Anybody moved abroad with guitars? trying to work out best way

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adamm82adamm82 Frets: 448
edited June 2017 in Guitar
if I happen to move to Italy I will have 5 guitars that will need transporting.

I would be tempted to drive there with them to be honest. Any other ideas? 

Also will my amps work over there? or will I have to get new ones? It's just a cheap Orange crush 15r and a Marshall mg15cdr so no big loss might be a good excuse to get a new amp. 


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Comments

  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    Drive it.
    I was a European truck driver in the 90's.
    You'll have a blast doing it and you know it's safe..........well...........as safe as you can be on Italian roads.

    But yeah, just drive it.
    In a car you should get through Mont Blanc and down into Aeosta in 2 days without stressing yourself out too much, depends on your appetite for driving. 4 days and you're sightseeing which is cool as well.

    Yes your amps should work fine over there. They use roughly the same voltage but a 2 pin plug.

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26742
    What are you doing with the rest of your stuff?

    When we moved to Abu Dhabi we had a shipping container full of stuff. Guitars went in there, each one carefully packed in a hardcase inside a double-walled cardboard box. Plus a Tele in a Hiscox with me on the plane so I wasn't sans-guitars for 6 weeks while the container arrived. They were all fine. 

    That said, if you're doing any drives, Alnico's plan is a good one. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    Tele in a hiscox? Pfff... bin bag, surely..

     =) 
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26742
    usedtobe said:
    Tele in a hiscox? Pfff... bin bag, surely..

     =) 
    Wasn't taking chances flying with BA! And it's a very nice Tele! :D 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    Aye, fair enough, chief..!
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    I'd drive. Not because I care about the guitars, it's just a great drive.
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    I know a driver with a huge van who does monthly runs from the uk to Italy where he now lives. He is very reliable and a good fellow. However, he's laid up with a medical ailment and won't be driving again until September. If you are thinking of moving home, he's the guy to go with though you'll have to carry the gear to and from the van. 
    He's brought me a Leslie, Marshall amps, books, lps and all got here to Bologna fine. 
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Make him an offer he can't refuse.
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  • EvilmagsEvilmags Frets: 5158
    Alnico said:
    Drive it.
    I was a European truck driver in the 90's.
    You'll have a blast doing it and you know it's safe..........well...........as safe as you can be on Italian roads.

    But yeah, just drive it.
    In a car you should get through Mont Blanc and down into Aeosta in 2 days without stressing yourself out too much, depends on your appetite for driving. 4 days and you're sightseeing which is cool as well.

    Yes your amps should work fine over there. They use roughly the same voltage but a 2 pin plug.

    Do not use two pin plugs or sockets for guitar amps. You do get earthed sockets in Europe and unearthed Amos sound awful and are damgerous. 
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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    Evilmags said:
    Alnico said:
    Drive it.
    I was a European truck driver in the 90's.
    You'll have a blast doing it and you know it's safe..........well...........as safe as you can be on Italian roads.

    But yeah, just drive it.
    In a car you should get through Mont Blanc and down into Aeosta in 2 days without stressing yourself out too much, depends on your appetite for driving. 4 days and you're sightseeing which is cool as well.

    Yes your amps should work fine over there. They use roughly the same voltage but a 2 pin plug.

    Do not use two pin plugs or sockets for guitar amps. You do get earthed sockets in Europe and unearthed Amos sound awful and are damgerous. 
    I stand corrected.
    I've never played abroad so wouldn't have known that, i thought all Euro Sockets were 2 pin for everything.
    My Mistake.
    :)
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    I have seen 3 different plugs in use here in Italy. The 3 pin one is known as a 'german' plug and commonly found on domestic appliances and other white goods. 
    Buying used gear locally could introduce you to new friends. 
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    edited June 2017
    When I moved to Switzerland I brought 3 guitars and 7 suitcases with me on a ba flight. Guitars all in good cases bubble wrapped and shrink wrapped. 

    However that option is always a lottery.

    So if I was doing it now I'd defiantly take anything valuable in a car. Just remember if you drive through switzerland to get to Italy you will need customs docs and receipts etc.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    Oh as for power. will work you just might need to change power leads.
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  • Si_Si_ Frets: 384
    I shipped 6 guitars to Australia (Plus amps and everything else), as others have said, just packed in their hardcases. All arrived with no issues 3 months later.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    I've done 5 international moves with my guitars (Aus -> UK, UK->US, US-> CH, CH->US, US->UK) and each time the guitars have shipped with a carrier, either by air or by sea.

    Never had a problem and they have always arrived in perfect condition.
    I usually take one with me on a flight but otherwise they have their strings slackened and put into a hard case and double boxed.
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  • adamm82adamm82 Frets: 448
    Thanks everyone.
    and lukedlb I may have to find out more from you at a later date.

    haven't worked out what I will be doing for the rest of my household stuff. Guitars were always my first thought :)

    The drive seems like a good idea it's in the North of italy anyway. I haven't 100% decided yet if I am going but it looks likely. I already visited one of the guitar shops in Varese which I really liked. and there was a cool one I went to in Milan. 


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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    Bear in mind that gear here tends to be collector's pricing rather than in the uk where it's players pricing. As such gear tends to cost a little more. Pm me when you like for further info. 
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7730
    @octatonic have you ever used a container service?
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    @octatonic have you ever used a container service?
    Yes, we did.
    The last time was the move back from US to the UK.
    Cost about $10k USD to move everything back, minus the dog, which was another $5k, due to UK pet visa requirements.
    The only time I've ever had anything break on a move was moving form London to here in Oxfordshire, a journey of 60 miles.
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    I move guitars over between the US and UK a lot.  For a one off, I use a gig bag and take them as carry on with BA.  Last time I moved a lot, I used a white glove moving service and had 10 guitars (all in cases) moved, along with a ton of other things. I'm just about to move house in the US and will be going 500 miles.  I have 105 guitars plus 16 amps to move, so I'll probably go with white glove again, though I will move the vintage ones myself, as the cases are more fragile than a lot of the newer ones.  I'll also move my Linn Sondek, as I don't want it taking a knock and have to go through the setup of it again.
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