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May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Gainesville, Va. | Hey guys,
I will be selling & shipping my first guitar on the OFC this week. I would love to hear some feedback about shipping. Who can ship it for me, what it should cost, insurance, etc.
Anything I need to know to make sure the guitar will arrive safely.
thank you for your time
- Kevin |
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May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Gainesville, Va. | Oh, and just to throw in a shameless plug. It's the GC Ovation 12-String I've got picutres of in a post below :)
- Kevin |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | There are a bunch of threads on this. You ought to do a search and read them. They include a variety of opinions on packing and what companies to ship with. I think I've only shipped one, but I've received several packed in a variety of ways and have had good luck so far. Loosening the strings might be the only common denominator. |
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May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Gainesville, Va. | Thanks Mark,
I guess I should have taken the time to search this, as I'm sure it's come up here before. Sorry.
- Kevin |
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June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Hey Kevin, here's my .02 since I've shipped a few....First of all, go to a local music store and con them out of a guitar box. Detune the guitar, wrap the headstock with bubble wrap or news paper, and make sure it won't move in the case. Put the case in the box and surround it with bubble wrap or old soda (or beer) boxes to take up the open space so the case has some cushioning in the box. Make sure you put something on the top and bottom of the case in the box to take up any shock from drops and such. Mark the box "top" with the headstock up, slap a label on it with enough insurance to cover it. TAKE PICTURES OF EVERY STEP IN THE PACKAGING so you have a record in case there is damage. Cross your fingers and toes and hope for the best. |
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Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | Pizza boxes are the key. |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Yeah, if you want it to smell like a pasta when you get it... :D |
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May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Gainesville, Va. | hahaha, thanks guys! Now I just have to decide what the guitar should smell like when it arrives....
No seriously though, I don't feel very confident about packaging this myself.
Do the big names Fed, UPs, DH have guitar boxes? Or do I still need to go get one from a local music shop before getting it shipped?
thanks
-Kevin |
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December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | get it for free (or pretty cheap if they insist on charging) from a guitar store or pay through the nose at one of the shipping places. Your choice. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Trader Jim:
Yeah, if you want it to smell like a pasta when you get it... :D Ummm, pizza or cashews... Sounds like a toss-up!
pizza lovers> 
Toss that dough... ;) |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I have gotten a couple of boxes from Apple Music (plug) in Portland. Because of what I had read about some other Music stores, I was always ready to give them five bucks, but I never had to (yet).
My Fed Ex store does not have guitar-sized boxes.
They also said that they would not pack musical instruments because of liability.
(That way they can claim that your guitar was not packed properly...
I did tell everybody that Fed Ex denied my claim on the 1121-4, didn't I?)
Anyway, Apple music always asks me what kind of guitar I was shipping, in a case or not, and then gave me the appropriate sized box and some cushion stuff.
Nice Folks, huh? :cool: |
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May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Gainesville, Va. | thanks guys |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| The shippers will charge about $40 for materials to pack a guitar. +1 on getting a box from a music store. And a BIG +1 on taking pictures at all stages of packing in case you need to file a claim. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Arthur, let me know if you need empty guitar boxes. I have several extra and might be able to through a few in when I come over to Portland this summer. I keep saving them, thinking that I'll have to ship a guitar someday, but so far it hasn't happened.
(I just figured out the two Ts reference. Clever.) |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by Trader Jim:
Detune the guitar, wrap the headstock with bubble wrap or news paper, and make sure it won't move in the case. I would CRAM as much bubble wrap or scrunched up newspaper (my preferred option) as you can around the headstock, ensuring the neck still rests firmly in its saddle and you can still close the lid (duh!)
Its possible to receive a guitarbox in perfect condition, but the guitar inside is a writeoff. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Thanx Mark... But I think that I have reached the point where I wanna keep all the ones that I've got! (except maybe...)
[So who's said that before?] |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Uh, ....was that a dig at me Artttt? :p |
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Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | There's a good photo-essay on the Collings Forum about how to pack a guitar ...
PACKING A GUITAR FOR SHIPPING
The interesting thing to me is that none of the guitar companies, who ship thousands and thousands of guitars, do it like this. I received a guitar yesterday straight from Ovation. Arrived tuned to pitch, case flopping around in the box, no extra padding, etc. The guitar was PERFECT. So does it really matter? I'm not sure.
Dave |
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March 2008
Posts: 41
| A lot of great advice posted above. I will try to add a few details that have helped me when shipping.
In addition to packing around the headstock to protect it & the neck from impact, take a close look at how the guitar body fits in the case. Not all cases hold the body snuggly or support the body/neck joint. So if there is space around the body add a little packing material to fill the voids and make for a snug fit. Some packing materials may interact with the guitar's finish. I usually, but alwayys, use paper.
A trick I learned from someone else: fill plastic bags (like the ones you bring groceries home in) with ghost poop - aka packing peanuts, styrofoam material etc. Put two filled bags in the bottom corners of the box and set the guitar case on top. Slide a couple more 1/2 or 1/4 filled bags between the case's top & back and the box. Then pack more filled bags around the case's waist and neck to fill box. This holds the case suspended in the box while using less ghost poop and makes for a cleaner easier pack and unpack process. Those new inflated plastic bags work great, too.
In the past, I have received guitars packed using every technique listed above. It is amazing they survived their shipping at all. |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I believe that it was Elliot Meldoy (where is he) who said that he just slapped a sticker on the case and mailed them off.
That way the shippers know...
"Hey! Stupit! Dis is a Guitar! Or a small Cello, But Don't Squish It!"
I did that with two or three guitars with no problems... The one that got broke was well packed! :mad:
(And No TJ... not Just you!
But I have gotten to the point where I really like all my guitars, so it is a gut-wrenching decision when I need to sell one for space or money.
So what is your criteria?) |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | "(And No TJ... not Just you!
But I have gotten to the point where I really like all my guitars, so it is a gut-wrenching decision when I need to sell one for space or money.
So what is your criteria?)"
Well... I've got 6 hangers on the wall and a stand. When they all fill up, it's time to move one/a couple. It also depends on what is on the "for sale" sites that I usually haunt. If I could stay off those, I would probably keep the ones I have. "Grass is always greener" syndrome. :rolleyes: I do have a couple that I will keep on, but the rest are fair game. Anyway, you guys need some kind of entertainment here, and I try to provide that... :D |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Old Man Artttthur --- (TooMany T's):
just slapped a sticker on the case and mailed them off... I've received three this way with no issues. The Washburn 12er that was quite damaged was very well packaged. The seller had not relieved any string tension...  |
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December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
Loosening the strings might be the only common denominator. As others have said, there is lots of info on this from those of us who have shipped and received 100's of guitars in the past few years, but I wanted to comment on this.
DETUNE your guitar but DO NOT "Loosen" the strings.
I realize it's semantics.. but keep in mind, the Factory sends out the guitars in the first place IN TUNE ready to play. Now on an older guitar, expansion and shift may come into play and things may be delicate so DETUNING keeps some tension on the neck. I usually just tune down a whole step or so. But I can't think of any time taking all of the tension off the neck, especially on an older guitar, can be a good idea. |
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How to ship a guitar ?
