So a well known airline broke a guitar, hey? Is anyone really surprised? Have you ever sat on the plane waiting to get off (the plane I mean) and watched them start to unload the baggage? Well, I have.

Four gorillas unloading a plane; one driving the little go-kart thingy with the two trailers attached but now he is just sitting there waiting for the other guys to put the bags on his trailers. One guy throwing the luggage onto the trailers and the other two just standing there watching. Why couldn’t the guy who drives the go-kart unload the plane? Why do they need four guys when they really only need one?

And unloading, man is that the wrong word? Its not unloading its throwing stuff as hard and roughly as you can and at least trying to hit the trailer. Ah yes that’s why they have extra guys there, to pick up the bags that miss the trailer and end up on the ground.

I have traveled a lot and seen a lot of mishaps when the baggage handlers are “unloading”. I have seen bags split open after hitting the ground, I have even seen a dog shit itself (literally) after a baggage handler threw the dog’s cage onto the trailer and it skidded off onto the tarmac. They just left it there until they were finished unloading and threw it on top of the other bags. The poor dog whacked off its nut on sedatives, sat there trembling the whole time and there was not one word of comfort from any of these guys; not even the ones who weren’t doing anything.

As I have had suitcases destroyed by baggage handlers I am not surprised that a guitar was broken. What I am surprised about is that it is not reported more often. So how do we protect our beloved axes if we have to travel on these huge hunks of flying metal? Here are a few tips to follow when traveling by air:

• Make sure you have a sturdy hard case for your guitar.
• Make sure the case is lockable; you don’t want to get to your destination to find your case in good order but no guitar inside.
• Make sure your guitar fits snugly in the case, you might have to pack extra rags, paper or bubble wrap to ensure it’s a tight fit.
• Even if you guitar has a custom case throw some extra padding, be it bubble wrap or foam on top of the guitar before you close the case.
• Put extra padding under the neck as this is the most fragile part of the guitar.
• Loosen the strings as the neck will contract because of the cold temperatures that flying imposes on baggage. Loosening the strings will minimize the bend in the neck from the contraction.
• When you arrive don’t open your guitar case immediately. Let it sit for a couple of hours so the guitar can adjust to the new temperature slowly. Quick changes in temperature can dramatically affect the neck.

There is not much else you can do except buy a second seat for your axe because you know they won’t let you take it on as carry on. It’s an expensive way to travel but at least you know your guitar is safe. Besides you could strum a few tunes to kill time.

I was wondering though if your guitar has its own seat does that mean it has to have its own ticket, whereby it will need a full name and id or passport if you are traveling internationally.

-Axel

Guitar strings. Don’t you just hate them? They constantly go out of tune and break at the most inopportune times. I wish I played the piano. Piano strings rarely break and only need to be tuned occasionally and you get some other guy to tune it for you. You pianists don’t know how lucky you have it.

Guitar strings; guaranteed to let you down every time. Like when a friend comes over and asks you to play something on your axe, you pick it up, totally out of tune. Or you’re playing a gig, first song, that’s right you got it, a string breaks.

Guitar strings, I wish we didn’t have them at all. I like those guitars that Sony makes for the PS2, no strings. All guitars should be like that, don’t you think?

NO! Without guitar strings we wouldn’t be able to get the unique tones that we can get out of an axe; no bending, no harmonics, no squealing and no feedback. All the stuff we love about the sound of a guitar ultimately comes from the strings and the ability of guitarist to manipulate those strings.

So seeing we are stuck with guitar strings I have a few tips that might help you overcome some of the problems that guitar strings cause.

String Gauge

• You should decide what strings you wish to use on the guitar and what gauge the strings should be. If you want to play fast lead solos you need a fairly light gauge string but if you want to play with more feel you need heavier gauge strings. Light gauge strings will go out of tune more quickly then heavy gauge strings. A good compromise is light heavy bottom (10 – 52).
• Once you have decided on the strings and the gauge take the guitar to a luthier and get him to set the guitar up for those particular strings. He will set the intonation and action of the guitar based on the gauge of strings you are going to use.

Changing Strings

• Whenever you change strings you should stretch them in, this stops them going out of tune so quickly. To stretch them in put your finger on the 22nd fret and stretch the string about halfway from the 22nd fret to the bridge. Stretch it hard, like you hate that string. After you have stretched it a few times it will go out of tune, repeat the stretching until it stays in tune. Then repeat the stretching by putting your finger on the 7th fret and stretching back toward the bridge. Then finally repeat the stretching by leaving your finger on the 7th fret and stretching back towards the headstock of the guitar. After each stretch check the tuning and re-tune if necessary. Continue stretching until the string stays in tune.
• Use a string winder; this takes all the effort out of string changing.
• Only use about three string wraps around the machine head or get a lock down system which is even better.

Longer Life Strings

• Always wipe your guitar down after use. This will lengthen the life of your stings by removing sweat, muck and skin from the strings.
• Use long life strings like Elixir which last up to five times longer than other strings.
• Use a product like Finger Ease which is light oil that you spray on your strings. It not only extends the life of the string but softens calluses.

So learn to love your strings, treat them with respect and care and your playing experience will be greatly enhanced.

Axel