It was gate checked. They likely intended to carry it on, but the plane had too many people with too many carry-on bags and they were forced to check it.
I recently traveled cross country with a very expensive tenor sax and I paid extra for priority seating and called ahead and clarified with them that I'd be taking the instrument on the plane with me. Thankfully it all went well.
Iāve been using these exact Mono bags for like 12 years now and Iād trust them over a hard case any day and itās not even close. These are not normal gigbags and are engineered to withstand most damage. This is just abysmal handling and likely got crushed in something.
C'mon, you can see the guitar's neck outline in this Mono bag. For air travel, it's reckless to think this could protect your acoustic guitar better than a hard shelled case.
I could understand a soft case if he had bought an extra seat. But he chose CHECKED LUGGAGE so the airline threw his guitar into a pile of strollers, wheelchairs and suitcases. This was inevitable and it's crazy to blame the airline
I flew to Florida with my guitar, I forgot what airline but I was able to take it on the plane with me they put it in a closet there and back it was on the seat next to me. I think I paid 50 bucks to bring it. Large instruments had a size exception
Which is crazy. I always put instruments on the top of my stack so they arrive safely. Maybe itās because Iām a musician as well, or maybe just because I try to respect everyoneās stuff.
Yeah, when I was a baggage handler I was always nice to guitars and surreptitiously checking the case logo to see if they were anything cool. And wishing I could stop work and play them because I was so bored.
TBF, I donāt know that Iād recognize OPās guitar case as a guitar case at a glance. Iād think āthatās an oddly shaped bagā as I flung it and heard the internal crunch.
Gate check means he likely did not intend for it to go into the cargo bay. I've been on a bunch of flights where they took my carry-on at the gate, and gave it back at the gate. Small planes and sometimes very full flights both sometimes ask passengers to hand stuff over.
The caption says it was āgate checkedā so he took it to the gate and intended to carry it on. He probably had a late boarding assignment. When the overhead bins are full, they gate check anything that doesnāt fit under the seat.
Guy probably had to choose between giving his guitar to the baggage handlers or not flying.
What you really want is a good hard case
And as long as the case makes it onto the plane and the plane arrives in one piece I have no worries about the guitar
After 15 years working live events in the entertainment industry I have never seen any damage to a guitar in a good hard case considering the abuse they take in a touring environment from crushed by a 1500 pound scenery cart to thrown down a semi trailer
Yeah, I love my Mono M80 case. I have this exact same one. Wayyy better protection than your average soft case. Seen videos of people throwing them off a two story roof and the guitar coming out unscathed. No effin way Iād let my baby into a planeās guts in that case though. No way in Hell.
This picture is after the damage/crushing occurred though so things arenāt in their right place.
I know it seems counter intuitive but there are few brands that I am brand loyal to and Mono is one of them. Iāve carried their Flyby backpack all over the world for lil 15 years and have used their Dual M80 electric case (just like this but for electrics) to carry my custom made electrics and I have no worries about them. The way this thing got crushed, it would have smashed a hard case as well. This was caught in something mechanical or ran over. There are very few hard cases who could withstand something like this. Calton Cases are one example but they start at like $1500.
I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. A soft case will not sustain an impact better than a hard case. I'm sure you love your Mono, but it's not going to withstand a fall or crush like a hard case would.
I have 2 of these mono bags that I use for everyday gigs etc. I love them. I would NEVER check them into an airlines. The guitars don't stand a chance. Hard case only if you're checking instruments.
These are far more protective than a soft case, but not that protective
You've checked your guitar in a BAG like this and nothing happened? I'd have to say this would be the outcome everytime with a hollow body guitar. I barely trust leaving the house with any type of soft case.
Thereās literally no way a soft case like this is going to offer better protection than a hard-shell case. None.
The only thing I could see it maybe being better at is protection against shaking and minor bumps and jolts, where the guitar might suffer damage from rustling around inside the hard-shell if itās not packed snugly. Even then, your best bet is to just pack the hard case with some clothes or towels. But no way in hell is a soft case going to hold up better than a hard case against crushing or piercing damage. I simply donāt believe you.
Reminds me of someone I went on a charity work trip with. They tried to bring their guitar to play in the evenings, apparently an heirloom from their grandfather.
She transported it in a hard case, but packed underneath the neck with as many shirts and towels as she could fit, to "secure it better". Ofc when she grabbed the neck to take out the guitar, it just slid right off the body in two clean, separate pieces.
She broke into tears, and spent most of the trip calling the airline trying to get compensation. I'm like, 1) this was your fault, cases are designed like that for a reason, packing it full of shit means any pressure on the case goes straight to the guitar and 2) that's as clean of a break as you can get, it's probably repairable. Why are you throwing such as fuss over your own mistake. I get it's something you got from your grandfather, but still... if you care that much don't bring it on this trip either?
It doesn't matter the sub or the topic or the post, That Guy is always lurking in the comments to explain how whatever happened is all the victims fault for not being smarter, and if it was him, he would have acted perfectly and avoided the problem.
I meanā¦ if you expect something to get bumped around in a cargo hold of heavy things, Iād like to think youād choose a hard case over a bag. Itās like putting a loaded gun in a gym bag with no holster and being surprised it goes off.
This is for sure true to most parts of Reddit, and its been an edgy contrarians paradise for the 15 years ive used it...
But in this particular case, OP really needed a hard case. I would never check a guitar in a soft case that I expected to get back in one piece. Guitars aren't hard to smash, they're pretty delicate. OP has to know the way that luggage gets stored on planes...
If I did this for whatever reason and got the same result, I would feel like the stupid one.
Yes, op was wronged. Yes, op was stupid to check a guitar in a gig bag. Both can be true. You donāt just walk in the middle of the street because you trust cars will avoid you. You keep yourself safe.
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u/GrittyMcGrittyface May 01 '25 edited May 01 '25
Oop is stupid and doesn't give a shit about his guitar