This past weekend, I had the privilege to fly out from North Carolina and perform a show in Tucson, Arizona.   I love to travel; but most of my musical excursions happen via automobile with distant destinations chained together in series to make things easier and more feasible to handle by car or van.  It is rare for me to travel so far to do a single performance.  This situation provided me with some challenges in terms of deciding what gear I could use for the show.  While I have flown with a guitar before, I had not been airborne with an instrument since 9/11.  With much stricter airport security and tighter luggage requirements, I anticipated problems with carrying a guitar onboard in a soft-shell gig bag and stowing it in an overhead compartment as I had done on other occasions.  I consulted with a few other touring guitarists and got enough mixed answers to know that I should plan for the worst.  When I found out that all of my flights would involve fairly small aircraft with limited overhead storage space, I knew I would need to come to terms with the possibility of relying upon unfamiliar items.

If you are reading this site, chances are you have an affinity for your musical instruments just like I do.  While guitars are essentially and realistically pieces of wood and wire, they are of great importance to musicians especially because of the personal nature of expression.  I wouldn't travel across the country to play music if it wasn't important to me, and while I'm always learning to balance what is and isn't vital in terms of my artistic creativity, I admit that I did not relish the thought of using rental equipment if even for one night.  I know the nuances of my personal instruments and am comforted by using familiar gear.  A good analogy would be driving a rental car.  Anyone could hop into an unfamiliar car and get it to go to the destination; but it might feel different and cause some consternation as opposed to driving one's own vehicle.  I wasn't panicked about getting through the gig or even about the potential of not sounding good.  It was more of a desire to feel as if I would have reliable and familiar equipment to play which would in turn relax me for a freer sense of expression.  I wanted 100% control over every variable without worries.

A few weeks before the show, I was thinking about the real value of material possessions such as my musical equipment.  While I love and cherish my gear, they are basic tools to help me convey my music.  No doubt, they are important and I'd rather have great instruments than inferior ones.  Yet I found myself realizing that the wire and wood is only one part of the total musical equation.  I hope this never happens (knock on wood); but if my house were to be destroyed in a calamity such as a fire and every one of my instruments were to be damaged beyond use, would my musical and personal abilities perish with it all?  If I could escape with my body, then the answer is a resounding no!  I would need to go out and find new gear; yet I would still have the music within me.  When I'm 50 miles away from my guitars, do I suddenly cease to be a musician?  No!  I would certainly need a guitar in my hands to play it; but my internal musical gifts (or lack thereof  ) would remain intact.   So, traveling a couple of thousand miles to play with different instruments shouldn't be a daunting task, should it?

The truth is, I wavered back and forth about what I was going to take with me.  One day, I was totally set on using the instruments that would be provided according to the contract.  The next day, I'd convince myself that I would take a particular guitar with me.  Then I'd be taking a totally different axe.  "Do I need single-coils?  Okay, I'm taking the Strat.  But...you know, I could probably get by with that cheaper instrument over there with humbuckers.  Or maybe I should take this one here because I could cover the entire range of material on it in a pinch."

In the end, I decided to rent an amplifier at the venue and try my luck with taking a guitar and a few pedals with me.  I put together a small pedalboard and secured it into one side of a hardshell suitcase, while packing clothes into the other half.  Then, thanks to a friend of mine with an ATA-certified flight case, I checked one of my guitars at the curb upon arriving for my flight.  I did not take the fanciest guitar that I own; but it is very durable and at the very least, familiar, so it gave me a degree of musical comfort on my way out west.  Furthermore, I personally know the luthier who built it, so I was confident about having any repairs done if the rigors of the trip would dictate any after returning home.

The sound company who handled the P.A. and stage gear for the show was very professional and attentive.  They had even gone the extra mile to provide a few extra guitars as alternatives in case we didn't like the primary ones.  The acoustics they gave us were very serviceable, though I didn't expect anything to stand up to my own personal models.  The electrics however, were a different story.  There were two primary Strats at the venue that were rented for the show.  Since I brought my own guitar, I let the other guitarist take his pick of the two.  Neither one was particularly outstanding, yet the one he played worked fine and sounded good.  The other Strat had severe fretting issues where it was practically unplayable above the tenth fret.  It was at that time that I decided to stick with my own electric for the whole show, and use the acoustic guitar for the first portion of the set.  Amp-wise, we relied upon a couple of old standby silverface Fender Twins.  While none of the stuff sounded as good to me as the rig I normally use at home, I felt at ease with everything and the show ended up going smoothly. It's times like these that hopefully the true professional will come to the surface and make everything come together no matter the adversity.  Music was made and people had a good time.  That is what it's all about!

As for transporting the gear, I'm pleased to say that I didn't have any problems with guitar damage.  Everything made it safely to and from the destination with no troubles.  I did find that security had left notes in both pieces of luggage on the return leg of the trip, noting that they had gone through things as a security precaution.  Thankfully, nothing was disturbed.  This might not always end up being the case because there are plenty of instances of guitars being damaged or delayed during flights; but I'm glad that this journey was a pleasant experience.
 

Jason