Shipping heavy amps abroad

Deijavoo

*update*

Suicide is probably more likely today, maybe tomorrow.....

ChrisMusic

Looks like you met up with Lord Edmund Blackadder for a few rounds, and did the proverbial...

"Great Boo's Up"

(don't you just *hate* that smiley right now?)

(and just remember:  if you can remember anything, it didn't happen !)

Deijavoo

Deijavoo

I missed some of the excessive bubble wrap stages but you get the idea.

Deijavoo

The buyer has just left feedback and he is happy as Larry!

Have to admit, if I hadn't been on the lash all weekend I might have been worried!

@-) @-) @-) @-) @-) @-) @-) @-)

Misty

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I'm looking at sending a head overseas; the valves are held in either by their screening cans or, for the two el84 power valves, by spring clips. It strikes me that they are best left in as they appear secure, or should they still be removed?

ICBM

I would leave any preamp valves that are held in place by shielding cans, and any EL84s (and EZ80/81 rectifiers) with spring retainers - these are all robust and don't seem to suffer unless the amp is dropped so hard that broken valves are the least of your worries.

I prefer to remove octal power valves and rectifiers, even if they have clips - they're a lot more prone to breakage - and any smaller valves that aren't secured.

Misty

ICBM said:

I would leave any preamp valves that are held in place by shielding cans, and any EL84s (and EZ80/81 rectifiers) with spring retainers - these are all robust and don't seem to suffer unless the amp is dropped so hard that broken valves are the least of your worries.

I prefer to remove octal power valves and rectifiers, even if they have clips - they're a lot more prone to breakage - and any smaller valves that aren't secured.

Thanks very much, good of you to reply so quickly, yes that all make sense. 

GoldenEraGuitars

Seeing as the thread was bumped..

I sent a Lonestar to Belgium.

Never again  

Misty

lonestar said:

Seeing as the thread was bumped..

I sent a Lonestar to Belgium.

Never again  

Ah, what happened? 

GoldenEraGuitars

Misty said:

lonestar said:

Seeing as the thread was bumped..

I sent a Lonestar to Belgium.

Never again  

Ah, what happened? 

Took 3 attempts at couriers before one agreed to take it. It's then arrived with part of the innards broken. The amp itself, overall, wasn't marked at all. Lost hundreds on the sale and another £40 partial refund for the repair.

The buyer was really nice which helped admittedly 

ICBM

Maybe it's something about Mesa!

Interestingly I sent a Mesa V-Twin rack preamp back to the Netherlands for a forum member recently, which I had repaired for him. When it arrived it had clearly been opened up, one valve removed from its socket and left loose inside. This could not possibly have happened any other way - the valve is too tight a fit in the holder for it to come out by itself, even if the unit was dropped with no packaging. The internal packaging which I had done carefully was apparently really messed up too.

I also worked on a Mesa Subway Blues which a friend bought from France - when it arrived, the valves were all smashed… but it could not possibly have happened accidentally by the amp being dropped, because some of the glass was in the completely enclosed space between the speaker cone and the grille cloth. There is no way that can have happened any other way than the speaker being taken out.

In neither case was the external packaging damaged. So my only conclusion is that someone in customs or security did it on purpose.

Misty

Well as I resurrected this old thread I'm grateful for all this. Actually I thought I had a buyer overseas for a head I'm selling, but he's gone quiet on me so it looks like it may not happen, and reading your posts I'm quite relieved, so thanks.