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Mailboxes Etc.

If you ever plan to ship a guitar to us........

Never, Ever, Use A Mailing Service Like Mail Boxes Etc.!!!

Always go directly to UPS or Fed Ex. Mailbox etc typically charges at least double UPS rates, If you ever have a shipping problem, Mailbox etc will be the ones that will have to sue.  They will never help you. In fact, they will be a large hindrance to your chances of collecting any UPS Claim. Always go directly to the UPS terminal, it will cost you a lot less!   I have found that in most cases mailing services will avoid the issue and try to bury you with red tape.  I think that most of the time they don't insure the package because they can make more money by charging you the insurance and simply not buying it. Naturally if there is a problem, they will look for a reason not to have to pay you.

I was involved in several court battles with Mail Boxes Etc. When I was in Connecticut. I won both cases but I really lost when you figure the time it took.

The actual cardboard boxes, I have seen at the local mailing services, in Las Vegas are highly overpriced and very light duty cardboard.

How to Pack a Guitar

People are always asking me how to pack a guitar. The three biggest mistakes that most people make are below.

  1. MAKE SURE THE TREMOLO BAR IS SECURELY WRAPPED in a small amount of bubble pack or newspaper. If you don't do this the tremolo bar will fall out of the compartment during shipping and scrape up your guitar.  Also it's a good idea to make sure there are no tools or itsy bitsy screws anywhere in the case.
  2. DO NOT LOOSEN ALL THE STRINGS!!! This is always a major hassle. I get an average of 5 used guitars shipped to me daily. It is a lot easier for me to check the guitar out if I don't have to do a setup first. By loosening the strings as much as people do they usually blow the setup. Sometimes even bridge saddles fall out and cause damage to the guitar. Gibson, Fender, PRS, Hamer, Ibanez, Heritage, Washburn, Jackson and all the other companies ship guitars to me perfectly in tune right out of the case.
  3. DO NOT TRUST LOOSE STYROFOAM SHIPPING BEANS.  Loose Styrofoam beans are useless for shipping anything delicate. They always settle to the bottom and basically offer very little protection against anything.  Bubble pack is the best bet.   Even wadded up newspaper is better than beans.

Loose Guitar Strings

Occasionally I will have to purchase a guitar from another dealer, usually when it arrives the strings will all be loose.  I HATE THAT !!!!!!!!

Did you ever get a guitar shipped to you with all the strings loose?  I really hate it when that happens. The dealer will usually try to tell you it's because he did not want to put tension on the neck during shipping.  

The Real Reason Is!!

The real reason is,  most of these guys don't want to bother going to the trouble of setting up the guitar. They either don't know how to do it, or they know the guitar plays crappy,  so they purposely don't do it.

Here at Ed Roman Guitars we do a full setup on every guitar we ship. (Average Value $75.00)  My shop does a complete setup and adjusts the action. The frets are all ground and polished and the fingerboard is freshly oiled.  furthermore all the electronics are checked and the bridge or tremolo is fully adjusted.

It's usually the smaller vintage dealers who are the real culprits. Most of these idiots are dumpster diving ebay maggots and many of them don't even play guitar.  Many of these guys are Pawnshops, and other assorted small time dealers trying to dump guitars they wouldn't ordinarily want to sell to a local customer.

They usually deal in baseball cards, golf clubs. action figures, jewelry, power tools and computers and anything else they can pick up at a tag sale.

When and if you are dumb enough to buy a guitar from any of these guys.

Just be sure you insist that they don't loosen the strings before they ship it to you.

This way when you are not satisfied with the guitar they can't use the old excuse  "it was perfect before we loosened the strings"

TIPS  TIPS  TIPS  TIPS

  • It's good to make sure the guitar cannot move inside the case.  Usually a little bubble pack at the headstock area will solve any movement problems.
  • Make sure the case does not flop around inside the shipping box. That will cause a real lot of damage.
  • If you are shipping a guitar without a case (No Problem)  just MAKE SURE you use a lot of Bubble pack taped securely around the instrument.   3 layers at least and maybe a little cardboard in between the layers on sharp corners or at the headstock.
  • Usually most music stores have boxes they are throwing out or have to get rid of. So that's a good place to go get a box.  I always advise my customers to always keep a couple of good boxes around for when they need to ship something.  With all the no personality superstores opening up all over.  Shipping guitars will become a required way of life for anyone who wants to own any guitar that may be even slightly out of the norm.
  • Always Insure the guitar for more than it's worth in case it gets broken or lost. Be careful because UPS and FedEx won't pay claims when they deem the guitar was packed incorrectly.  So make sure you use plenty of  bubble pack.

Shipping a guitar is easy as long as you use common sense and a lot of bubble pack.

Please Buy a Case

I strongly suggest that a case or a gig bag is purchased with your instrument. Here are several reasons why I believe it to be the prudent thing to do.

  • The case is usually less expensive if purchased with the guitar.
  • I usually charge an additional packing fee because I have to use so much extra bubble pack to make sure the guitar is shipped safely.
  • UPS Insurance will only cover the unit if it is stolen.  If the unit gets damaged UPS may elect to give you a hard time about paying the claim.
  • I never accept returns on guitars that have left the premises without a case!!! (no exceptions).

In the case of a Rickenbacker I strongly suggest buying the Vintage case instead of the stock plastic cases that come with the regular models. The Vintage case costs a little extra but it's well worth it. If you buy the Vintage case by itself it will cost about $220.00.