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Thread: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

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    Default Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Hi all,

    I am moving cross country soon .. suitcase move by air .. and have a few things to bring .. So I am thinking of having my mandolin shipped to me later ..

    Q) can anyone chime in on how safe it is to ship mandolins in general ? i.e. what might be the common consensus on the odds of damage ??

    thanks a ton !!

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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by jlsmando View Post
    Hi all,

    I am moving cross country soon .. suitcase move by air .. and have a few things to bring .. So I am thinking of having my mandolin shipped to me later ..

    Q) can anyone chime in on how safe it is to ship mandolins in general ? i.e. what might be the common consensus on the odds of damage ??

    thanks a ton !!
    I've shipped tons of instruments-mandolins and guitars and as long as you pack em well,I've never had any damage! Thats not to say it doesn't happen it happens, I recieved an old Gibson mandolin from a dealer and it got whacked in transit and on both sides of the bridge there was 2 long top cracks from bridge to the end of fingerboard, and the tailpiece cover came undone and scratched the top! They took it back but a shame because it sounded great but with the damage not worth what I paid! So from now on I take all hardware off a mandolin before shipping! I'd recommend overnight or 2 day shipping, thats the best, get her there as fast as possible and insure. But its out of your hands, I've seen UPS drop boxes before coming off their truck!

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by bluegrasser78 View Post
    ... I take all hardware off a mandolin before shipping ...
    Some loosen the strings just enough to take out the bridge; a wise move, especially if the case (if, say, it were dropped upside-down) contacts the strings & bridge rather than the body. Padding the body and neck should keep things in order, but why tempt fate?

    I'm assuming that you'll 1) pad the instrument inside the case, and 2) pad the case inside a shipping box.

    Some have suggested that, in the dead of winter, you ship on a Monday to hopefully avoid a long stint of sitting in a truck over the weekend at -20 degrees.

    FWIW, I've received several, all well-padded and in good shape. That is, other than the F-style that was shipped, nicely padded, in a (not apparent at first) mandola case, so that I quickly broke of the headstock curl. Yuck!
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    So is the consensus to always take the floating bridge OFF ??

    I think my F5 arrived without the bridge attached .. not sure tho was many years ago ((-:

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by jlsmando View Post
    So is the consensus to always take the floating bridge OFF ??

    I think my F5 arrived without the bridge attached .. not sure tho was many years ago ((-:
    No, that is not necessarily the consensus, in my opinion! If the mandolin case is a well-made one, so that it does not press down directly on the bridge, and the mandolin case is itself boxed, there should be no need at all to remove the bridge. It is a good idea to slacken the strings somewhat, though, to remove stress on the headstock (not the top), but not so much as to allow the bridge to move or come out.

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    For a reasonable well packed mandolin, I would say maybe 1 out of 500 will be damaged.
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    would you recommend the mando be shipped with the bridge OFF ?

    thanks, John

    Quote Originally Posted by Folkmusician.com View Post
    For a reasonable well packed mandolin, I would say maybe 1 out of 500 will be damaged.

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by jlsmando View Post
    So is the consensus to always take the floating bridge OFF ??...
    Wouldn't call it a "consensus." It's probably safer to have no string tension on the neck and top at all, but many mandolins are shipped with the bridge in place, and significant tension on the strings, and arrive A-OK.

    Main thing is to have a really good mandolin case, to put some bubble padding around the neck and over the body inside the case, then to put the case in a properly fitting, well padded shipping carton.

    Hundreds of thousands of stringed instruments get shipped around the country every year, to and from dealers, owners, builders, repair techs. Damage is rare enough to be "man-bites-dog" remarked upon.

    Question, though: have you ID'ed a shipper as of yet? I have mainly dealt with US Postal Service and UPS, with uniformly satisfactory results when instruments were properly packed. (One eBay purchase was badly packed and sustained some USPS damage, but the seller made good on the repair cost.)
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    I have shipped quite a few stringed instruments and have always followed Frank Ford's tips on packing. http://frets.com/FretsPages/Musician.../packing1.html
    I have never had any damage to instruments shipping this way.
    Cheers.

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    I've had two mandolins sustain some shipping damage, and in both cases it was because they were shipped (not by me) with the floating bridge in place, rather than removed and put in the case pocket. So I vote for following Frank Ford's advice: remove floating bridges and tailpiece covers and stow them.
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    When I was Snowbirding, I shipped mandolins up and down the East coast many times, with bridge and tail cover in place, tuned down a 1/2 step, in my boxed Hiscox case. I shipped USPC ground, so I would arrive before my mandolin.
    Never had a problem.
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Dreadfully obvious: remove floating bridges and tailpiece covers and stow them

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    would you recommend the mando be shipped with the bridge OFF ?
    The neck is by far the most prone to damage. Whiplash of the headstock is a major one. String tension increases the risk here.
    The other one is the exact opposite, having the fingerboard separate from the neck, which may actually be prevented by string tension. So no clear cut answer here.

    Ear on Headstock. Very easy to snap off.

    Top cracks are common, and almost always the result of a hit to the bridge. For these, removing the bridge reduces the risk.
    Hit to the end pin. many cases expose the endpin to contact and drive it into the mandolin. Removal eliminates this.
    Tailpiece cover can put some pretty serious scratches on the mandolin if it pops off.

    There are the typical ones I have seen over the many, many thousands of instruments shipped.

    Now sending mandolins to people without bridge, endpin and tailpiece covers on, presents even more problems, so I ship them detuned, but otherwise fully assembled.
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by jlsmando View Post
    Q) can anyone chime in on how safe it is to ship mandolins in general ? i.e. what might be the common consensus on the odds of damage ??
    Just guessing, but I'd wager that the odds of damage in shipping are far less than the odds of damage if for some reason they make you check your mandolin into the baggage compartment on a flight.

    Shipping a mandolin does have its risks, though, as others have pointed out (and Robert knows what he's talking about, as he has shipped more mandolins than anyone here, probably). Another thing to consider, aside from damage from blows and hard knocks and crushing, is heat. Especially this time of year. If a mandolin sits in a hot warehouse or in a hot truck, that heat can cause all kinds of damage like glued joints opening up.

    De-tensioning the strings (not all the way, but enough to take most of the pressure off the top) is a good idea. Then use foam under the strings both in front of and behind the bridge, as well as some thin padding under the tailpiece. Stuff some padding all around the instrument in the case fairly lightly so that it's cradled but not jammed in there. Protect or remove the end pin, and remove the tailpiece cover. Close and latch the case, and put it inside a sturdy shipping box with internal padding like foam peanuts.

    You want the instrument well padded and cradled in its case, and the case well padded and cradled inside the shipping box. Any hard drops should allow the peanuts/padding to cushion the case inside the box. Remember: force equals mass times acceleration. The peanuts/padding allow a brief but important deceleration of the case in the event of a hard fall, thus reducing force. And all the padding helps insulate your mandolin from heat. It may still get hot in there, depending on its exposure time, but the more insulation value you have, the better.
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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    Quote Originally Posted by AlanN View Post
    Dreadfully obvious: remove floating bridges and tailpiece covers and stow them
    Actually, this is not obvious. See post #5 in this thread. In my view, there is no particular need to do either of these things, if the packaging of the mandolin is correct. And if your tailpiece cover is on so loosely that it would tend to come off with the handling that occurs during shipping in a properly packaged shipment, then you have a problem with the tailpiece in the first place, and one that ought to be corrected!

    As other have noted, the most common problem during shipment is whiplash injury to the headstock. This is minimized by supporting the neck and head inside the packaging, and by reducing the string tension (but not necessarily to zero).

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    My 90 year old mandolin, in its case went as checked luggage, packed surrounded by clothing in a duffel bag attached to a back pack frame.

    to make the surface transportation to and from the airport, easier.. PDX to SFO & back..

    In general the box within a box with lots of padding by foam popcorn or now air pillow packing should get it there safely..

    pack the inside of the case to have the headstock stabile (whiplash has been reported a cause of breaks)




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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    I think the odds are pretty low, but variable. I received a mandolin in the case. Priority mail tape and a label. No box, no peanuts, nothing about the neck, tuned to pitch. No problem.

    I've received mandolins with the strings tuned to slack and the bridge removed - spot to relocate marked with painter's blue tape.

    I received a Gilchrist in a Calton, double-boxed with peanuts, etc. (packaging by UPS) and it got damaged from impact - like the whole box fell from the airplane. The actual mandolin compressed the foam sidewalls of the case, the whole instrument slid north and the tit on the top of the back (below the neck joint) knicked the underlayment of the accessory box and opened up the glue joint on the back.

    Weird stuff happens. I pay for incoming insurance. I insure my own instruments and if I ship them, my policy is in force.

    Any mandolin I ship, I tune down a half-step or so and fully support the neck. I also cushion from up-down and north-south movement. I box them and provide packing on all sides of the case. I use both UPS and USPS. I've used ground and air.

    Overall, mandolins are much more durable then we give them credit. I've carried them in checked duffels - no case and cushioned by my clothes.

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    Default Re: Shipping a mandolin - odds of damage ?

    I have had three mandolins shipped, two to me, and one from me, and I am 1 for 3. The first mandolin purchase I attempted via ebay came with a neck crack, an apparent case of whiplash. It is important to pack it with supporting fill on all sides, in a strong case. At least two inches of fill material on each side to comply with UPS proper packing guidelines, which if documented, can really help in a claim.

    Wrap the headstock with bubble wrap, and fill the empty space below the headstock with newspaper. Tune it down a half step or so, leaving the bridge on. Double box it, with fill material surrounding the case in a box, and fill material around the inner box.
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