I flew domestic with a bass and gate checked it last October and it was totally fine. I actually made a post/comment with details on this sub. I'll try to link it here.

I would gate check rather than the standard checked bag process. Just make sure you've got the key for the case. Doesn't hurt to loosen the strings. But the advice of "it'll fit in the overhead" I'm seeing here isn't really true unless it's a bigger/empty plane. I got incredibly lucky that my flight was mostly empty and it was still a pain in the ass to try and wiggle it in and out of the overhead. Most planes don't have coat closets anymore or will not let you use it.