Bass Shipping Question

[estesbass]

hey guys,
i have to get an upright from nashville to miami. how should i go about shipping this (i.e. safest shipping companies, packing, etc.)?
thanks for any help,
jon

[John Sprague]

A few questions for ya Jon:
The bass's value
Are you meeting it at the other end, and if so how are you getting there? Is someone else taking delivery of it?

[estesbass]

john,
the bass is a mint 1960's Juzek, worth around $7,000 im guessing. i go to school at the university of miami, but I just bought the bass here in Nashville. I will be flying back to Miami on Dec. 30th. Hope that helps,
jon

[klepto]

i hope it's insured

[T-Bal]

I think your best bet is to rent a car or minivan and drive it there yourself. It's probably less expensive, and after you factor in time you would have spent preparing the bass to ship, picking it up, getting to the airport 4 hours before your flight leaves, etc., it's probably just as quick. Not to mention there's no guarantee the bass won't get damaged if you ship it. If I had just bought a $7K mint bass, I'd want to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

Even if your plane ticket is nonrefundable I'd check into the cost of car rental vs. cost of shipping.

[Marcus Johnson]

I'm with T-Bal.

[Chasarms]

For bass that nice, you'd probably even want to rent a hardcase to ship it in. Renting a case, crating it up and shipping it will cost you at least $400-500 if not more:

around $150 for freight.
At least $100 to have it crated up.
rental costs for the case ??
Freight costs to get the case back ??

A stationwagon from Enterprise is looking pretty good at this point.

[John Sprague]

And if that's out and you must ship it, you can send it with an LTL carrier. FedEx Freight is a fairly decent option, they don't damage too much, but by all means take out the additional insurance. You can probably get a flight case or (if you really must) a box from Dustin Williams over there on 16th Ave ((615) 429-2927). If you use a box, you improve your odds by strapping it to a skid.

I have heard good things, both price and service wise, about Amtrak. That may work for you as well.

Good luck!
John

[Matt Ides]

Originally Posted by T-Bal

I think your best bet is to rent a car or minivan and drive it there yourself. It's probably less expensive, and after you factor in time you would have spent preparing the bass to ship, picking it up, getting to the airport 4 hours before your flight leaves, etc., it's probably just as quick. Not to mention there's no guarantee the bass won't get damaged if you ship it. If I had just bought a $7K mint bass, I'd want to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

Even if your plane ticket is nonrefundable I'd check into the cost of car rental vs. cost of shipping.

This would be the only way.

The Word FRAGILE on any package means it will be damaged.

[estesbass]

thanks for all the help guys...i found a way that i will actually be a able to drive the bass, so everything is cool.
jon