Hi all I'm going to be moving to Berlin from the US in late September. Need to get my 5 basses from here to there, getting them onboard will be next to impossible. Any suggestions on how or who I should use to get them there? Thanks!!
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Moving my Basses from the US to Berlin
- Thread starter El Diablo Rojo
- Start date
Short of shipping them to yourself, not sure what other options are out there. 6 plane tix are probably out of the question
Sell them all and visit the Warwick/Sadowsky factory?
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
People move every day. That last few times I moved, I hired a moving company. My basses all arrived unharmed, albeit after a delay.
How are you going to move all the rest of your household goods? Have the same people do it. They're just gonna put everything in a giant container, and then you'll unload it at the destination.
A while back I had to ship my double bass, along with a bunch of household goods. I had the movers "pack" it up - they basically did nothing other than position it, in its soft bag, in the truck and secure it so it couldn't move and nothing could fall on it. The bass made the trip just fine - as I could have anticipated - because there were only two points where anyone was handling it. In between it was secured in a truck, no different than it being secured in the back of my pickup truck when I drive cross-country.
This is way way better than shipping by UPS or equivalent, where the thing gets handled a dozen times or so - drop off, onto a truck from that point to sorting facility - multiple handlings in the sorting facility - onto the big truck for cross-country (or into the container for trans-Atllantic) - to the destination sorting center - onto the little truck to your house - and then the driver tosses the thing out the back of the truck onto the ground upside down, picks it up, tosses it onto your porch on its side, and leaves it there in the pouring rain.
And if it's electric basses, well, heck, they're basically 2x4s with some electronics mounted. If it wouldn't damage a 2x4, it's unlikely to damage an electric bass.
A while back I had to ship my double bass, along with a bunch of household goods. I had the movers "pack" it up - they basically did nothing other than position it, in its soft bag, in the truck and secure it so it couldn't move and nothing could fall on it. The bass made the trip just fine - as I could have anticipated - because there were only two points where anyone was handling it. In between it was secured in a truck, no different than it being secured in the back of my pickup truck when I drive cross-country.
This is way way better than shipping by UPS or equivalent, where the thing gets handled a dozen times or so - drop off, onto a truck from that point to sorting facility - multiple handlings in the sorting facility - onto the big truck for cross-country (or into the container for trans-Atllantic) - to the destination sorting center - onto the little truck to your house - and then the driver tosses the thing out the back of the truck onto the ground upside down, picks it up, tosses it onto your porch on its side, and leaves it there in the pouring rain.
And if it's electric basses, well, heck, they're basically 2x4s with some electronics mounted. If it wouldn't damage a 2x4, it's unlikely to damage an electric bass.
We are shipping them but I'm not putting my basses in a shipping container and having them sit for 30+ days in bottom of a ship that isn't climate controlled.
How do you think they got from the factory to the first owner when they were new? They went in a big honkin' crate in the back of a truck's trailer, that wasn't climate controlled. If they were imported from anywhere other than Canada or Mexico, they got to the US in a shipping container in the bottom of a ship that wasn't climate controlled.
Unless your basses are all pre-CBS Fenders, Alembics, or Wals, they’ll be fine.
Shipping via UPS was an $800 quote - for one. My advice would be to sell them, keep one and bring it as carry on, more likely as checked baggage.
I'll do exactly the same: From US to the EU and will definitely put my ten basses and my roommates guitars in a shipping container, rather than shipping them. How do you think they arrive from the factory?
Yeah, people move every day but usually we’re talking within the same country or continent ,and by land not air….flying overseas is a little bit more complicated. His question is valid.
We are talking about solid-body instruments, right? An average NYC apartment is worse than any shipping container in terms of temperature and humidity changed over seasons. I have moved from/to New York from/to Istanbul a few times and my basses arrived in perfect shape each time. Including my Foderas…
Frankly speaking, I would not worry much. International shipping via sea is very reliable and you have to buy some insurance anyway. I have not had even a single glass broken which can be more fragile than an electric bass…
Frankly speaking, I would not worry much. International shipping via sea is very reliable and you have to buy some insurance anyway. I have not had even a single glass broken which can be more fragile than an electric bass…
I do believe it's a good idea to adequately insure your basses. But, I had three overseas assignments, Turkey, Germany, Germany. My basses were shipped with the rest of my household for each of the six moves across the Atlantic. No damage or weirdness with any of my instruments.
Probably a higher risk of incurring a loss or damage if you ship the basses separately.
Probably a higher risk of incurring a loss or damage if you ship the basses separately.
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Only thing I'd be worried about is customs. They could hold up your basses, because of the value of them. You shouldn't pay anything, since you're not importing them to sell, but you may need to visit the customs office to grab them.
Back in 2018, I had Frankfurt customs straight up lose something sent to me, because they didn't have the ability to scan USPS packages. I have no idea if that's changed now, you'd hope so, but that is one reason to look at UPS and FedEx, even though they are much more expensive.
Back in 2018, I had Frankfurt customs straight up lose something sent to me, because they didn't have the ability to scan USPS packages. I have no idea if that's changed now, you'd hope so, but that is one reason to look at UPS and FedEx, even though they are much more expensive.
Coverage and limits should be reviewed to make sure the instruments are adequately covered.
When I was setting up my team for work in San Diego, I hired 2 guys one from Ireland and one from Poland both employed in our company and they both qualified for relocation. The shipping company packed one guy's drums and guitars and the other guy's Fender Rhodes/fiddle and some furniture (the guy from Poland had a family. No teacups and no musical instruments were scratched. We did have the advantage of relocation services that did that all the time.
if this is for work and they are relocation you, all you have to do is group the items you are shipping and you do not have to do anything. They pack it for you.
Having said that. You will probably have to shipped 5 basses as freight. If you are coming back to the states, what I did was just leave them with friends in cases. I actually sold my Pedulla and other basses but the Pedulla was resold to me 17 years later.
if this is for work and they are relocation you, all you have to do is group the items you are shipping and you do not have to do anything. They pack it for you.
Having said that. You will probably have to shipped 5 basses as freight. If you are coming back to the states, what I did was just leave them with friends in cases. I actually sold my Pedulla and other basses but the Pedulla was resold to me 17 years later.
As several have already said, if it's a corporate move (which it sounds like), your basses will be fine in the container you get for your household move.
My wife and I did a year in the Czech Republic as part of a corporate ex-pat assignment. My gear made it there and back in perfect shape. I only took one bass over there, not 5 like the OP, but it was fine.
Good luck and enjoy your time in Germany. Great country, we visited several times when we lived in Prague.
My wife and I did a year in the Czech Republic as part of a corporate ex-pat assignment. My gear made it there and back in perfect shape. I only took one bass over there, not 5 like the OP, but it was fine.
Good luck and enjoy your time in Germany. Great country, we visited several times when we lived in Prague.
