I bet you all read the title and
said, “Kebo is throwing us a
fluff piece.” Well, I guarantee you
will learn a heck of a lot from this
month’s column. If you don’t, feel
free to send me hate mail.
Sooner or later, we all ship
an instrument. Not everyone
who “knows how to pack” does
it correctly, and if you pack an
instrument poorly, the consequences
can be dire. You would
not believe some of the horrendous
packing jobs I’ve received.
For example, a “professional”
packing service recently
shipped me a ’70s Jazz bass for
a customer. Lacking a proper
carton, the shippers improvised
a container from two small
coat boxes. They jammed the
bass in its gig bag upside down
in the boxes, threw in half a
sheet of bubble wrap, pinched
and taped the boxes together,
and called it a day.
When the bass arrived, I
was sure it was totaled, so I
took photos and videotaped us
unpacking the container. But
fate smiled on my client David.
Amazingly, his bass arrived
without a mark. It was still in
tune! But you don’t want to
trust fate, right? It might not
be so kind to you.
Do your homework.
Before
you even pack the bass, make
sure you can get it to your
destination. Some carriers do
not ship to PO boxes, and
not all carriers service every
foreign city. The biggest myth
is that USPS ships a $1000
bass for $120 to Europe. I’ve
even been called a liar when
I told a customer this wasn’t
possible. Sometimes you have
an overvalue issue, sometimes
it’s a length issue. You have a
50/50 shot of success shipping
your bass with USPS overseas.
All the carriers have a website
where you can get an accurate
rate quote, so get this sorted
out right up front.
A word of advice: Never
ship a bass only in its case.
Trust me, your claim will be
denied. A few years ago, I
bought a Bi-Centennial T-Bird
at an online auction. The bass
was shipped only in its case,
and when I received it, the case
was wrapped in cellophane
with a sticker that informed
me the case had come open
during transit. The bass arrived
safe and sound, only by the
hand of the bass gods.
Get the right supplies.
Look, you don’t want to be
dumpster diving at 2 a.m. in
the rain because you don’t have
a carton. Check the web for
carton-supply vendors who
have the proper 50x9x20, 275
pound test cardboard boxes,
sold in five-packs. They also
have peanuts, tape, and everything
else you’ll need to do the
job right. These vendors can be
up to 70 percent cheaper than
going to a retailer and purchasing
single-volume supplies. If
you sell a few basses over the
course of the year, you’ll come
out way ahead getting your
supplies online.
Another good option is to
beg for a bicycle box. These are
usually heavier duty than instrument
cartons you might find at
a music store, and bike shops
seem to be happy that you’re
taking some of their garbage.
Be aware.
Certain basses
require special care when
you pack them. Gibson
Thunderbirds from 1963 to
1979 come in two variations:
Those with repaired headstocks,
and those with soon-to-
be-broken headstocks. Let’s
eliminate the latter category!
You have this giant headstock
on top of a lollypop-stick nut
fighting insane amounts of
tension. Any weird tap can
break the neck, but that’s only
half the battle. The G-tuner
and the tip of the headstock
rest on the inside back of the
case, and Thunderbird cases
are simply too narrow. When
shipping one, remove the
G-tuner and saddle, store them
in a zip bag and tape it inside
the case pocket.
When shipping
Rickenbackers and other basses
that have box-back Grover
tuners, wrap a sheet of newspaper
around the headstock
and secure with masking tape
around the headstock and the
back of the tuners. I’ve seen
these tuners come apart in
shipping—you will lose parts
and they’ll mar the finish.
This next tip is insanely
critical. Cold weather could
check your finish and hot
weather could make your finish
“furry.” Express shipping
will certainly help alleviate
weather concerns—it can be
an important decision.
Packing Tips.
Inside the
carton, your bass needs to be
in a case or gig bag. And be
sure to clean it prior to shipping.
If a dirty bass is exposed
to heat, the dirt can become
embedded right into the
finish—I’ve seen this happen.
Never under any circumstance
wrap your bass directly in
bubble wrap or let it contact
peanuts or any other plastic-based
products. The worst case
of damage I’ve ever seen was a
bass shipped to my friend Jim
Singleton, at Jim’s Guitars. He
received a ’78 Sunburst P-bass
wrapped in bubble wrap that
melted the finish. Newspaper
is fine. Use just enough to prevent
side-to-side or back-and-forth
movement.
Tape any small, loose
parts—such as truss rod
wrenches and keys—into the
case or bag pocket. I’ve seen
lots of key scratches. Tune your
bass down a step or two to
reduce string tension against
the neck. This way the bass has
a better chance of surviving if
the box gets whacked.
If you are doing the packing,
remember this rule:
Gravity kills. When you tape
the bottom of the box, tape
the entire bottom in both
directions. I’ve seen more
boxes where the top is sealed
tight, yet the bottom has only
two pieces of tape. After the
box bottom is taped, slide the
bass case or bag into the center
of the box. Thoroughly pack
around the bass and lightly
compress your filler. Tape the
box top the same way as the
bottom. And make sure your
bass is packed with the neck
up. Draw arrows pointing up,
and mark the box “fragile.”
Place your shipping tag on
the top of the box rather than
its sides. This will give you a
better shot of shipping right
side up. You must check the
carrier’s website to see how
much padding is required in
case of a claim.
When a professional does
your packing, confirm that if
there is a claim, they assume
the liability and not you. Also
confirm that they have successfully
packed and shipped a bass
before and determine what
they are using to pack your
bass. Ask questions—make
sure they know what they are
doing. If you sense they don’t
know a bass guitar from a
striped bass, give them a copy
of this article and tell them
KeBo sends his love.
I’d like to dedicate this
column to my dear pal, Zeb
Cash-Lane, who passed away
in February. Zeb, rock on in
heaven, my brother!
Kevin Borden has
been playing bass since
1975. He is the principal
and co-owner, with
“Dr.” Ben Sopranzetti, of
Kebo’s Bass Works (visit
them online at kebosbassworks.com). You can reach Kevin at
kebobass@yahoo.com. Feel free to call
him KeBo.