In tune or slacked strings: Shipping thoughts

I read a comment by TooSlowHand in another thread, that got me thinking.

Here is the relevant part of the comment:

Well I waited 24 hours to unbox the guitar to let temperature and humidity settle. The dealer shipped it tuned to pitch which is not good, but doesn't appear to have caused any damage. ...

Every guitar I have bought and sold online has been sent and received in tune, and without issue. I bought my Comanche in Aug of 2017 - in the middle of a heatwave (avg temp: 90° F!!). I was cursing myself for a fool, as I waited day after day for it to arrive - imagining it sitting day after sweltering day in the oven-like back of a tractor trailer as it slowly made it's way to me. Surely the neck would warp and twist after baking in that box for nearly 10 days!

Nope. It arrived in tune, in utterly perfect condition. I couldn't believe it.

Now that is certainly a true story. But it still counts as anecdotal. Just because once upon a time a guitar was shipped in tune and survived a long and likely detrimental shipping environment, only to rise out of it unmarred and fine - doesn't mean squat.

The Internet is rife with both glory and horror stories, many of which are just hearsay. So when I saw TooSlowHand's comment I thought, (and not for the first time), "I wonder if there is anything to that..?"

Like everyone reading this post, I've read opinions about whether it matters or not, and plenty of unsubstantiated and often repeated appeals to authority. My personal favourite is the most, repeated (often verbatim) one I've seen: "Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Fender, and Rickenbacker all ship instruments in tune". No citation for this - just the bold appeal to the authority of these names - without any actual evidence that the statement is factual.

So I looked into it, and let me say this - there isn't a lot of hard data out there.

I did find this from Larrivée Guitars:

"NEVER take tension off the strings when shipping your guitar. This is a dangerous practice as the machine heads and headstock are the heaviest parts of the guitar, and the string tension from proper tuning serves to counteract the stresses these parts place on the instrument. Some people on the internet will tell you that loosening the strings is a good idea but it is NOT." -- Capitals are in the original quote (I didn't add them).

Sure, Larrivée guitars isn't the largest or the best guitar maker (IMO at least), but they do make fine instruments, and here they make a bold and clear statement on the matter at hand, providing an explanation behind their practice.
The fact that Larrivée Guitars are acoustic, only makes the case stronger - since acoustic instruments are far more delicate than solid body guitars, and therefore more likely to suffer damage if put under duress.

That might settle it for some, but I did find this also on Fender.com. It isn't (directly) related to shipping, but rather is advice for taking your guitar on a plane:

"Loosening the strings on your guitar will help deal with the changing and unpredictable temperature and pressure that comes with any flight. In addition, a humidifier can help manage the rising and falling levels of moisture inside your case. Those fluctuating variables put enough strain on the neck to snap even the strongest of woods."

That makes sense. Radical shifts in temperature, air pressure, and humidity over a short amount of time, could certainly do damage to an instrument, yet I couldn't find a single story online where anyone actually experienced this? That's just anecdotal. Perhaps if I phrased my query just right, I'd have been more successful - but I was able to discover and source these two links, so I feel I'm pretty good at finding stuff on the Internet.

Here is what I think - and I'm just putting this out there as a public service. I am not trying to establish the "right" way to ship a guitar, I am just trying to put together and share some actual expert opinions from the industry itself.

I think that most of us choose the cheapest shipping option - which if your sending or receiving on the continent, means it is being shipped by land. In this case, shipping in tune seems not only to present no problem - but may actually deter damaging the instrument. If you're shipping buy air - slackening the strings makes sense.

I think that'll be my rule of thumb, until I see evidence that makes me think otherwise.

Craig - do you know if G&L de-tunes their guitars before shipping? The two G&L guitars I bought new (both Tributes) came in tune (without issue). I didn't buy them from G&L, but from dealers. I would be curious to know if after the final set up in the factory - G&L then de-tune them to ship them out to dealers, or send them out in tune?

Thanks, Dan. I had a similar reaction to the other thread. Coincidentally, I read some responses on another forum about this topic. One piece of info stuck out: It seems that most major manufacturers ship their guitars to dealers at full string tension. I'm starting to think that if this caused problems, it would have been noticed after all these years.

I'm now leaning toward slightly slackening the strings (perhaps one full turn) but otherwise allowing the tension of the build to stay in place.

Thanks, Dan. I had a similar reaction to the other thread. Coincidentally, I read some responses on another forum about this topic. One piece of info stuck out: It seems that most major manufacturers ship their guitars to dealers at full string tension. I'm starting to think that if this caused problems, it would have been noticed after all these years.

Thanks, Tom. I'd read that too, that's why I put a question to Craig (at the end of my post) to see if G&L ships setup and in tune, or what.

It'll be interesting to find out.

I have emailed Memo to find out if G&L has any shipping guidelines for shipping instruments to dealers (domestic and international).

Here's what I sent to Memo:

Hello Memo,

From a recent discussion about how guitar manufacturer’s ship their instruments and they asked me how does G&L ship their instruments to dealers: in-tune or detuned?

Here is the question posted to me:

Craig - do you know if G&L de-tunes their guitars before shipping? The two G&L guitars I bought new (both Tributes) came in tune (without issue). I didn't buy them from G&L, but from dealers. I would be curious to know if after the final set up in the factory - G&L then de-tune them to ship them out to dealers, or send them out in tune?

Are there specific guidelines which the shipping department follows when shipping instruments to dealers (domestic and International)?

Here is the link to the post:
In tune or slacked strings: Shipping thoughts
viewtopic.php?f=101&t=17806
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Stay tuned.

Here is Memo's reply:

Hi Craig,
We do not detune the instruments after they have been setup at the factory. After they have passed QC, it gets packed up in its case or gig bag then placed in a box and shipped to the dealer.

Memo Romero

When talking to the dealer who shipped me the Bluesboy, all the way across the country, I mentioned that it was tuned to pitch (sharp actually) when I got it and they might want to mention something to the folks who do the boxing and shipping. He thanked me and said that they always ship the guitars tuned to pitch and they usually get them that way from the manufacturers. He stated that slacking the strings could have value when shipping an acoustic, but that today's electric guitars, with dual action truss rods, are not an issue, and that damage might be done when the neck, shipped without tension, is subsequently tuned up by the owner. I have no idea what is correct, but his statement sounds reasonable. I have always detuned my guitars a bit when shipping or taking on an airplane and probably still will. I also use D'Addario Humidipak with my acoustic guitars, but not the electric ones.

Interesting topic and the varied “expert” opinions over the years has been interesting. I have received guitars both ways and fortunately have never had neck damage upon opening. I drank the loosen the strings kool-aid for years for no other reason than someone I thought enough of said it. For the last few years, based on someone else, I’ve held to keep tuned and think I’m staying that way. I respect the Larrivée folks enough and also like the idea of maintaining consistent tension.

I just realized I detune guitars a turn or two on the pegs when I ship them but I don't think I detune basses. I have no idea why but I think that's how I've done it. I do need to sell a few off and I'm not sure what I'll do. Perhaps I'll just ask the buyers what they prefer and do it however they would like.

I have gotten one guitar shipped to me with a damaged neck but it was a purchase from a certain manufacturer in Nashville and it was a model known for having neck problems. I think their packaging could be improved. It was in a gig bag and the bubble wrap was one of those molded pieces, and seemingly overinflated, right over the end of the gig bag/neck. Just putting it in the box made the bubble wrap piece put torque on the neck, trying to conform to the shape of the box, since the headstock is at a steep angle.

I got a similar guitar today, in a gig bag, and my heart sank a little when I saw the guy carrying it from the brown truck over toward me:


...but it was fine.

Here is Memo's reply:

Hi Craig,
We do not detune the instruments after they have been setup at the factory. After they have passed QC, it gets packed up in its case or gig bag then placed in a box and shipped to the dealer.

Memo Romero

Thanks for sleuthing that out for us Craig - and thank Memo for the info!