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I sold this L-4 CES to a gentleman in Colorado and shipped UPS 2-Day Air from S. Florida. The guitar actually survived what looks like--he sent a lot of photos before unpacking--an intentional punch and blow to the Fragile sticker. What animals as the saying goes. Wow. This was a first with UPS.
Just a reminder to pack with extra care and maybe extra cardboard lining.
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05-18-2023 05:12 PM
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A driver I knew said there's a big conveyor belt at UPS and the packages just fall off the end on to the floor
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Maybe I was lucky. In April 2022 I bought a 1952 L-5C from TR Crandall in NYC. Could not believe all of the packing material jammed in around the HSC. The bridge was in the case pocket. Where the bridge was to be located, there was some very thin, slightly sticky, purple tape, forming a rectangular outline where the bridge base was to be placed.
The strings were loose but I figured it out, positioned the bridge, tightened the strings, tuned the 5th string, third fret, to middle C, on my wife’s baby grand piano. Since then it’s been great!
If I had been reading TGP and here about shipping nightmares, before it arrived, I would have went nutz waiting.
I saved the box to be reused if I sell my 1973 Martin D-35 to someone out of town.
Tom
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The Eastman I just received arrived damaged. Not due to shipping impact, but just apparently due to an issue with the wood block that holds the pickguard/pickup assembly in place. Just a strange confluence of things. So that wood fractured along the screw line, and the assembly came loose.
I got lucky in that there was only the tiniest scratch to the finish on the guitar top. It’s not visible unless you really look hard to find it.
As it relates to this thread: if you have a similar arrangement, definitely put a hard plastic sheet between the pickguard and the top of the guitar when shipping! In the event of incident, the guitar top will be protected.
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Taking the guard off is best
Originally Posted by coyote-1
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I've posted these pics in packing threads before; this is how Mark Campellone packs for shipment- he must be an expert!
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That might be a first for you, but it's certainly not a first for UPS. Nor Fedex.
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Didn't mean to sneak that pic of me in there! Originally Posted by bluejaybill
I just wanted to add that Mark uses rolls of corrugated cardboard surrounded by foam on the body and cushions the headstock to keep the guitar from bashing against the top of the case. Thus he doesn't need to take off the pick guard.
Also, cushions between the strings and the pickup and bridge.
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Joe Vinikow has nice instructions on his website on how to ship an archtop guitar: archtop.com: shipping your guitar. I like to buy big packs of microfiber cloths at Home Depot or a similar big box store and use them in lieu of the packing paper that Joe shows on his webpage. I make sure to wash the microfiber cloths before using them to ensure there isn't any dye transfer to the guitar (maybe a little too paranoid?).
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Tom check this out. Originally Posted by tomvwash
I shipped an Ibanez Gb100 to the west coast from the UK.
On the plus side it took 4 days, the buyer was out when they tried to deliver, so she got it in 5 (or could have been 4 days, I forget). I sent it Monday and she got it Friday.
The guitar was fine and everything ended up roses but check the box!!
They had let it get rained on or left it in a puddle?!!
I’ve never had an issue with a guitar being damaged. My main concern is that the guitar doesn’t move around inside. I will pack out the inside with bubble wrap (for polly) making sure I put some under the back where the neck joins. Most cases have a pocket of air there and the guitar ends up resting on the neck.
I then put some on the top rim, so once the case closes, the inside of the top is now holding the guitar down.
have to be careful though not to over do it and put too much down pressure on the top.
I then pack out and space around the sides.
Detune the guitar a little but no so the bridge is moving.
Close the lid, pick it up, shake it, if theres movement, add packing accordingly.
If not, she’s good to go.
Regarding the box. I just put packing top and bottom and again make sure the guitar is not moving in the box.
Crumple zones are good for absorbing impact.Last edited by Archie; 05-20-2023 at 10:02 AM.
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Originally Posted by Archie
Tom check this out.
I shipped an Ibanez Gb100 to the west coast from the UK.
On the plus side it took 4 days, the buyer was out when they tried to deliver, so she got it in 5 (or could have been 4 days, I forget). I sent it Monday and she got it Friday.
The guitar was fine and everything ended up roses but check the box!!
They had let it get rained on or left it in a puddle?!!
I’ve never had an issue with a guitar being damaged. My main concern is that the guitar doesn’t move around inside. I will pack out the inside with bubble wrap (for polly) making sure I put some under the back where the neck joins. Most cases have a pocket of air there and the guitar ends up resting on the neck.
I then put some on the top rim, so once the case closes, the inside of the top is now holding the guitar down.
have to be careful though not to over do it and put too much down pressure on the top.
I then pack out and space around the sides.
Detune the guitar a little but no so the bridge is moving.
Close the lid, pick it up, shake it, if theres movement, add packing accordingly.
If not, she’s good to go.
Regarding the box. I just put packing top and bottom and again make sure the guitar is not moving in the box.
Crumple zones are good for absorbing impact.
That is almost as bad as mine, maybe a bit worse. I bought a 335 months ago, shipped from CA to FL, with no packing at all in the box, not a scratch. Another seller sent me a Guild F-512 as just the actual case, wrapped in a sort of foamy bubble plastic--also intact. I will pay more attention to shipping higher end guitars from now on. Lucky on that last one to CO.
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Correct, the guitar mustn‘t move, not a darn bit. That’s the basic of safe packaging. Next step is wrapping the case with cling film. Put the wrapped case in a strong box with tons of paper, bubble foil and so on so that also the case isn’t able to move. Close the box with duc tape. Ready to ship? No:
This package now comes in a larger, outer cardboard box and is also padded with filling material in all cavities so the original box won‘t move. Sealed with duc tape and some „fragile!“-stickers and go with crossed fingers. The two-box packaging is by far more safe!
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That is probably true, but I have yet to receive a guitar, new or used, that is double boxed that way. I have received many pieces of electronic gear boxed that way though. Originally Posted by Stefan Eff
And I have never seen cling film around a guitar case either. But the more the merrier!
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How common are headstock breaks like that recent S400 repair posted here that Mark C did ? Are these breaks more frequent in LP's, as it appears to me, than archtops ? I wonder whether there's an explanation? Are broken headstock repairs as frequent as a neck reset ?
Or are LP's re-sold more than archtops and therefore have a greater risk for shipping damage ?
There seem to be lots of variables w/ few constants.....
I remember when I was considering having Dave's Guitar wrap and ship my L-5. The tech told me - - ' Don't worry we ship ten guitars out of here a week -- including archtops - all UPS, some second day air, and we don't get claims, we know what we're doing ! "......
I also had an archtop shipped next day air by CME / Reverb, w/ no issues. And I can attest to MarkC's packing, and he uses FedEx.
But I would sure worry about guitar shipping, and probably always will.
Interesting and thanks.....
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Originally Posted by Stefan Eff
I've given up stuffing every crevice of the outer box. I stuff the top and bottom and make sure the guitar case isn't moving. Having areas of the outer box that do not touch the case, probably provides good crumble zones and does not transmit as much energy through the guitar case and thus guitar if hit.
I also like to use those air filled pocket things as they have a good amount of bounce.
I've never double boxed. Sounds like too much work but I see the point. Sounds like a Maccaferri
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I’ve shipped 99 guitars. Not once have I experienced shipping damage. My secret? I fold large Amazon boxes, and in essence place 4 sections of cardboard covering both the top and bottom of the case. Then I isolate the neck with thick styrofoam on all sides.
As an added personal thing I always cling wrap the case, although only once have I received a guitar that way. It’s that extra touch and it’s cheap.
Is the guitar heavier to ship with so much extra cardboard, absolutely! It’s typical the weights of my shipments to be around 35 pounds.
But what’s cheaper, cardboard, or a damage claim? I don’t need the stress. And outside of International shipments for domestic shipments I’ve only ever shipped FedEx ground.
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A word of caution about using bubble wrap packing inside the case where it can contact the guitar's finish - probably OK with inert finishes like poly, but I once used it when shipping a nitro finish guitar during hot Summer weather and the bubble wrap imprinted on the finish - Originally Posted by Archie
Tom check this out.
I shipped an Ibanez Gb100 to the west coast from the UK.
On the plus side it took 4 days, the buyer was out when they tried to deliver, so she got it in 5 (or could have been 4 days, I forget). I sent it Monday and she got it Friday.
The guitar was fine and everything ended up roses but check the box!!
They had let it get rained on or left it in a puddle?!!
I’ve never had an issue with a guitar being damaged. My main concern is that the guitar doesn’t move around inside. I will pack out the inside with bubble wrap (for polly) making sure I put some under the back where the neck joins. Most cases have a pocket of air there and the guitar ends up resting on the neck.
I then put some on the top rim, so once the case closes, the inside of the top is now holding the guitar down.
have to be careful though not to over do it and put too much down pressure on the top.
I then pack out and space around the sides.
Detune the guitar a little but no so the bridge is moving.
Close the lid, pick it up, shake it, if theres movement, add packing accordingly.
If not, she’s good to go.
Regarding the box. I just put packing top and bottom and again make sure the guitar is not moving in the box.
Crumple zones are good for absorbing impact.
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I've used bubble wrap in a full-depth guitar case with a thinline guitar to prevent moving, but I put the bubble wrap inside a tee shirt to keep the plastic from the guitar. I wouldn't do that for a long time, but for brief use for an hour or so, it was okay. Not a great long-term solution, but sometimes you have to use what's available.
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Yep, absolutely true. I‘ve experienced the same with a fresh lacquered guitar body. Originally Posted by MCampellone
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