have any of you box players traveled by air with your concertina?
I am going to visit my mom and dad next month and I am already bringing my fiddle as my one and only carry on, and I am sort of worried about putting my concertina in my suitcase and checking it through as baggage.
I don't know if the low air pressure in the baggage hold will hurt the bellows or not.
Its a Rochelle 30 button anglo, and for all I know it was shipped by air to me, but I wonder if the depressurization in the baggage compartment could be too much for the bellows.
am I worrying about nothing?
I figure I might get a "real world" answer here. I'm going to ask the Button Box what they think as well, but I'm curious if anyone has put a concertina in thier suitcase on an airplane before, and if so how it went.
Can you carry both on board the airplane? Put the concertina in a wee bag of some sort? I know f* all about concertinas but I have flown on Ryanair, which has the most anal bag restrictions in the world, with pipes and a laptop. When I checked in I kept the pipes below the counter so the check-in folk may not have even seen them. The only thing I was obviously carrying was the laptop bag. I had no trouble bringing both of these on board. On other airlines I've had two carry-ons (pipes and something else) and didn't even have to be sneaky. Musical instruments are an exception to the "one carry-on" rule for most airlines.
When I asked Delta airlines, they told me that my fiddle would be the only thing I could carry onboard. Not even a fiddle and a book is how they made it sound. Alot of airline policies changed this summer. Last year, I would have just taken them both as carry on bags.
splendid isolation, that is a good idea about taping the air button open. That would ease my mind about the bellows at least.
I'll take a look over at concertina.net and I also sent an email to the people I bought it from at the Button Box as well.
thanks.
if anybody else packed thier concertina in a suitcase, let me know how it went.
I never talk to airlines on the phone. The person working in the call centre is invariably going to give you the most restrictive interpretation of the rules. Whatever they tell you may not be how those rules are practiced in the airport.
I agree, but like I said, this summer the airlines here in America turned into baggage nazis.
my concern is that if for any reason the person at the gate wouldn't let me board, they could make me check my fiddle as baggage, which absolutely under no circumstances will I do.
So with all the terrorism searches and baggage restrictions, I just don't want to take the chance that they would make me check my fiddle as baggage.
Like I said, a year ago I wouldn't even be posting this. I would have just taken it on board
I have a friend who takes his Wheatstone back and forth several times a year. He just packs the concertina, case and all, into his suitcase. He's taken it to Ireland & Cape Breton with no problems (other than the time his luggage was sent to Dublin instead of Shannon, but the suitcase and concertina were safely returned to him the next day in Clare in the middle of the Willie Week).
Hup, I really like the Rochelle. I've never played any others, so I can't compare it to anything else, but it has a nice volume, good sound, and it does seem to be pretty quick to respond to changes in notes and bellow direction. It plays faster than I do right now, that much is for sure.
I'm still learning my way around it, though. It took a few days to get a good mental map of where all the notes are, and I still can't play any tunes at the proper tempo, but that is me and not the Rochelle.
For $340 dollars American, I am really surprised at how solid and well made it is. Over the last 2 weeks I played it about 20 hours and not only are there no stuck button, no rattles, no leaks, but the reeds and bellows are getting played in and it actually is getting BETTER!
And I wrote to the Button Box where I bought it and asked this travel question of them, and they got back to me the same day and told me that it is perfectly safe to put it in a suitcase on an airplane. So they really are good folks there and they are very helpful
so I'm a pretty satisfied customer, and I'd certainly recommend the Rochelle Anglo to anybody who is curious about the concertina.
thanks to everyone who shared their travel experiences with concertinas. I played the Rochelle over the phone to my mom and she asked me if I could bring it along when I go out there next month.
and since you helped to make my old mom happy, thank you
will the low air pressure hurt my bellows!!not an iota of a chance how could it.but dont take my word on it you might find your bellows dead on arrival
Rochelles take some damaging - they are pretty robust.
I have put a concertina in my luggage and it survived, but only because it was the first week of the curent clampdown - I wouldn't want to do it again.
Since then, the advice is to put your box in your case, full of socks etc. and put your concerina in a carrier bag and take it in the cabin. My Jeffries is probably worth more than a suitcase full of clothes anyway.
Ryanairs quarterly trading figures plummet. Laugh? I nearly p1ssed myself.
I recently did two concerts in Sicily with RichardGrainger,Iflew to liverpool[ryan air],Teeside to Amsterdam,Amsterdam toRome,Rome toCatania.
I took my concertina in a vanity case,as hand luggage,no problemson any of the journeys
.dont let them put your concertina in the hold,they throw cases around, I had a hard giutar case damaged beyond repair.
just take it as hand luggage,and dont tell them its an instrument.
air travel with concertinas???
air travel with concertinas???
have any of you box players traveled by air with your concertina?
I am going to visit my mom and dad next month and I am already bringing my fiddle as my one and only carry on, and I am sort of worried about putting my concertina in my suitcase and checking it through as baggage.
I don't know if the low air pressure in the baggage hold will hurt the bellows or not.
Its a Rochelle 30 button anglo, and for all I know it was shipped by air to me, but I wonder if the depressurization in the baggage compartment could be too much for the bellows.
am I worrying about nothing?
I figure I might get a "real world" answer here. I'm going to ask the Button Box what they think as well, but I'm curious if anyone has put a concertina in thier suitcase on an airplane before, and if so how it went.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: air travel with concertinas???
There were a few discussions about flying with concertinas on concertina.net...search for "terrorist concertina" on there.
As far as pressure, I can't see it being a problem but to be safe you could tape your air button in the open position.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by Splendid Isolation
Re: air travel with concertinas???
Can you carry both on board the airplane? Put the concertina in a wee bag of some sort? I know f* all about concertinas but I have flown on Ryanair, which has the most anal bag restrictions in the world, with pipes and a laptop. When I checked in I kept the pipes below the counter so the check-in folk may not have even seen them. The only thing I was obviously carrying was the laptop bag. I had no trouble bringing both of these on board. On other airlines I've had two carry-ons (pipes and something else) and didn't even have to be sneaky. Musical instruments are an exception to the "one carry-on" rule for most airlines.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by TheSilverSpear
Re: air travel with concertinas???
When I asked Delta airlines, they told me that my fiddle would be the only thing I could carry onboard. Not even a fiddle and a book is how they made it sound. Alot of airline policies changed this summer. Last year, I would have just taken them both as carry on bags.
splendid isolation, that is a good idea about taping the air button open. That would ease my mind about the bellows at least.
I'll take a look over at concertina.net and I also sent an email to the people I bought it from at the Button Box as well.
thanks.
if anybody else packed thier concertina in a suitcase, let me know how it went.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I never talk to airlines on the phone. The person working in the call centre is invariably going to give you the most restrictive interpretation of the rules. Whatever they tell you may not be how those rules are practiced in the airport.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by TheSilverSpear
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I agree, but like I said, this summer the airlines here in America turned into baggage nazis.
my concern is that if for any reason the person at the gate wouldn't let me board, they could make me check my fiddle as baggage, which absolutely under no circumstances will I do.
So with all the terrorism searches and baggage restrictions, I just don't want to take the chance that they would make me check my fiddle as baggage.
Like I said, a year ago I wouldn't even be posting this. I would have just taken it on board
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: air travel with concertinas???
Baggage compartments are pressurized, they are just not as warm as the cabin.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by Dave Weinstein
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I've never had a problem and have carried concertinas back and forth, checked and carry on, with no worries.
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by cocus
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I have a friend who takes his Wheatstone back and forth several times a year. He just packs the concertina, case and all, into his suitcase. He's taken it to Ireland & Cape Breton with no problems (other than the time his luggage was sent to Dublin instead of Shannon, but the suitcase and concertina were safely returned to him the next day in Clare in the middle of the Willie Week).
# Posted on October 14th 2008 by moria enya
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I have had both a fiddle and a concertina (in a backpack) as carry-ons within the last 1.5 years flying Aer Lingus and American.
# Posted on October 15th 2008 by mcdevincabe
Re: air travel with concertinas???
Nate - how do you like that rochelle concertina anyway? Is it reasonably
responsive?
# Posted on October 15th 2008 by Hup
Re: air travel with concertinas???
Hup, I really like the Rochelle. I've never played any others, so I can't compare it to anything else, but it has a nice volume, good sound, and it does seem to be pretty quick to respond to changes in notes and bellow direction. It plays faster than I do right now, that much is for sure.
I'm still learning my way around it, though. It took a few days to get a good mental map of where all the notes are, and I still can't play any tunes at the proper tempo, but that is me and not the Rochelle.
For $340 dollars American, I am really surprised at how solid and well made it is. Over the last 2 weeks I played it about 20 hours and not only are there no stuck button, no rattles, no leaks, but the reeds and bellows are getting played in and it actually is getting BETTER!
And I wrote to the Button Box where I bought it and asked this travel question of them, and they got back to me the same day and told me that it is perfectly safe to put it in a suitcase on an airplane. So they really are good folks there and they are very helpful
so I'm a pretty satisfied customer, and I'd certainly recommend the Rochelle Anglo to anybody who is curious about the concertina.
thanks to everyone who shared their travel experiences with concertinas. I played the Rochelle over the phone to my mom and she asked me if I could bring it along when I go out there next month.
and since you helped to make my old mom happy, thank you
# Posted on October 15th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: air travel with concertinas???
will the low air pressure hurt my bellows!!not an iota of a chance how could it.but dont take my word on it you might find your bellows dead on arrival
# Posted on October 15th 2008 by myparasgon
Re: air travel with concertinas???
Rochelles take some damaging - they are pretty robust.
I have put a concertina in my luggage and it survived, but only because it was the first week of the curent clampdown - I wouldn't want to do it again.
Since then, the advice is to put your box in your case, full of socks etc. and put your concerina in a carrier bag and take it in the cabin. My Jeffries is probably worth more than a suitcase full of clothes anyway.
Ryanairs quarterly trading figures plummet. Laugh? I nearly p1ssed myself.
# Posted on October 15th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: air travel with concertinas???
I recently did two concerts in Sicily with RichardGrainger,Iflew to liverpool[ryan air],Teeside to Amsterdam,Amsterdam toRome,Rome toCatania.
I took my concertina in a vanity case,as hand luggage,no problemson any of the journeys
.dont let them put your concertina in the hold,they throw cases around, I had a hard giutar case damaged beyond repair.
just take it as hand luggage,and dont tell them its an instrument.
# Posted on October 16th 2008 by Rufus Jameson