Shipping a pedal steel guitar

John Fauver · From: Louisville, KY

Can anyone give me some pointers on shipping a pedal steel. Doâ€™s and donâ€™ts, packaging, carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc). Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you!

John

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Loosen the strings; wrap all parts/legs/rods etc in foam sheets to both secure and pad them; Make sure nothing can move at all once the case is closed. Take pictures of the packing process.

Then pack it so that it can survive an 8' fall onto solid concrete. DON'T use foam peanuts - they shift. Crushed newspaper is a waste of time - don't bother. Use sheets of 1" foam around the outside of the case if possible followed by air pillows, and place at least 4" of hard foam between the outside of the box and both ends plus all 4 corners.

Use UPS - they've been the best of all of them in my experience. FedEx used to be but has become a mess; DHL is too fragmented and hard to deal with and the postal service is NOT suitable for heavy, expensive items. Ever.

Don't waste your time writing (or applying stickers with ) things such as "this side up", fragile, handle with care, etc etc etc - 95% of the handling is done by machine, and machines only read bar codes from the labels; and drivers simply don't have time to even look at that stuff. They have to hit an average of around 45 seconds per residential stop, so unless your driver (and your buyer's) is a personal friend and gets expensive Christmas gifts - forget it.

Insure it fr the full amount. You'll have to take it to a UPS shipping center and NOT a UPS store in most cases (and you do not want a UPS store - or anyone else - packing it if you want it to survive.

This info came from warehouse managers and drivers for all the major shippers, and I have been inside most of their facilities. All use similar warehouse operations with heavily automated systems and the same ramp heights.

With some carriers you can pay a premium for "hand cArry" - but it's not worth it. It does not bypass all the automated systems and "hand carry" does not mean "somebody will read the warnings and be extra careful". It just changes some of the loading procedures.

Good luck.
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No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

In addition to Jim's list, cut a couple of pieces of 2X4 to size to put in the leg compartment. Place them at both ends to keep the guitar from shifting and breaking the divider loose.

John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

Definitely block the pedal bar part of 6he case with cut off 2Ã—4 pieces as the guitars weight will break the divider if not supported. Also, I would keep string tension up and insert cardboard or cloth between the strings and the pickups. Without support the pickups can come apart. You can put the shipping label on the side you want up, as drivers keep the address up to read.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

This has worked well for me:

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Shipping%20Steels/Shipping%20Steels.html

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

One more heartfelt shout for putting wooden blocks into the pedal-bar compartment. I once had steel shipped to me by a major manufacturer who didn't take this simple, yet obvious, precaution.

The guitar was completely unplayable on arrival with cross-rods dislocated and the rear apron bent. The weight of the D-10 body had broken through that divider.

Be warned!
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

Contrary to Jim's post, I would keep strings at or near full tension. Many pedal steel guitars need the string pressure to keep the undercarriage in working condition. Notably, I once inverted my Carter with no strings on and the B pedal idler became unconnected. You'd hate to ship a guitar 4 states away and have buyer say the B pedal didn't work!

Bill Ferguson · From: Milton, FL USA

I have shipped many steels in my lifetime and have never had any problems.

I wedge cardboard between the steel and the case so that there is no shifting.
Yes on the wood blocks
I pack the section where the pedal bar and the legs with accessory items. I find that the vinyl leg back pretty much keeps anything from moving there.

Contrary to what I see posted here, I have a great UPS store.
I over-insure. Always over $5000 for this reason. When you insure for that amount, the item gets special care.

I also let the UPS store do the boxing so that it is now their responsibility.
I have steels double boxed. First a snug box around the case, then a 2" layer of packing material on all sides and then inserted into a larger box.
And the density of the box is SO important. Must be thick cardboard.
Yep, it costs a little more to do all this, but worth it in the end.

However, there are no guarantees.
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter.

John Fauver · From: Louisville, KY

Thank you all for the info!

ajm · From: Los Angeles

Basically, pack it so that it will survive a nuclear WMD test.
A couple more things not mentioned:

1) Fashion some form of a handle.
I think that Greg Cutshaw covers this in his link.
The delivery guy may ultimately not use it.
But if it's not there to begin with, then it's 100% that he won't.

2) Ship it "Hold for Pickup".
When I bought my new Carter in 2001 I did this.
Two reasons.
a) The buyer will get a notice to come down to the distribution center to pick it up.
They can probably tell by the looks of the package if it has been dropped or run over with a fork lift.
If so, they can unpack it right then and there to see if there is any damage.
Once you walk out with it, their story will be that you damaged it, not them.
Or, that it was shipped damaged.
b) The other reason to hold for pickup: If you're not home, do you really want the driver leaving a big box on your front doorstep with your $10,000 Franklin in it?

John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

My 2002 Carter arrived from the factory with the C6 Bill Lawrence pickup separated from it's mounting plate. That is why I always add support with a spacer using string tension to protect the pickup. Joseph Barcus shipped his Emmons to meet him at a job and the single coils came apart. If you search you'll find other pictures of other guitars.

Joseph Barcus' Emmons.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

That's a good idea, John.

My LeGrande was shipped once and, although I didn't notice the damage, at the next overhaul, Dave Robbins discovered that the base-plate of the C6 pickup had snapped in half along its length. It still eorked, oddly, but Dave put in a new one.

We concluded that, during shipping, the case must have fallen hard and the shock-wave had cracked the plate. If there had been a spacer between the strings and pickups there would have been no room for things to move.

Lesson learned!
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I should have been more clear when I said "loosen" the strings - I did not mean to remove them or slack them fully, just take some tension off. It can help lower stress on the frame, which can be pretty severe on some guitars.

John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

Jim, with due deference, I delivered Fedex Express for 23 years, and we loaded our own trucks and read our labels right up 'til 2011 when l retired. I don't think they changed that much! You may be referring to "Brown co."

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

To me there are 2 schools of thought- both require the steel to be firmly packed in the case w the pedal bar separator well blocked as has been described. Either ship it in the case as is w the latches taped down (or cover the case w cardboard leaving the handle exposed) or put the guitar in the case in a larger box w the previously described foam planks or Styrofoam peanuts. Both ways seem to work well and I've shipped hundreds of guitars. The advantage of having a 3rd party pack it is that it takes both the sender and the recipient out of the loop when it comes to responsibility for damage. The disadvantage of the double box method is the increased cost of not only the material but also since the dimensional weight is greater the shipping cost is also greater. The advantage of the handle sticking out method is that it is less expensive to ship but also is way easier to handle for the carrier(s). No matter which method is chosen, I always insure it.

Mike Vallandigham · From: Martinez, CA

Plus infinity on the wood blocks.

I like to add a window for the handle, and label it. They might use it. Smile

This and praying.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Besides the blocking and padding and things already mentioned:

This is the stuff I use between the fretboards and the strings, pickups plus wedge some weatherstrip foam top of the pickups so they can't jostle about. It's sold as sill plate insulation at your home store. It keeps the strings from slapping against the 'boards. $7.50 for a 50 ft. roll.

I also wrap the case in this 1/2" foam insulation board. It helps to absorb some of the handling shock, helps prevent some punctures and helps with big temperature swings. Approx. $14 4x8 sheet.

I used to double insul wrap and box cases, amps and cabinets in this same way, but as Jim P. points out, the bigger dimensional cost is almost prohibitive any more.

Dan Robinson · From: Colorado, USA

Naive question from someone who has not shipped a steel guitar... is there any advantage to separating the pedal bar, legs and pedal rods into a separate box? Two boxes instead of one, but it reduces the weight of the packed guitar by 20 pounds, give or take. The pedal bar/leg package is not prone to damage if dropped. The guitar is no longer packed with a battering ram.

Blocking the bar/leg compartment, and all other good suggestions still apply.

Silly idea? Too expensive? Anyone tried it?

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Separating sections into two boxes isn't silly and may be slightly safer - but only marginally do, and more expensive. I would not bother. Pack well and it's simply not necessary.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

These damaged pickups due to freight handlers happen more often than one might think. I have seen at least a half dozen, maybe more reports here of this event...different styles and different brands of pickups.

With the guitar upside down in the case, if it's dropped from any distance, all the weight of the pickup and the shock associated with the heavy instrument's abrupt landing tends to bust either the case material or the adhesive loose in some cases.

Since most pickups housings are suspended by springs etc. for adjustment, I don't think it's overkill at all to stuff weatherstrip type foam between the strings and the pickup, and/or even tape/stretch wrap around them to the body to keep them from moving hopefully, even in a severe shock.

If nothing else, it will keep string marks off the pickups.

I personally wouldn't ship a heavy pedal steel guitar without doing it.

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