Air Trvel (long haul) & Basses

[basshead56]

Hey guys.
ok, so basically, am thinking of moving to New Zealand for a year at the end of August/mid september (depending on finances) and I want to bring a bass with me.
Having never flown with an instrument, and based on the horror stories I have heard, I am not inclined to bring one of my beloved P Basses or TBirds.
This narrows the choice down significantly- my sis´ band mate has offered me her purple Daisy Rock Heartbreaker s/scale bass for 45 quid.
Having owned a Rock Candy before (albeit briefly), I am inclined to go for it (maybe bung in some SD 1/4 LB SPB3´s ala my Hoppus Sig)

Anyway, Because its shortscale, Im assuming the same size as a guitar, I am wondering if I could carry this in a gig bag as carry on?

Anyone have any info on this?

Or should I hold out and buy a bass down there? Just dont want to have to spend a lot on something i may not want to keep on return and pricing online in NZ suggests they are more expensive down there.

[OldGit]

1 Talk to CrazyKiwi .. You may be going somewhere near him
2 Take cash, buy bass.
3 Sell bass, bring back cash

Edited July 14, 2010 by OldGit

[BigRedX]

Never ever assume that you are going to be able to take a bass or guitar into the cabin with you on a flight. No matter what you have been told by the airline before hand and no matter what other people's experiences have been, the final decision each and every time rest with the check-in and cabin staff. If they say you're instrument isn't coming into the cabin with you there will be nothing you can do about it.

If it was me I'd be looking at doing one of the following:

1. Buy a proper flight case and check it into the hold.
2. If you already have an address out there package the bass in in a good hard case with plenty of padding and ship it out using a reputable international carrier company.
3. Buy a bass when you get there.