Here is a quick tip for maintenance of your guitar should you need to travel, to minimize any chances of damage.

I fly quite frequently and take my Les Paul along on my journeys all the time. There are a few things that you need to be aware of:

• If you can, try and ask the airlines if you can take your guitar up on the plane with you. Some flights allow you to do this and all your worries are over.

• If you have to check your guitar into cargo, you will need to buy a hard case specifically made for guitar transportation. These hard cases are available in most good guitar stores and they come in moulded hard plastic or metal. Either one is good but I prefer the plastic cases as they’re much lighter.

• Loosen the guitar strings a little to relieve the pressure on your guitar’s neck. The reason for this is, if the case is dropped hard, the sudden shock plus the FULL tension of the guitar strings could very easily snap the neck.

• I usually bubble wrap the entire neck to help with absorbing shock if the case is dropped. Make sure as well that the guitar  headstock sits way clear of the base of the case. If the head contacts the case’s base, that will most definitely break the guitar neck.