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Topic: Packing a steel amp for shipment |
Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 1:40 pm |
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Thanks for all the help on packing my steel guitar for shipment. I will post pics of that whole project on a web site when my new MSA arrives.
I need to pack my Webb 6-14-E and a Peavey Nash 400 for shipment and would appreciate any ideas there. The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe I just received was packed in a single walled cardboard box with 8 really thin foam corners separating the amp from the box. Seem to protect the amp really well though but was really minimal packing.
Greg |
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Skip Keane
From:
Rhode Island, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 6:17 pm
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Hello,
I bought an amp a year ago and it was shipped with a thin 1/8" plywood covering the front and back of the amp and then double cardboard boxed. It was excellent, there was also a covering of foam inside. That's the best packing job that I have ever seen. I just unpack it and plugged her in and she been ripping ever since.
thanks,
Skip Keane |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 6:27 pm
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I was thinking about a layer of that 1" foam used on the exterior of houses surrounded by 2 layers of cardboard. Not sure if the foam would crush.
Greg |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 7:58 pm
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| I have had amps packed in cardboard boxes and styrofoam sheets arrive with busted corners. The shipping companies will typically only honor the insurance if the item is completely lost. All damages are blamed on poor packing. I have come to the conclusion the only safe way to ship an amp is to build a wood crate for it. It also helps to take the speaker(s) out and ship it separately. This reduces the weight of the package, which makes handling easier, and reduces the force if it is dropped. However, I have had speakers arrive with ripped cones and broken frames. They also need a wood crate, and some way to immobilize the cone. I know this sounds like a lot of trouble, but anything less seems to be tempting fate. |
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Kevin Ruddell
From:
Toledo Ohio USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 3:22 am
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| This months' issue of Vintage Guitar has a great article with accomp. photos on how to pack a Fender tube amp for shipping . It's really well done and a valuable resource . |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 4:48 am
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You should really make a Custom box for the amps..
with approx 1" all the way around. The 1/8 plywood or 1/8 particle board for the front and the rear is highly recommended. Cut cardbaord and place it all around the amp, tape the 1/8 material front and back to the cardboard.Place it in your custom box. Fill in the extra 1" space with a foam or even newspaper, not totally snug, give it a tad room to breath , just a tad..
Leave the AMP HANDLE exposed at the very top.
You could send an amp packed like this right to the gig...
good luck
t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 16 January 2006 at 04:49 AM.] |
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 4:57 am
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I have ALWAYS removed the speaker and sent it seperately. Cuts down on the weight of the amp when they drop it. Put a piece of hardboard or plywood bolted to the face of the speaker.
Larry Behm |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 7:53 am
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I will hunt down the vintage guitar article. Taking the speaker out is a great idea! I wonder how many people would accept having to mount the speaker in the amp before using it? I guess I could just email the buyers and ask them if it is accpetable to them to ship the speaker separately.
It seems that the 2 layers of plywood are there only to protect the front oanel controls and bakc panel switches?
Greg |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 8:59 am
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NO..the two hard layers are to protect the entire rear of the amp..and rear speaker compartment..and the front hard panel is to protect the entire front, amp head knobs..and speaker grill cloth etc...
the two panels should be the same size as the full front and full back.
t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 16 January 2006 at 09:28 AM.] |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 10:08 am
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I usually stuff the back with bubble wrap (with tubes removed and wrapped as well)wrap cardboard around the entire amp, then use at least 4-6" of hard foam in all corners, with peanuts or air pillows for the "loose fill".
Leaving a handle sticking out means the top of the amp has no cushion and protection - and that's where the electronics are! IMO that's bad idea. UPS, FedEx and Airborne have all suggested packing so the box will survive a fall (onto any side or corner) of 6-8' onto hard concrete. Pack it that way and you'll have no worries. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 12:59 pm
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leaving the handle exposed does not mean no packing..you pack right up to and around the handle..and underneath it.(cardboard and tape)
I have done this with a dozen or more amps..and received amps like this as well.
Nothing is supposed to be exposed..
the intent, and I picked this up right here on this forum, is to allow a shipper a way to pick the thing up so they do not drop it..and if they do, it's a very short fall..
Would we rather have them pick up a 60 pound Nashville 400 waiste high that weighs 65 pounds packed..or just pick it up by the handle..like we do...
it's just another choice..thats all... another method...
But I don't use 6" around the amp either..I use maybe 2" around the amp for the LOOSE packing...
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 6:16 pm
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I bought Vintage Guitar at Barnes and Noble tonight. Was also available at Borders. Wow!!!! Super large pictures and lots of good info. Thanks for the tip!
Greg |
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Papa Joe Pollick
From:
Swanton, Ohio
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Posted 17 Jan 2006 2:53 pm
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Yeah Greg,I was just getting ready to post that info regarding The VG article.Good info, but as has been stated above I too would use the wood front and back..I would not expose the handle..JMHO. PJ
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Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up,totally worn out,and loudly proclaiming:"WOW,what a ride!"
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2006 5:45 am
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I packed my Sho-Bud with the handle exposed with packing all around it. The idea as expressed above is just to have a cutout around the handle which in no way affects the integrity of the package. Then I put lables all around the box pointing to the "HANDLE" location.
The Peavey Nashville 112 comes with 8 very rugged carboard corner standoffs that suspend the amp in all directions. These appear to be very economical and negate the need for any foam sheets or plywood as no surface of the amp is anywhere near any of the packaging. Far superior to the Fender packaging but requires a larger surrounding box.
I am going to go with the cardboard, plywood, foam sheets inside an outer cardboard container for now. I got some boxes from work that are double wall construction and were used to ship 138 pound UPS's in. This is overkill for packing but will give me great peace of mind.
Greg |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2006 3:31 pm
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Thanks for all the replies! I posted some pics of my packing process click here.
Greg |
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Mark Herrick
From:
Bakersfield, CA
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Posted 28 Feb 2006 6:05 pm
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| Quote: |
| Would we rather have them pick up a 60 pound Nashville 400 waiste high that weighs 65 pounds packed..or just pick it up by the handle..like we do... |
I don't think they do anything like we do...
I always thought it sounded like a good idea to pack the amps upside down in the box - so the heavy part, the chassis, is at the bottom. When they do drop the box, the weight of the chassis doesn't break the top/side joint of the cabinet. I've seen lots of pictures of this kind of damage on various forums...
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 1 Mar 2006 4:45 pm
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"Then I put lables all around the box pointing to the "HANDLE" location. "
You can pack amps upside down, write "this side up", "fragile", have exposed handles...and it all means nothing.
I've been through many UPS shipping facilities as part of my real job. The guys on the truck ar hurried and will stuff a box in the truck any way it will fit. Arrows, handles, etc. mean nothing.
Then it gets moved (sometimes tossed) onto a conveyor, where the shipping label is read electronically and the package routed dwon different ramps depending on the destination. The reading equipment, conveyors, slides etc. just don't seem to pay any attention to any of that stuff either. This is also where most of the damage happens - boxes jam in corners and one can get dumped over the side - 6' onto hard concrete.
Long distance rail/truck/air transport shipments are again packed by shape/fit, not what you write on the box.
Then more trucks, again with packing efficiency, not your instructions, the guiding force.
None of them - UPS, FedEx, Airborne, FedEx Ground, USPS - blink at arrows and orientation instructions. It's a complete, thorough waste of time and Sharpie ink.
I've gotten the same recommendation from all of them - pack planning for a 6' fall. 4-6" of hard foam in all corners is recommended. Foam peanuts are only good for loose fill, NOT for corners or edges, and never directly against grill cloth.
I remove tubes, bubble wrap them, and put them and a tight bunch of bubble wrap in the back of amps. Never had a speaker bust loose, except on an *incoming* shipment with speakers mounted by screws rather than bolts. Shipping speakers seperately is a nice idea, but I don't think it's necessary if you pack right.
And I'm dead-set against the idea of exposed handles. It lessens the packing below recommended minimums and is one more thing to get caught on something. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 1 Mar 2006 6:55 pm
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Jim, I thought a lot about what you posted and after all the packing sites I looked at, my own recent endeavors, and looking at the Peavey and Fender factory packing, I am inclined to agree with most of what you said. A good 4 to 6 inches of hard foam in all corners basically suspends the amp inside the carton and no surface is close to the box. This also requires less foam than my method. IF, the box takes a hit in the middle somewhere, my method would offer far more protection for the cabinet however.
The exposed handle never extends beyond the packaging even when engaged due to the thickness of the packaging. The area of the handle exposure is too small to affect the integrity of the package. I can say that the exposed handle DOES get used by some FEDEX and UPS delivery people at some points during the delivery process. The deliveryman for my Williams guitar used the handle to carry it up the driveway. The Fedex guy used the handle on my Webb amp and my guys at work grabbed the Sho-Bud by the handle right off. My MSA, no handle exposed, got sat precariously against the wall on end and the box was ripped a bit with the loose peanuts leaking out. It did survive the trip with no case damage however.
Based on all the above and your comments, I think the Peavey amp packing is extremely ingenuous (see my web sites for example pics) and adds very little cost, time or weight to the packaging. They also use a thicker cardboard than most which probably negates the need for cardboard, plywood or foam against the amp.
Greg |
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Mark Herrick
From:
Bakersfield, CA
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Posted 2 Mar 2006 8:00 pm
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Jim probably doesn't believe in Santa Claus either...
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