This was once a vintage 1965 Gibson ES 335 guitar. The passenger (a professional musician) begged Delta agents to allow him to carry the guitar on. He was told no. He then asked if he could buy a second ticket for his guitar and he was (reportedly) told no once again. Now the passenger is asking for the $1,980 to repair the guitar and would you like to guess what answer he received? Yep, a big fat NO. (Delta is now looking again into the matter to see what more might be done.)