Guide to packing musical instruments for relocation
For some items, you don’t have to worry if they’ll stay in a moving truck. Wherever you put our sofa, books, and clothes is their place for the rest of the transport. Especially if you get some help from a professional moving company. However
the situation is a little bit different when it comes to musical instruments. These are fragile items so they get damaged very easily. Therefore, if you’re planning on moving in recent times, be sure to read the guide to packing musical instruments for relocation throughout.
Guide to packing musical instruments for relocation
As we have already mentioned, musical instruments are fragile items, and sometimes that can be difficult to relocate. They’re sensitive when it comes to falling, shaking, and even temperature changes. All of this means that simply writing fragile on the side of the box won’t be enough. At least that’s what our professionals from ipsnycmovers.com tell us. They helped us to divide this guide into a few sections so you can learn how to properly pack each of the following instruments for relocation:
- String instruments
- Pianos and organs
- Woodwind and brass instruments
- Drums
String instruments – Cellos, Violins, Guitars
These types of instruments require delicate moves, maybe even climate-controlled storage. All strings need to be loosened. Make sure to bring the adjustment keys and tuners are parallel to the headstock or the body of the instrument. If you have a hard case for it, don’t even think about using anything different. However, you can add packing peanuts and packing paper inside of it if you think it might be necessary. Focus on the headstock as this is where these instruments are most prone to breaking. On the other hand, if you don’t have a hard case wrap your instrument in plastic moving protection. Seal everything with packing tape and use as much bubbly stuff as you can.
Use as much packing peanuts or paper as possible to fill the empty space inside of the box containing an instrument. Also, remember to shake it gently from time to time to make sure that your packing material is inside every nook and cranny of the box. When everything is finished, you’ll have plenty of materials to recycle, but your pride and joy will be safe and sound as good as it ever was.
Pianos and Organs
Pianos have always been the instruments that are moved the most in big cultural cities like New York is. However, nowadays this instrument seems to be more popular than ever. So how could a guide to packing musical instruments for relocation be without them? And there’s no doubt about it, pianos are amazing instruments and loads of fun. There are just a few drawbacks to them. They’re very expensive and incredibly heavy. This is why hiring a professional crew to do the job of relocating is always recommended. Luckily for you, there are many NYC experts to help you transport your valuable piano. But, before that, you need to know how to prepare it and pack it for the move.
You can go ahead and remove any music stands that the instrument has. Pretty much, anything that sticks out and can be easily removed should be. Close the keyboard cover and try to secure it in place. Extra wrappers and recommended on the pedals and legs of the instrument. Your movers will provide all the needed packing supplies, but the idea is to wrap the whole thing in moving blankets and plastic to keep it as safe as possible.
Woodwind instruments and Brass
Packing musical instruments for relocation is not always the same. Woodwind instruments and brass are the ones that should be completely disassembled before packing. The hard case, however, is very desirable here also. Maybe even more than with the string instruments. What’s also important with these types of instruments is the size of the box. It has to be big enough to fit not only the whole instrument but a few inches of protection also. One more time, a bubbly wrap is your best friend when packing brass. Get your hands on some inflatable pillows and fill the rest of the box with towels and blankets. The instrument shouldn’t be moving at all inside of it.
We’ll take just a moment to touch on the subject of moving with musical instruments itself. We understand how these items can mean more than life to many of us, but don’t get lost in trying to protect them as well as possible if you’re going to end up with a lack of time for other stuff. Learn where and how to cut moving costs so you can dedicate your attention to the things that you think are the most important.
Drums
The legend says that people move away from NYC because there is no apartment big enough to set up a drum kit. A joke on the side, drums are difficult to transport just because of their size. You will need a separate box for every tom and drum you have and all of them will have to be at least 2-4inches bigger than the drum itself. It’s a good idea to contact your local music store and ask them if they have any space heavy boxes that you can take.
Now, this is one way of packing musical instruments for relocation, but there’s another. You can remove the rims and heads and put your drums one inside of another. This will save you lots of space, but you’ll have much more dismantling to do. Make sure not to damage any heads or screws while doing this, and keep all the rods, tensioners and other small parts in separate plastic bags. The layer of packing peanuts in a box is a must as a final touch
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