Glad to see you mention the coat closet. When I would travel to gigs w/ my Zon Sonus Special 4 I would put it in the coat closet as the Zon gig bag that came with the instrument conveniently had a build in hook/hangar so I would just hang it like a coat. Once in a while if there wasn't a coat closet or it wasn't available it would easily fit in the overhead. Only problem with that is I'd have to be vigilant to make sure (which happened once) that somebody boarding after me doesn't try shoving/crushing/punching their dufflebag or backpack in the same space as my bass.

Love the idea of taking broken in strings!

I did a month of shows in NYC with a hard case, and it was not fun. Gig bags for life!

If you want to check your bass I highly recommend an SKB Bass Safe. It has wheels and a TSA approved lock. You put your bass in a gig bag and the gig bag in the safe. You can fit a few things in the gig bag, like extra strings, a cable, and a strap. The thing is very sturdy and convenient. When you get to your destination just take the gig bag out and leave the outer shell in your hotel room or whatever. You can’t fit a Mono in the shell but a thinner but decent gig bag will still work. It fits a standard scale Fender no problem. Another recommendation is to fly Southwest for US domestic. You get two checked bags for free. Just be sure to tag the safe as regular baggage and not an instrument or it will cost you $75 for some reason (the last time I looked). I’ve flown with an old P and a newer J this way and never had a problem. The Safe will come out in oversized baggage claim. I haven’t flown with my short scale yet and Mono doesn’t have a short scale case, but it’s good to know a guitar Mono might fit. I have a Sandberg Lionel.

Your content is always so informational. Thank you!

Not a touring pro, but the one time I flew with my bass I disassembled it and then the body and neck fit in a duffel bag. I carried it on and was able to get it in the overhead without issue. When I got to my destination, I simply reassembled it with hand tools and was off and running. Probably not everybody's cuppa though.

Thank you!

I’m looking at moving to a Gruv Gear Kapsule as I can get more clothes in it with my bass than with an SKB Bass Safe. I also found Thomann do a Beatles bass gig bag for $20 that fits a mustang perfectly. So this can roll up in the Kapsule and be the super lightweight option around town. Currently using Gruvgear Edge (Guitar) in an SKB Bass Safe

I’m mainly a guitarist. What I do these days is carry my guitar in a road case to the plane, hoping to get it in the cabin but assuming it’ll be gate checked.

I always take spare strings to concerts I am attending as audience. Some how Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth 1983) broke an E (may have been a B) and asked the audience if anyone had a spare... I did. It was an interesting gig. Thurston broke his guitar the drum kit fell apart it was the most Murphy's law concert ever. You can't carry spares for everything though; I've seen pedals die more than once - not power issues & an amps catch fire once.

i recommend de-tuning your bass (or guitar) before flying - definitely if you are putting it in the luggage compartment - otherwise you may get to your destination and find that your neck is warped or even broken - strings freeze at 30,000 feet, cold metal shrinks at a different rate to wood. even if you intend to take it as carry-on luggage, it is still wise to de-tune it in case you have to gate check it.

I haven’t had to fly with a bass yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Thanks for the info!

I was just searching this kind of video, thanks Philip!!!!

Just what I've been researching! Thanks!

ALWAYS try and carry my instrument on, my anxiety won’t survive checking it in😂. I’ve found that if I get there early and get towards the front end of the queue, I don’t normally have any issues. Some airlines are better than others.

Solid tips

invaluable advice. great video man :)

The real question is where you think it’d be best to store your gear on a ship from Numenor to Middle Earth? Just sayin’ 😘. Great video per usual and hope you’re doing well my friend.

Not allowed more than 58cm lenght in my airline for Japan😭 so if Im gonna buy one there. I don’t know what to do and whether I should check it or if I should just not buy a bass in Japan.

Bass? I thought this was a fishing video💦🐟 I was curious to see where that fish was going😮

I’m curious how you put broken in strings on your bass? I feel like that’s is difficult unless you don’t clip the excess string.

Has anyone ever checked in a bass with a semi-hard gigbag like Mono or Reunion Blues? Is it safe? It’s a fender so it’s not exactly fragile, but still

Hey Philip! Great Video - what mono case do you use? Will a standard mono guitar gig bag fit a mustang shortscale?

I heard you have a better shot at getting you bass on the plane if you wear it on your back upside-down. It looks like a normal backpack from the waist up at least

You are really lucky or don't use discount airlines. Often the cabin stowage is limited to 45x36x20cm so ANY bass is just too long and even checked luggage is limited to 275cm so this limits you to a single 120x45x10=175cn flight case, perhaps a twin neck could get around the fretted / fretless issue? My solution is to buy a child's seat for my instrument. It gets very weird looks but works, never had to prove the bass was under 16 years of age. On a trans-Atlantic flight it (or rather I) even had the dubious benefit of a child's meal. Cabin staff are generally cool with this, never had an issue but tbh I've only flown with a bass 6 times.

Are we talking large mouth or small mouth bass?

First?