im shipping a guitar to someone and i want to know what is the best way to pack it and ship it
its an acoustic guitar, with a regular case…
any ideas?
thanks,
Chief’s Domain - http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi
I work for a major freight line and can’t even tell you how much damaged freight I’ve seen. If you really want to protect that guitar, put it in a big, wooden crate. Surround the guitar with a helluva lotta soft
things. If you’re planning to send it in a cardboard box, you’d better cross your fingers and pray.
Make sure your crate is well labeled with the shipping address and destination marked clearly in a couple different places. All over the crate, scrawl in huge letters things like “FRAGILE” and “TOPPING FREIGHT ONLY.”
Your crated guitar (if you choose to do it that way) may be too heavy or bulky for UPS,
FedEx, US Mail, etc. If so, you’ll have to ship it with an LTL carrier like Yellow Freight or SAIA. Ask about insuring your package.
To save some money, have the guitar delivered to the carrier’s terminal nearest its destination, and have the consignee pick it up there. LTL carriers charge something like $35 for a residential delivery. Shave some more money off by dropping the guitar off at the carrier rather than having them pick it up from you.
Well, something I can help with here…
(1) Go to a guitar store. They almost always have guitar boxes that will be thrown out if someone like you doesn’t come by to take it.
(2) Put the item in the box. Being tht the guitar is in a case, you should be able to do this without a large amount of peanuts or other packing material, but have some handy just in case.
(3) Ship it. I would suggest UPS. Make sure you insure it for damage and in case it gets lost, as anything over $100 is not recoupable unless you have iut insured.
Yer pal,
Satan
There are special cases for shipping guitars. They’re the ones professional musicians use to transport their axes–metal capped corners, locking clasps, form-fitting foam interior. This is the best way to ship guitars.
You can try packing it in boxes with foam and peanuts–but I wouldn’t.
Oh, and ship it by ground, not air. Air will cost a fortune. Try a firm called RPS (a subsidiary of FedEx). UPS Ground is good too.
Guy, what you’re referring to is known as a “flight case”, and yes, that is the best way to transport any musical or electronic gear. I’ve dropped mine off the back of the truck before (accidentally, of course) with no damage. It’s the only way to go.
The odds that the bread will fall butter side down are directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
I would use a double box. Put it with 1 " padding in one box, then put that box in another one with 2" padding. Go UPS. USPS likes to throw stuff around.
I would loosen the strings considerably too, if it’s gonna fly it’ll go through some significant tempurature changes,
Larry
thanks for the tips, i removed the strings and im going to wrap it in cloth and then put it in a double box
i hope it doesnt cost a bundle !
Chief’s Domain - http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi
weigh it, visit ups.com find out how much it costs to mail it. Then visit the store with a printout of that so you can tell them off when they try to charge you double that.
thanks for the tips everyone…
i had it shipped UPS ground and they packed it, etc and it got there just fine (across the country)
thanks again!
Chief’s Domain - http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi