Shipping

[r.riley77]

Im going to be sending my F style mandolin off to get some work done on it. Please give me some advice on shipping.
Thanks.:mandosmiley:

[Mike Bunting]

Wouldn't hurt to ask whoever is doing the work on it, they probably have experience with this.

[Folkmusician.com]

Detune it, or even consider removing the bridge altogether. If it has a two-piece tailpiece cover and the cover plate is not on very tight, remove that too.

If possible, you do not want the headstock in contact with the case, or even having a chance to touch the case in a severe hit.

A mandolin will withstand quite the beating when not under full string tension.

[acousticnotes]

Yes detune and send it overnight.

[JEStanek]

Have whomever is shipping it pack it so they are responsible for it and pay for the insurance. The advice the others gave is good. Have the mandolin packed well in it's case and then well suspended in the shipping box surrounded by packing peanuts. Your Luthier should know proper opening techniques (Let the box warm to room temp then open, let the case then warm to room temp before you open it).

Sometimes you gotta let your baby go on faith (and good packaging).

Jamie

[gregjones]

Brian Kimsey has a great "how to" found here (http://www.bryankimsey.com/shipping/).

Simply scale to fit.

[jim_n_virginia]

First I detune the mandolin but not enough so the bridge falls over but just enough to get the tension off then I open the case and wrap a few layers of bubble wrap (small bubbles) around the neck and a wad at the end where the headstock is between the top of headstock and the case.

Most mandolins when dropped will either break right between the headstock and neck or on end and break the headstock scroll off.

I then find a box that is at least 6 inches bigger than the case I am shipping all around.

I then suspend the case inside the box with styrofoam peanuts so there is at least a 6 inch layer of P-nuts all around the case.

I've never had a packaged damaged this way.

[Mark Gibbs]

Good advise all the way around. I don't think anybody mentioned but very important is to remove the end pin. It is tapered and will act like a wedge if hit with enough force.
If it is insured they will take pretty good care of the package. The highest i have ever insured a mando for was 7k and i was told by UPS It would receive SPECIAL attention.
I hope your are not mailing it to Canada. I had a mandolin held hostage by Canadian customs because of a minor error on the international shipping form i had to fill out at UPS

[Jill McAuley]

Touch wood, I've always followed the packing guidelines found at frets.com and I've never had anything I've shipped end up in bits!

www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Packing/packing1.html

Cheers,
Jill

[foldedpath]

Another thing to consider in addition to all the good advice here, is shipping risks due to winter weather. I don't know which hemisphere the original poster is from, but we're heading into winter up here in the Northern one. That's a time when I'm always a little concerned about the route a valuable instrument takes across the coldest parts of the country (talking about the USA here, but similar situations will apply elsewhere).

For example, where I live in the Pacific Northwest I wouldn't think twice about buying an instrument from a California retailer, or shipping it back an forth to California for repair. Except for just one or two weeks out of the year, that's a safe, moderate climate weather route for truck or air shipment.

Starting around December and January though, I usually avoid trying to ship an instrument across the northern half of the USA from somewhere like New England to where I live, because I know that route will take it across the coldest part of the country. It's bad enough if you're shipping overland by truck, but even overnight or 2nd day air shipment worries me a little, due to possible flight delays, aircraft cargo compartment temperatures, and short-term warehousing in transit. Just something to think about.

[Ryk]

Lots of great advice so far.

I'll add:
Go to archtop.com and read through their section on shipping (The instruments have similar construction and therefore problems when it comes to shipping.)

Nobody likes to open a carton cock-a-block full of peanuts. What i've used, and been thanked for, is crumbled up newspaper stuffed in those plastic grocery bags then tied off. They end up being large firm ballons and do a great job of protecting the instrument. Plus they're much easier to remove and no where near the mess.

Shipping companies ALL have problems. I've settled on the Postal Service's Express Mail for overnight and Priority for anything else.

Ryk

[Big Joe]

I try to tell everyone the same thing no matter what instrument you ship. Pack the instrument in the case carefully and ensure it cannot move in the case. Wrap the headstock so it cannot move and suffer a whiplash injury in shipping. Bubble wrap is very good for this, but anything that can help absorb impact and not let the headstock move will do. I prefer they not take the bridge off. If it is packed properly in a good case that is not essential.

Once the instrument is properly packed in its case, then pack the case in a box and pack it so there is sufficient packing material all the way around the case to provide extra impact resistance from dropping. Make sure the case does not move in the shipping box. Not much will protect your instrument if the shipping company runs over it with a fork lift (I have seen that happen), but for normal risks associated with shipping that should be very sufficient. Just make sure your box is not damaged before you use it.

Finally, I would recommend putting your name, address, and day time phone number in the instrument case for several reasons. First, if something does happen in shipping (label falls off or the box is damaged and the case falls out, etc.) that there is some way to contact you to so the shipper can find out what to do with it. Then the place where it is going will likely appreciate that information. I have had instruments shipped to me for work and no contact or way to contact the owner. Needless to say, until we know exactly what the owner wants done we don't want to do the repair work. A few years ago we had a banjo come in like that for some work. We had no idea who sent it. Over a year later the owner contacted us asking if it was fixed. Once we got information we got right on it, but it was tough not having a clue who owned the instrument. What it needed was obvious, but we had no way to know who sent it.

Most shippers do a pretty good job if the instrument is packed properly. Some of them will do packing for you, but that does not mean the local UPS store or FEXex store (Kinko's around here) have any idea how to ship an instrument with real value.

[acousticphd]

I agree with with most of the above (not as a retailer or professional packer but just as someone who has shipped or been shipped many instruments) - good packing starts inside the case. The other important thing is that the instrument case is completely suspended and cannot make contact with the outer shipping box, as Jim describes.

I have a bias against foam peanuts, though. I don't think they do a good job. A lot of times the peanuts simply shift from end to end like sand in an hourglass. I've received many boxes packed with peanuts that arrived with the peanuts at one end, and the case sitting against the other end of the shipping box. I suppose if the peanuts are packed into the entire dead space of the box this is less likely to happen. I think some foam sheets, or even just a lot of tightly wadded newspaper is just as good and maybe better packing material in the outer box.

[r.riley77]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
But what about my Tone Gard? Should I leave it on my mandolin in the case or take it off?
My mandolin doesnt fit as snuggly in the case with the Tone Gard off.

[JEStanek]

Then leave it on. Snug = good. Loosey = damage.

Jamie

[r.riley77]

I've heard people say to use bubble wrap, peanuts, newspaper, sheets of foam, air pillows, old t shirts, and many other things for packing material. Does anyone have an opinion/thoughts on what the BEST packing material would be?
Thanks for all the advice.

[Mike Bunting]

Wouldn't hurt to ask whoever is doing the work on it, they probably have experience with this.