Moving / Shipping Guitars

[tomvwash]

Our house in S. Florida finally sold, 90 days in, small miracle, given the market down here. As things stand, I don't have an address to ship my guitars to St. Louis or Chicago. We are undecided on a final relocation and will rent for a short time. I can fit 3-4 guitars in the car, tops, and it leaves roughly 12 to sell at a steep loss--terrible market right now--or store, maybe somewhere here, but that feels like kicking the can down the road. I've listed a fair number on Reverb, but would ideally keep all of them, not hoarding, I just like the collection as it stands.

I'm assuming POD storage is not a good idea. We're moving a POD, and I have not asked a rep yet about guitar storage.

If anyone has other ideas--short or long term holding place-I'm open to suggestions. Thank you!

Tom

[Jimmy blue note]

Have you considered a storage rental unit in the general area you hope to settle in? When I moved 2 years ago, I secured a storage unit to which a moving company transported everything non essential and there it was safe until I was ready to retrieve them. If it's just guitars, you can get a small sized unit and store them for less than the price of selling one of them.
I considered this a non negotiable part of my relocation and I don't regret it at all. This was my life and moving was traumatic enough without having to lose the things that have become important to me.
There are all sorts of storage companies: UHaul, CubeSmart, local rentals all over major cities and offering different term time rentals, some with better environmental controls, rates, accessibility than others.

I don't know what your budget is, or how attached you are to your instruments (possessions) but moving into a smaller living space knowing you're temporary, balancing your budget to include storage, having the moving company move site to site to a storage unit and making the move in two steps this way may be a solution. It worked for me, and approaching two years later now, I've used the storage unit to move my possessions into my permanent living space, and I was acutally grateful to be able to load in at a thoughtful pace, and find out just how much stuff I didn't need to shlepp into my new space. It made selling off what I didn't really need easier too.

Just a thought. Good luck with the move, Tom. Hope you're really happy in your new environs!

[ruger9]

Alot of storage rentals now are climate-controlled. I don't think I'd have a problem leaving my guitars in one, in their cases of course, for a few months while I found a permanent residence.

You could even put D'addario humidipaks in the cases, they are suppose to control the humidity in both directions (not too high or low).


Humidipak Humidity Control Packs | D’Addario

[tomvwash]

Have you considered a storage rental unit in the general area you hope to settle in? When I moved 2 years ago, I secured a storage unit to which a moving company transported everything non essential and there it was safe until I was ready to retrieve them. If it's just guitars, you can get a small sized unit and store them for less than the price of selling one of them.
I considered this a non negotiable part of my relocation and I don't regret it at all. This was my life and moving was traumatic enough without having to lose the things that have become important to me.
There are all sorts of storage companies: UHaul, CubeSmart, local rentals all over major cities and offering different term time rentals, some with better environmental controls, rates, accessibility than others.

I don't know what your budget is, or how attached you are to your instruments (possessions) but moving into a smaller living space knowing you're temporary, balancing your budget to include storage, having the moving company move site to site to a storage unit and making the move in two steps this way may be a solution. It worked for me, and approaching two years later now, I've used the storage unit to move my possessions into my permanent living space, and I was acutally grateful to be able to load in at a thoughtful pace, and find out just how much stuff I didn't need to shlepp into my new space. It made selling off what I didn't really need easier too.

Just a thought. Good luck with the move, Tom. Hope you're really happy in your new environs!

Very thoughtful insight. Thank you. Yes, they are part of our lives, not easily surrendered in a move. I will look into POD Climate Control. I know they are controlled in storage, but en route is another question.

[Jimmy blue note]

A quick google of St Louis, Chicago and the area between shows lots of storage companies that would be more than adequate. Secure one when you know where you're likely to be and have the moving company deliver there. The one I used even had a staff that, by arrangement, opened the unit and had it unloaded without my even being there. But ask and at the very least, if it's closeby, you can supervise the unload and filling of the unit. Usually done in 20-30 minutes for an entire truck's worth of possessions. Label your boxes well.

[tomvwash]

A quick google of St Louis, Chicago and the area between shows lots of storage companies that would be more than adequate. Secure one when you know where you're likely to be and have the moving company deliver there. The one I used even had a staff that, by arrangement, opened the unit and had it unloaded without my even being there. But ask and at the very least, if it's closeby, you can supervise the unload and filling of the unit. Usually done in 20-30 minutes for an entire truck's worth of possessions. Label your boxes well.

This is exactly what I am going to do now. Thank you!

[QAman]

Tom,
What ever you do be sure it’s temperature / humidity controlled or your guitar investment will be at risk. Summer is just ahead, and hot humidity in an uncontrolled storage facility is asking for trouble.


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[Doctor Jeff]

I agree with the above—climate-controlled is the way to go.

Just DON’T leave them in outdoor storage in Florida, unless you want them to wave up like waves on the Atlantic.

I lived in a basement apartment in Atlanta back in the mid-80s. It was cool enough I almost never had to use AC, but the humidity was crazy. I had a 1970 Goya guitar, and the top developed waves like crazy.

Then I moved to Minnesota, where the winters are dry, and it got flat again. Except that the frets started poking out on the ends, and the neck bow got much worse.

Changes in humidity—not your friend with a guitar, especially solid top.

[Eugle]

I was in a similar boat last year when moving from Boston. I had to store several guitars while renting short-term. I was lucky to find moving and storage in boston https://paradisemove.com/ and used climate-controlled storage near Somerville, which worked great. Might be worth checking if similar options exist in Florida.

[tomvwash]

I was in a similar boat last year when moving from Boston. I had to store several guitars while renting short-term. I was lucky to find moving and storage in boston https://paradisemove.com/ and used climate-controlled storage near Somerville, which worked great. Might be worth checking if similar options exist in Florida.

Thank you, Steve and Deacon Mark, for outside advice and help. Guitars are now CC stored in Chicago--8 shipped from FL; 7 coming along for the ride. UPS came through without a hitch, far less expensive than using a crate shipping company, and much better time frame.

[benhatchins]

How do you like it there? I’m asking because we’re also gearing up for a move in about 6 months. We’ve already lined up long distance movers in boston paradisemove.com/services/interstate-moving/, which honestly is a huge relief, but I have to admit—I’m seriously lacking motivation. The thought of packing, organizing, and coordinating everything is just exhausting. If I could blink and have it all done, I would