Well –– if your case is locked, and Customs/Homeland Security/other inspectors want to look inside it, they'll break the lock.
Anyone know what Egyptian Customs wrote on his D-18? My Arabic's a bit weak (as in "nonexistent").
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Allen -
I read a little Arabic and I'm quite sure it translates to - Only A Gibson is good enough
For posterity.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
What a drag! It can be restored though, thank goodness!
I still don't see great value in locking cases, it just means the thieves can take the whole thing home before they destroy it.
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
According to the blog post at the link below, Customs denies making the mark, and instead points the finger at the hotel or car company.
I'm with Allen, if you lock it, Customs is going to bust into it (but I didn't realize they'd do that even when it's unlocked!). I once took a guitar through customs overseas, and for unrelated reasons was put through a very thorough and time-consuming search of my person and things. But of all places, they didn't check the place in the guitar case where you put picks and other small items. I guess none were musicians ... bb
http://www.flyertalk.com/articles/mu...ed-guitar.html
The TSA in the United States has always told me to leave my case unlocked when I have taken a beater guitar as checked baggage. I have a couple of notes from TSA as souvenirs that they went through the case. If it were locked they would either have broken into it or impounded it.
On another note, I never had bad experiences with baggage handlers. Every one I dealt with was decent and careful though I have had friends watch their instruments being thrown. The automated baggage handling equipment was hard on the case though and temperature or pressure changes caused a pickguard to pop off. I would never take one of my good instruments as checked baggage.
I have a suitcase at home with the locks broken off it after I inadvertently locked it before I checked it. I can attest to the fact that they will simply break the lock. They actually popped it pretty cleanly.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
I guess that's why people tour with their Takamine and leave their vintage guitar at home. Too bad you can't take your good guitar to a gig without somebody messing with it. And, I'll bet money, they go home and tell their friends they jammed on Bryan Adams' guitar at work...................and you know at a gig they wouldn't be allowed within 100 feet of his guitars.
Ray Dearstone #009 D1A (1999)
Skip Kelley #063 Offset Two Point (2017)
Arches #9 A Style (2005)
Bourgeois M5A (2022)
Hohner and Seydel Harmonicas (various keys)
"Heck, Jimmy Martin don't even believe in Santy Claus!"
First they came for the mandolins, and I said nothing.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
paint marker rubs off with your fingernail on surfaces such as that...
“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around and play mandolin.”
Mitch Russell
Bookmarks