Vigier Guitars

Hello guys!

I need your help..I need to transport my Vigier Excalibur Custom Guitar via airoplane. The trip should last around 4 hours and I've got a Hiscox hardshell case that the guitar came with.

Lately rules have changed in airline companies and I cannot get my guitar in the cabin as hand luggage, so I have to get it in with the rest of the suitcases. Now I know that hiscox cases are good, but I've read a lot of horror stories online about guitars travelling in flight cases and arriving broken, hurt, or otherwise damaged by bad handling and/or temperature changes.

Do you have any ideas as to what should I do? I really dont want to risk my instrument..

Thank you in advance!

As long as it doesn't get dropped from the baggage truck it should be fine.  If you have the shipping box the guitar came in you can put the case in that and the case won't get scratched up.  I once took a classical guitar to Greece and I had the case in a shipping box. There was no problem except I had to fly into Athens twice and both times the guitar didn't show up with the luggage. I had to go to the counter and inquire about it and wait, and then the guitar would finally show up.  I was appalled by the flippant attitude of the airline people in Greece.  With that and other things it was easy to see why that country is such a wreck!

Thank you for your answer! I thought the same thing, the Hiscox cases seem pretty tough but I was just wondering for any similar experiences or tips for preparing my guitar for flight. From what I read online the real threat is not the bumping part but the temperature changes..baggage room should be climate controled but I dont know if its on all flights.

By the way, I'm very sorry to hear for your bad experiences in Greece. Things have changed for the best, I get to travel quite a lot in the last 5 years and I've never lost a piece of baggage. Hope that event wont ruin your perception for Greece.

Hey!

You can check your guitar in its case no problem. I fly with Vigiers all the time and usually check them. It's all good! Especially with our neck systems. The only potential issue is with the mirror pickguards. I have had one or two crack from getting dropped somewhere along the line. If you don't have one, it's not an issue though!

GuitarEnthusiast wrote:

As long as it doesn't get dropped from the baggage truck it should be fine.  If you have the shipping box the guitar came in you can put the case in that and the case won't get scratched up.  I once took a classical guitar to Greece and I had the case in a shipping box. There was no problem except I had to fly into Athens twice and both times the guitar didn't show up with the luggage. I had to go to the counter and inquire about it and wait, and then the guitar would finally show up.  

If you check a guitar in a box, usually that will qualify for oversized luggage and you'll have to wait a little extra or go to a special counter. This is not just in Greece but in a lot of airports around the world. Sometimes they show up with regular luggage and sometimes they don't, it's a matter of the airport's luggage handling capabilities/rules.

Hello and thank you for the replies

My main concern are the temperature changes, I talked to the airline and they told me that if there are pets onboard there probably wont be air condition in the luggage room, which means that temperature may drop significantly when in the air and then get back to normal when landing. Do you think I would have a problem with that ?

GuitarEnthusiast wrote:

Hello and thank you for the replies

My main concern are the temperature changes, I talked to the airline and they told me that if there are pets onboard there probably wont be air condition in the luggage room, which means that temperature may drop significantly when in the air and then get back to normal when landing. Do you think I would have a problem with that ?

Absolutely not a problem whatsoever :)

If I were you, I would leave the Vigier at home or take another guitar.  A Viiger is not a guitar that can be easily replaced like a Stratocaster, for instance.  I've been waiting almost 10 months for mine.