I thought it would be appropriate to make a post here about shipping steel guitars, as a way for me and others to share some important tips on the best ways to go. These are usually large and heavy instruments, and as such, the best and easiest way to do it may not be obvious.
First, I want to tell you about a couple of important things I learned from talking to an employee of a major carrier:
- A rule of thumb they use is that a package is only packed well enough if it can withstand a drop from waist-height (let's say three feet).
- Contrary to a pervasive idea that you can to ship a steel guitar with only a close-fitting cardboard box surrounding the case, without addition padding, and the handle sticking out, this is not a good idea at all. The handle will not guarantee that it won't be dropped (from waist-height) and the cardboard won't do anything to protect it in that event.
Where do you find a box that big? You can make one out of 4 x 8-foot cardboard sheet(s), making your creases using a blunt object and a straight edge, and then making the cuts after that. Greg Cutshaw's post below has a very helpful link where he shows you how you can assemble a box around a steel case; the difference in how he's doing it compared to how some recommend is that he has cushioning all around the case, which is important because that will absorb a lot of shock if it hits the ground hard. He also has his handle sticking out, and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that per se (I've never seen a damaged handle myself), as long as the handle isn't protruding out where it can get caught on something, and as long as you don't assume that having the handle out for shipper convenience negates the needs for cushioning around the case.
It is also very important to secure everything on the inside as well. It should all be snug when you shake the case around in different directions.
- If there is a leg compartment, make sure that it is filled with packing material or something to support the partition, in the event that the package falls and the force of the instrument is transferred into that partition. It was suggested (below) that wooden blocks are good to use.
- Make sure that the instrument itself is snug in its own compartment. Some of these cases are old and the fit is loose.
- Watch out for switches or any protruding hardware, where you don't have much clearance between it and some hard surface in the case. If the package is dropped or gets hit, that small clearance is going to get used up, and something will get broken.
- Make sure that all hardware, like legs and pedal bars, are not touching each other. If they are, the vibrations in transit will make them tap together like Morse code and it will leave marks.
- (This is more for amps and accessories) if your package has cables/cords, those need to be well-secured too. Do not assume that the planets won't align and the connector on the cord won't turn into a flying fork and land right into some unfortunate entrée, like a speaker cone – don't ask me how I know this.
