Shipping A Caseless Guitar - Help!!!!

[Chris Bauer]

Not sure if this is the right place for this post but, with a hope that it is....

I just bought a guitar on the road - no case. I'll be on several small planes - too small for bin space - before I get home so I'll need to ship it. Who's got input on how and with whom to pack and ship it?

Thanks!

[Brad Bechtel]

See if your local Guitar Center or other music store will pack it for you.

[Chris Lucker]

Build a cocoon around the steel using 2 inch thick story foam sheet that you glue together. Fit the outside dimensions of the cocoon to fit the inside dimensions of an appropriate box. Make the cocoon solid

[Stephen Cowell]

Wrap it in bubble wrap, then in a box with peanuts.

Might help to know what guitar we're talking about.

[Jack Hanson]

If it's that Gibson SG you're talking about, be certain it's well packed -- double or triple boxed and well-padded. SGs are among the most fragile of solid body guitars. Especially the ones routed for two or three pickups. Good luck!

[Chris Lucker]

If it is in fact an SG, than why not buy a case for it?

[Dennis Smith]

I'm with Chris. I would never ship a guitar that's not in a hard shell case.

[Chris Bauer]

Yes, it's the SG. The problem I'm up against is being in a town without a large music store and without enough time to drive to the nearest GC or equivalent before having to leave town. If I was going to be on bigger planes, I 'd buy a gig bag at the small, local store and hopefully charm my way into keeping the guitar with me in the overheads and closets on all flights.

The local store might have guitar boxes but no hard case that will fit. Already checked. (And, in fact, their gig bags don't inspire much trust either, actually...)

So, this'll be a job for my choice of UPS, FedEx or Greyhound with whatever the best packing job is that I, or someone else locally, can muster.

I appreciate all your ideas. Please keep 'em coming.

[Russ Wever]

Is an SG a glue-in or screw-in neck?
If it's a screw-in, I'd seriously think
about removing it and sending body
and neck in separate containers.
~Russ

[Jack Hanson]

If you only have to ship it once, this method has proved to be satisfactory to me:

Get a big roll of bubble wrap, a large roll of two inch packing tape, a utility knife, enough corrugated packaging material to fully surround the instrument at least once, a large pile of newspapers, and a cardboard shipping carton for a dreadnaught or jumbo acoustic guitar, bass guitar, or electronic keyboard. (Alternately, a shipping carton from a large appliance can be cut down to fit.)

First, slacken the strings until they're like spaghetti on the fingerboard. Next, encase your SG in a cocoon of bubble wrap two or three inches thick all around the instrument.

Next, wrap the cocoon in corrugated packing material. You can get a roll of it, or use nearly any unassembled corrugated boxes, custom fit with your utility knife, and taped together. Doesn't really matter what it looks like, just be sure it'll fit inside your shipping carton of choice (or else cut one to fit).

Pack your mummified SG into the shipping carton with crumpled newspaper crammed tightly all around it. Be sure that the outside carton is large enough to provide plenty of space all around. Won't hurt to repeat this step with a larger carton. (Double packaging is essential, triple would be even better.)

My personal preference is the US Postal Service. UPS can be big trouble; Fed-Ex is perhaps slightly better. Greyhound can be very good if it only has to travel from one depot to another.

Whatever shipper you choose, be sure to purchase adequate insurance, and cross your fingers!

[Tony Glassman]

I would not ship it without a case.

SG's have a reputation for necks breaking. Breaks where the peg-head joins the neck are typical, as it is a weak spot......I've seen that happen at least 6 or 7 times so far.