Tag Archives: broken bass

TSA at Fault for Broken Bass

In September, yet another union bassist has reported his instrument destroyed in transit. Milton Masciadri of Local 148-462 (Atlanta, GA) reported that his rare 1690 Testore bass was smashed and its neck broken upon arrival in Little Rock, Arkansas, for a recital. Masciadri believes that careless Transportation Security Agency (TSA) inspectors are at fault. After checking it in, the instrument was sent to TSA for inspection. When it arrived in Arkansas, he discovered that TSA had failed to put back security belts that kept the instrument in place. As the airline would have had no reason to open the case, it is likely TSA is at fault. Masciadri is a professor at the University of Geogia.