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From: craigm498@aol.com (CraigM498)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
Subject: Re: Mailing Guitars ...
Date: 25 Sep 1995 12:45:19 -0400

As a former owner of an acoustic guitar store, I have had some significant
experience shipping guitars to all parts of the globe.  Here is what I
would recommend.  First, go to your nearest guitar store and obtain an
acoustic guitar shipping box.  Most stores do little if any shipping so
they will readily part with them.  Find the best one you can.  Second,
open the case and note how the guitar fits into the case.  My guess is
that yours has some room to move in the case.  If so, fill those spaces
with newspaper so there is a tight fit around the body of the instrument. 
Third, wad up some newspaper and place it under the headstock--enough to
lift the neck of the instrument about 1/4 inch off the neck rest in the
case.  Fourth (and some will disagree with me on this)--do not loosen the
strings.  The headstock is the heaviest part of the guitar.  Leaving
tension on the strings will help to spread the weight of that headstock
across the entire instrument and will make it less likely that it will
snap.  Almost every builder who ever shipped instrumenst to our store
would leave tension on the strings--some at concert pitch, some tuned down
one half to one full step.  Fifth, put some newspaper in the bottom of the
box, put the guitar case in the box and fill all of the remaining space
with newspaper until the instrument is tight in the box.  Finally, send
the instrument UPS, Fed Ex or some other carrier SECOND DAY AIR.  Out of
hundreds of instruments shipped during the time we had our store, the only
time we ever had a problem was when an instrument went ground.  Be certain
to insure it for the full retail value.  The shipping charge should be
somewhere around $60-75, but the extra confidence is worth it.

Good luck,
Craig Mecham