How to pack a Taylor K26ce for a cross country move

[Epic Audio]

I am moving from New York to California in July. I am wondering what is the best way to pack a Taylor K26ce. It will be on a truck for about 12 days. It's in a hard shell case. Should I loosen the strings? Surround it with packing paper? Put a humidifier in?... Thanks.

[DennisG]

Welcome to the forum, EA.

Of the possibilities you mentioned, the only one that seems necessary to me is the humidifier.  Taylor ships guitars all over the world, and never loosens strings.  If a guitar can't stand being tuned up to concert pitch for 12 days, then there's something wrong with the guitar.

Having said that, it wouldn't be a bad idea to put the case in a box with bubble wrap inside.  That way you'll keep the case from getting dinged up.  But unless the people handling the guitar are apes or work for United Airlines, the guitar inside the case should be fine, whether or not you put the case inside a box.

[timfitz63]

Welcome!

If you don't have the one your guitar was shipped in from the factory, I'd stop by your local Taylor dealer and ask them for a Taylor shipping carton with the top and bottom inserts.  They may have extras (or one they're willing to part with), and that (along with some extra insurance from the suggested bubble wrap and/or packing 'peanuts') should protect both the guitar and the case during the cross-country ride.

Frankly, I wouldn't trust my guitar to movers; I'd pack it in my car and take it myself.  But if you've got no recourse, I'd leave them with stern instructions to keep the shipping carton upright and not to pack heavy items (if anything) on top of the carton -- or around it, in case the load shifts.  If they can secure it on top of a pile of other household goods, that would be best; in that case, laying it down flat should be OK.

[Sprintbob]

Epic,

If you can leave the guitar boxed/packed ready to ship with a friend or your local music store for a couple of weeks, you could then arrange for FedEx or UPS to pick it up and get it to you after you arrive to your new location in California. I would NOT trust the moving company with that wonderful guitar.

Good luck!

[InsideOut]

I have moved a few times with shipping companies.  Given I had 12-15 guitars to move, hand carrying them wasn't an option.  I got Taylor shipping boxes with the appropriate inserts and packed everything in those.  Despite my very clear instructions to be careful and to keep them upright according to the arrows on the boxes, I saw my guitars stacked haphazardly in the truck and I even saw one being shoved on the very top of the stack between the trailer ceiling and everything else.  It wouldn't go easily, so the guy was slamming his hands on the end of the box trying to get it to smash in.  Luckily, all of my guitars arrived without any damage.   

I would not put a humidifier in the guitar or case if there is a chance it could come loose and bounce around.  The case will keep the humidity stable for that length of time.

If it is just the one guitar, I would ship it UPS or FedEx ground with insurance.

[Epic Audio]

Thank you all. Do to the risk and expense of transporting this guitar across the country in mid-summer, I have decided to sell it.

[Kmeister]

Don't let the horror stories scare you. I just moved my K26 from the U.K. To Washington DC. It spent 6 weeks on a boat and took dozens of trucks to get here, but it was fine. Hard case, humidifier, and a quick prayer. I shipped my Taylor, two electric guitars, and two other acoustics and everything was fine. These guitars are used to being shipped and abused by delivery guys......

[Craig]

My last guitar came from LA to the UK in the standard shipping box but with the addition of some packing paper behind the peghead and the carton being full of foam peanuts and it arrived safely.

I have heard of small dings on the neck where it rests on the case so maybe a bit of bubble wrap there just to be safe.

Craig