Traveling with tools

[Mark Schecter]

I recently tuned for pianist Krystian Zimmerman, who travels with his 
own Hamburg D, plus an additional action (his special baby) in a plywood 
rolling case. Upon arrival in the US, his equipment was impounded for 
inspection for about three days. When he finally received it, his action 
had been molested, hammers broken off, and various other unspecified 
indignities had been perpetrated. He does his own action work, and still 
had not finished restoring things to his liking several concerts later.

I guess you could hide bad things in a piano ...

... but can't embassies or some high muckety-mucks ease performers 
through the gantlet without loosing the dogs on the family jewels?

-Mark Schecter

Leslie Bartlett wrote:
>  
> 
> FWIW, it's much worse for musicians.  Imagine having to check your $200K (+)
> fiddle because the case "might" be carrying something else.  ("Would your
> Guarneri care for a soda, Sir?")
> 
> 		I just heard Tokyo String quartet this week, and wanted
> badly to go back stage and ask how they shipped their four Stradivarius
> instruments.........................   Millions of dollars trusted to dock
> workers........... Oh my oh my.
> les bartlett
>