Loosening Strings to Ship YOUR bass....

[40Hz]

I reckon the old ways die hard among the gray beards.

Not all of us. Me and my cronies are very happy about the improved engineering of most modern instruments.

None of us would go back to "the way things were" on a bet.

 

[1954bassman]

This could be the game changer. The rules for what FedEx covers with insurance, and those limits, have been updated recently. Counter people can also open the box to see if it's packed to the guidelines.

For large companies, they do not purchase FedEx insurance, hence, they do not deal with counter people, and most FedEx rules do not apply as large companies are 'self-insured'.

But if you are one who does purchase their insurance, I suggest getting their latest information, especially since instruments over twenty years old now have pretty low limits of coverage.

To my knowledge, FedEx has always reserved the right to inspect the contents of packages, but I could be mistaken. As far as any items of extraordinary value (not just musical instruments) there has been limits to insurance coverage. Again, not sure about manufacturers shipping high ticket items, as you are right, that is a completely different situation.

If you are shipping any item that is valuable due to antiquity or collectability I suggest buying a policy from an insurance agent, and pass on the FedEx insurance, as it will probably not cover the value irregardless as to whether you bought insurance or not.

Years ago, when I worked the counter at FedEx if someone brought a guitar (or some other expensive item) I tried to be considerate and let them know how important proper packaging was, and that there were limits to exactly what FedEx would cover. So did my co-workers.

 

[Sixgunn]

Cool you go ahead and do that.

What amazes me about these kinds of posts is how people vehemently argue their positions usually by pouring cold water on the opposing positions.

Do these music manufacturers actually DISAGREE with me (I also love the use of capital letters to argue- as if yelling makes you more right)?

Or do they ship instruments tuned because there is a negligible difference and the best presentation when you are selling a new axe is for it to be playable out of the box?

I don't know. And you don't either! If you did you would direct me to some authoritative information on just how bad it is to ship a bass with the strings slackened.

I maintain that to each his own. I have heard both sides argued. And to me the detuning argument was much more compelling. It's pretty logical to detune for safety sake if you think about it. If you put bridge cables on a bass and tuned it high enough the neck would snap. But a neck had never snapped without strings on it.

Live and let live. That's all I got.

First, the caps were for emphasis, not yelling. I don't yell Second, I would say Gard has given PLENTY (not yelling) of authoritative info on why de-tuning is a bad idea, which you continue to ignore.

Your argument about safety (and completely non-applicable illustration) doesn't hold water. The equalization tension of the strings/truss-rod is what is important. They are designed to work together. Of course, if you put extreme tension (from bridge cables lol) on a stringed instrument, the neck would snap. Period. No need to make silly scenarios. Again, ponder equalization.

Cheers.

 

[Sixgunn]

I purchased a used Ibanez af75 from GC's website about four weeks ago, it arived with the strings loose and the truss rod untouched from the point at which the strings were last tuned. It took five days for the neck to settle.
I really wish they had left at least some tension on the strings. It's fine now after several adjustments, but there was a point I thought I'd have to return it. It shipped in a hard shell case, plenty of bubble wrap in a large cardboard box. I'm sure it would have been fine with tension on the strings and I wouldn't have had to fool with getting the neck back in shape. The whole experience convinced me that stringed instruments should have tension on the neck when shipping.

Heretic!!

 

[Sixgunn]

if its an acoustic ,chambered/hollow body you detune to accommodate possible massive fluctuations in air pressure than could cause undue stress on structural integrity ,thats true of ANY ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENT ( unless its graphite )....solid body electric guitars and basses , no need to detune

Nope. Read the post here by the airline captain.

 

[Sixgunn]

Nope. Just the strings.

Because destabilizing tension....... makes perfect sense.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Not all of us. Me and my cronies are very happy about the improved engineering of most modern instruments.

None of us would go back to "the way things were" on a bet.

None of us except those who think nothing could possibly be an improvement beyond a 1964 P or J bass.

Years ago, when I worked the counter at FedEx if someone brought a guitar (or some other expensive item) I tried to be considerate and let them know how important proper packaging was, and that there were limits to exactly what FedEx would cover. So did my co-workers.

Unfortunately, that was years ago, they are not so nice and courteous, any longer, IME.

 

[mapleglo]

The last gig I played was about an hour from my house. My basses were in the trunk, in cases. I would say that they were "packed" not as well as I'd pack them if I were to ship them. No padding or cardboard box, just sitting in the cases. The roads out to the gig were not so smooth in places. One section was a dirt road, and quite bumpy. In other words, the conditions of my travel to the gig, were possibly worse than had I shipped the basses. Granted, it was only an hour trip each way, but they were subject to some amount of jostling. Additionally, they went from my climate controlled home, into my unclimate controlled trunk, and then to the outdoor stage. I clearly remember that day being unseasonably cold and humid. After the gig, they went back into the cases, back into my trunk, and back to my house.

So should I have detuned them?

Well, I didn't, just as I don't detune an instrument for shipping.

Never had an issue.

It's my contention that if you don't detune your basses traveling to a gig, then why would you detune them when they are better packed and being shipped?

 

[Pacman]

I said "Well, you must not have realized that cargo holds aren't pressurized. At altitude the small amount of nitrogen in the bottle would expand and pop the cork."

Cargo holds are pressurized and climate controlled on commercial aircraft.


Ask my dogs.

 

[Sixgunn]

As not to derail the important topic of the thread, when ever I put him in the cat carrier for longer trips, I always loosen his whiskers a half step so they don't break off getting stuck in the side holes of the carrier. Never had one break, yet. He still bitches he whole trip, though.

I find this works well!! Keeps equal tension, too

 

[40Hz]

None of us except those who think nothing could possibly be an improvement beyond a 1964 P or J bass.

Or an early model Ripper, as the case may be.

 

[Gard]

Cool you go ahead and do that.

What amazes me about these kinds of posts is how people vehemently argue their positions usually by pouring cold water on the opposing positions.

Do these music manufacturers actually DISAGREE with me (I also love the use of capital letters to argue- as if yelling makes you more right)?

I don't disagree with you, I disagree with your clearly incorrect argument that loosening the strings for shipping (especially while leaving the trussrod at tension) is safer than leaving them at tension. I use caps for emphasis, not "yelling" (someone already pointed this out, but I want to clarify). I'm not "pouring cold water" on anything, I'm sharing factual information to dispel a false narrative about how to properly pack and ship a bass guitar - an issue I have a significant amount of experience with, and a significant investment in doing as safely as possible, as my entire livelihood depends upon it - this is not my hobby, this is my career. I am always paying close attention to what best practices are.

Or do they ship instruments tuned because there is a negligible difference and the best presentation when you are selling a new axe is for it to be playable out of the box?

I don't know. And you don't either! If you did you would direct me to some authoritative information on just how bad it is to ship a bass with the strings slackened.

Well, sure we want the bass to come out of the box playing its best. But, even more importantly, we want it to arrive in one piece! If it were truly advantageous to detune strings for shipping, don't you think we would all do so? Do you think any of us are so blindly concerned about first impressions that we ignore the security of the instrument? Seriously? Let me guess, the moon landing was a hoax, chemtrails are real, the lizard people rule us all, and lawns are a conspiracy between the lawnmower manufacturers and fertilizer companies to bilk an unsuspecting public out of billions of dollars ever year.

I do know, I have shared authoritative information, you just don't like it and do your best to ignore it.

I maintain that to each his own. I have heard both sides argued. And to me the detuning argument was much more compelling. It's pretty logical to detune for safety sake if you think about it. If you put bridge cables on a bass and tuned it high enough the neck would snap. But a neck had never snapped without strings on it.

Live and let live. That's all I got.

No, that's not it. Your advice is not harmless. It is not only incorrect, but it is also potentially detrimental to the instrument being shipped using your incorrect opinion on this topic. Several of us, with significant experience, have explained in great detail why this is, and you refuse to budge. I'm not trying to be rude, but when someone is just wrong, they're just wrong. You're just wrong. This isn't personal, this is just trying to keep people from following bad, incorrect advice.

 

[Sixgunn]

Not one manufacturer slacks the strings.......not one.

The only place I see this advice is on the internet, by those who claim to be experienced. Even then, those "experts" are hard pressed to provide even a single example to prove their theory.

Don't you know all the manufactures ship them tuned to pitch because they want you to have neck issues. Broken necks are what they strive for because they can sell more!!

 

[guy n. cognito]

Wishing I could like this post more than once!!!

 

[inanimate_carb]

Dang. If I had a dollar for every bass that Gard has shipped in his life, I'd be driving a Maserati. And maybe have my student loan paid off, too!

 

[FrankLowend]

Re-thinking this question we're talking here about strings tension (physics) and material deformation due to expansion and contraction of the materials when subjected to varying of atmosferic pressure and environmental temperature (physics too).
Thats it.

 

[DigitalMan]

So if i think about load shock it occurs to me that if:

A) the instrument is struck from behind the headstock the string tension and shock compounds neck stress
B) the instrument is struck from the front of the headstock the string tension resists and stress on the neck is reduced
C) the instrument is struck at a different angle YMMV

Seems like betting red or black to me.

 

[Sixgunn]

So if i think about load shock it occurs to me that if:

A) the instrument is struck from behind the headstock the string tension and shock compounds neck stress
B) the instrument is struck from the front of the headstock the string tension resists and stress on the neck is reduced
C) the instrument is struck at a different angle YMMV

Seems like betting red or black to me.

Yes, but the truss rod equalizes the tension. Front impact, the strings protect, rear impact, the truss rod protects. Side impact, matter and anti-matter combine, annihilating reality as we know it.

 

[FrankLowend]

Potential impact damage and wind loads factor into this, too.

Oh yes.
The effects/ consequences of the exposition.
I saw this on my fretless since usually I keeep it in a board on my living studio room. Here in Brazil is not very usual to have air conditionaire at home, so I get the bass from the wall, tune, play and after that, put again on the wall.
In the cold days I face a variation higher than one tone in the next day.
On the other hand my fretted basses that uses to be on its cases not suffer this tune changes.
Its all about physics.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I don't disagree with you, I disagree with your clearly incorrect argument that loosening the strings for shipping (especially while leaving the trussrod at tension) is safer than leaving them at tension. I use caps for emphasis, not "yelling" (someone already pointed this out, but I want to clarify). I'm not "pouring cold water" on anything, I'm sharing factual information to dispel a false narrative about how to properly pack and ship a bass guitar - an issue I have a significant amount of experience with, and a significant investment in doing as safely as possible, as my entire livelihood depends upon it - this is not my hobby, this is my career. I am always paying close attention to what best practices are.



Well, sure we want the bass to come out of the box playing its best. But, even more importantly, we want it to arrive in one piece! If it were truly advantageous to detune strings for shipping, don't you think we would all do so? Do you think any of us are so blindly concerned about first impressions that we ignore the security of the instrument? Seriously? Let me guess, the moon landing was a hoax, chemtrails are real, the lizard people rule us all, and lawns are a conspiracy between the lawnmower manufacturers and fertilizer companies to bilk an unsuspecting public out of billions of dollars ever year.

I do know, I have shared authoritative information, you just don't like it and do your best to ignore it.



No, that's not it. Your advice is not harmless. It is not only incorrect, but it is also potentially detrimental to the instrument being shipped using your incorrect opinion on this topic. Several of us, with significant experience, have explained in great detail why this is, and you refuse to budge. I'm not trying to be rude, but when someone is just wrong, they're just wrong. You're just wrong. This isn't personal, this is just trying to keep people from following bad, incorrect advice.

The "what amazes me" post was actually directed at someone else. You have been a gentleman and a scholar.

It is funny to me that this is such an arguable topic. We will have to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

I am going to go play some bass now. With the strings tuned to pitch.