View Full Version : Never mess with a Musicians' Guitar !!!!
MusicRoadMan
07-09-2009, 06:29 PM
Ran across this today over at MusicMarketing.com (http://www.musicmarketing.com/2009/07/united-airlines-breaks-guitars.html) and I am glad I am not working in United Airlines public relations office at the moment.
Great publicity for this guy, it already has over 460,000 views on Youtube. I have certainly had my issues with airlines over my years of traveling but I know I am not talented enough to write a song and/or do a video of it.
And a Google search finds 175 news media articles about it.
What no one seems to be asking is, why would any musician in his right mind check a $3500 instrument? Guitars are small enough to be carried on board...
kapeman
07-09-2009, 07:13 PM
And a Google search finds 175 news media articles about it.
What no one seems to be asking is, why would any musician in his right mind check a $3500 instrument? Guitars are small enough to be carried on board...
Regardless, some airlines insist they be checked. From speaking to many musician friends- it seems very very arbitrary. Often the airline workers don't even know what their own policy is.
I had seen this video already because there was a grass roots effort made to actively pass it along to musicians and musicians groups. When I saw it on CNN yesterday- I knew the effort had been successful.
duende
07-10-2009, 01:38 PM
And a Google search finds 175 news media articles about it.
What no one seems to be asking is, why would any musician in his right mind check a $3500 instrument? Guitars are small enough to be carried on board...
well, I'll chime in on this one, since I just flew Southwest with a frankenstein Telecaster in a gig bag. I was able to carry it on and place it in an overhead... trying to hold my tongue while other passengers dinged and handled and jammed other luggage in with it. But it's a solid-body with a one-piece neck and already shows sign of being distressed :)
A Taylor (or any other fine) acoustic isn't particularly strong structurally, and my guess is that the break occurred at the headstock - something even a hard-shell case can't totally protect against. My bandmate checked a new Carvin 5-string bass in a huge formed-plastic road-case with Southwest and they literally hand-carried to baggage claim... nice! So I guess the moral is: put your instrument in the biggest (oversize) road-case that won't ding you extra weight charges and make'em handle it like the fragile cargo it is!
Corona
07-11-2009, 08:02 AM
Ha! I love it and what a great way to bring the situation to the public eye :)
Short piece about this on 'All Things Considered' on NPR yesterday- said United was now willing to revisit the issue with the artist...
Corona
07-11-2009, 08:19 AM
hehehehe :)
Delta
07-11-2009, 08:55 AM
Dave Carroll Says No To Guitar Hush Money From United
http://consumerist.com/5311943/dave-carroll-says-no-to-guitar-hush-money-from-united?skyline=true&s=x
Corona
07-12-2009, 08:16 AM
interesting.....it's about time someone held an airline accountable....someone needs to write one about insurance companies!
Rossvegas
07-12-2009, 10:28 AM
interesting.....it's about time someone held an airline accountable....someone needs to write one about insurance companies!
And the guy is Canadian to boot! I'm really happy that they're getting so much publicity, both for the band and for the douchebags at United who busted his guitar...