
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
I don't think it matters much if you remove tubes or not when shipping, Unless they're put in their own box and are sent separately.
I probably matters more how well the amps are packed.
I had 2 amps shipped to me last week. Both had tubes left in and 2 different outcomes based on how well they were packed.
I bough JerEvil's Gemini. He packed the shit out of it. thick styrofoam on all sides, form fitting box, the whole 9 yards. I think it coulg have survived a fall off a building. Everything including tubes were perfectly intact.
The other amp is currently with the tech having some repairs done from shipping damage. Dude put the thinnest piece of bubble wrap on the front face, not other cushioning or packing material. Footswitch was basically in a paper bag. An enough empty space in the box to land a plane. All but 2 of the tubes came out the sockets. Chassis was bent around the transformers. The tubes didn't break but were pretty much fucked. The only reason they didn't break was because they got wedged between a transformer and the shell. Luckily it was just the tubes and the chassis being slightly bent. The tech didn't find any electrical, circuitry, or other damage. Whether they were taken out or not tubes still would have been destroyed.
The only time I've had tubes damaged was when the shipper did a shitty packing job. Not to say damage couldn't ever happen, but I'd be more concerned with how well the amp is packed over if the shipper left the tubes in or not.
I probably matters more how well the amps are packed.
I had 2 amps shipped to me last week. Both had tubes left in and 2 different outcomes based on how well they were packed.
I bough JerEvil's Gemini. He packed the shit out of it. thick styrofoam on all sides, form fitting box, the whole 9 yards. I think it coulg have survived a fall off a building. Everything including tubes were perfectly intact.
The other amp is currently with the tech having some repairs done from shipping damage. Dude put the thinnest piece of bubble wrap on the front face, not other cushioning or packing material. Footswitch was basically in a paper bag. An enough empty space in the box to land a plane. All but 2 of the tubes came out the sockets. Chassis was bent around the transformers. The tubes didn't break but were pretty much fucked. The only reason they didn't break was because they got wedged between a transformer and the shell. Luckily it was just the tubes and the chassis being slightly bent. The tech didn't find any electrical, circuitry, or other damage. Whether they were taken out or not tubes still would have been destroyed.
The only time I've had tubes damaged was when the shipper did a shitty packing job. Not to say damage couldn't ever happen, but I'd be more concerned with how well the amp is packed over if the shipper left the tubes in or not.