Shipping Musical Instruments: Guitars, Keyboards, and More

A 1959 Les Paul Standard reissue worth 6,500 dollars fell off a conveyor belt at a FedEx sorting hub in Memphis three years ago. The headstock snapped clean off. The seller had packed it in the original Gibson box with no additional padding. His logic was that the Gibson box should be enough — it is, after all, how Gibson shipped it from the factory. But factory packaging is designed for palletized freight moving on trucks between warehouses, not for individual parcels traveling through a sorting facility where packages get dropped, thrown, and stacked.

Musical instruments ship safely every day. Reverb.com processes thousands of instrument shipments per week, and the vast majority arrive in perfect condition. The difference between a safe arrival and a snapped headstock comes down entirely to how the instrument is packed.

Guitars

Guitars are the most commonly shipped instruments, and electric and acoustic guitars have different vulnerability profiles.

Electric solid-body guitars — Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Pauls, SGs — are relatively sturdy. The solid wood body can handle some impact, and the hardware is bolted on securely. The vulnerable points are the headstock (especially on Gibson-style guitars with angled headstocks that concentrate stress at the neck joint), the finish (nitrocellulose finishes chip easily on impact), and the tuning machines (which can bend or snap if the headstock hits something).

Acoustic guitars are more fragile across their entire structure. The top and back are thin pieces of wood braced internally, and a hard impact can crack the top, break the braces loose, or damage the bridge. The sides are equally thin and vulnerable to crushing. An acoustic guitar needs more protection in every dimension than an electric.

For either type, the packing process starts with loosening the strings by one to two full turns. This reduces neck tension and accounts for temperature changes during transit that can cause the neck to shift. If the guitar is in a hard case, fill any empty space inside the case with soft material — old T-shirts work perfectly, or use bubble wrap — so the guitar cannot move within the case. The case itself goes inside a shipping box that is two to three inches larger on all sides, with the gap filled by packing paper or bubble wrap.

Guitar shipping boxes are a standard item from packaging suppliers, typically measuring around 46 by 18 by 8 inches for electric guitars and slightly larger for acoustics. Using the right-sized box is critical — too large and the guitar shifts during transit, too small and the case takes direct impacts without any cushioning buffer.

For guitars without hard cases, the protection requirements increase significantly. Wrap the body and neck in bubble wrap — multiple layers on the headstock — and secure it inside a hard guitar box with enough cushioning to prevent any movement. Soft gig bags provide almost no shipping protection and should not be considered adequate packaging for carrier transit.

Keyboards and Digital Pianos

Keyboards present a different set of challenges. They are heavy — a full-size 88-key keyboard with a weighted action weighs 45 to 75 pounds — and their keys are vulnerable to damage from pressure on the playing surface.

The original manufacturer's box with its foam inserts is the ideal shipping container for a keyboard. If you have it, use it. The foam inserts are engineered specifically for that keyboard and provide the best protection available. Place the manufacturer's box inside a larger shipping box if possible, or at minimum reinforce all seams and corners with extra packing tape.

Without the original box, packing a keyboard safely requires protecting the keys above all else. Place a layer of firm cardboard or foam over the entire playing surface to distribute any load that might press down on the keys during transit. Wrap the keyboard in bubble wrap, paying extra attention to the corners and any protruding knobs, sliders, or buttons. Place it in a box with four to six inches of cushioning below, above, and on all sides.

The weight of keyboards pushes them into surcharge territory with most carriers. Both UPS and FedEx add an additional handling surcharge on packages over 50 pounds and an overweight surcharge above 70 pounds. These surcharges add 15 to 30 dollars to the base shipping rate. For keyboards at the upper end of the weight range, getting an accurate weight before listing ensures you price shipping correctly.

Brass and Woodwind Instruments

Trumpets, saxophones, trombones, clarinets, and flutes share a common vulnerability: they dent and bend from surprisingly light impacts. A trumpet bell that dents requires professional repair that can cost 50 to 200 dollars, and a saxophone with a bent key may not play at all until it is realigned.

Hard cases are essential for shipping brass and woodwinds. The instrument should fit snugly in its case with no room to rattle around. If the case has compartments for mouthpieces, ligatures, or reeds, make sure everything is secure and cannot come loose and knock against the instrument during transit.

The case goes inside a shipping box with at least three inches of cushioning on all sides. For tubas and baritone saxophones, the box size and weight can be substantial — these instruments often require oversized shipping boxes that trigger dimensional weight charges and additional handling surcharges.

Violins, Cellos, and Other String Instruments

Violins and violas are small enough to ship relatively easily, but their value can be extraordinary — a professional violin might be worth tens of thousands of dollars. The bridge, soundpost, and strings should be loosened before shipping to reduce tension on the top. The instrument goes in its case (hard case required for shipping), the case goes in a box with ample cushioning, and the box should be marked as fragile — though as always, your packaging should be the actual protection, not the label.

Cellos are a different challenge entirely due to their size and shape. A cello in its hard case is too large for standard carrier ground service and must ship via freight or a specialty instrument shipping service. Companies like Pak Mail and specialty music logistics firms handle cello shipments regularly and have the right packaging materials and experience.

Insurance and Carrier Selection

For instruments worth more than a few hundred dollars, carrier-included insurance is not enough. USPS includes 100 dollars with Priority Mail, and UPS and FedEx include 100 dollars with their ground services. Anything beyond that requires purchasing additional declared value coverage.

For valuable instruments, consider third-party shipping insurance from companies like Shipsurance or InsureShip, which often offer better rates and easier claims processes than the carriers themselves. Photograph the instrument and its packaging from multiple angles before sealing the box — this documentation is essential if you need to file a damage claim.

Shipping platforms like atoship let you compare carrier rates for instrument-sized packages and add declared value coverage during the label creation process, simplifying what can otherwise be a complicated logistics exercise for an oddly shaped, heavy, and valuable shipment.