Whether you're selling on eBay or flying out on tour, here's how to pack your guitar safely and securely...

The way a guitar is packaged makes a huge difference to its chances of surviving the journey in the back of a courier’s van – or in the cargo hold of a jumbo jet.

Writing ‘fragile’ on the side of the box won’t make a bit of difference. Nobody cares about your gear as much as you do. That means it’s your responsibility to package your guitar correctly.

A guitar can break when it’s dropped, even in its case. So, follow our easy guide and let’s try to get your axe to its new home in one piece.

Step #1). DE-TUNE THE STRINGS:


De-tune the strings until they’re slack. Gibson guitars shipped in tune can suffer headstock breaks if the box they’re packed in is dropped or suffers an impact.



Step #2). PROTECT THE FINGERBOARD:



Protect the guitar’s fingerboard with a length of card or some cloth. Do the same with the pickups.

IMPORTANT TIP:
Make sure there’s nothing loose in the case like Allen keys, etc.



Step #3). GUARD THE HEAD-STOCK FROM BREAKING:



You must make sure that the guitar cannot move in its case when the lid is down. This is important: the head-stock must not be in contact with the top of the case.

Use crumpled newspaper to pack any cavities in the case.

Pay particular attention to both the space under the head-stock and the gap between the neck heel and the case.



Step #4). PACK THE GUITAR AS A BOX INSIDE OF A BOX:



Get a decent outer box and pack it with more crumpled newspaper. Get plenty in the bottom before you put the case in. Then pack around the case and seal the box.