An oldie but goodie - getting pedals through airports

[Mark Hammer]

Busy cleaning up my mailbox this evening.  Man oh man, thousands of e-mails received and sent.  Found a correspondence from 2009 that I thought might be informative for some folks.

I was curious about getting DIY pedals past baggage screeners without difficulties, so I wrote to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and explained the situation to them.  Here's what I wrote: 

I have a technical enquiry, to which an answer would be helpful to myself and a
great many acquaintances and friends. I will pose the question below, but introduce
the nature of the subject matter first. I belong to a community of hobbyists that
make, modify, and repair special effects units ("pedals") for electric guitars and
other similar musical instruments. As is the case with many hobby enthusiasts, we
like to bring some of our handiwork along when visiting friends. In some instances,
people will attend trade shows and bring prototypes along to show others. The
devices in question will normally be situated within a small metal enclosure (to
screen out electrical interference from transformers and such), with controls
mounted on the outer surface, and contain electronic circuit boards, and usually a 9
volt battery supply. Sometimes, they look professionally made, and other times the
appearance can be somewhat amateurish, depending on the skills of the builder. If
you consult this webforum thread -
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=36392.0 - you will be able to
see literally thousands of examples of what I'm talking about. Of course, as
slightly unusual objects, these will no doubt elicit much closer scrutiny by
screeners, that can be intimidating to the owner of the device, and frustrating to
those behind them in line who may be delayed by such extra scrutiny. We understand
the purpose of such scrutiny, and support it. of course, that does not make it any
less uncomfortable or inconvenient. What I am wondering about is what sort of
procedure to follow when transporting such devices that might give baggage screeners
and any other security personnel the sorts of assurances of passenger/flight safety
that they need to confirm for EVERY traveller/flight, while at the same time
providing the least possible inconvenience and delay? Is there some way that any
traveller carrying such items can prepare them for easier and less disruptive
inspection, while still permitting the same rigour? For example is it preferable to
remove any batteries from the device prior to boarding? Should they be stored with
regular baggage or openly presented with carry-on? Alternatively, is the best thing
simply to avoid baggage screening completely and mail the devices ahead of time? I
ask these questions sincerely on behalf of a community of over 10,000 people
world-wide, many of whom have expressed either frustration with past experiences at
airports, or some trepidation about bringing such items with them, lest they find
themselves detained for questioning. I am sure you are aware of the many
folk-legends that abound about people being detained for hours over innocuous items.
We're just trying to find a way to balance air security, national security, and our
love of our hobby. Any simple and straightforward advice you can offer to achieve
that will be deeply appreciated. I know many of my builder friends are perhaps less
skilled at drafting such a query, so I'm hoping your reply will permit me to set
things straight for them with an authoritative reply. Thank you in advance. Mark
Hammer Ottawa

And here is what they wrote back:

Dear Mr. Hammer,

On behalf of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), we thank you for
your e-mail dated March 24, 2009 in which you enquired about traveling with special
effects units ("pedals") for electric guitars and other similar musical instruments.

CATSA plays an integral role in the Government of Canada's air security initiative.
Our mission is to protect the public by securing critical elements of the air
transportation system, including the screening of passengers and their belongings
from Canadian airports.  Our mandate is to deliver a consistent, effective and
highly professional service that is set at or above the standards established by
federal regulations.

When traveling from a Canadian airport, permitted and non-permitted items are
regulated by Transport Canada and are enforced by pre-board screening officers.
According to Transport Canada regulations, electronic devices such special effects
unit for guitars are permitted in carry-on or checked baggage. As with all items in
your possession, all electronic devices must be screened when going through
security.

In order to facilitate your passage at the pre-board screening checkpoint with such
items, we suggest the following options:

1. Sending said items by courier service is obviously the best way to avoid problems
at security checkpoints.

2. Another option is to place it in checked baggage. Ensure that the item is not
cluttered together as much as possible (i.e., remove batteries  - if batteries are
lithium then they are not permitted in checked baggage-  external cords and wires,
etc. and place them in distinctly different parts of the bag), and do not place
organics in the bag such as peanut butter, rubber, fruitcakes, etc.

3. If you do wish to carry these items in your carry-on baggage, declare them to a
screening officer before they go through the X-ray machine, remove them from the bag
and place them in the trays provided for screening, on their own.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Client Satisfaction / Satisfaction des clients
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) /
Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien (ACSTA)
Toll free 1-888-294-2202 (8:30-17:00 ET)
Facsimile / télécopieur: 613-949-2725
www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca <http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/>

[amptramp]

It's not just for pedal builders, musicians should be informed of the same thing.  I have not heard of hassles from musicians about their pedals or pedalboards, so I thought it was going to be this simple.

Thank you for this public service.

[PRR]

> not just for pedal builders, musicians should be

But I was thinking... dude shows up with a guitar and an amp, his pedals fit-in.

A guy in a suit has one very strange electronic item, that is odd.

[EBK]

Just travel with a bucket of parts and a soldering iron.  Make sure you label the soldering iron with a message like, "I am a soldering iron.  I am just like a transportation-approved hair curling iron.  I am friendly and safe."

On second thought, yeah, just ship the stuff to where you are going.  It is, unfortunately, unlikely that any transportation security person is paid enough to care about any explanation once they've decided to have you pulled aside. 

[Jdansti]

Just tape a note to the enclosure that reads, "Not A Bomb".

As Paul said, it might look suspicious if the pedal(s) were the only music related objects in your carry on. It might be wise to include some picks, a tuner, and a package of strings. Dress should consist of a pair of skin tight jeans with holes in the knees, a concert T-shirt, and brightly colored sneakers. If you must wear a turban, write "Metallica" across it with a Sharpie.

Seriously, thanks Mark for investigating this.  Keep in mind that even with the official guidelines in hand, your mileage may vary depending on the knowledge of the individual screeners you encounter. I've declared guns in my checked luggage and I follow the packaging regulations, but I'm waiting for that one freaked out airline employee to make my trip a living hell.

[Cozybuilder]

For grins, I like to hand the TSA people my concealed weapons permit along with my boarding pass. Its amazing how jittery they get with some types of government issued photo IDs. Some have even asked if I'm secret service.

[J0K3RX]

Try to avoid boarding with pedals that have cute names like the following:

Barber Dirty Bomb   
Menatone Mail Bomb
JHS Mini Bomb
Joyo JF-312 Pipebomb

Anything with the word "bomb" would be good idea to leave at home. Or, if you are one of those people who find being stripped naked in a holding cell and strapped spread eagle face down on an examination table a turn on then go ahead and take your chances... Just remember, when you hear the 'SNAP' of the rubber glove sh!t just got real!

[lukeferg]

It must be different in Australia. I took about 3 diy pedals through airport security not that long ago. The only thing they wanted to check out was the absorbency sachets that I had with a couple of condenser mics. Let the pedals pass without a second look.

[thermionix]

my concealed weapons permit

Man I need to get mine.  Keep putting it off because an 8-9 hour class just sounds so boring.  There should be a short version for veterans IMO.  But that's a discussion for a different forum I suppose.

I remember "back in the day"...pre-911, and before all the ridiculous baggage fees...I used to travel with my guitar fairly frequently, and carry it on.  A Strat case would fit in an overhead, or standing up in the coat closet.  But the best part was if you got a chance to watch it go through the X-ray machine.  You see the tuners, strings, frets, truss rod, pickup coils, all the wiring.  Looked cool as hell.

[RickL]

I've never carried a DIY pedal in carry-on baggage but I almost always travel with a guitar and there is always a pedal and a tuner, both with batteries, in the pocket of the gig bag. I've never been questioned. I used to regularly carry a bag in my checked luggage with my soldering iron,  multi-meter, many loose (in plastic bags) components and a partially completed circuit board or two. Again, I've never been questioned.

The only time I ever received attention was when I was actually soldering in a study carol on a ferry between Vancouver Island and Victoria.

[davent]

Try to avoid boarding with pedals that have cute names like the following:

Barber Dirty Bomb   
Menatone Mail Bomb
JHS Mini Bomb
Joyo JF-312 Pipebomb

Anything with the word "bomb" would be good idea to leave at home. Or, if you are one of those people who find being stripped naked in a holding cell and strapped spread eagle face down on an examination table a turn on then go ahead and take your chances... Just remember, when you hear the 'SNAP' of the rubber glove sh!t just got real!

Best i leave this one behind...

[Mark Hammer]

Because, like all great supervillains, you have to describe and explain just exactly HOW you're going to carry out your destructive plan.  So what else would you call such a pedal? 

[bluebunny]

Just tape a note to the enclosure that reads, "Not A Bomb".

LOL.  We'll be sure to come visit you in jail, John.   

Small aside: a German colleague bought a guitar neck from a UK eBay seller and had it delivered to my office (much cheaper shipping).  He then asked another colleague who was visiting us to bring it back to Germany for him.  Colleague #2 is not a musician.  All he knew is he's carrying a guitar neck.  He had no idea about the concealed steel shaft hidden in the innocuous piece of wood (aka, truss-rod).  And so he couldn't explain it to the security folks, who then proceeded to grill him at length.  How we laughed...