People need to learn to package stuff they ship.

[Aso]

I purchased a Soldano cab off of ebay and it finally showed up today. Description said it had a few scuffs from gigging which isn't a big deal. I pick it up from FedEx today and take it home. After unboxing it I notice a 1/2" gouge/chunk of wood out of the front bottom center of the cab. The cab also has a rattle. Not sure if it's the wiring inside or something else wrong. Only thing I don know is that my other two soldano cabs don't rattle like this.

Now the guy packed this thing in a beat up Marshall box with newspaper and the little bubble wrap that they use for camera, phones and other electronic devices. I would be suprised that FedEx insurance will even cover this due to the lack of packaging.

Was looking forward to having a cab but this kind of sucks.

[Spivonious]

Did the box look damaged where the cab is damaged?

I'd contact the seller first. If he doesn't offer to take a return or file a claim with FedEx, then get EBay involved.

[Aso]

I contacted the seller right before I posted this. Just amazes me that someone would pack an object that weighs 70+ pounds with so little packing material. I have sent guitars with three times the packing that the cab showed up with.

[zeegler]

Did the box look damaged where the cab is damaged?

[wilkinsi]

I just sold and packaged a guitar for the first time a couple days ago. Guitar secured in hardshell case, case completely wrapped 3 times over with bubble wrap, surrounded that with heavy thick scrunched up paper and placed inside a large cardboard box. Did I do it right, not enough, or too much?

[Aso]

Did the box look damaged where the cab is damaged?

Yes the box was punctured in the area where the damage is. I need to go take some pictures of how it was packed and the damage.

I am pretty sure Fed Ex won't cover the damage because they will state that it was improperly packed.

[Gartron]

I just sold and packaged a guitar for the first time a couple days ago. Guitar secured in hardshell case, case completely wrapped 3 times over with bubble wrap, surrounded that with heavy thick scrunched up paper and placed inside a large cardboard box. Did I do it right, not enough, or too much?

We'll find out tomorrow!!!

The last guitar I recieved off of e-bay came in a hardshell covered in brown packing paper..no packing in the case at all..and it was fine.

[Davey]

I just sold and packaged a guitar for the first time a couple days ago. Guitar secured in hardshell case, case completely wrapped 3 times over with bubble wrap, surrounded that with heavy thick scrunched up paper and placed inside a large cardboard box. Did I do it right, not enough, or too much?

it's never too much.
when i got my charvel fusion deluxe, from Zerberus it was wrapped in bubble wrap, packaged in a cardboard box filled with styrofoam peanuts and paper, then that box was wrapped in bubble wrap, inside a box you get bycicles in, wedged in the middle with paper, air bags and more peanuts. when i unpacked it, the pile was up to my waist. you could've dropped it from the plane it was transported in and still be allright

[broken_fusion]

I just sold a tube head on ebay. I built a wooden crate for it and i sized it so the head fit in there with about 1/4" clearance on all sides.Wrapped the amp in bubble wrap and stuffed it in.it was a tight fit, but thats what i wanted. If the item can flop around it will be trouble. it arrived with no damage. Total weight of the package was 69 lbs and only cost $32 to ship fed ex 3 day with insurance. Thats a f'in bargain if you ask me.The guy that you bought from sounds like a lazy dick.

[Rsmacker]

I just sold and packaged a guitar for the first time a couple days ago. Guitar secured in hardshell case, case completely wrapped 3 times over with bubble wrap, surrounded that with heavy thick scrunched up paper and placed inside a large cardboard box. Did I do it right, not enough, or too much?

So long as you packed the inside of the HSC above the headstock. Then the guitar won't move inside the case when some DHL monkey is lobbing it around and smash the end of the headstock off.
This has happened to me on more than one occasion when I have bought guitars with pointy headstocks, and found that the spastic who (s)packed it wrapped the outside of the package like a Michelin man, but didn't think about the guitar moving about inside the packaging.
Very few guitar cases are truly "fitted", and if you buy the case at a different time from the guitar, the fucking thing will move about inside like a thing-that-moves-about-quite-a-lot. A recipe for disaster.

[wilkinsi]

No chance of that happening. The Gator case still has at least 4 inches of space in front of the headstock tip. I've also been previously advised (on this forum) not to wrap the headstock or put anything in front of it. In a way, I'm glad that guitar didn't come in a soloist case as those I've seen had no breathing room for the headstock. I wonder if Jackson have looked into this matter and redesigned their hardshell cases...?

[Rsmacker]

So you think it is better for the guitar to be able to move 4" inside the case than being held solid? Hmmmm, OK.
The worst cases are those oblong things that you can put any old guitar in. Great for carrying your own guitar about, not great for posting.

Anyway, it all depends on how the guitar is treated in transit. Like Gartron says, you can get them just wrapped in brown paper and it is fine, maybe the couriers can see what it is and takes a little care. A package that is relatively light for its size, but can be handled by one man, may get fucked around the place because it is awkward. If it's way over 25kg, it's a 2 man lift (officially), so might not get lobbed across a warehouse.

At the end of the day, it's in the lap of the Gods, or rather of a load of mongoloids with learning difficulties.

[Newc]

We'll find out tomorrow!!!

The last guitar I recieved off of e-bay came in a hardshell covered in brown packing paper..no packing in the case at all..and it was fine.

I've sent out quite a few like that with no problems.


First thing I do when packing a guitar (if it has a case) is put the guitar in the case with whatever accessories (trem bar, etc) in a baggie, and chek for headstock clearance before closing it, then shake it like a crying baby.

If it rattles, and it's not the handle or hardware doing the rattling, I pack the inside until the rattle stops.

Then I put it in a box (or if it's an oversized SKB-type case, mummify it like Gartron said) with packing material and shake it some more. If it rattles, it gets more padding. If the wide sides of the box can be compressed to the case easily, those get more padding.

Conversely, when I got one of my NASLs from Japan, the side of the thin cardboard (rice paper?) shipping carton was split, and you could reach in and carry it by the case's handle

Guitar got here just fine, so no worries.


And the damage to your cabinet was done in shipping.
Did the guy offer shipping initially or did he specify local pickup only (as most people do when selling a cabinet) and you talked him into shipping it?

[SEEGERMANY]

Rsmacker is right, there should be zero movement inside the case. I don't wrap the headstock in bubble wrap, but I place it on the sides, tip, and then a layer across the top. Also, any "space" below the neck or around the bodies horns, gets filled in with either bubble wrap or wadded newspaper.

If the case allows and it's a high dollar guitar, I use the "roll of paper towels" method. One roll goes at the bottom and one goes at the top for added padding. TP works just as well.

[Aso]

And the damage to your cabinet was done in shipping.
Did the guy offer shipping initially or did he specify local pickup only (as most people do when selling a cabinet) and you talked him into shipping it?

The seller offered shipping initially and didn't have any mention of local pickup. I was surprised to find one for sale were someone would ship it. Seems to only be dealers that will ship them due to them being so heavy.

I think the seller and I have worked out a deal where he is going refund me a little cash and I won't send it in for claims. Think this will work out for both of us. The damage isn't bad enough that I can't live with it.