Re: Loosening strings on a flight? Or not?

[William Walker <billwalker@baymoon.com>]

 Loosing strings is good particularly on acoustic instruments and  
more vulnerable set neck guitars. Bolt on neck instruments with maple  
necks are pretty had to mess up un-less they have a tilt back neck and  
luthier joint like many modern shred machines do. be sure to also put  
some extra support under the neck with clothes  If possible I would  
ask to walk it to the plane, like woman with strollers or people with  
wheel chairs do, most airlines will let you do this even if the plane  
does not have adequate overhead space. Just like they do with  
strollers they will put them in the hold last and the instrument will  
be there with the strollers just as you exit the plane. What this does  
is eliminate the conveyer belt  travel and reduce the likelihood that  
someone will toss it around like a mountain gorilla giving pay back to  
a poacher. another idea I did with my Tele, I put machine screw  
inserts in the neck so its easy to take the instrument apart and stash  
it in the suitcase, and the machine screws prevent the kind of  
stripping that the stock wood screws will do.
Bill