Loosening Strings to Ship YOUR bass....

[Killed_by_Death]

One of the reasons I'll never own a gibby or maybe an epi.

 

[iiipopes]

I tend to take a middle-of-the-road approach to avoid splintering: de-tune 1/2 step (one fret) and put packing paper between the strings and the fingerboard to avoid scuffing. But most importantly: pack the instrument solid with something like bubble wrap, Styrofoam or similar to take the stress of the trip. The packing will dissipate much of the stress from mishandling. Many times, what causes something to break is not just the mishandling, but when the instrument rattles in the case. (yes - the old chestnut is true - it's not the fall that kills you, it is the sudden stop at the bottom) I just had repaired a baritone horn that had bell damage from insufficient packing when shipped to me. Not expensive, not "life-threatening" to the instrument, but hey, the $50 repair bill would have bought a lot of beer!

Years ago I shipped a 1935 Gibson L-00 out to the east coast to a purchaser and packed it this way. It not only arrived in perfect shape, but the purchaser was most impressed. Recently I packed a pre-WWII King Silvertone cornet to my cousin for his daughter to play in band the same way: bubble wrap until I could hardly get the case shut, so nothing shifted in transit. It arrived safely. Same way with amp heads, a trombone, a sousaphone, other guitars, basses and parts, etc: never a casualty when packed properly and the box layered properly with enough packing and layers of cardboard on the box.

 

[tattooSAM]

To those who said "never take all the strings off the bass at the same time", how would you perform any kind of service to the neck such as a re-fret job without taking the strings off?

To those who keep quoting Sadowsky, you do realize that most bass guitars are of less quality of build materials and quality control, don't you?

To that last point - does the different (i.e. lower) quality basses or different designs of bass construction drive the choice whether or not to loosen said strings?

It would be great if the folks that design and manufacture these basses chimed in (versus the "dude" who sells 3 basses on eBay per year-no offense).

 

[Luckydog]

The safest way to ship is to take the neck off the body (assuming bolt-on) and dial the truss rod to zero. If you leave the neck on the next-safest way is to take all tension off the strings and the truss rod. The least-safe way is to ship with full tension on the neck.

BUT...

Even the least safe method has proven to be more than safe enough. From a business perspective partially disassembling a bass for shipping creates hassle for the shipper and receiver to a far greater extent than it improves safety. Just not worth it for most.

Now, if you're shipping my bass across country and you want to take the neck off and have me put the neck back on and do a setup I'm 100% fine with that. Most would not be.

From what perspective are you saying this? Are you a luthier? Not saying you're wrong, but would like to understand your expertise in making these statements.

 

[stacker]

I tend to take a middle-of-the-road approach to avoid splintering: de-tune 1/2 step (one fret) and put packing paper between the strings and the fingerboard to avoid scuffing. But most importantly: pack the instrument solid with something like bubble wrap, Styrofoam or similar to take the stress of the trip. The packing will dissipate much of the stress from mishandling. Many times, what causes something to break is not just the mishandling, but when the instrument rattles in the case. (yes - the old chestnut is true - it's not the fall that kills you, it is the sudden stop at the bottom) I just had repaired a baritone horn that had bell damage from insufficient packing when shipped to me. Not expensive, not "life-threatening" to the instrument, but hey, the $50 repair bill would have bought a lot of beer!

Can't get enough bubble-wrap on a headstock.

 

[Sixgunn]

Sure, but IMHO under the same impact, a Gibson style headstock is apt to break faster than a Fender style headstock, especially if the Gibson headstock is under the strain of tension of the strings & the Fender is relaxed.

By that logic, with the stings loose, if it was hit from the front it would be more likely to snap in the other direction. Jus' sayin'.

 

[stacker]

One of the reasons I'll never own a gibby or maybe an epi.

You think Les Pauls/SGs are bad? Try a Firebird with the banjo tuners. A lot of them got banjaxed from being put in too-shallow cases. My VII sits in its correct case under the bed; I'm terrified to bring it out, sometimes!!

 

[tattooSAM]

Can't get enough bubble-wrap on a headstock.

I have purchased that bass!

 

[40Hz]

All good. But my sample is more like 400 because when I buy from a store or an individual, I insist that they take tension out of the neck.

For the record I have never bought from bass central. Or Roscoe. But if I did, I would insist they detune for boxing and shipping.

Fair enough. But even 400 would probably be too small unless a lot of tuned units were arriving damaged. For something like this you'd need something like 10K or greater units shipped (I'm guessing much greater) to establish correlation and allow for variations in the wood used for the neck, average tension of various string sets, packing, and handling, distances taken, ratio of ground to air miles, etc. I used to be involved in QC audits and risk analysis for manufacturing so I'm not trying to downplay your points. But it's a little complicated coming up with reliable projections for things like shipments. It can be done. But it gets complicated pretty quickly.

And again to your point about detuning, (which I take to mean reducing the string tension on the neck as opposed to leaving the strings completely slack) it doesn't appear to do any harm, so why not?

 

[tattooSAM]

One of the reasons I'll never own a gibby or maybe an epi.

I can relate, if only I could follow through. Logically it's a poor choice, just can't help myself. It's akin to dating a stripper.

 

[Means2nEnd]

How's this is makes no difference at all. Either way is wives tales. I shipped basses from here in PA to Pat Wilkins in CA many times. I think Pat may know just a little about shipping basses and I can't repeat it verbatim but it was to the effect of they make necks with no tension they sit for years sometimes they sit for years with tension they get taken off to have work done to them do whatever the heck you want to ship the bass to me. He paints and does finishes for A TON of builders and ships them everywhere with no tension and with tension. If a neck goes bad it's a bad neck and damage is damage from mishandling not tension. Gibson headstocks break off because it's one of the worst designed necks under the nut ever in the history of the world.

Only thing I would maybe subscribe to but not put a ton of faith in is taking all the tension off at one time.

 

[1954bassman]

They are folks who've had Gibson/Epiphone headstocks snapped right off in flight, due to string tension.
When the instrument goes into the hold, it's not climate controlled. Steel strings shrink faster than wood, causing extra tension, and fast.

I work for FedEx, and I have seen headstocks snapped of of necks that weren't even on an instrument.

 

[1954bassman]

I assure you those snapped headstocks were from mishandling, not from temperature changes.

Yep.

 

[lamarjones]

If you loosen the strings you might as wel loosen the truss rod and then it's a fiasco. Thst is just physics.

As for gibbys, I've shipped about 100 les Paul's. I secure the headstock as I do every instrument I send and never any issues.

I've shipped a LOT. I basically go with what Gard is saying.

 

[Sixgunn]

don't loosen string before shipping... but if you must, then loosen the truss rod also. Why would you worry about forward tension (the strings) when shipping and not worry about the back tension (the trussrod)?

When the trussrod is set and the strings are up to pitch the tension is in balance--- you loosen the strings and now you have all that back tension on the wood from the trussrod.

^^^^^THIS!!!!^^^^^ It works both ways, people!! Do you think you have some mystical insight that ALL of the manufacturers do not??

 

[Sixgunn]

This is why they disconnect the cable anchors on the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge during high winds. Otherwise the tension on the tower would cause it to collapse.

I know!! The wind inside a guitar case can get incredibly high during shipping!!

 

[Sixgunn]

This thread should be renamed "cognitive dissonance"

 

[inanimate_carb]

I know!! The wind inside a guitar case can get incredibly high during shipping!!

There's a lot of wind on online bass forums, too......

 

[Sixgunn]

All good. But my sample is more like 400 because when I buy from a store or an individual, I insist that they take tension out of the neck.

For the record I have never bought from bass central. Or Roscoe. But if I did, I would insist they detune for boxing and shipping.

So it sounds like you're saying you know better than the people who make the instruments.

 

[Tanner5382]

The Gibson fragile headstock stories are vastly exaggerated, especially on modern ones.