LeftyBassist.com

Hey Y'all,

I hope you don't think I'm a punter but I could use an opinion or some advice. (Nothing heavy.) I have a half dozen shows in England in a couple of weeks. (Flying over from Canada.) I've been lamenting on what bass to bring with me.

Here's my dilemma:

I have to go to Italy for a week first so - in total - I'll be taking two overseas flights and a Ryanair cattle car of the sky trip. I have a good flight case but....

I really want to bring my Ric 4004Cii. One of the gigs I've got is at the Cavern Club in Liverpool and I just kinda feel like playing a Ric of some kind might be cool there. BUT, I'm scared silly that it will get damaged. It's hella rare and cannot be replaced. Should I chance it?

My second choice is my custom T-Bird. It's one of a kind but not old or impossible to rebuild. The only problem with this one is that it BARELY fits into my new flight case. (My old one was destroyed by - you guessed it - by an airline. Kept the bass safe though.) I'm afraid that it could still be damaged because of the tight fit. The headstock really gets jammed into the end.

My third - and probably safest - choice, is my Kramer DMZ4000. The aluminum neck is pretty much indestructible and I will have no worries about damage at all. It just won't be the most stylish looking or "cool" from a photo op standpoint.

Any opinions? Am I being a crazy person? Does it really matter? Worrying too much? What bass would YOU bring if you were me?

me, i'd play chicken and take the Kramer as the 1st choice. Followed by the T-bird. But if the fit's as tight as you say it is that's a too-risky-IMHO-choice.
the Ric would be cool, but it's pretty much irreplaceable

I lived in Europe for 8 years. I had the unfortunate experience of traveling with ryanair a number of times, more than I ever wished for me or my worst enemy. Let me say this in no unclear terms. The most I would take on one of their planes, instrument wise, is a 50 bucks piece of sh*t bass. They are like lugagge terrorists.

If you really, really, really want to play the Ric and you have the money and can pull the logistics, you could ship the bass to yourself and back...

kramer

Another vote for the Kramer, though that's a pretty rare bass in it's own rite too.

This is why you should own a Squire Vintage Modifed J. Gets the job done, and if it disappears it's no great loss and you can even pick up another one easily. They show up used on ebay for under $300. Or just buy something in the UK and return it back to the store when you're done. I'm sure they have 30 day return policies there as well. Not the most ethical thing to do, but times are hard.

You're in Canada, why not rent a P-Bass from L+M? And get the theft insurance.

Here's another thought. Have you called the airline to see if you can bring the bass onboard as a carry on? I'd do that first. (My understanding is some will let you and some won't). If not, then how savvy are you with setting up and re-assembling your instruments? You could bring one of your bolt on basses (I know the Kramer's a bolt on, but is the T-Bird?) disassembled onboard and reassemble it when you get there.

+1 for this idea... at the same time, pjmuck's idea to have a squire, or even an SX from Rondomusic.com is a good idea. This is why a P.O.S.(piece of shit) bass is a good idea for travelling....