Moving cross country… would you trust a moving company?

[JerEvil]

I feel like the answer is “no”…

I’ve got 12 heads and 15 guitars. All my shit would be considered “expensive or boutique”

Has anyone done this and how did you move large quantities of gear? I’ve though about just individually shipping everything which will be about $2200 for the heads and guitars…

What say you?

 

[norminal]

It it were me, I’d rent a big van, roll up a few fat ones, grab a friend, and hit the road.

 

[JerEvil]

…. roll up a few fat ones, grab a friend, and hit the road.

I assume you mean road burritos?

 

[norminal]

I assume you mean road burritos?

I like the Swisher wraps. You can fit a good 3.5g in them if you grind it fine.

 

[laxu]

That's what insurance and road cases are for.

 

[woody]

I feel like the answer is “no”…

I’ve got 12 heads and 15 guitars. All my shit would be considered “expensive or boutique”

Has anyone done this and how did you move large quantities of gear? I’ve though about just individually shipping everything which will be about $2200 for the heads and guitars…

What say you?

I'm not sure why you'd consider individual shipping any safer than a moving company, which is directly liable for breaking stuff, if they break stuff.
The average conveyor belt package handler will be more reckless than the dude who is personally responsible to get your stuff safely from a to b.

That said, packaging as if you were individually shipping probably is a good idea anyway.
And 2200 bucks is a decent budget for additional flight cases for the really irreplaceable stuff. You might even be able to negotiate a discount with a case builder for a bigger order.

 

[Aelred]

From https://qshark-moving.com/are-movers-responsible-for-damage/

Nature of the Items: Inherently fragile items or those susceptible to damage due to changes in temperature or humidity might have limited coverage.

 

[AutomationBias]

Not a chance. We've hired professional movers multiple times and each time they've fucked up something spectacularly. Anything you care about, move it yourself.

 

[DrewJD82]

Well, I’ve had a car delivered from New England to Florida and vice versa without an issue, but if it were my guitars and amps, I’d absolutely be driving a U-Haul myself. Just not worth the risk.

 

[sleewell]

I like the Swisher wraps. You can fit a good 3.5g in them if you grind it fine.

It it were me, I’d rent a big van, roll up a few fat ones, grab a friend, and hit the road.

these def are your best bet.

 

[Holden Afart]

Absolutely not!

 

[HotRats]

I've relocated few years ago and I moved all my music and studio gear my self renting a van.
It was a 400km (250 miles) trip so far from being impossible.
Since I've moved back near my parents I did it in two days and left all my gear at their place.

my main concern were the guitars and the expensive studio monitors

 

[TubeStack]

+1 for renting a van/truck and driving it all yourself.

 

[la szum]

It's Unanimous!

For the first time ever on an Internet Forum there is no debate.

Now ignore us at your peril @JerEvil .

Oh, and safe travels.

 

[TubeStack]

Also, to add, I used to work for a moving company and can confirm, those guys do not give two shits about you or your nice stuff, in any way. In fact, they enjoy trashing it.

The company was Allied, whose slogan was "The Careful Movers" and all that slogan did was give them something to jokingly say while purposefully kicking/throwing/squishing a box or other item to make it fit in the truck. Grab a box, kick, squish, shove it into the pile with your shoulder, while laughing and saying, "Allied... the careful movers."

 

[QQQ]

Absolutely not. In my experience hardly anyone/anything should be given the benefit of the doubt anymore. If you can do something more to ensure a better result, you should.

 

[dbagchee]

We used PODS (no affiliation with Line 6 ) to move cross country - we did hire help to help pack the container but you can pack it yourself as well. All amps and guitars made it unscathed and was less stressful driving over the Rockies in late winter/early spring or having to worry about break-ins at hotel stops along the way.

Added bonus was they can store it for additional time if you are still hunting for a place to live.

 

[TubeStack]

Also, to add, I used to work for a moving company and can confirm, those guys do not give two shits about you or your nice stuff, in any way. In fact, they enjoy trashing it.

The company was Allied, whose slogan was "The Careful Movers" and all that slogan did was give them something to jokingly say while purposefully kicking/throwing/squishing a box or other item to make it fit in the truck. Grab a box, kick, squish, shove it into the pile with your shoulder, while laughing and saying, "Allied... the careful movers."

And to clarify, I didn’t do any of that. I’m a careful guy and I was careful with people’s stuff.

 

[SonVolt]

hell fucking no

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I made a similar move to what you're probably doing now. LV to East Coast.

But nope I did not trust the moving company. Sold the biggest pieces of furniture locally in Vegas and just moved with my gear, clothes and the essentials for the new life lol. Rented a 5x8 U-Haul trailer, attached it to my SUV and drove. Cost me about $700 with full insurance. Plus the gas and hotels of course. About $1400 total IIRC. It took me 5 days with stops and without driving excessive amounts.
I kept my more expensive guitars in the car with me (instead of in the trailer) and brought it to the hotel rooms with me at night. I planned the route beforehand and booked hotels along the way. It was actually a fun experience but it's not for weak lol