to the external dimensions.

Gene Rawe

Guitarmike-check your Pms