Shipping a Guitar...

[baja85]

...it looks like I'll be shipping a guitar out soon, and I was hoping for some pointers or tips. I've got the OHSC, and was planning on maybe stuffing it with newspaper to further insulate the guitar, and also packing the whole deal in cardboard...? What can you folks tell me to do here?

[baja85]

Bump!

[BoredGuitarist7]

Pack it with plenty of bacon and pondwater.


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[SnoMan97]

Slack the strings. Wrap the neck and headstock with bubble wrap. Make sure the guitar is tight in the case. I usually wrap the case in bubble wrap before i put it into the box. Seal it up well with tape and send it on. I have shipped 10 guitars and 1 amp this way without issue.

[GibsonQC]

Slack the strings. Wrap the neck and headstock with bubble wrap. Make sure the guitar is tight in the case. I usually wrap the case in bubble wrap before i put it into the box. Seal it up well with tape and send it on. I have shipped 10 guitars and 1 amp this way without issue.

 

 

Also, I put a thin sheet of bubble wrap between the strings and the neck/pickups. If the body is not tight in the case, stuff some bubble-wrap in the loose spots.

 

As Sno said, wrap the case in bubble wrap. Then put it in a guitar shipping box, which can be had from any store that sells guitars. I go to the store I usually buy my gear or strings from, and they just give me boxes when I need them (infrequently). Then, put a GOOD cushion of bubble wrap at the bottom of the box, and slide the guitar in, ass first. If it's a fitted case, pack the neck region of the guitar case in with Styrofoam peanuts. Finish the top off with another cushion of bubble wrap on top. Tape the whole box together WELL with packing tape. Don't use duct tape. Do not use newspaper. Bash in newspaper repeatedly and it becomes flat. Flat newspaper provides no protection from shock, and most shipping companies will not honor claims for heavy items packed with newspaper.

 

Position the shipping label so the box will keep the orientation you want--I usually stand the guitar up on its end and make sure to put the label at the top by where the headstock is. Also, make sure that you keep track of how you put the guitar in the box so you can position the label on the side of the box where the strings are facing. They usually put the guitar "label side up" if they have to lay it flat, and you'd much rather have the guitar lying on it's back in the case.

 

 

Courier choice is a matter of preference. So, know that this recommendation is from my experience only. YMMV.

 

I have shipped a lot of guitars and use FedEx Ground whenever I can. MAKE SURE TO INSURE the guitar, no matter what courier you use. FedEx Ground/Home is inexpensive, and their insurance is inexpensive. Also, make sure you get a signature--not just delivery confirmation. If you have a fedex online account (free to start), you get discounts for shipping online and you can see signatures online.

 

I've had too many frightening issues with packages delivered to me by UPS to ever pay them to deliver something for me, and USPS has the worst tracking system on the planet. Plus, their rates (particularly insurance) are astronomically expensive compared to FedEx Ground. Also, you can drop off fedex ground packages at any (24 hr) kinkos, any time of day.

 

Good luck!

[steve_man]

Yes, what they said... Plus, I usually put a cushion of bubble wrap between the end of the headstock and the end of the case. Don't wanna have a busted headstock when it arrives do we?

 

Also, Fedex seems to be the fastest and cheapest way to go, at least from the southwest. They are much cheaper than UPS, and get the stuff there in half the time.

[soundcreation]

Yeah bubble wrap is the key......NO movement of the guitar is the most important thing I think. I've gotten all my guitars from japan and they really know how to pack'em. The best was from Ishibashi.....they put the guitar into a soft case, wrapped the case in bubble wrap pretty tightly (several layers; like 6 or 7) using packing tape to hold the bubble wrap; then use an oversized box stuffed with bubble wrap with the bubble wrapped case/guitar in the middle.

 

It was a bit insane actually......For real, no joke it took me 20 minutes to get to the guitar. Maybe the only extra thing they could have done was to bubble wrap the guitar itself but seeing as it is a thin nitro finish I'm kind of glad they didn't. And it was a soft cotton lined case which probably made it fairly stable once the outer layer of bubble wrap was taped on.

 

If it is in a hard case that is not form fitting I would probably wrap the guitar inside the case to prevent movement.

[baja85]

Thanks, all.

[vangkm]

...it looks like I'll be shipping a guitar out soon, and I was hoping for some pointers or tips. I've got the OHSC, and was planning on maybe stuffing it with newspaper to further insulate the guitar, and also packing the whole deal in cardboard...? What can you folks tell me to do here?

 

 

Don't use newspaper, it won't do {censored}.

 

1. Make sure the guitar cannot move around in the case and make sure any parts that come into contact with the case (especially the neck) are somewhat insulated with packing material (even 1 sheet of small bubble wrap would be good).

 

A guitar shipped in a hardshell case can still suffer damage if dropped hard enough. I had an expensive mishap when a guitar I sold showed up with a cracked neck because it was dropped during shipment.

 

2. Wrap the case in bubble wrap or use some sort of packing material around it.

 

3. Box it at least once.

 

I always double box when I can. I get scrap appliance cardboard for free from dumpsters and cut them to exact size (doesn't take long at all). I make one that fits the case exactly then a slightly bigger one with packing material between the boxes.

 

You can find industrial bubble wrap at furniture stores. I paid $5 for 3 giant pieces of bubblewrap that were made to fit couches. They lasted 4 amps, and several guitars.

 

Hope that helps!