Ways To Ship Guitars Ga. to NY

**tpandela** · Today, 11:39 AM

Hi All,
Yesterday, I was informed that my cousin Lee had willed 5 guitars to me, all furniture grade planks, Fender and PRS. He passed last week as the result of an aneurysm while exercising. at 83 yo, he was working on his 3rd degree Black Belt in Karate and very fit. He came back to guitar at 70, after a long hiatus, in hopes of maybe someday playing Beatles and Eric Clapton tunes in a band.

These guitars are in Georgia and I'm in New York. I need help understanding how to safely ship these instruments to my home. I believe he payed thousands for each of the PRS and they are all in hard cases. I don't want to put Lee's widow through any hassle. There are a number of members here that buy and sell guitars, many delicate and valuable, who may be able to share their experience. If you would post here, it would be very appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom

**Bob_Ross** · Today, 12:16 PM

If they are all already in hardshell cases most of the work is already done.
Just buy a bunch of heavy-duty cardboard guitar shipping boxes from Uline or equivalent (e.g., Guitar Shipping Boxes in Stock - ULINE ) and a roll or two of bubble wrap.
Keep the guitars in their cases -- maybe add a little bubblewrap inside the case to support the neck if the instrument flops around inside the case -- and then wrap the outside of the case with enough bubblewrap to ensure that it's a snug fit inside the cardboard shipping box.
Wad up some more bubblewrap inside the bottom of the box before sliding the bubblewrapped guitar case inside, and wad up some more at the other end before sealing the box with heavy-duty fiberglass-reinforced strapping tape.

Pro Tip: Next Day or Second Day shipping by UPS or FedEx costs a lot more than regular Ground shipping, but the package gets handled a lot more cautiously with those services. So if you're nervous, consider spending more for peace of mind, and you'll get faster shipping as a bonus.

I successfully shipped (8) electric basses and (4) electric guitars from New York to Arizona a few years ago using ^^^this method, and every instrument arrived in perfect condition.
The outside of the boxes, not so much

...but none of the boxes were so damaged that I couldn't re-use them if desired. (I actually wound up donating them to a local guitar exporter.)

**dconeill** · Today, 12:19 PM

Perhaps:
hire the most reputable music store in the area where the guitars are located to collect, package and ship the guitars to you.

Or:
Cull out the ones you don't want first and donate them locally. If they're "furniture grade planks", maybe they should just go to the dumpster; but maybe what to you is furniture-grade is a useful Strat or Tele for someone. This would save you shipping costs on guitars you don't want. Perhaps you could find a local school district or music charity that would redistribute the guitars you don't want for you. If done thoughtfully, Lee's widow wouldn't have to know that you had culled the bequest. Again, maybe it would be worthwhile to hire a local agent.

Just because the guitars were left to you doesn't mean you have to take possession.

(I remember a couch I inherited from my father that I didn't want but I was daft enough to fetch, store, and then finally discard a year later. That was pretty stupid of me.)

Or:
Take a couple days and just drive there and pick them up. NYC to Atlanta, for example, is about 900 miles, all on interstates - a couple of days each way, one day each way if you're younger and have the stamina. In some ways that would be cheaper than having them shipped. Of course, that doesn't account for time off of work, lodging, etc.

And if you object to spending money on a local agent or some other issue, remember it's possible to spend so much time (i.e., money-equivalent) to save a little fungible money (cash) that it might not be worthwhile.