The Perils of Amp Shipping

[mad dog]

Pardon the minor rant ...

I just shipped out my Victoria 35115 to the guy who sent me his Guild SF VI. The amp was packed almost laughabley well. Inches of foam panelling all around, cut so the finished box was totally solid, could take quite a shock. Amp in a padded cover, inside a sealed plastic bag, foam peanuts on the short sides and top. Tubes pulled and keyed to a chart. Each separately bubble wrapped, then bundled together, nestled inside the cabinet. In which the cord was taped down.

I can't think how it could have been any more safely packed. The recipient was amazed. And still, problems. V2 and V3 preamp tubes were trashed, totally microphonic. (How hard must they have whacked the box to do that???) The speaker, a not yet fully broken it 15A150 from weber, buzzes and rattles.

I've offered to cover tech time (which apparently won't be needed, luckily.) And offered to send him replacement pre-amp tubes and another speaker. We're still talking, but that probably will right things. Absolutely not worth filing a claim. No physical damage, so Fedex will waste as much of my time as I'm willing to dedicate to this.

Guitars I have great luck with. But every other amp I receive is broken in shipping in some way. Now this. Next trade is local. Tired of worrying about this stuff.

MD

 

[fungusyoung]

Pardon the minor rant ...

I just shipped out my Victoria 35115 to the guy who sent me his Guild SF VI. The amp was packed almost laughabley well. Inches of foam panelling all around, cut so the finished box was totally solid, could take quite a shock. Amp in a padded cover, inside a sealed plastic bag, foam peanuts on the short sides and top. Tubes pulled and keyed to a chart. Each separately bubble wrapped, then bundled together, nestled inside the cabinet. In which the cord was taped down.

I can't think how it could have been any more safely packed. The recipient was amazed. And still, problems. V2 and V3 preamp tubes were trashed, totally microphonic. (How hard must they have whacked the box to do that???) The speaker, a not yet fully broken it 15A150 from weber, buzzes and rattles.

I've offered to cover tech time (which apparently won't be needed, luckily.) And offered to send him replacement pre-amp tubes and another speaker. We're still talking, but that probably will right things. Absolutely not worth filing a claim. No physical damage, so Fedex will waste as much of my time as I'm willing to dedicate to this.

Guitars I have great luck with. But every other amp I receive is broken in shipping in some way. Now this. Next trade is local. Tired of worrying about this stuff.

MD

When I really think about it, I'm shocked there's not even more complaints on boards like this about damage to acoustic guitars & amps. Not that we don't hear enough already, but it could be even worse. Like you, I try to pack the hell out of stuff to the point of being obsessive about it, but I still had a bad experience last year that leaves a bad taste in my mouth until this day.

Unless the inner contents are packed poorly (a quick investigation could determine this), the fact that the carriers can absolve themselves from any damage responsibility based solely on the lack of damage to the outer box is completely ridiculous.

I've received a couple acoustics over the years that definitely should have arrived damaged. They were shipped in hard shell cases inside cardboard boxes with next to no padding between the two. Neither one of them had a scratch. It just goes to show what can happen when things are properly handled by the carrier, and how insanely rough too many packages are handled.

 

[Walter Broes]

Sorry to hear that, that sucks. I'm surprised after all the stories you read and hear about, there hasn't been a company yet that had the smart idea to offer a slightly more expensive "fragile items" thing, I bet it would be a hit.

 

[BenF]

Sorry to hear that, that sucks. I'm surprised after all the stories you read and hear about, there hasn't been a company yet that had the smart idea to offer a slightly more expensive "fragile items" thing, I bet it would be a hit.

End of the day, it doesn't matter how much the boss cares about the handling of fragile items, the van drivers won't. The risks and insurance payouts would make such an enterprise unviable i reckon.

Sending guitars terrifies me.

 

[capnjuan]

Ouch! Sorry to hear Michael Under the circumstances, maybe it's remarkable that it isn't in any worse condition ... I remember the Ampeg with the dangling transformer. I know it's no good help now but except for the US Posties ramming Coastie's T1 with a forklift, I've had good luck with them.

 

[mad dog]

You're right John. This wasn't the first. No damage as yet on guitars coming or going, but for amps:

- Clark Tyger arrived with microphonic tubes.
- Ampeg Gemini II had a dangling PT and smashed filter can
- Sewell Wampus Cat had a broken bass control, and shifted PT.

The Sewell probably took the hardest shot. My guess is it was thrown off a truck top first. By contrast, the most fragile amp I received (a Magnatone M10A) arrived poorly packed but just fine. Same deal with the Gretsch/valco 6166 I got in February.

Even with mediocre amp karma, I have to count myself lucky. This lovely Guild Starfire VI arrived without a scratch. That was a huge relief!
MD

 

[alpep]

I really hate shipping amps but I do it.

It amazes me how sometimes they make it and sometimes they don't. there is not reason for it.
I always pull the tubes and bubble them and bubble the amp pack it in a stiff box with extra padding etc. but it is a crap shoot.

what is amazing is how much stuff is not damaged, It absolutely depends on the depot and driver.

 

[AlohaJoe]

The odds of one arriving safely are too low for Elderly...

FENDER® CHAMP® (c.1974)
condition abbreviations EC-, 1X8 - 6 watt all tube combo, silver face * Sorry, we no longer ship used amps. In-store sales only! * (SN:A982302)
sku: 130U-8681 .. $345.00

 

[tele4tone]

I have shipped lots of amps... never a problem. I used to drive for Fedex and I used to load the trucks.

Here are a few tips.

Completely pull tubes and individually wrap them stuff the voids with bubble wrap tight. Cut and make cardboard corners for the amp. Put three sheets of of cut to fit cardboard on bottom of box. do this for all sides including top. Fill in the voids with bubble pack. Now... completely repack this into another larger box with packing peanuts. this absorbs all of the shock....

It's overkill but so far 7 and 0 for damage.

I just remember I owe some knobs to someone here on the forum.....whoops

 

[jmac]

mad dog,

I hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did you pay for the shipping, and how heavy were the contents?

jmac

 

[Default]

I'm very happy that I found my Reverberocket 5 minutes from my house. I'm terrified to ship amps, and I'm an over-packer too.

 

[mad dog]

Jmac:

The box weighed 60 pounds. I paid 60 some bucks for shipping. In hindsight, I probably overpacked. Too much foam board, not enough peanuts. Maybe there wasn't enough give in it. The weight itself is a big part of the problem, as in momentum. Guitar boxes tend to be lighter, which I think helps. I should have pulled the speaker too and shipped separately. Oh well.

Luckily it appears to be working out. I'm sending the guy two replacement preamp tubes. He tightened up the baffle and speaker mounts, says it helped. The speaker may be damaged. Or not, hard to diagnose at a distance. I'll send him the Legend 151 that was in that amp in trade for the Weber. And get the Weber reconed if necessary. I'm feeling relieved that it wasn't worse.

Thanks for putting up with my kvetching.
MD