guitar shipping advice

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edguerin

Posts: 1613
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

guitar shipping advice

Any advice on shipping an instrument (Europe to USA) via UPS (or other carrier), apart from slacking/removing the strings?

Special packaging? Or is hard-case in a cardboard box sufficient protection?
What about insurance?

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Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2008 0:52:50

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: guitar shipping advice (in reply to edguerin)

I've only shipped guitars within Europe but I've never had a problem.

Yes use a hard case within a box but make sure the guitar is packed within the case with bubble wrap etc so it cannot move in the case. (Unless you have a very good fitting case)
Then pack the box, especially where the case will contact the box. And then just fill the space with anything you have, even crumpled newspaper works ok.

Then just imagine the thing being dropped from ceiling height and think what would happen.

Hopefully, if you've packed it well enough you'll be confident!

But I always insure as well

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Kevin Richards

http://www.facebook.com/#!/kevin.richards.1048554

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2008 5:38:57

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: guitar shipping advice (in reply to edguerin)

this is my area of expertise! I pack fragile things all day lol

don't use bubble wrap, use news paper, it is more firm and will not do the classic bubble wrap sag.

pack extra up in the neck headstock area, I think there's a post waaay back in the archives here

hard case is good newspaper around the case in critical areas where a case is likely to be bumped

CLEAR PACKING TAPE WITHOUT STRAPPING around the latches

then put it is a box, and tape the **** out of it lol

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2008 15:42:03

srshea

Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest

RE: guitar shipping advice (in reply to edguerin)

Ed,

I don’t know if you have anything like this in your area, but a lot of guitar shops offer a shipping service. You pay extra, of course, but it does save you the hassle of finding the right size box, crumpling a stack of newspapers, etc. and you get the assurance of knowing that it’s been safely packed by someone who does that regularly. Insurance is usually part of the price. I’ve shipped guitars this way, and I’ve done it myself, too. It gets there either way, but it is nice to just drop of the guitar and an address and not have to worry about it beyond that.

Adam

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2008 16:58:16

edguerin

Posts: 1613
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: guitar shipping advice (in reply to edguerin)

Thanks everybody.

As I don't have a guitar shop anywhere near here I guess I'll just have to crumple all those old newspapers; climb up a ladder and test-drop ...