Bus travel with an acoustic guitar

[Guilderland21]

Next weekend I'll be taking my D-140 on a three-hour bus trip to go to a cousin's wedding, where my sister and I will be playing music. I'm wondering what advice you all have for getting it there undamaged - should I be comfortable putting it in the cargo hold, or call the bus company and see whether I can buy it a seat or make some other arrangement to get it into the bus proper? I've got the foam case that comes with recent Westerly Collection guitars - much more solid than a gig bag, but less than a hard-shell case.

 

[davismanLV]

Hey G... it would be a help if we knew where you are. Where I am it's moderate 89 to 98 and humid. Which is rare for here. But the monsoon season has come back to Vegas. But where are you and what would the temps be in the cargo hold for stowing that guitar?? People always think 3 hours is just fine but HOOOO BOY!! So what's the weather where you are and how hot would it be in the cargo hold??

 

[Guilderland21]

I'm in the Boston area - forecast for the weekend has highs in the mid to upper 80s. It unfortunately has to endure those temperatures in my apartment anyway as we have no AC, and while I'm sure that's not ideal, our recent heat wave didn't seem to do it any immediate harm. My concerns about the cargo hold are more that, for one thing, I don't know whether it gets much hotter in there than outside, and for another, I don't know how much I should trust this case to protect it from other luggage shifting around.

Sam

 

[Midnight Toker]

Buses are more leanient than planes...where during takeoff and landing, everything must be stowed away. Gig bags actually work well in this case, as you can stand the guitar on the ground at your seat space w/ the neck sticking up between your legs....and shouldn't take up any room of the person sitting next to you. And if there happen to be any empty seats, ask the person next to it if you can please swop seats to make room for your guitar. I wouldn't want it in the cargo hold under the bus unless it was in a super sturdy flight rated case, as people get on and off the bus along the way, and luggage is being pulled, added, shifted, and stacked on top of one another.

I would call ahead of time to make sure it's ok to keep it with you on the bus. I have no idea what regulations they currently have, but I have travelled from D.C. to New Orleans by bus in the 80's and had a guitar w/ me at my seat for the duration.

As for temperature. I wouldn't worry. It can absolutely handle the temps...as long as it's somewhat acclimated to outside temps before being stowed. Just avoid sudden 30+ degree changes. Let it warm up to outside temps for a hour before boarding and you'll be fine.

 

[crank]

Take the train?

 

[Guilderland21]

Buses are more leanient than planes...where during takeoff and landing, everything must be stowed away. Gig bags actually work well in this case, as you can stand the guitar on the ground at your seat space w/ the neck sticking up between your legs....and shouldn't take up any room of the person sitting next to you. And if there happen to be any empty seats, ask the person next to it if you can please swop seats to make room for your guitar. I wouldn't want it in the cargo hold under the bus unless it was in a super sturdy flight rated case, as people get on and off the bus along the way, and luggage is being pulled, added, shifted, and stacked on top of one another.

Thanks, I called the bus company and this was more or less what they recommended. Hope there's a little extra room, but it should be better than putting it in the cargo hold anyway.

Take the train?

I would if it were going the way I was headed