Originally Posted by AppleApe

I've flown with a violin and a carry-on on US Airways for many years(probably two dozen flights on A320/A321s) without any issues. Have not flown American for many years. Do they enforce rules differently than US Airways? I've also not had problems on United, Virgin America, US Airways Express, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Delta, and Lufthansa. AA's website is what got me concerned. It's not the cost to check a carry-on bag, but the value of the contents.(electronic recording equipment, irreplaceable historical sheet musics, etc)

Originally Posted by Mark_T

You are setting yourself up for an expensive failure.

Electronics in a checked bag are not covered, irreplaceable documents obviously should not be checked either.

A $450,000 violin deserves its own seat and then there would be no debate about the carry-on.

Anything else would seem like utter folly in the circumstances you describe.