If you’re a musician, professional or just enjoy playing, then you know that not only do musical instruments cost a lot of money, they allow you to express your emotions through the language of music, and losing that is devastating. While you may feel a similar attachment to other items like family heirlooms, it’s not the same thing as your couch, your dining room set, your clothes, or your books when it comes to moving.
At Francis Moving Co., we pride ourselves on being a family-owned business committed to delivering customer satisfaction with affordable moving rates. For over 30 years, Francis Moving Co. has continued to provide residential moving services, including musical instruments, all across the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario. When it comes to your musical instruments, such as pianos, guitars, cellos, violins, etc., we understand their value to you and take every care in their moving. Here are a few tips to safeguard your instruments while they travel:
Stringed instruments like cellos, guitars, and violins, are more fragility than other instruments, which makes them tricky to ship. Adverse weather conditions can also warp the wood. To prevent cracking or warping, take the following steps: loosen the instrument’s strings enough that the temperature won’t strain them; where applicable, loosen the bow’s hairs for the same reasons and turn all the tuning keys parallel with the headstock so nothing can snap them off; add some extra padding, but do not use shredded paper or packing peanuts because these items could get inside your instrument; better yet, purchase a hard case to keep your instrument safe from moisture and falls.
Most brass and woodwind instruments have fairly robust parts; however, a ding or dent in even one part could ruin the entire sound. Protect them during travel by completely take the instrument apart; wrapping all the pieces in bubble wrap; and storing them in a hard case.
Percussion instruments like drums can be boxed with the sides, top, and bottom bubble wrapped for padding. Use a sturdy box a little bit bigger than the instrument itself so that the wrapped instrument fits in precisely in the box - there should be nothing moving inside to scratch or damage your instrument. Larger percussion instruments, like a marimba, can be moved the same way a piano is moved.
Other key factors include:
Packing and shipping musical instruments in their own cases and always using appropriate types and quantity of the packaging.
If you have a concert schedule, let the movers know when you will need your musical instruments.
After the move, allow stringed and woodwind instruments to acclimatize before you use them again for at least 24 hours.
Whether it’s a residential or commercial move for your instruments, for more information regarding our services or to book a move, contact Francis Moving Co. today