lots and lots of stuffing /padding because it will shift around in there [ the box you put it in] lots of tape too , packing tape all the way around the box , not just the corners. paper , foam ,whatever you can get your hands on. two layers of cardboard
in keeping with the (unintended i'm sure) rhyming nature of the title: To ship a bass without a case, you need a box with a lot of space, find a good place in that case to save yourself some face. Yes, i know this is a useless post.
Go to your local music store and see if they have any recently shipped empty boxes from Squiers or some other bass that doesn't come in a case. It helps if you've patronized the store.
In my experience, you want the bass to fit as tightly as possible in the box, with plenty of room for padding on all sides - probably 4-6 inches at least. I like to use the styrofoam forms of the type that come in new packaging for computers and other electronics. The same stuff, more or less, that a styrofoam cooler is made of. Anytime I come across this stuff, I keep it around for future shipping needs. You can cut it to any size and shape you want, it's soft enough not to scratch the bass but hard enough to make a good barrier between the bass and whatever stuff it might run in to during the journey. Also, it gives the box some extra rigidity. A few well placed pieces of styrofoam combined with a lot of packaging material (bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or newspaper) will do a great job. Be sure it's in there tight! Also, I second the comment about plenty of tape on all the seams, and a few wraps around the entire package that cross the flaps wouldn't hurt.
Get a small box to put the bass in, use bubble wrap, and put that box inside of a bigger box with styrofoam peanuts... Marshall
Make a wooden box for it. Not as hard as it sounds, a sheet of plywood, some 2x4's , screws and glue. Of course, use the styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap around the bass before putting it in the wooden box.
Not true, we ship lots of stuff by UPS and they don't care whether it's a wooden box or not. Just use common sense, don't make a 75 pound box...you can use 3/8 inch ply for the top and bottom, and pine 2x4's for the edges. The crate shouldn't way more than 25 lbs when you're done. Add 10 pounds for the bass, you're shipping less than 50 pounds. Of course, if you want to save a buck or two, try a cardboard box. Me, I'd pay an extra 10 bucks and give it a better chance of getting there.
Nice. Almost Iambic Pentameter. I think I'll give it a go. To ship a bass without a case, A box you need with lots of space. To find a place to put the bass, Some stores may need board to displace. Board will do but should be insured, To say you may live rest assured. With all these rules to ship a bass, You should save some dough and some face. Edit: It occured to me tonight that Iambic Pentameter is 10 syllables, not 8.
Dude just get a dirt cheap gig bag...it's better to pay 50 dollars and be safe then to lose a 1,000 dollar base because you're too cheap to protect the merchandise.