Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Help with shipping my Kawai GS-70 overseas

I am shipping my GS-70 from Madrid to Newfoundland sometime in May or June. I have never done this before and need help figuring out what I have to do. I have a ton of questions. Where do I get a crate? Should the instrument be tuned down to ease the pressure off the frame and soundboard? I assume it needs to be covered in blankets inside the crate to avoid scratching? Is the crate built so that it fits snug inside and doesn't move around if the seas are rough? What type of shipping Co. should I hire for the job? How much should I be expecting to shell out for a proper job?

I need something like a checklist. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Elena
www.duoscarbo.com

You might check with a local Kawai store to see if they have crates for those pianos. They might be able to recommend shippers for you. You will not need to adjust the tuning.

Will call them. Anything else I should keep in mind?

Thanks.

Insurance rider. Don't count on the moving company...they usually have a deductible of 5K or more....

Ask the dealer if they could pack the piano into a packing crate for you. The local piano movers should do it, but the dealer may not have a RX-7 or Shigeru-7 packing crate available.

If not, then a custom wood packing crate would be made. This must be made by someone with experience packing and unpacking pianos. A pallet is made, the piano is tilted onto the padded pallet, then the sides and top are built around the piano. Regular moving blankets can be used to cushion the inside.

- Dessicant bags (available from the piano store) should be put into the piano to reduce condensation on the strings
- Sealing the piano in plastic is difficult, but also possible to reduce the risk of moisture problems.
- The box MUST be clearly marked
"This side UP"
"Heavy End" (on the keyboard side of the piano, marked on the flat sides)
"FRAGILE - do not drop"
"Contains Grand Piano - keep upright!!!"
- A tie-down stick is a good idea on the hammer shanks (like most new pianos), and wrapping the bass strings with a soft cloth or small padded moving blanket inside the piano is helpful. These are not essential.
- There are small stick-on devices that can be put on the ends of the box which indicate reliably if the piano ever fell over in transit. These "Tip Meters" can be purchased from shipping supplies, and are very helpful if any damage occurs to the piano in transit.

Once the piano is crated, it should be moved by the piano movers to the freight company which is handling the overseas move.

Good luck, and if you need help once you get the piano to Canada, feel free to contact me at Kawai.

Thank you! This is a big help.

Well waddyaknow, neither Steinway nor Kawai ship their pianos in wooden crates anymore. They all come in cardboard boxes!!

I am going to have to build my own crate.

Any suggestions?

I am also planning to move my piano overseas: from California to France - this thread is very helpful. I was wondering if @ehpianist actually moved the piano and would care to share the experience/ results?

I am looking to transport my piano. Do you have any experience or advice you'd like to share?