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Post by Si on Jul 5, 2007 8:42:26 GMT
Im planning to ship my qin from shanghai to singapore (4 weeks duration) using a frieght forwarding comapny with all my other personal effects.
Can anyone see a problem with such a plan - or am i just worrying too much.
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 5, 2007 10:51:02 GMT
There shouldn't be much problem if the qin's well-wrapped against damp and in a hard case. I'd also recommend bubble-wrap uf there's room in the case for it.
(I've had a qin carried from Chna to the UK in an aircraft hold without any problems, so doubt you'll see much damage if you use a decent freight forwarder.)
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Post by calden on Jul 5, 2007 14:07:53 GMT
When shipping or transporting a guitar the standard procedure is to loosen the strings (but not all the way.) If the instrument is knocked or dropped, even if the case protects against the wood being damaged the shock can open seams and snap the head off the neck, if the strings are up to tension. You thus might want to loosen the strings a bit. On the other hand, I don't know if the tension on qin strings is very much to begin with.
Carlos
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Post by Si on Jul 5, 2007 15:22:27 GMT
yeah i think that sounds like good advise - regarding the strings.
I was worried about the heat or humidity in the container as well.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 5, 2007 15:58:13 GMT
I think qin string tension is less than that of a guitar. But yes, loosen it slightly but not all the way. Some tension will stabalise the structure.
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Post by guzhenglover on Jul 6, 2007 2:42:24 GMT
Can't you have your qin with you as check-in luggage or, better still, carry-on luggage? I'd consider doing that if it was my baby...
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 6, 2007 6:20:03 GMT
Check-in is certainly possible, subject to weight limits. Carry-on is worth checking out, but don't bank on it: there are limits on the size of carry-on baggage (there's a story that John Thompson was once compelled to put his qin, in a soft case, in the hold); and even if you're allowed to carry the qin on, the overhead lockers in some aircraft are too small. On the other hand some airlines will allow business class passengers to put their qins in the cabin clothes cupboard.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 6, 2007 8:02:37 GMT
I think we've discussed this before.
Check-in: certainly.
Carry-on: iffy. After all the terrorism fiasco, most likely not.
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Post by Si on Jul 6, 2007 9:35:46 GMT
I have 2 qins now, so my plan was new one will go with frieght forwarder, old one i will take to UK on holiday in a soft case as carry on.
But yes the carry on debate is a big problem. What happened to JT qin after he had to check it in?
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 6, 2007 14:48:59 GMT
JT's qin was damaged in the hold. I forget whether the airline agred to pay for the damage, but the qin was eventually repaired by ?Georges Goormaghtigh? in Switzerland.
If you want to carry on check and double check with the airline first. One of them took mine off me once even though the people who sold the ticket (who were airline employees, not an agency) had said I could take it as cabin baggage.
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Post by Si on Jul 6, 2007 16:36:43 GMT
At what point did they take it ofyou u. At check-in or boarding?
Did you tell them about it. Im wondering if I have no carry-on bag and my sister keeps it to one side at check in. Then once i have checked in I sling it over my shoulder and hope nobody bothers me. My qin is only 4-5kg so its within weight and just slightly longer than the 113cm regulations.
Damned qins are so annoying to take anywhere. Every year i go through the same idea about taking my qin home but never dare!
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 6, 2007 17:57:06 GMT
At boarding. I generally try to keep it out of sight at check-in, but really it doesn't matter which - either way the qin is confined to the freezing cold.
You might ask whether the ticket sellers are willing to give you a letter confirming you're entitled to carry on, but these days I plan for the worst and put my qin in a lacked hard case.
It may be worth contacting Dai Xiaolian, though. She's taken qins into and out of Shanghai by air quite a number of times. The last time I'm sure of was October 2004, but there may have been others since, and her experience will be more up to date than mine.
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 6, 2007 20:47:50 GMT
I have had pretty good luck bringing instruments as carry-on, even after post-9/11 security changes. A few years ago, I brought a Vietnamese "moon lute" in its case, and it fit quite nicely in the overhead bin. I think that a lot depends on the aircraft and how full the flight is. Maybe it also depends on the mood of the gate and flight attendents. Certainly the larger and more fragile the instrument, the bigger the risk.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by Si on Jul 7, 2007 9:42:57 GMT
And maybe Dai Xiao Lian takes China Eastern from Shanghai and they seem rather relaxed there. Not like at the Police State of Manchester Airport!!!
If they do force me to put the qin in the cargo hold - I wonder if they have a fragile special area to put stuff ot will it just get tossd with the rest.
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 7, 2007 11:59:11 GMT
Mine wasn't marked as fragile so it just got tossed in with the rest.
One of the worst experiences I had with airport security was at Kai Tak. Part of my luggage went missing for a day and when I went to collect it, within hours of being told it'd turned up, they'd opened the case, wrecking it the process. No compensation, of course, and all the case held was books.
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Post by Si on Jul 8, 2007 1:57:19 GMT
well i will take my old qin with me- just in case.
but once you get to where ever your going then u have to worry about the type of table. if you only have access to round tables - your snookered!
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 8, 2007 6:35:39 GMT
A quick trip to Ikea?
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 8, 2007 8:27:02 GMT
I think a qin table is the least of your worries.
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Post by carol on Jul 8, 2007 18:08:45 GMT
hmm, I've been carrying my qin as carry-on to the plane many times without problems even post-911. I always use a soft bag with a shoulder strap. Most of the time, I took United. The qin fit well into the overhead cabinet on the window sides. If the cabinet is too crowded, the flight attendant will help me find a safe place after I mentioned it's a musical instrument.
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Post by Si on Jul 9, 2007 1:44:03 GMT
Carol - that is how I expect things to go. I sometimes have a large art-portfolio bag and stewards take it down to biz class and stow it there.
I just ever have a good feeling at airports in the UK. They seem to treat everything by the book.
Anyway I will let you know how it goes next month.
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Post by Si on Jul 11, 2007 15:55:13 GMT
my teacher just told me NOT to slacken the strings on the qin before shipping it!
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 11, 2007 21:07:05 GMT
Rationale?
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Post by Si on Oct 5, 2007 1:21:23 GMT
My qin arrived fine by the way.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 5, 2007 20:17:41 GMT
Then all is good.
I'm still juggling on whether to get a cheaper qin or save up for a good (and tad expensive) one. I'm literally itching to get my hands on a good (and easy to play) one. I've waited ages.
*sigh*
I guess I have to be patient, oh the agony!
Luckily, some posted a video on YouTube with the CCN 'NAGA supervised' model being played so I can at last make a judgement on that! Of course, the real issue is playability and I must ask the guy (who I am now in correspondance with) to take some pics of the yueshan and judge its finger resistance on that.
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Post by Si on Oct 6, 2007 6:59:29 GMT
You mean yours is not easy to play! If thats the case a new easy to play qin will be a doddle for you to play.
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