best way to pack guitar for shipping

[jrhoden]

whats the best way to ship an electric guitar?...i have a hard shell case for it - its not the hard hard plastic but a hard case none the less .
can i just pack it with packing material tape it up like that? or do i need to box it?

thanks

 

[muttley600]

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showpost.php?p=2850015&postcount=6

 

[Fusioninspace]

I've shipped about a dozen guitars without any issues. The solid body electrics are extremely easy.

The key as mentioned before is layers. A cheap-o gig bag is probably the best way to start. Put that in a cardboard guitar shaped box (or close to it) with newspaper (or peanuts) to take up the slack.

If you don't have a gig bag, then use the foam wrap they ship guitars in (if you can dig through a music store's trash you can find lot's of good packing material). Use an extra layer or two of bubble wrap. Then the box.

Take off trem bars, etc. and bubble wrap those.

I always put an extra layer of brown postal paper to cover any previous markings and also write "Do not stack", "This side up", etc with a sharpie.

Even acoustic guitars are pretty sturdy. But the "Do Not Stack" part becomes even more of an issue for obvious reasons.

I generally figure around $30-$35 to ship a guitar in the US. $20-$25 for the actual shipping and the extra for the bubble wrap - and that stuff just went up again!

Good luck!

 

[Light]

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showpost.php?p=2850015&postcount=6

Also, NO packing peanuts, ever. For one thing, UPS will not honor your insurance if you do (they don't work, they settle, and do not provide sufficent support), and second it is extremely rude to whomever has to open the box (they get EVERYWHERE - those fuckers are almost as bad as sand after sex on the beach).

And though I'm sure muttley mentioned it, make DAMN sure you detune the guitar. There is a lot of tension in those strings, and they magnify any blow the guitar takes. Detuning the guitar is probably the single most important thing you can do to make sure your guitar gets where it is going in one piece.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[ausrock]

We've had approx., 12 guitars come across The Pacific with no problems.........all were shipped in the original hard case and all were shipped with DHL (costly but worth it). Personally, apart from secure packing, I believe choosing the right shipping company to be the most important thing..........Fedex and UPS are both on my "Don't even consider" list.

 

[zazz]

i had to send my custom shop tele in tweed case on check in....which is gonna be hard on the finish ect...

so i wrapped it in a cocoon of cling film so that it looked like this mummified ball of plastic....

i swear its the most secure safe thing i ever saw.....when i had to open it took me ages just to cut it out of there...

if it fell in the sea it would float forever....if a theif wanted to steal it he would have to take the whole case but why would he....it doesnt even look like a guitar case...

 

[Roguetitan]

ship in a hard case and cardboard box.
no need for packing foam or bubble wrap that way.

 

[mwthompson]

ship in a hard case and cardboard box.
no need for packing foam or bubble wrap that way.

That's how Fender ships them. My custom shop Strat came in it's hard shell case packed in a cardboard box with a little bit of folded cardboard at each end of the case.

 

[Zaphod B]

Also, NO packing peanuts, ever. .......(they get EVERYWHERE - those fuckers are almost as bad as sand after sex on the beach).

Worse! At least when you brush the sand off, it stays off!

 

[Light]

ship in a hard case and cardboard box.
no need for packing foam or bubble wrap that way.

Good God no!!!!!


That is a recipe for almost certain destruction of your guitar.


Here is how I do it.

First, the (de-tuned) guitar goes into a case which fits it tightly (if it doesn't, add bubble wrap or wadded up tee shirts to get it in there right. You don't want a lot of pressure on the guitar, but you also don't want the guitar to move inside the case.

Next, the case goes into the box. On the bottom of the box, you want a couple layers of bubble wrap (an inch or two). The big bubble stuff, which is intended for larger/denser materials. Get some bubble wrap on either side of the lower bout of the case, and two-three layers between the box and the top/back of the case. I then use a couple of long cardboard boxes to fill the space between the sides of the neck and the box. Then, you have to fill the top part of the box with more bubble wrap. If there is a lot of room up there, you can use another box, but you need to have at least a couple layers of bubble wrap.

Finally, tape up the box (do a good job - it matters), and give the box a bit of a shake. Nothing should rattle - it should feel solid. I give the box a good coating of Fragile stickers, with a few This End Up stickers in the appropriate places, and if it is winter a sticker (the wording of which I stole from Martin) which says something like, "Unless there is visible damage to the box, do not open until the guitar has had sufficient time to warm to room temperature" or some such thing.

I always ship UPS, because I've had good luck with them for the last 36 years (well, our shop has), and I've had much worse luck (in far fewer shipments) with FedEx. Insure it for replacement value.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

Good God no!!!!!


That is a recipe for almost certain destruction of your guitar.


Here is how I do it.

First, the (de-tuned) guitar goes into a case which fits it tightly (if it doesn't, add bubble wrap or wadded up tee shirts to get it in there right. You don't want a lot of pressure on the guitar, but you also don't want the guitar to move inside the case.

Next, the case goes into the box. On the bottom of the box, you want a couple layers of bubble wrap (an inch or two). The big bubble stuff, which is intended for larger/denser materials. Get some bubble wrap on either side of the lower bout of the case, and two-three layers between the box and the top/back of the case. I then use a couple of long cardboard boxes to fill the space between the sides of the neck and the box. Then, you have to fill the top part of the box with more bubble wrap. If there is a lot of room up there, you can use another box, but you need to have at least a couple layers of bubble wrap.

Finally, tape up the box (do a good job - it matters), and give the box a bit of a shake. Nothing should rattle - it should feel solid. I give the box a good coating of Fragile stickers, with a few This End Up stickers in the appropriate places, and if it is winter a sticker (the wording of which I stole from Martin) which says something like, "Unless there is visible damage to the box, do not open until the guitar has had sufficient time to warm to room temperature" or some such thing.

I always ship UPS, because I've had good luck with them for the last 36 years (well, our shop has), and I've had much worse luck (in far fewer shipments) with FedEx. Insure it for replacement value.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Very similar to the method I described. Guess why everybody? Because we do it a lot and have seen guitars arrive in all sorts of condition due to freight handlers, and have a bit of experience in this.

I would just add a couple of things I do extra that cost nothing. If it is a newly finished guitar cover it in acid free paper before it goes in the case. This will help stop any damage to the finish. Bubblewrap and similar can have all sorts of stuff in it the eye can't see. Not important if the guitar is old or the finish has had a few months to gas off.

Second and very important. Put pieces of paper with return address and destination printed on them between every layer of packing. This has helped me in the past on more than one occasion. It is also a good idea to take detailed pictured of the guitars condition before shipping. Although it isn't pfoof of condition it can help in the event of a dispute.

 

[MadHatterTCM]

I thought I'd add my two cents. Reason being, is because I work at UPS

My job is the person that sorts all of the boxes that are unloaded out of the trucks.

Truth: write the words "fragile, handle with care" all over it, and we'll still never pay attention to it. We see the label and zip code and we put it on the belt it's suppose to be on....sorry

It's already been covered how to pretty much properly package it. Whoever said just box up the guitar case, is an idiot without any other type of stuffing, it will cause the weight of the case to shift inside the box. On the truck driving, it will move. When we put it on to the belt, the shifting weight may make us lose control over the box... potential damage.

IF you ship it by itself, bubble wrap it and peanut it in a box (who ever said peanuts don't get covered by UPS is also wrong, if something you did didn't get covered, it's because of something else) If you can, put that box into another larger box for safety. stuffing it as well.

If it's in the case, pack it with peanuts in a box. one should honestly be fine

No matter how you ship it.. make sure you have about 3-4inches of stuffing around your instrument..

USE A GOOD BOX!!!!!!!!!

USE LOTS OF TAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tape the crap out of your box
single slice of tape down the top and bottom crack is no good for heavy boxes.

If you tape the opening that goes all the way down the middle.. tape the left and right side of it as well.. do that whereEVER you tape.

that's all..

 

[Light]

(who ever said peanuts don't get covered by UPS is also wrong, if something you did didn't get covered, it's because of something else)

I heard that from Taylor, who ships more guitars than anyone, here, and knows what they are talking about. I also double checked with UPS.

But that's not even the point. The real issue is that they don't work. packing peanuts settle in the box, and by they time the guitar gets where it is going, they aren't doing any good. I can't tell you how many guitars packed in peanuts I've seen come in to the shop completely unsupported in the box.

Peanuts are not designed, nor are they capable, of supporting the weight and density of a guitar in a box. They work fine for light stuff, but they don't work at all for guitars. And UPS knows this, and so they do not cover it with their insurance, which is as it should be. It would, after all, be stupid for them to cover a guitar which was packaged improperly.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi