Shipping a 2500 to CMS
 
 

Your 2500 is probably in dire need of a proper calibration and a power supply rebuild or upgrade. Send it to CMS and make it happy again!

Many customers use a packing and shipping service center to avoid the task of collecting materials and packing up a 2500. This method offers less hassle but is more expensive.

UPS has an expandable foam packing system that we have used in the past to ship 2515 cabinets overseas. It is only available at major UPS facilities. Consult UPS.com

Recommended packing tips:

 

2515 Main Cabinet: Wrap the cabinet in clear shrink plastic. Wrap 1 layer of large bubble wrap around that. Then place it in a double wall cardboard box with styrofoam peanuts, more bubble or foam on all sides. The ideal box size to ship a 2515 cabinet is 52 x 26 x 16 inches.

Uline makes a sturdy 48 x 24 x 24 double wall box (S-14235) that can be used to ship a 2515 cabinet, however you may have to pay freight charges to get this box shipped to you depending on your location. Check with U-line.

U-haul sells a double wall "Shorty Wardrobe Box" that measures 24 x 20 x 34 inches. You can use 2 of these telescoped together to make a 52 x 24 x 20 inch box for the 2500 main cabinet. In most cases you can find these locally.

2508 Concert Wing: Wrap the cabinet in clear shrink plastic. Wrap 1 layer of large bubble wrap around that. Then place it in a double wall cardboard box with 2 inches minimum of styrofoam peanuts, more bubble or foam on all sides. Uline makes a 28 x 28 x 28 inch double wall box ( S-16461 ). The height can easily be cut down to 16 inches to fit the concert wing.

2508P Portable Wing: Wrap 1 layer of large bubble wrap around the closed tolex cabinet. Then place it in a sturdy cardboard box with 2 inches minimum of styrofoam peanuts on all sides. Uline makes a 28 x 28 x 28 inch double wall box ( S-16461 ). The height can easily be cut down to 18 inches to fit the portable wing.

3000 series keyboard: Wrap the keyboard with large bubble wrap enough to fill the box entirely. Typical box size 48 x 24 x 8 inches. Bass and large guitar boxes work good here. Music stores sometimes have a "cardboard only" dumpster where these are found. Consider running your 2500 from a MIDI converter before sending your keyboard.

This method of packing has had a perfect track record for over 25 years.

Calzone/Anvil type cases are not recommended for shipping UPS / Fedex. Calzone/Anvil type cases with lockable wheels can be safely shipped by freight carrier. Heavy Crates are not recommended for shipping.

Do not send the AC power cord.

Please take note of any missing knobs, bent panels and any major scratches or dings.

Include a sheet with your name and contact information.

You will be notified by email or phone when it arrives at CMS.

Insurance: Insure the main cabinet for a minimum of $12000.00. Wing cabinets should be insured for a minimum of $8000.00. The keyboards are usually insured for $2000.00 to $2500.00.

Carriers: UPS is the only carrier we can recommend at this time. No 2500 was ever damaged or lost in their dealings with CMS for over 25 years. Do not use a UPS store! They are mostly independently owned and will totally freak out if you try to ship anything of value. The best way to ship with UPS is to use their web site and sign up for a UPS account number. This will enable you to insure the instrument for it's proper value. Getting a UPS account number will also speed up the return shipping process quite a bit when your unit is finished and ready to ship.

DO NOT USE FEDEX! Although they have never lost or damaged anything when shipping with CMS, our opinion is that their insurance policy is inadequate and somewhat deceptive. They will not insure antique musical instruments for more than $1000.00 even if you pay for the extra insurance!

Checkout procedure: 2 to 4 days later you will receive an itemized report on your 2500 from CMS. You can pick and choose what repairs and/or upgrades you would like for your 2500. No work will be performed or charged to you without your pre-approval. Estimates for 2500's are totally free. We will also re-test all of your suspect sub-modules using our specially built 4000 series sub-module test rig.

Final Checkout procedure: All instruments are fully calibrated in the CMS lab using ARP factory methods and documentation. All functions are fully tested in an actual studio environment for several days prior to packing and shipping. You are responsible for return shipping & insurance.