Murphy Lab dilemma

stickyfiddle

I’ve flown a a bunch of times with guitars and never had anyone even give a second look, never mind ask questions. Granted these have been my own instruments I don’t owe tax on but they don’t know that. 

I’ve always hand carried (offering check in people to gate check it) and I’ve only ever let Teles in Hiscoxes go in the hold. 

badlydrawnbanjo

stickyfiddle said:

I’ve flown a a bunch of times with guitars and never had anyone even give a second look, never mind ask questions. Granted these have been my own instruments I don’t owe tax on but they don’t know that. 

I’ve always hand carried (offering check in people to gate check it) and I’ve only ever let Teles in Hiscoxes go in the hold. 

Any advice on bringing something back with Emirates @stickyfiddle? We I’m travelling back to Manchester from Dubai on Saturday and have seen something that looks a real bargain in the guitar shop in Dubai mall. 

stickyfiddle

@badlydrawnbanjo nice - from Sadek or Art of Guitar? Both have got a lot better with their stock in the last year. 

Anyway, here’s my standard copy/paste on flying with guitars… I may be doing the same thing in a few days with Etihad out of Tokyo! 

I'm happy to take a Tele or Strat in a Hiscox through the baggage system, since I figure that's about the most indestructible guitar & case combination possible. And wrapped in that industrial cling film stuff to stop baggage guys trying to open anything...

I've got Gibsons in standard TKL type hardcases in the cabin with me a few times and never had issues. To do that I ask nicely at check-in to gate check it. They never have a real reason to say no, but if necessary you can lay it on with a little "it's very fragile so while I'm happy for it to go in the hold I need to make sure it doesn't go through the conveyor belt system". 

Then when you get to the gate, say nothing unless challenged, and tell them the staff at checkin told you it could be carried to the plane and then put in the hold from the cabin, not via the baggage system. When you get to the plane, either put it straight into an overhead (if you're on a plane with big enough bins) or preferably ask very nicely for them to put it in a cupboard (again because v fragile & sentimental value etc etc). They key with all this is to be as friendly and polite and accommodating as possible at every stage, while being firm enough to make sure it doesn't ever see a conveyor belt or baggage handler thug because that's what will get it broken.

What also helps here is I have a lot of loyalty with a couple of airlines, so get priority boarding, which makes all of this much easier. And gold/platinum status means they're usually happier to do whatever they can to help. But really the single key thing is politeness and showing appreciation with everyone you speak to throughout the process.

badlydrawnbanjo

Nice one @@stickyfiddle. I’d like to think I’m quite polite in general so that's they way to go... It’s a Rich Robinson D28 from Sadek, huge saving on the UK prices plus 5% back at the airport feels like a win. 

stickyfiddle

badlydrawnbanjo said:

Nice one @@stickyfiddle. I’d like to think I’m quite polite in general so that's they way to go... It’s a Rich Robinson D28 from Sadek, huge saving on the UK prices plus 5% back at the airport feels like a win. 

Nice! I haven’t been in there for ages. Just have a look next time I’m in Dubai 

RaymondLin

If you don't have loyalty and on the last group to board...be first at the queue in front of everyone else in your group so when you get on, at least there should be more space...

Whitecat

I’ve also had good luck packing a guitar up in a cardboard box as if you were going to ship it and checking that. Might get charged for oversized baggage - if you have status though they often give it to you for free. 

Whitecat

Whitecat said:

RaymondLin said:

Side point, in a completely unscientific and anecdote evidence, only like 1 out of 5 flights home I actually seen a custom officer at the "do not declare" section.  I have taken 6 trips abroad in the last 18 months and only seen them once.  I have only ever been stopped once ever and it was like 2008 on a flight back from Hong Kong. 

99% of their customs policing now is via advance intelligence. If they have people spare they will sometimes do random spot checks, but you’re right that there is rarely anyone available. 

Lol, I just got spot checked off the Eurostar at St Pancras. He didn’t end up searching us, just asked a few questions about what we were importing if anything and wanted to double check our passports. No guitars on me this time but it could happen to anyone…

RaymondLin

Whitecat said:

Whitecat said:

RaymondLin said:

Side point, in a completely unscientific and anecdote evidence, only like 1 out of 5 flights home I actually seen a custom officer at the "do not declare" section.  I have taken 6 trips abroad in the last 18 months and only seen them once.  I have only ever been stopped once ever and it was like 2008 on a flight back from Hong Kong. 

99% of their customs policing now is via advance intelligence. If they have people spare they will sometimes do random spot checks, but you’re right that there is rarely anyone available. 

Lol, I just got spot checked off the Eurostar at St Pancras. He didn’t end up searching us, just asked a few questions about what we were importing if anything and wanted to double check our passports. No guitars on me this time but it could happen to anyone…

When I got stopped, the one and only time, it was both me and my sister.  We put our suitcases on the table, opened it, but before he begun searching he asked the usual questions "Did you packed this?", "what will I find in here?", "anyone else helped you pack?"

It was just full of snacks from Hong Kong and a plastic figurine I recall.  He didn't end up checking at all, closed it up and sent us on our way.

icu81b4

Whilst stood in the baggage collection hall of Hyderabad airport my heart sank as all the suitcases from my flight finished appearing on the carousel and my Gibson was no where to be seen, I wondered if it had got nicked whilst being transferred at Doha or if it actually made the aircraft in the first place.

Then a smiling man in an Emirates uniform approached with a very well wrapped guitar shaped case, “Hello, We noticed you had a guitar in the hold so we took it out and placed it in a safer area, sorry to keep you waiting.” 

Phew. 

RickLucas

I asked Emirates at check in whether I could take a guitar on board with me. No problem, they said and kept it safe in first class during the flight.

randella

I did get questioned quite hard taking a guitar into Switzerland, it turned out that was because what I'd declared as 'electric guitar' had somehow turned into 'hunting rifle' during the flight. The guy quizzing me wasn't in the slightest bit interested in tax, to be fair I think he just didn't want to be caught in the middle of a terrorist incident.

At least he was on the ball, unlike the woman at Manchester passport control I encountered once who thought Madrid was a country.

spirit7

Emirates are the best!

badlydrawnbanjo

badlydrawnbanjo said:

Nice one @@stickyfiddle. I’d like to think I’m quite polite in general so that's they way to go... It’s a Rich Robinson D28 from Sadek, huge saving on the UK prices plus 5% back at the airport feels like a win. 

Quick update on this… I arrived back in the UK with a Rich Robinson Martin D28 that was hanging on the wall in Dubai mall. It was on reduction and £3k cheaper than it would be here. After weighing it up I decided to go for it. I claimed my 5% UAE VAT back in the airport and carried it though check in and passport control with no questions asked. The cabin crew very kindly stored it in first class for me during the flight and was waiting at the door for me when we landed. We then collected our cases and walked straight through the nothing to declare gate (there wasn’t even anyone there if you wanted to declare!). Overall a very stress free purchase. 

stickyfiddle

badlydrawnbanjo said:

badlydrawnbanjo said:

Nice one @@stickyfiddle. I’d like to think I’m quite polite in general so that's they way to go... It’s a Rich Robinson D28 from Sadek, huge saving on the UK prices plus 5% back at the airport feels like a win. 

Quick update on this… I arrived back in the UK with a Rich Robinson Martin D28 that was hanging on the wall in Dubai mall. It was on reduction and £3k cheaper than it would be here. After weighing it up I decided to go for it. I claimed my 5% UAE VAT back in the airport and carried it though check in and passport control with no questions asked. The cabin crew very kindly stored it in first class for me during the flight and was waiting at the door for me when we landed. We then collected our cases and walked straight through the nothing to declare gate (there wasn’t even anyone there if you wanted to declare!). Overall a very stress free purchase. 

Excellent! Emirates & Etihad are both great for sure with this stuff

stickyfiddle

As for me. I played a good few CS Gibson’s yesterday and saw close to 1000 over the course of a day in Tokyo. Mostly 335-types but a few Les Paul’s and a Firebird.

I liked every VOS I played more than every Murphy Lab. 

I agree the finish on the MLs looks more like a real old guitar, but I also don’t care that much about that. The VOS ones were simply just better instruments for my tastes. 

And the $10k Firebird was a huge disappointment. Sounded fantastic (I definitely want something with FB pickups now..) but the guitar itself was a bit ratty. Not because of the ML finishing, but unpolished frets, the old reliable file marks on the fretboard, and bits of stray plastic on the edge of the pick guard where it hadn’t been trimmed & tidied up properly. 

I’m normally a huge Gibson apologist because I adore them when they get it right, but for 10k from the absolute top tier of their production I wasn’t impressed.

octatonic

stickyfiddle said:

As for me. I played a good few CS Gibson’s yesterday and saw close to 1000 over the course of a day in Tokyo. Mostly 335-types but a few Les Paul’s and a Firebird.

I liked every VOS I played more than every Murphy Lab. 

I agree the finish on the MLs looks more like a real old guitar, but I also don’t care that much about that. The VOS ones were simply just better instruments for my tastes. 

And the $10k Firebird was a huge disappointment. Sounded fantastic (I definitely want something with FB pickups now..) but the guitar itself was a bit ratty. Not because of the ML finishing, but unpolished frets, the old reliable file marks on the fretboard, and bits of stray plastic on the edge of the pick guard where it hadn’t been trimmed & tidied up properly. 

I’m normally a huge Gibson apologist because I adore them when they get it right, but for 10k from the absolute top tier of their production I wasn’t impressed.

This is my experience too.

I'd usually prefer the right standard over a Murphy.
I don't need or want them to look older than they are.
It doesn't bother me when they do but I just don't care.

It is the neck, the playability and attention to detail that matters.

Currently my LP style guitar is a PRS SC58.
Regardless of what people think of them, PRS quality control is on a different level to Gibson.

When Gibson get it right they are amazing guitars but there are just too many problems and you have to play loads to find the right one.
I could probably buy a PRS sight unseen and know I'd be happy with it.

I'd love PRS to absorb Gibson and sort that out.
Unlikely, I know.

stickyfiddle

Yup absolutely.

I’m about to pull the trigger on a VOS ES-335 because it’s an awesome instrument and being used it’s already been fettled very well (the bigsby stays in tune even with massive divebombs) and I’d actually like it to look a tiny bit less shiny if anything, but I won’t be paying an extra £2000+ just for that difference in finishing. 

No judgement of those who want that, but I’m genuinely happy with the “cheaper” one. 

I’m *this close* on a goldtop as well. If I had more space at home, and literally any need at all for a Les Paul in the band… 

elstoof

stickyfiddle said:

 I’d actually like it to look a tiny bit less shiny if anything, but I won’t be paying an extra £2000+ just for that difference in finishing.  

To be fair, an ultra light age ML finish isn’t an extra £2k. More like £200 on top of VOS, all they do is check the lacquer a bit

ollychilton

They’ve taped picks to the back of each guitar…there’ll be no finish left once that tapes removed!!