Moving Cross Country… should I trust a moving company?

JerEvil

JerEvil

Well-known member
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 used a moving company once and it was awesome. Personally I’d pack my amps up and have them ready for the movers. I have been involved in some moving nightmares before…but honestly the feeling of just chilling and drinking beer while dudes handled everything was just awesome…
 
depends IMO. My ex had a job that paid us to relocate. They had a reputable moving company they used, and they were great. They packed everything, made sure it was protected, and secured it for the journey. Everything of value was inventoried/insured, and documented. Of course it was multiples over 2k, but if you are moving an entire house...
 
I moved across country with my guitars and amps. My most special guitars I took with me in my SUV along with my wife, two dogs and clothes for the trip. Everything else including other guitars, amps, recording equipment and basically everything in my home was left to the moving truck and they delivered without any problems. Keep in mind anything you have in the moving truck will be under a lot of weather changes.
 
JerEvil said:
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?
Click to expand...
I say good luck. I hope you find it worth all your efforts brother.
 
JerEvil said:
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?
Click to expand...

I’ve moved all my amps and guitars across the country multiple times (coast to coast). I did not use movers for it. It was a pain in the ass but worth the headache to me because I was “in control” the entire time and I love driving cross country.

I rented a minivan from my local airport, put all the seats in the floor and packed it to the hilt.

I stopped maybe a handful of times. Only stop in big cities at major hotels with parking lots that have cameras.

Don’t use a U-Haul. They are moving targets for robberies.

Plan the trip in advance so you know exactly how much gas gets you from where to where. Expect delays, expect detours, expect cops to randomly pull you over because you are 1 guy in a minivan with all the seats pulled down and not a family on a roadtrip.

Or pay a reputable moving company, pack like a champ and insure it and relax during what is already a taxing event. Use flight cases for amps. Obviously the higher the value, the more the insurance will cost.

Good luck.
 
Rent a van or trailer, and move your gear yourself. Last time I moved that's what I did; I had less gear than now, and moved about an hour away so I just packed gear and other things (computer, tv) in my car and made many trips. Move your gear yourself.
 
JerEvil said:
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?
Click to expand...
Where are you moving to Jer?

For me it depends on the weather for the guitars. I'd have a hard time trusting the amps with someone.
 
When I moved across country, I packed all my stuff in a 20ft Uhaul, drove it myself, and unfortunately had to unload 95% of it by myself lol At least my amps and guitars were safe though. If you have the ability to do it yourself, do it yourself.

For shits n' giggles, and because I hate Uhaul's ridiculous pricing: my move from Tennessee to Maine, 20 foot truck/fees, was about $1300 plus gas. Food and hotel doesn't count, because that's to be expected. Almost exactly 1 year later, a Uhaul from Maine to Tennessee, along with a car trailer to tow my car back, was about $3500 plus gas. It had gone up that damn much in a year. It's going to cost you a fortune just to rent the truck(s) you need, no need to compound it if you don't have to by paying someone to drive it.
 
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