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Topic: SGPS |
Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 20 Sep 2006 5:27 pm |
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Steel Guitar Parcel Service. It's got a nice ring to it. I don't know too many pickers or dealers who haven't at one time or another gotten elevated blood pressure due to a bungled shipment of one of these instruments. Millions of parcels move around the US and Canada daily, yet the steel guitar seems to be the poor lost waif more times than not. Damage seems to run the gamut from a little ding on a case to semi-destruction. I think I have a solution. If there were enough volunteers in every state and/or province to start a relay system/network, a fee --admittedly a higher fee --could be paid for the delivery of an instrument without the worry that some less-than-room-temperature-IQ slug is going to launch the instrument off of a belt or a dock or a truck, etc. As outlandish as it may sound, it COULD work. I don't know if something like that would come under ICC regulation or not. Any truckers or lawyers out there who could shed some light on the subject?? Another very viable alternative would be for Ken Rollans or Wade Thomas to gear up for producing well-made OSB-sided, 1"x 6"ended shipping containers with lids that must be screwed on and which have a sturdy handle and an actual receptacle for the waybill/label. Ideally these would be made in only two standard sizes. Plenty of Kim-Pak or paper wadding would take up the space that remains. There would be more expense in shipping a guitar this way, but chances of severe damage would be minimized. Cardboard just doesn't cut it anymore. Last year I built just such a container to return ebb's Whitney to him and there was minimal damage, save for the usual scuffing, to the container and zero damage to the guitar or case. The higher expense would sure be worth it in the long run IMO. Mass-produced, these things wouldn't be that expensive anyhow and quite probably could be safely re-used many times, even loaned to other nearby players. Just a couple of thoughts concerning an age-old problem that has really never been satisfactorily addressed.
PRR |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 1:31 am
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No apparent interest in this. Go ahead Bobby or Joey, and kill it !!
PRR |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 2:30 am
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I'll volunteer for the UK section, anywhere within 100 miles of B76 2UZ.
Just the cost of the 'vegetable' oil, yes, that's what I run on, and I get 55-mpg. |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 3:21 am
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I would suggest to start over with a new and clear topic title, a crypric acronym won't catch much interest. Just my 2 European cents...
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Luke Morell
From:
Ramsey Illinois, USA Hometown of Tex Williams
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 7:35 am
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| Not a bad idea! |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 12:54 pm
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| I do like the idea of a beefier shipping box like plywood? This would add alot of weight to the thing, A small female (or male)driver may find it tuff, I get insurance and truthfully ups overall ships flawless. |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 10:11 pm
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Maybe I was a bit premature in my 2nd post!!! I just keep hearing these absolutely nightmarish stories from people about their encounters over the years when shipping one of these instruments. There simply MUST be a better way to do this than the status quo. There are light-weight Lexan shipping cases made by several suppliers in the US. Lexan is actually a polycarbonate resin that is used as the center layer in laminated safety glass windshields in car and trucks. It's also what they make bullet-proof "glass" out of. A 1/4" sheet of polycarbonate will stop a 38 caliber bullet at 25 yards!! I don't know what the answer is, but re: the SGPS idea, but many retirees who play steel and have the time to do this thing would probably be interested in picking up a few bucks and get to do a little motoring out in the country. Basil, I hear you. My neighbors here in farm country "grow" the bio-diesel you referred to. AND they even use their own end product in their tractors and trucks. They also will be completeing one of the largest "stills" on earth just south of me to turn corn into E-85 "gas" in June 2007. The times they are a-changing!! Maybe a list of preferred carrier and or messengers is the answer. Greyhound/Trailways actually used to be a reliable carrier when shipping steel guitars. Could they be contacted and "locked in" to something like this? I'm only throwing out some ideas here in an attempt to curb the problem that just simply NEVER seems to go away!!FWIW, ebb's 400 arrived here Friday pm unscathed. The label apparently got ripped from the box on a conveyor and that's when the problem started. 24 days from NJ to western IL. Fortunately, this story has a very happy ending. Not so all the time.
PRR |
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Silvio Bello
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2006 10:53 pm
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Hey Paul,I think you've got a good idea here.
Too many times steels get trashed in shipping, and neither UPS or Fedex will honor the claim.I'd like to see specially made boxes to ship each steel,but there are just so many variations.I think folks need to be shown the best way to pack steels.
Any thoughts? |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 24 Sep 2006 3:25 pm
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| I would think that a person willing to buy a new steel talks to the builder and asks for special shipping I would think that wouldn't be a problem, The lexan is a good idea something light weight like luggage? |
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