Musician Dave Schneider of hockey-themed rock band The Zambonis and Hanukkah-themed band The LeeVees usually carries his guitar on when flying to a gig. You know, so baggage handlers don’t get their paws on it, he can keep an eye on it, and did I mention the part where he doesn’t trust baggage handlers with expensive musical instruments?

Yet stubborn gate agents at Delta in Buffalo, N.Y. wouldn’t let him snuggle with his guitar. They made him check it. And then a horrifying screech came from the elevator that hauls luggage up to the terminal at their destination in Detroit. It was Schneider’s guitar, stuck between two steel beams, sustaining almost $2,000 worth of damage.

Before you say, “So just buy a new guitar already!” note that the instrument is a 1965 Gibson ES335, and he claims it’s worth as much as $10,000. Like all vintage instruments, it’s also priceless. As long as he doesn’t get it a frequent-flyer account under the name “Mr. Guitar,” he should be able to bring the instrument on board. Congress passed a bill last year that explicitly allows it.

Musicians worst nightmare came true [Facebook]
‘Musician’s worst nightmare’: Vintage Gibson guitar mangled by airline baggage handlers [Yahoo News]
Flying With Instruments Gets Easier for Musicians [NY Times]

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