Job Discussion Forums

[wolfman]

i play guitar recreationally. not in a band, don't play out. i'm just wondering if it's worth my guitar risking my guitar being damaged as checked luggage to have it in japan. i know i will need it, i just don't know if my apartment would fit it. or if anyone has experience with this.

[JimDunlop2]

Well, I have experience, playing, buying and shipping guitars... Fortunately, I don't have any experience breaking them or receiving them damaged.

I have a "good" guitar back in Canada which I sometimes wish I had brought with me... But I bought one in Japan. A new steel 6-string, standard acoustic guitar will run you 10,000 and up (sky's the limit). A Yamaha will run you 20,000 and up. I miss my good guitar, but as I only play keyboard in a band and not guitar, I make-do with what i got.

So I guess I'll leave it up to you. Do you need quality? If so, plan to drop a minimum of 20,000. If you can't or don't want to put down that kind of cash, bring one from home... Just be aware that if you ship it, it will count as 1 (of 2) allowed pieces of check-in luggage.

As for shipping, either a hard case, or a soft one, WELL padded with towels and stuffing, and sealed into a guitar box (like the kind they use to ship new guitars to music shops) should do just fine.

[wolfman]

[Sweetsee]

Definitely bring your guitar, if it's not already, it will become your best friend here. Check it in the hardcase. Mine had been all over the world, honestly. Never go on holiday without it.
When will you be here Wolfman?

[JimDunlop2]

Unless you live in a capsule hotel, you WILL have room for a guitar. Things here are small, but not THAT small..

I would still however consider padding your guitar inside its hard case so it doesn't move around inside during transport.

Also, guitars being made primarily of wood, I would probably loosen the strings and make sure there's some desiccant in there, just to safeguard against warping or expansion/contraction.

[wolfman]

[madeira]

I brought a guitar and an accordian over... and a cat. And about a ton of food, books and music. You can imagine what the school rep who met me at the airport was thinking...

All arrived safely. Bring it!

You should be able to bring the guitar onboard and have them put it in a cupboard, if the flight isn't too crowded, or if you're worried about putting it in cargo. 'Course, I came here pre 9-11, and you know geetars are weapons. Mine doesn't kill fascists, but it makes Anne Coulter wear men's underwear.

[cornishmuppet]

With a hard case you`ll have no problems. I bought mine when I lived in Italy and its just stuck with me since, even though its a bit of junk, really. And although I live in a box it sits happily in the corner, next to a growing pile of amps. In fact my `house` is starting to resemble my teenage bedroom with a little kitchen attached.

Bring it, I say. You can always trade it in later (if you can bear to) as the quality of guitars out here seems to be pretty good, and a little cheaper than the UK, at any rate. Alternatively, you can get cheap as guitars from any recycle shop if you don`t want to spend much money. When you get here, I recommend hunting down your nearest `Hard Off` shop, which is like a discount/second hand musical and electrical good shop.

[canuck]

If you have a soft case, you can talk to the airlines and they might allow you to bring it aboard, but the stewardess will store it somewhere out of the way for you. If you play often, and don't have much luggage, I'd say it's worth bringing.

[DarkMagus]

I've been wondering about this myself... I've been planning on bringing an electric bass over. Just the bass though, no amplifier. I may try to buy one while over there if its not too expensive.

I also play drums (that's my principal instrument), but obviously I won't be bringing them over ... I'm still hoping, however, to find SOME WAY to play while in Japan.

Is it hard to find other musicians (Japanese or not) to play with? Are gaijin musicians in high demand, or no? I'd LOVE to play with a band while in Japan.

[canuck]