Shipping in winter

[Flyboy]

I just purchased a vintage Gibson mando on Ebay. It needs to be shipped across the US. What does anyone feel about the risks of shipping an old instrument in frigid winter weather?

[Peter Kurtze]

I think the general approach is to minimize time in transit, and let the package acclimate before opening . . .

[Tom Mylet]

I traded for a mandolin from someone here on the Cafe who worked for UPS. He strongly suggested that we send our instruments on a Monday to be sure to eliminate the possibility of having a mandolin sit in an unheated truck over the weekend.

[BradKlein]

I personally believe in loosening string tension, wrapping the strings in paper or bubble wrap, so they don't scratch the top, and placing the bridge in the case pocket. Then really letting the unopened package come to room temperature slowly before opening. Really. Waiting hours and hours, even when eager to see what's inside. Until I'm sure the instrument has slowly come to the same temp as the room.

I've gotten away with this, even in very cold weather without damage to the finish. There are many here with more experience shipping than me, but that's what's worked for me. I am also a believer in sending it out on Monday.

[swampstomper]

The main thing is to let the temperature equilibrate inside the case before opening it. If it's a good case, with the extra padding for transit, it can take a full day. I recently sold a varnish mando which made a cross-country trip (from icy upstate NY to sunny southern California) and the buyer managed to control himself, waiting a full day to open the case (maybe even the box?). Of course with a varnish finish this is even more important.

[Ed Goist]

The main thing is to let the temperature equilibrate inside the case before opening it. If it's a good case, with the extra padding for transit, it can take a full day. I recently sold a varnish mando which made a cross-country trip (from icy upstate NY to sunny southern California) and the buyer managed to control himself, waiting a full day to open the case (maybe even the box?). Of course with a varnish finish this is even more important.

I agree completely about implementing a waiting period before opening a mandolin delivered in either very cold or very warm weather. However, isn't a lacquer finish MORE susceptible to finish checking than a varnish finish? I've been told this is the case because a lacquer finish is more on the wood, while a varnish finish is more in the wood.

[Flyboy]

Short of waiting until spring, there's really no way of controlling the temperature the mando will travel in. I'm guessing that heat & humidity would be more of a problem than cold.

If the package travels by air, am I right in thinking it would be no better, as it would wind up in an unheated cargo hold at 30,000 feet?

[Goodin]

I think equally important to letting the temp. equalize is humidity control. It's always much drier in cold weather. Be sure the shipper puts a humidifier of some sort in the case. Poke some holes in a soap dish with a damp sponge, or just a damp paper towel in a plastic bag with holes in it.

[Mandoist]

There's absolutely no doubt that anything shipped via any company will be subject to the current temperature of whatever atmosphere it is in (with the exception of climate controlled shipping, which would cost more than most instruments). No way around it...and given the current extreme temps from state-to-state in America...a truck would definitely subject it to sub-freezing farenheits.

In short, not a great time to ship an instrument. But if you do, follow that poster's suggestions on string tension, etc, etc...and don't open that case for an hour once it's in the house.

A great rule to follow when storing an instrument in any given situation is:
"If you're comfortable, your instrument is comfortable." I think it was Stan Jay who told me that back in the 70s?? I've hand-carried my best instruments ever since...including every flight I ever took in the past 30 years.

Best insurance is hand-to-hand delivery. Take a vacation and pick it up yourself!

[Ed Goist]

...snip...
Best insurance is hand-to-hand delivery. Take a vacation and pick it up yourself!

Agreed! One of my goals with my current custom build (a Highland Strings Orpheus) is that it will never be shipped, anywhere, ever.

[JGWoods]

Somehow I wouldn't be much worried about an old Gibson A. They are pretty stable by now . I would take a little caution in the warm up and let it sit for an hour before opening. My A4 has never suffered from cold shocks in any discernible way- no finish cracks. It has plenty of "character" anyway.

[BBarton]

I purchased a lot from Elderly in the past and they advised for winter to not open the box for 24 hours -- i.e., the next day. Good advice, and I never had a problem. Now, if you can just hold out for one more day...

[Rick Schmidlin]

My Red Diamond is leaving Ohio in the morning and it coming next day Fed EX.

That saves on travel time.

[Ryk Loske]

Ship next day.

Pack as per the instructions at Archtop.com.

Wait 24 hours before opening carton ... if the case is cold ... wait til it warms up ... crack the case and feel the instrument. If it's cold ... wait.

Good luck,
Ryk

[Mandoist]

Somehow I wouldn't be much worried about an old Gibson A. They are pretty stable by now . I would take a little caution in the warm up and let it sit for an hour before opening. My A4 has never suffered from cold shocks in any discernible way- no finish cracks. It has plenty of "character" anyway.

No offense...but that is not good advice. Those 'A' models are built like a brick *&%# house for sure, stable as anything on Earth. But, if nothing else, the finish can suffer from extreme climtae/temp changes. Warm-up periods are always recommended. That's a fairly basic fact. Then again, some folks are just lucky...I can't believe how many instruments I've seen in sub-freezing street performances that seem in decent condition. Err on the safer side...let it sit in the case until it acclimates.

[Flyboy]

Just to offer an update: the A4 arrived at its pick-up destination late, & due to my travel situation, I had to open it more or less immediately (the alternative was to let it sit un-opened for 10 days).

It had travelled across country from Utah to upstate New York through the coldest spell of weather this winter. In addition, because of the 5 days shipping time, it had spent the weekend in the custody of UPS, in who-knows-what circumstances. It seems none-the-worse for its adventure. The sound is delicious - rings like a bell, with that rich oval-hole resonance that makes my modern FF sound a bit "flat" in comparison. The color is gorgeous, & those adorable little tuners ...

I think I may be in love ...

[Dusty]

As an additional comment, I often have to travel with several people which necessitates the instruments traveling in the trunk or an equiptment trailer. When the weather is cold, or really as a general rule, I will open my case just slightly ( I just prop the latch open on the latch bale ) and let the instrument acclimate to the enviornment when we arrive rather than just popping the case open all at once. Even in summer I often take the instrument out of an air conditioned car to play in the hot sun. I don't know if it is necessary, but it has served me well and I have never had a laquer instrument of any kind experience finish cracking (knock on wood ). The temp in transit is a big topic, but that finish and/or instrument will have many more extreme exposures if you are lucky enough to get out and play. Enjoy the new old A4, but a friend once told me we are just the custodians of a piece of art for a while and hopefully we can pass it on in as good a shape as we received it. Your going to enjoy that "old" sound.

[Rob Gerety]

All good advice. I often have thought that I would like to have light colored cases for my instruments rather than the standard black. Black is the worst and it really gets hot fast if left in the sun. Someday when I have a little extra cash I might spring for some custom cases in white or cream.

[Gail Hester]

I have shipped 6 or 7 mandolins out (2-3 day) and received several in the past month without any problems. I agree with everyone it's important to let them acclimate for a few hours before opening the case. One of the most important things to me is to try and make sure they don't sit in a truck over the weekend so I don't ship at the end of the week.

[JGWoods]

I didn't no warmup period. I think the 24 hour "rule" so often touted on the internet is foolishly long and the fact that reliable sellers- Martin, Elderly etc. recommend it doesn't change my thinking. For them a little overkill on the other end is not an issue. It has more to do with liability than reality. Proceed with reasonable caution- and in the case of the OP here he opened the case pretty much right away without negative consequences despite extreme cold shipping.

No offense...but that is not good advice. Those 'A' models are built like a brick *&%# house for sure, stable as anything on Earth. But, if nothing else, the finish can suffer from extreme climtae/temp changes. Warm-up periods are always recommended. That's a fairly basic fact. Then again, some folks are just lucky...I can't believe how many instruments I've seen in sub-freezing street performances that seem in decent condition. Err on the safer side...let it sit in the case until it acclimates.

[barney 59]

I don't know this for sure but I would think that a reliable shipper would take some care to make sure that they don't let the things they are shipping experience extremes in temperature. They ship many things that would be at least as sensitive to extremes of temperature as a musical instrument. Liquids such as paint ,candles, baby chickens,plants, everything and anything could be on that truck. The liability would be enormous if say the shipped carton of crayons arrived at the store a Jackson Pollock puddle. The glue for the hardware store had spent a night frozen and then thawed again before arrival. The fedx van and the ups truck that comes here has a shared space with the driver and the cargo. They have heat and airconditioning in those vans. The same would go for air freight-it's cold,really cold at 30000 feet,there would have to be some temperature control even in a dedicated cargo plane. I think there is much more problem just owning the thing. You carry it on a hot day or a cold day across town. The sun comes through a window and heats up the black case(this is a very bad thing, I've had it happen) or it's in the trunk of a car because ,"Well, it SEEMED safer there when I parked to pick something up at the store!" Touring musicians drag their instruments around the planet and are constantly in situations where they have no or little control over the environment that their instruments are in. How many times have we carried our instruments from the house to where we're going and on arrival just opened the case when we got there? I had a gig once working for the National Park Service doing evening campfire shows and trying to stay in tune was really difficult because the temperature would change with every puff of wind but the instruments didn't seem to be any worse for wear.