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How to Ship Your Accordion to Ike !

Wrap the accordion in 2 layers of bubble wrap. Do not send the case, if the accordion is being sent in or repair or examination. Ship it inside a strong shipping container such as a nearly new cardboard box.

The best position for the accordion inside the shipping container is...

upright in playing position, with the accordion diagonal in the shipping container. That way the bass mechanism and the reed bars are not placed under destructive G-forces if the box is violently thrown flat into the truck as UPS personnel have been doing lately. If the accordion were horizontal with the keyboard up, the bass mechanism is only supported by the valve springs, and when a heavy box is thrown, the g-forces pull the bass buttons down and collapse the mechanism, a condition which takes me 10 minutes to over 2 hours to rectify. If the accordion is vertical in "playing" position all those g-forces are applied in a less dangerous direction. Also the reed bars will be in a vertical position and unlikely to be knocked loose. I have had better luck with the U.S. Postal Service, because they are largely automated and have fewer people throwing things around than UPS. Old foam rubber pillows, or stuffed animals, cardboard, or wadded up newspapersare good to take up extra space in the shipping container. One very important other thing is to keep the accordion from knocking around. It should not be free to move but also not squeezed under any pressure by its case, if for some reason the case is being sent. Label the box on all 6 sides "FRAGILE DO NOT DROP"

Also... One added thing you might want to do, if you're not shy about opening up the back panel is... Loosen the bass strap until it comes out, take out the screws or unfasten the back panel, and if the space under the bass buttons is accessible, put a folded card board "filler" under the chord bass button rods to support them in transit. A few accordions, notably Scandalli, don't have the standard bass mechanism, so don't bother with those. That way when UPS personnel throw the heavy box creating a tremendous G-force on the instrument, the horizontal whack on the bottom of the container won't collapse the springs holding up the chord buttons. I can fix this problem but it takes anywhere from ten minutes over 2 hours. The box 's 3 dimensions added up must not total more than 108 inches. This is the maximum size for parcels, sent inside the U.S. except when paying an oversize fee to the Post Office. The average weight of a piano accordion shipment is around 25 to 35 lbs. If you use the U.S. postal service leave off the entry code (07) for my building as they have a key. Better yet send it to the P. O Box, as i check that nearly every day and I will probably get it sooner, plus it doesn't have to go out on the local delivery truck from house to house. Always get delivery confirmation form the post office so the package can be tracked in real time, unlike insurance, which only allows tracking when a claim is put in after a long waiting period to see if the package turns up somewhere. Purchase any

extra insurance

from the shipper. Insurance is good for only 2 things. 1. If the shipment is lost. 2. If it gets run over and crushed. Don't expect insurance to cover damage inside the container, unless the outer container has been damaged. Put a label inside with the accordion having your return address on it. Include a check for return shipping and handling made out to G. I. Milligan equal to your one-way shipping cost including insurance. My shipping address is found below. Estimates and analysis are FREE . Please E-mail me before sending it.

I will analyze the accordion for FREE and give you a report. YOU then decide what to have done. All work 100% guaranteed !
You must pay for return shipping, preferably in advance. Please make check payable to Gaines I. Milligan. My minimum flat rate for return S&H is $35, or what it cost you to send one-way, whichever is more. Enclose this check with the accordion Also include when and where I may contact you. Please notify me when shipping your accordion.

From anywhere in the U.S. I recommend shipping your accordion via the
United States Postal Service!

I don't recommend UPS for accordion shipment.

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Send me Email!

If you have questions about accordion repair or accordion tuning:

Email me at accordiondoc@mindspring.com.

Phone me at (301)649-1266

 

Accordion players around the nation rely on:

Ike's Boxpital for Sick Accordions(tm)

to keep their accordions in top shape
 

 
CALL TODAY!!! or (better yet) E-mail me.

accordiondoc@mindspring.com
(301)649-1266