Packing and Shipping an Amp... Please Help!

[mauiboy81]

I need to ship a 2x12 combo to my brother in NY and was wondering if you guys had advice for the best way to pack and ship a large amp. The thing is ac30 size and weight

Many thanks!

[dcribbs1412]

I need to ship a 2x12 combo to my brother in NY and was wondering if you guys had advice for the best way to pack and ship a large amp. The thing is ac30 size and weight

Many thanks!

Have you checked prices of shipping 75-100 lbs?
Package tubes separately.
Might check on a padded flight case to fit it...or if time build a plywood one with padding. I would be concerned using cardboard to ship if its close to 75-100lbs and you want it to arrive safe. My 2cents

Darin

[Reeltarded]

Pack it tight and stuff the chassis with something that will help the speakers not rip out of the baffle.

USPS if it makes the measurement requirements. Check two offices if the price seems insane. The calculator lies.

[Phil_S]

See if you can get a used box at a music store like GC. If not, make your own double box. Use a heavy duty grade shipping carton that is at least 6" larger (length, width, & depth) than the instrument case, amplifier, or speaker cabinet. Fill the bottom 3"deep with either foam rubber, large bubble wrap, twisted newspaper, or styrofoam popcorn (light weight items). Center the unit in the box and fill in the remaining sides and top with your packing material.

[Structo]

Yeah, try to pack the amp as if it was going to be shot out of a howitzer.

Double box, foam sheeting between amp and box, wrap tubes in bubble wrap.

Good luck!

[Teleguy61]

Buy your own mega-yacht, load the amp safely aboard, fill the empty cabins with babes and booze, and take a nice cruise, preferably through the Panama Canal to avoid pirates, all the way to New York.

[mauiboy81]

Now you're talkin'! Better yet, maybe I could just borrow yours for the trip.

Thanks for the input. I will try and find boxes that are large enough to give several inches on all sides. Is it best to leave the speakers out and ship separately?

If I buy or build a flight case does it need to be boxed to ship or can it be straight plywood?

Have any of you built flight cases? Is it best to use box joints or can you just glue and screw? I don't have much in the way of a wood shop.

[LeftyStrat]

Another thing to try is check around at some locally owned shipping centers. I have a guy at a Mailboxes etc that's always done a phenomenal job at packaging for me. I always get good feedback on ebay from buyers about how well things were packaged.

[Milkmansound]

Instapak RT #45 bags are your friend

[boots]

See the ending to the story in the Garage Talk section about the amp I shipped to Canada. I finally got closure - kinda.

One thing I would suggest is: If the amp is a combo, put it in the shipping box upside down so that the transformers are on the bottom, rather than hanging in their natural upside down position. Who knows if the box will stay in that orientation during shipping, but if all the shipping labels are on the top, it might. That seems like a more stable position for the amp to be in. If it gets jolted, there is less chance of the bolts breaking and letting the transformer drop out.

Definitely spring for the insurance - as much as they will let you get. It's pretty cheap and you WILL be glad if something goes wrong!

[M Fowler]

I ship with the tubes in and so do many professional builders.

Double boxing is necessary, heavy cardboard bottom pieces added and extra cardboard in front of the speaker.

Mark

[iulker]

I usually cannot find large cardboard boxes especially for shipping cabinets or combos, so I buy polystyrene boards used for thermal insulation on buildings, with 5-8 cm thick, and then, at home, I cut the boards exactly after the size of that particular cabinet, and build a full cage around him, on every sizes.
Duck tape the polystyrene, and then I use some large sheets of paper, big posters, actually, because those posters are pretty thick, and make a nice white package.
Each amplifier that I sent this way, arrived safely at their destination.

[Reeltarded]

I ship with the tubes in and so do many professional builders.

Mark

There goes Mark again, scaring the kids.

lol