I am preparing to sell my Les Paul Studio and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp. Since either of them will be a major investment for someone, I want to make sure that I protect them adequately in shipping. Can anyone who has shipped these items before give me any advice?
I have the original hard case for the guitar, but no box at home to put the amp in. I would have to aquire something. Thanks in advance.
When I bought my LP it was shipped in a standard cardboard box with about 9 rolls of bubble wrap around the guitar itself. Seemed to work pretty well, no damage in shipping, just make sure to detune if first.
With my Blues Jr., the amp was in a box packed tightly with newspaper inside another, bigger box packed with foam peanuts. That provided a little extra shock protection and kept it safe.
"How could you possibly be scared of being bad? Once you get past that, it's all beautiful." -Trey Anastasio
Thanks dl. I appreciate the feedback. I'll insure everything, but I would hate to have someone get broken equipment.
I have sold/shipped probably 2 dozen guitars/amps online, & never had a problem. I must say, I do pack much better than the online retailers do when they ship their guitars out. (Mfriend, G-center, etc.)
Pretty much what dl0571 said in their post;
Detune the guitar
I also wrap the guitar itself in light foam wrap, the type that appliances come wrapped in. From there I place it in its' original shipping box or something similar, maybe cut a piece of Styrofoam to support the neck in a couple places, and completely fill the box w/ peanuts.
Also, tape the guitar (wrapped in foam, a large bag, etc.) to the inside of the box so it doesn't slide around during shipment.
After that, I place in a second larger box, or cut long sturdy cardboard strips & packing tape them to the original guitar box, kinda an extra layer of protection. Most of the time the shipping cost is around $20-$30. For an amp, I tape a garbage bag around it, then wrap it with a few layers of bubble wrap, the larger type. Then, I place inside a box w/ peanuts, or tape heavy cardboard around it.
Works every time for me, shouldn't be a problem for you, unless it gets severely ruffed up during shipping. Make sure you use a good bit of packing tape - it really does add strength to the shipping box.
Good Luck! :)
From there I place it in its' original shipping box or something similar, maybe cut a piece of Styrofoam to support the neck in a couple places, and completely fill the box w/ peanuts.
Why peanuts ? 8)
Is that a serious question, Rahul? I know there's quite a lot that gets lost in translation sometimes...
The "peanuts" in this case are actually bits of styrofoam, fairly small and shaped like (you guessed it) peanuts. Or at least shaped close enough to acquire the name. :wink: These are used to fill up boxes being mailed in order to keep the contents from shifting during shipping. There are other sorts of materials being used these days, too.
Bgdaddy 316, I don't know about where you live, but many places that do shipping, even in small towns where the UPS or FedEx folks come for pick-ups, will often have the material on hand in order to send out items like guitars. It may be that more and more of them are being shipped (especially owing to online sales), so that it's a selling point for these little shipping stores to be able to handle this for you. Depending on the store, it's usually not all that much more than the normal cost of shipping. Might be something to check into.
Peace
IMNSHO and also in the opinion of museum curators world wide, bubble wrap isn't such a good idea. The bubbles can pop when the box absorbs a shock and then on the second shock they aren't there. The odds of that happening isn't all that great but I like to go with crumpled newspaper or folded scrap cardboard box. They'll pretty much stay in place.
Who knows, I rec'd guitars from all across the country packed all kinds of different ways and they've all been good when they got here.
Is that a serious question, Rahul? I know there's quite a lot that gets lost in translation sometimes...
The "peanuts" in this case are actually bits of styrofoam, fairly small and shaped like (you guessed it) peanuts. Or at least shaped close enough to acquire the name. :wink: These are used to fill up boxes being mailed in order to keep the contents from shifting during shipping. There are other sorts of materials being used these days, too.
It was serious question actually. I was thinking of actual peanuts...
Thanks for clarifying, Sir !
Is that a serious question, Rahul? I know there's quite a lot that gets lost in translation sometimes...
The "peanuts" in this case are actually bits of styrofoam, fairly small and shaped like (you guessed it) peanuts. Or at least shaped close enough to acquire the name.
I would have asked the same question if Rahul hadn't beat me to it - seriously. I did a double-take - "Whaaaaaat?!!!!" - when I saw that - I had visions of Katmetal pouring bag after bag of peanuts into a box! Roasted? Ready Salted? Or just the shells?
Hey, it's not our fault if we have over-active imaginations!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Like Katmetal, I've received and shipped a TON of guitars. I've NEVER (knock on wood) had one break in transit, which is kind of amazing. Those of us who whip a lot usually go crazy with our packing materials, but the guitar manufacturers don't. I bought a Gibson SG from Musician's Friend and the guitar came shipped in a gigbag with minimal packing material. I was very suprised. Same with a Fender Highway 1 I bought... that one was double-boxed, but still the guitar was not overly wrapped in packing material.
Here are my tips:
#1, ship in a case. If you have a case use it. If you don't, but are worried about the guitar, pick up an inexpensive one ($30 - 40) to ship the guitar in. Otherwise, try to find a gig bag. When using a case or bag, make sure that no loose items could slip out and scratch the guitar (case keys, tremolo bar, etc).
#2, if you don't have a case, that is ok. Make sure you wrap the guitar in something - bubble wrap or similar. Don't wrap TOO tightly, but give it a good amount of wrap.
#3, double-box it possible. This really helps.
#4, for guitars like Gibsons, make sure you support the neck. That is the one place where you could have an issue during shipping. Those Gibson neck/headstock joints are the worst.
For Amps, make sure you remove the tubes and wrap them separately. Make sure the box is large enough to handle the amp and packing material.
When in doubt, bring the materials to the UPS store and they will pack for you (for a fee).
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
Who knows, I rec'd guitars from all across the country packed all kinds of different ways and they've all been good when they got here.
Phew, that's good to know. :wink:
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
