A solution for flying your PSG

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 11 Jul 2011 1:27 am

I know a lot of you use lightweight S10's etc for fly dates, but personally I prefer to do all my gigs with my Zum Hybrid D10 and I am sick to death of paying excess baggage, and having to take my leg bag out of my roadcase to keep the beast under the killer 32KG weight.

I must thank Lucky Oceans for pointing me towards this SKB Trap case (for drum stands) - he uses one for his Franklin D10 and everything fits in the one case - and more importantly does not attract any excess baggage charges !!! Total weight for my Zum D10 (9 + 9), pedal bar and leg bag is 23 Kgs/50 Lbs.

I asked Tom Palmer of D2F covers to make me a padded bag for my Pedal bar and that and the leg bag sit on top of the guitar and are then snugged down with 3 straps that come fitted to the case. I lined it with a thin but stout foam, and blocked it at each end with foam as well so the guitar does not move. I reversed my 2 vertical knee levers and also leave the D2F cover on the guitar when I put it in the case, just for added protection.
The empty case is about 11 kgs lighter than my normal wheeled road case. it also comes with lockable TSA latches, and of course wheels !

http://www.skbcases.com/music/products/ ... &c=98&s=77

All packed in and ready to go....

Compare the sizes of the two cases I have !

A couple of weeks ago I flew across to Aussie for the steel convention in Brisbane - and back again without any excess baggage charges at all, and it was light enough to pick up and put on the conveyor without looking like it has any weight in it - which it doesn't !

And just to top things off I carried my lightweight Telonics rack over my shoulder onto the plane as cabin baggage ... just a matter of borrowing some speakers from Warren Neilsen when I got there

Damien Odell · Post by **Damien Odell** » 11 Jul 2011 3:23 am

Paddy, great setup. Warren called me especially to let me know how good those cases are after the Brisbane show....sounded very excited.
It's on my list of 'stuff that I want'.

steve takacs · Post by **steve takacs** » 11 Jul 2011 5:40 am

Paddy (and Lucky), this is an answer to my prayers!!! I too am tired of the airlines hitting me up with big fees for moving my steels around. What brand and density of foam did you buy for the inside of the case?
Just a few questions if you don't mind, Paddy:

Aren't the legs and pedal rack a bit heavy to be resting on top of the rods, etc. on the underside of the guitar? I'd be afraid of damage to the underside.

Do you have any photos to see how you have foamed the inside of the case. If not, no big deal.

Are the locks sturdy and do they open easily?

Thanks,stevet

Boo Bernstein · Post by **Boo Bernstein** » 11 Jul 2011 3:41 pm

Paddy --

How did you secure the foam? Did you use glue?

I have another friend who is using a similar set up but he has had some trouble in keeping the foam in place.

Thanks, Boo

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 11 Jul 2011 4:30 pm

This is the same as the Wheel-EZE case that was (is still?) sold by Sierra. They custom cut the foam for my guitar, glued it in and I've been flying all over with this case for several years. But I do still keep the legs and pedal rack in my suitcase to keep it under 50 lbs. (I don't like weighing in at exactly 50 lbs because every scale is a little different and some check-in agents are more forgiving than others, so I prefer to be a few lbs under the limit.) It's not a true flight case but I've not had any major problems with it.

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 11 Jul 2011 4:40 pm

Hi Guys well the foam I used was about 3/8" thick and fairly heavy density so it hasn't got much give in it. If you check the photos where the legs etc are out of the case you will see a couple of strips along the sides, and I completely covered the bottom.
Boo: I just used standard contact glue and it seems to be staying in place. I leave the D2F cover on my guitar and allowed for the thickness of it when I was getting it all sorted. I used thicker blocks on each end of a similar density!
I will get a photo up tonight of the case empty so you can see how I have lined it!
Jim: your right of course, I'm pretty sure it's the same case - although it has better updated latches and handles than the original did.
Keep in mind you can't use foam that is too thick in the bottom, otherwise you will run out of room in the lid to accommodate the pedal bar and legs.
Steve: with the length of the pedal bar it actually sits on the guitars frame - I have it in a padded bag as well.
Damien: yes your right, Wazza and Bob Alloway have both ordered one already hehe !

Note: when packing the pedal bar and legs in, you have to place them towards the rear a little, as the front part of the lid has a bit of a angle on it!

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 11 Jul 2011 10:05 pm

here is a pic of the inside of the case with the high density foam lining !

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 12 Jul 2011 4:04 am

Great info and pix. Thanks Paddy!

Now all you need is to fit it with a GPS tracking device so you can find it when it's lost.

I'd love to tell the baggage clerk, when they can't find it, that it's (fill in the location) ...

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 12 Jul 2011 3:20 pm

Joey knowing my luck the GPS device would put it over the weight limit

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 12 Jul 2011 4:11 pm

I have that case, or one similar for a Sierra 14 uni. It has nice thick blocks of foam on either side and end so that the changer fingers and keyhead are kept from contacting the case.

That shouldn't be too difficult to configure with the right type of rigid foam so that the guitar rests on the body instead, like with most cases the manufacturers supply.

Changer fingers banging strings against immovable objects can hurt your guitar. Same with keys.

That's one of my beefs with the old Cush Cases. Nice cases, but the changer and keys don't float.

Don't meant to be critical Paddy. Great cases, but just an observation.

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 12 Jul 2011 7:01 pm

Good point Jerry, this is just my first generation effort, I'm sure I will refine the design as a I go !
Thanks for your input mate.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 13 Jul 2011 4:18 am

A lot of flight cases I see are sort of a universal fit with adjustable blocking and padded like yours. They must be doing a good job of protecting your steel.

I just think they would be better if blocked under the ends ends and sides too.

Pit Lenz · Post by **Pit Lenz** » 13 Jul 2011 5:32 am

Here`s my attempt to prepare for an upcoming fly date:
I purchased a Storm 3100 Case, originally designed to transport guns.
It has a lifetime guarantee, is watertight, has good quality inline wheels six lockable latches and two big rubber-padded handles.

I got some scrap professional foam rests from the bin of a local casemaker and built a snugly fitting interior for my Sho~Bud Pro-I.

Just like in Jerry`s case, the body rests on a support for the endplates and the woodden structure.
The changers, tuners and the delicate undercarriage parts are floating free from the half inch padding by another half inch (if the case drops and the rigid foam support has to absorb the shock).
Nothing moves in there, I can shake it as much as I want.
United won`t break MY guitar!

The overall weight is 22Kg (48lb). This case is smaller, lighter and much sturdier than the original case that came with my guitar!
Another aspect to ease my mind is that I don`t have to worry anymore about having the old case`s tolex torn apart when the guys of my band pack the car and drag something across my case...
Here`s a couple of pictures.

Boo Bernstein · Post by **Boo Bernstein** » 14 Jul 2011 6:41 pm

Thanks, Paddy.

I know this should be obvious, but where (in the States) does one get the high density foam? (I know where to get more standard, soft foam.) What kind of store would carry the higher density type? Thanks, Boo

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 15 Jul 2011 8:40 pm

Hi Boo well I'm a bit further south than you

...but I just went into a shop here in Christchurch that specialises in foam products and they had a lot of raw material available -- in every density imaginable! I guess you would just need to check out your local area to see if there was anything there ...or one of the case makers could put you on to something ! I'm sure there is probably a on-line supplier somewhere near you in the US that could help too!

Shane Reilly · Post by **Shane Reilly** » 17 Jul 2011 5:24 am

Cool! Thanks Paddy,I gotta get one of these for my D-10 PP. I actually just got back from a 3 week NZ tour today. We got to see a lot of your beautiful countryside.Wow!!Gorgeous!
Cheers, Shane.

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 17 Jul 2011 1:28 pm

Shane thats great mate, who were you touring with ??
Next time your in Christchurch give me a call

Shane Reilly · Post by **Shane Reilly** » 17 Jul 2011 8:02 pm

Hey Paddy, I was with "The Man In Black" show with Tex Perkins. Obviously it's a show about Johnny Cash. We had a ball and the shows went great. Looks like we'll be going back at some stage with this show or with my other group "Tex Perkins and the Band Of Gold". I'll give you a holler for sure,love to see and hear that Zum hybrid,meanwhile I'll get that case together,I'm tired of shelling out for excess baggage. Cheers, Shane.

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 19 Jul 2011 3:41 pm

Maybe Roger Rettig will chime in here. He has been using this case for years. I believe he packs the pedal bar and legs in a checked bag and carries on his guitar which will fit in the overhead bin.