Frailing on a jet plane
May 21, 2007
Julie down in Georgia writes:
If you have a spare minute some time, I do have a question I can’t find any good advice about . . . just how dumb would I be to try to travel (i.e. fly on Delta) with my banjo?
Banjos are just about indestructible – and if you do manage to bust one up there isn’t anything on a banjo that can’t be fixed or replaced.
If you banjo is horribly expensive or has serious sentimental value then pick up a cheap “beater” instrument to take with you on trips.
The idea of a beater instrument doesn’t fit everybody. Dear Old Dad used to take a mountain style banjo (like from the Foxfire books) with him everywhere, but I have always been monogamous in my relationship with instruments. Even if it’s going to get beat up on the road I want “my” banjo or guitar with me wherever I go.
Whatever you take, pack the instrument in a hard-shell case. Loosen the stings and lay the bridge flat on the banjo head. Pack some clothes inside the case to support the neck – especially around the headstock – and to keep the instrument from shifting around inside the case.
Most airlines will not let you carry your instrument on the plane.
Back in the 80′s I was able to carry my banjo and my guitar on board with me – but only after I improvised a sob story on the spot about how my great uncle Shecky had just been killed in a tragic circus accident
“Somebody fed the elephant a rubber peanut and the animal went wild. It stomped around in circles going, ‘SNORKIE!’ and stomped poor old Uncle Shecky to death!”
For added effect I dropped both of the cases to the ground, wrapped my arms around the flight attendant and wept into her shoulder sobbing, “Why does God have to take all of the good ones? Why?”
As they were reeling from my routine I went on to explain that I was going back home to play Old Shep over uncle Shecky’s grave.
“The old fellow always said that song reminded him of his wife.”
I think they let me carry both cases onto the plane just to get rid of me.
The world was a different place back then. If you try a stunt like that now you’ll probably end up vacationing in Guantanamo Bay.
Your best bet nowadays is to check the case with the rest of your luggage.
Not much can happen. When I went to Ireland a few years ago the the case for my old Wildwood was falling apart, but rather than buy a new case I just wrapped a bungee cord around it and hoped for the best.
When I got to Shannon airport the lid of my banjo case came down the chute, followed by the bungee cord, the clothes that were packed in the case, what was left of the case and . . . no banjo. My guitar came through fine so I waited a bit and after a while the banjo came tumbling down the chute on top of another suitcase.
Ten minutes later I was picking in the airport bar with a guy from Kilkee.
Short of snapping the neck, there isn’t much you can do to hurt a banjo.
Take your trip. Bring your banjo. Let the instrument get beat up. Wear your scars proudly (nothing breaks the ice better than having somebody notice an old bloodstain on your banjo) and don’t be afraid to use the banjo while you are traveling. A banjo tune – even played badly – can get you a meal, a better seat, better service, introduce you to interesting people, introduce you to scary people and make travel a joy rather than a chore.
May 27, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I once heard a story about a bluegrass banjo picker who traveled by taking his banjo completely apart – taking the strings and the bridge off, then disconnecting the neck from the pot – and packing the parts in his luggage.
So, I tried it. I put my banjo (a Deering Goodtime) into my carry on luggage, in two parts. Surrounded it with sweaters and T-shirts for padding. The peghead kind of stuck out of the top of my knapsack, so I stuck an old knit cap over it for extra protection and camouflage. I didn’t even have to replace the strings – I left them wound around the tuning pegs during my travels. At my destination, I pulled out my Leatherman tool (which had been safely checked in the hold, of course – don’t screw up that part or you’ll lose a perfectly good knife), reattached the neck to the pot, reattached strings to tailpiece, got the bridge back on, retuned, and off I went. Not much more than half an hour’s work at either end of the trip.
An advantage of this method is that you’ll meet all the closet pickers among the security staff at the airport.
June 9, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I am an airline Captain, flying for Southwest. We have no problem letting people carry their instruments on board. I once took Bonnie Rait and her entire band from Burbank to Las Vegas. The band had a harder time finding room for their hats
. Guitars and fiddles are an everyday occurence.
I also play the banjo. I take mine on every trip. There is a tiny little “coat closet” in the cockpit where it just barely fits, and it has riden there without incident. But, when I have to ride in the back, it fits easily in an overhead bin, often next to some soft-sided bags. Better yet, if you go all the way to the back of the plane, you can slip a banjo or guitar behind the last row of seats, flat on the floor between the rear bulkhead and the seat legs. As a last resort, if you play the cello or tuba, you can buy an extra seat for it, and strap it in.
My banjo DID get broken a few weeks ago…getting onto an elevator in the hotel. Snapped the headstock right at the nut. Ouch! It was in a soft gig bag. It is now back together and playing fine…glue and careful clamping.