This may well be a no-brainer for many of you, but it was a lesson learned for me. I thought I'd share a recent experience for those who may ship an amp to help keep you out of similar situation.
A few years ago I bought a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 on
the auction site and had it shipped. When it arrived I found that the seller had packed packing material around the power tubes. I thought that that was overkill. Maybe some of you know better. (A friend bought an amp the same way. His seller removed each tube and packed them separately.) Fast forward a few years, and I wanted try a Mesa/Boogie 20/20 so I bought one. Yes, on the 'bay. This time, however, the seller had not packed around the power tubes. One of them managed to wiggle loose enough to hit the bottom of the unit and shatter. It was a nice surprise when I opened the box.
I ordered a new matched quad of power tubes and forwarded the cost to the seller who filed a claim with Fedex. I just got a check in the mail for the cost of the new tubes and then some. Not a lot more, but almost enough to replace the 12AX7s as well!
The moral of the story. Pack your tubes carefully when shipping a
tube power amp. The best bet is probably to remove them and wrap them individually.
