Flying on a Plane with a Bass Cabinet

Charlie Tuna

Charlie Tuna

Supporting Member
Feb 21, 2005
3,212
7,726
6,141
Key West, FL
#1
Hello TB Brethren,

Hope the holidays have served everyone well.

Has anyone flown with a bass cabinet? I have searched the threads but come up (mostly) empty-handed. I am considering taking my EA CXL-112 overseas.

If anyone has experience flying with a cabinet, can you provide some info on what you used to pack it (heavy flight case)? Also, costs involved and how the cabinet arrived? Any other considerations? Would it be feasible (legal) to pack it well as if it were to be mailed?

I have enough cabs in the US so I'd rather bring one and not buy another overseas.

If I think of additional questions I will update the post.

Thanks in advance,
David
 
#2
Not a road case for a cabinet, but a cabinet in its own road case. The Mesa Boogie Road Ready Diesel.

They made them in 115, 215, and I think 210.

It's Mesas version of the classic EV TL 606.

Not a modern lightweight high power cabinet, but efficient, and a pair of them sound great. Realistically 200 Watts, but due to the efficiency, it gets fairly loud. This one isn't mine, but I've got two of them. I really like mine. They have Mesas very nice slide on casters.

Might not be practical compared to newer lightweight neo cabinets.

image.jpeg


Rather than take a cabinet as baggage, maybe you can ship one as Frieght for less money.
 
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#4
All my cabs are packed,
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin'
It's early morn
The taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome
I could cry

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leavin' with a bass cab
I Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to pack.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

You might want to call FedEx or one of the other international shippers and ask their advice. I'm sure that they have run into this before.
 
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#5
Milo Spleen said:
I packed up a B15N in a cardboard box and sent it to Maui and back twice and it actually made it without the usual airline issues.
Click to expand...

You are a brave and trusting man to ship a B15. If I really had to ship mine, I would pack the amp separate from the cabinet. I replaced the plate mounts, (the rubber shock mount devices that mount the amp to the board) on my '63 after a couple let loose on me because the rubber was rotted and dried out.
 
#6
Thanks for your replies so far everyone. Shipping is of course an option but it would be going to Czech Republic and that's an expensive post. The neighboring countries are much cheaper.

@Milo Spleen, how did you send the B15N to Maui? Was this FedEx, UPS, other or did you fly with it?
 
#9
FWIW, I moved to Prague, CR for a year of work about 6 years ago. For the small EA cab, I would just go the checked luggage route (pack it well).
I did not take any cabs there myself but my wife and I did take several enormous suitcases. There were a few pretty decent music stores in Prague (Kitary.cz, Guitar Park, Music City), and Thomann is the Musicians Friend of Europe. So, decent gear is available over there and prices are not too stupid for common brands of gear (not sure about EA).

I see your listed as being from FLA, ... brother its COLD in the CR (think Northern Wisconsin), so bring warm clothes.
There are a few Czech TB members too. One that comes to mind is nemo
Good luck on your trip :thumbsup:
 
#10
I shipped two Ampeg B-15T's to Peru on American Airlines years ago, brought them back here with an SVT head I bought there. I'm going back there in January and will be shipping the same stuff back again. I duct taped thick cardboard all around the cabs and head and had no problems at all, left the handles accessible and wrote fragile all over them all in big letter, up, carry here with arrows to the handles etc . This was when the weight limits were 72 lbs, The limit is 52 lbs. now so I may have to pay more this time (Peru let me slide back then on the way back here (about 15 years ago). I worry more about my basses, one of mine went to Brazil once, I got it back about a week later. I'm moving over there and will be shipping all my stuff over there on a boat soon.
 
#14
Thanks for the advice, @pfschim @bobyoung53 and @Milo Spleen . I'm already over in Czech now and yes it's much colder than Key West...brrr. The more I think about it perhaps I will just sell a cab while in the US and buy one here at one of the stores @pfschim mentioned. Then I don't have to worry about the plane, then bus, then train rides to get where I am. Thanks for helping me through the thought process.

Happy New Year's to everyone!
 
#17
I've flown internationally with cabs a couple times. The rules might be different in the USA but flying from Canada the maximum weight the cab can be is 100 lbs. Not an issue for a small 1x12 but for larger cabs keep it in mind (ie. you couldn't fly with most cabs in a road case because it'd exceed the weight allowance). The first time I flew with a 4x10 cab that I had to remove and separately pack one speaker from to keep it under 100lbs. packed. The second time I took a gallien-kreuger neo 410 so it was fine. I packed them by encasing them in bubblewrap and tape, removing the wheels but leaving holes to still use the handles.
The cabs both survived the trips fine but in both cases I watched the luggage handlers be very rough with them loading the plane. So don't fly with a cab you want to keep minty fresh. Also be warned that depending on where you fly into customs may give you grief about the cab. One customs agent told us we had to take apart our 412 so they could see inside it. Luckily a more understanding agent intervened to save us the misery.
My advice is if you're flying anywhere that a cab can be rented or backline provided take that route over lugging your own cab.
 
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#18
pfschim said:
FWIW, I moved to Prague, CR for a year of work about 6 years ago. For the small EA cab, I would just go the checked luggage route (pack it well).
I did not take any cabs there myself but my wife and I did take several enormous suitcases. There were a few pretty decent music stores in Prague (Kitary.cz, Guitar Park, Music City), and Thomann is the Musicians Friend of Europe. So, decent gear is available over there and prices are not too stupid for common brands of gear (not sure about EA).

I see your listed as being from FLA, ... brother its COLD in the CR (think Northern Wisconsin), so bring warm clothes.
There are a few Czech TB members too. One that comes to mind is nemo
Good luck on your trip :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
When you say warm clothes to someone from Florida, it means a long sleeved shirt. :D
 
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#19
It would probably be cheaper and safer to ship it via Fedex, UPS, etc. Either that or sell it and then use the money to buy something else overseas.
 
#20
Gravedigger Dav said:
When you say warm clothes to someone from Florida, it means a long sleeved shirt. :D
Click to expand...
ha!
I remember when I was there in 2011, it snowed on May 1st (!) .. I just could not believe it.
My office was out at Chodov, outside of Prague and we lived in Prague 1 on Maiselova St, one block from Old Town Square.

I have lived in the SF Bay Area for a long time (since 1987), so I have definitely become a it of a weather wimp. But, I was born and raised in Chicago, so I know snow and cold. But I never recall it snowing in Chicago on May 1st. Geez.

Hope the OP enjoys the CR. Lots of cool stuff to see and plenty of good beer and Becherovka to help you forget about the winter.
 
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