I feel fortunate to be able to say that I never had any gear stolen, except, Ironically, a tuner that disappeared at a friend's house yesterday. I'm pretty sure it was taken by accident and it'll hopefully turn up. Hardly an irreplaceable item.

Still, some of you out there probably haven't been so lucky. If anyone out there has had an experience with gear theft and retrieval, please post it here. I'm pretty sure people are at a loss when they realize they've been robbed. It would be helpful to all if we could benefit from other's experience so that we don't run around like a chicken without a head if the unthinkable did happen to the rest of us.

This forum is as much about prevention as it is about retrieving gear. Let's get some talkin' going on.

Thank you in advance.

The Only advice I have is to check the local pawn shops EVERY DAY, and try to talk to different people if you can.

My bass was stolen out of my car on a tuesday, and was given to a pawn shop on wednesday. I talked to this Pawn shop (along with the 3 others in my area) every day. The next tuesday (6 days after they received my bass) I got a different person at one of the pawn shops. I described my bass and the lady said "well we have had one of those since wednesday of last week".

I am lucky to have a Cop in my band (which have given me some much needed respect, I used to hate ALL cops.... now its just some of them) and he was able to get my bass back quickly.

It turns out that the Guy I was talking to at the Pawn shop, who said he had not seen a bass with my description, was the owner, and that the helpful lady(who told me of my bass) was an employee. I would suggest that you go 'case out' the pawn shops in your area and get the names of as many employees as you can. And by all means, file a police report, even if you don't know your serial number. I did not know mine, but I was able to describe many birth marks on my bass that are unique.

Since then, I have recorded all of my gear on a camcorder(complete with serial numbers) and have given a copy of the tape to two friends.....

Hope this helps

Originally posted by Arrrrrgh
The Only advice I have is to check the local pawn shops EVERY DAY, and try to talk to different people if you can.


I second this advice. I once had a bass stolen right out of my house and it turned up in a pawn shop the next week.

Hate to say it but the police were no help at all, even though I had the serial numbers and everything. Don't count on them being able to do anything.

Insure your gear. This shouldn't cost that much money and you'll be very glad you did if something ever happens.

And if you ever find the thief, crack his skull. :spit:

I also had a bass stolen. It turned up 2 years later in a reputable music store. One of my friends saw it, actually the same guy whose car it was stolen out of, and had to buy it back. I was living in a different state and he didn't know how to get a hold of me so he just bought it and later found me and shipped it out to me.

I had a Randall 4x10 cab stolen from me in 1994. My mom was volunteering at the PD at the time, so she had one of the p*** come by and we filled out a report - serial and all.

The cab turned up a 3 or 4 years later in a pawn shop - I couldn't believe it! I brought the issue up with a couple of the employees, and they said if I could show a copy of the receipt and report we wouldn't have an issue. Since nobocy was home at the time, I drove home, grabbed the paperwork, and got back to the shop. It took about an hour.

Apparently the cabinet sold while I was gone.

And the p*** wouldn't help me, until I mentioned the work my mother had done for them. And then they just gave us the runaround and excuses, of which I could understand if we didn't live in one of the lowest crime induced cities in America.

If your pawning around, bring your docs, just in case. Take pictures and note identifying marks. And don't leave it to the p***, they're called p*** for a reason. But don't do anything stupid either.

Obligatory "grain of salt" reminder.

Now that I'm all growed up we have insurance.

I have lost 3 guitars.

Boston Area Stolen in late seventies,

'69 Strat Electric Blue, rosewood neck.
had a sun painted on the upper horn,
part of the finish was removed until I found epoxy body filler in it.
1974 or 75 Model EB3 Gibson Bass, cherry red natural finish, Boston as well.

Stolen out of a storeroom in a warehouse in Everett MA, probably by some of the employees there, who mostly were from Chelsea MA.
Almost certainly the same person stole both. The cases were not stolen.

The storeroom was not secure enough, it was possible to climb over a wall to get into it.

Also lost a Gibson 12 string acoustic in a home burglary in Quincy MA in May 1977. My locks were not adequate to keep out the heroin addict in the house next door. I went to the movies, and he broke in through the basement in the interim, taking my TV, stereo, records, guitar, all 20 bucks of my cash and the food out of my fridge.
He left town very shortly thereafter, I then found evidence in his apartment of items that belonged to me.

I reinforced the kitchen to basement door with
1" plywood, 2 crossed 2x4's and headless carriage bolts thru the whole mess. Then the best locking deadbolt I could buy.

Lock your stuff up as well as you can. They won't keep pro's out, but pro's know that if it is too much hassle, they will move on to easier pickings. Always lock your house, car etc. Don't leave your guitars or equipment in plain view from the street, it attracts undue attention.

Moral: LOCKS LOCKS LOCKS

If you have seen this strat in the Beantown area
PM me, I still want it back. No q's.

On doublebasses, have your luthier do a thorough appraisal, on which anomilies that make the bass unique are noted. Also, have them mark your bass somewhere that can't be easily seen, usually somewhere that can be seen only with an inspection mirror. The bass bar is a good location.

Monte

so much for car alarms...

Originally posted by Arrrrrgh
The Only advice I have is to check the local pawn shops EVERY DAY, and try to talk to different people if you can.


I'll second this and add to keep checking E-bay. My friend Jennifer had some custom made golf clubs stolen. A cop told her to watch E-bay, as they were unusual.

Sure enough, 3 days later, she found them on E-bay. with the seller also being listed in OKC. The cops tracked the seller down, and it was a pawn shop. Due to the law here that you can't sell anything you take in at a pawn shop for 30 days, the guy was thought to be a fence. When they raided the shop, they found a lot of other stolen stuff.

Monte

Originally posted by int
Apparently the cabinet sold while I was gone.



Oh Right! PUH-LEEEZ?!?

When you gave them the heads up that they might have your stolen gear, they "sold":rolleyes: it while you were gone?!?

They knew, if you had the proper proof of ownership, that they were going to have to give it up.
That means they would have been out their investment and probably have brought on a similar investigation as one of the other "pawn shops" meantioned here (i.e. "the fence").

I must say that I feel sorry for everyone and I hope that it never happens to me, although a relative lost an instrument once by criminals. It's not funny no, but you can always remind yourself with the fact that it can happen to the best, if you know that even Jimi Hendrix' guitar was stolen. It was actually the whole idea of turning around his guitar, so that he could play left handed.

But my question is if being stolen changed your idea of makin' music and especially if you still can play songs written by criminals?
Its of course not really good for your image if you want to play 'Jailbreak' or fun lovin' criminals when people know that you are ripped. Who changed his idea and plays for instance 'The Police' more often ?
:bawl:

But my question is if being stolen changed your idea of makin' music and especially if you still can play songs written by criminals?


What?!:confused:

This subject came up in another forum I participate in. There is some very useful advice about protecting your gear.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/foderabassguitars/

The post you should look for is, "They broke into my house and took my Fodera, but.."
Check it out and the replies. It should be helpful.

And if you ever find the people who did it, Stomp their head into the ground!!! :D

I've only had a couple things stolen in the past
40 years or so. I learned a very good lesson on the first theft. NEVER leave an instrument in plain view in your vehicle. I lost my 67 Mosrite bass and a showman bottom that way.

Don't trust other musicians to do the right thing. I had a mic stolen from a steady gig. It turns out the band that auditioned on one of our off days stole it, and when I contacted them they blew me off. Jerks!

Since then, I cover any equipment that is being left in the car or leave the car in plain site if I'm stopping for breakfast on the way home. I have put curtains on all my camper windows. Unload ALL your gear when you get home and lock the car between trips. This is also good for loadins and loadouts at gigs.

If you know any Cranksters, be extra careful, never let them in your home,they will rip you in an instant.

For your home, get a big dog who makes noise when he/she hears strangers.

Be careful about insurance. Some companies won't pay if you are using it professionally. Be sure to ask this before getting the policy.

Never show your gear to anyone you don't know.

I've had people I don't know email me and ask to come by my house to check out my gear... then get offended when I say no.

I'll live with the shame.

I'm anal about leaving my gear exposed and/or unguarded... I just don't do it.

Originally posted by Brad Johnson
I've had people I don't know email me and ask to come by my house to check out my gear... then get offended when I say no.

I'm the same way and I don't have near as much gear as you Brad! ;) With the exception of one person, even the guys that I Jam with on a regular basis don't come by my place. When providing my contact information I give out a P.O. Box and an unlisted number. :D

I read somewhere a year or so ago, that there was a company that would basically imbed a tracking chip into your instrument on the neck or something, with a trackable serial number and all. Included with the installation, they gave you a number to call if the instrument was ever missing or anything and they could track it. I'm not sure how much this cost or anything at all really, but I thought this was a rather interesting way of it. Must really REALLY be in love with your bass to have a LoJack installed in it! Not sure if this thing is truly effective, but I do love my instrument enough that I'd be upset enough to cry if something were to happen to it.

EDIT:
Found it. Here we go. www.snagg.com (http://www.snagg.com)

I read somewhere a year or so ago, that there was a company that would basically imbed a tracking chip into your instrument on the neck or something, with a trackable serial number and all. Included with the installation, they gave you a number to call if the instrument was ever missing or anything and they could track it. I'm not sure how much this cost or anything at all really, but I thought this was a rather interesting way of it. Must really REALLY be in love with your bass to have a LoJack installed in it! Not sure if this thing is truly effective, but I do love my instrument enough that I'd be upset enough to cry if something were to happen to it.

EDIT:
Found it. Here we go. www.snagg.com (http://www.snagg.com)

That's a cool feature, but still pretty limited. It doesn't actually track where your instrument is, and relies on where ever it turns up to be scanned, which I know back home wouldn't happen, and I doubt in a lot of family run stores would be able to. Also, if someone stole your instrument who played it, they wouldn't neccissairly sell it or anything, could just keep it. But still a good idea, and maybe worth the cash..

Ray

picked up a really! beat up MM5 for next to nothing from a "friend,"
who gave me a bs story about his coworker's son that abused it.
learned later he stole a bass from a church! that he calls his own to this day! (statutes are over, he's assured me, or else he would not speak of it...)
i called the local PD's, and emailed EB - none of whom ever responded.
the PD's asked me to bring it in to compare to their #'s, and of course i balked.
i prayed and hoped the rightful owner would claim the bass, but as battered as it was when i got it, i knew there was little hope of a peaceful reunion.
my motto is "if it looks too good to be true, Walk!"
if you buy from thieves, it makes you no better than them.

"God does not distinguish if you steal from a 90 yr old person on SSI or a multi-billion dollar corporation"

my '76 Fender P got stolen one time, OUT OF MY CHURCH!! I scoured Craigs List, ebay and the local pawns and eventually found it on Craigs and posed as a potential buyer and went to confront him. (I'm 6'2 and 275...I try not to be threatening but I guess I can be when I want to...) I got the bass back unharmed. Thank Goodness...

JMB

my '76 Fender P got stolen one time, OUT OF MY CHURCH!! I scoured Craigs List, ebay and the local pawns and eventually found it on Craigs and posed as a potential buyer and went to confront him. (I'm 6'2 and 275...I try not to be threatening but I guess I can be when I want to...) I got the bass back unharmed. Thank Goodness...

JMB
Possibly a dumb question: Graigs List???

check it out.... http://www.craigslist.com . It's another forum type site where you can post things for sale, jobs, etc. Most major cities have their own branch.

check it out.... http://www.craigslist.com (http://www.craigslist.com/) . It's another forum type site where you can post things for sale, jobs, etc. Most major cities have their own branch.
Ahhh, Thanks.

10 years ago this month, I got a call from the guy who had the room down the hall from mine in a rehearsal studio. The wall of my room and the ajoining room had been kicked in, and most of the gear was gone.

I ran down there, and sure enough, everything was gone except my 8x10 cab and the drummers kit.

the losses included an ampeg V4b head, a fender pro 185 combo, a Gibson sonix guitar, a Fender MIJ Strat, and a bunch of effects pedals.

the room next to ours had been vacent, and i had talked to the landlord about locking it, but he was basicly to lazy to carry a key to unlock it and show the room. I actualy had slapped a pad lock on it at one point, and he got pissed and cut it off and told me i would be paying rent on it if I did it again. I still hold him partly responsible for the loss of my gear. the hall wall was cinder block, between rooms was just drywall.

I looked at where the wall was kicked in, saving a piece of dry wall with the thiefs foot print and shoe size, little feet he had, sneakers...

I knew it was the young dirt bag who previously rented a different room down the hall. He had once shown me a vintage gibson accoustic which he had bragged about getting in a B&E, and how even though the victim knew he did it, the police where powerless since they didn't have the guitar, and "I know the law, unless your caught in the act, the worst the can get you for is recieving stolen goods, haha suckers, and i'm a minor blah blah blah." I should have strangled the ****er on the spot and brought that guitar to the police in his home town. that was my first mistake.

after talking with every one who had been in the building that night, I knew that JASON FARINA of tiouge ave Coventry RI HAD been in the building that night, jamming with a drummer and another guitar player, a ROB HARINGTON, of WEST WARWICK RI.

I made lists of all the missing gear, which i brought to every pawn shop and music store in the area. I also made a report with the Providence police dept. Then I began tracking down the theifs addresses and stalking there places of work. I found the drummer first, and eventually accepted his innocence, he was helpful in giving me info on tracking down FARINA and HARRINGTON.

My second mistake was not grabbing and taking by force young FARINA the first time I confronted him, days later at his place of work. I should have forced him into the trunk of my car and brutaly tourtured him, taken the keys to his parents house, and retrieved my gear. I had been talked out of that by friends, saying I would be the one ending up in jail etc. He made wide eyed denials and tried to be buddy buddy, i could see the fear in his eyes. his boss ran out and kind of stopped me from doing more at the moment.

The next day, still making the rounds of music stores I recovered the effects pedals at HYDE music, in Coventry. after handing the owner the list, he asked me to describe anything unique about one of the effects. I then asked him if a round headed bag of **** named Jason Farina had offered to sell any used gear. He sighed and pulled a box of them out from under the counter. The coventry police where called and made another worthless report. it included Farina as the one who delivered the effects to the store.



Sometime later I also had tracked down Mr Harrington's place of work, and showed up there asking for him, one of the guys said he had left and asked if i was the one "who had the guitar" i told him yes and he gave me HARRINGTON's address. Rob somehow got tipped off and made himself scarce. I still want to beat his fat pimpled face in with a baseball bat.

In the end, the Coventry police arrested Farina and he was charged with recieving stolen goods and slapped on the wrist. sometime AFTER this, they finaly got around to asking to look around in his parents house for the other gear, which of course was elsewhere by this point, and was never recovered. They dragged their feet so long it was literally weeks after I had told them the full story and recovered the effects, along with the statement from the owner of HYde music that FARINA was the one who turned them in for a small amount of cash.

I still wish i had abducted this worthless **** bag and drove him hundres of miles into the country side, beat him with in an inch of his life, took his keys, and went into his house, his gf's etc, and recovered my stuff.

If anyone reading this knows either of these two, tell them to watch their back because there day WILL come. and their loss will be way higher then any value of the gear they stole. They will pay with interest...

The rest of you, If you ever catch a thief bragging on something he stole, beat his ass to a pulp, take the item, and have it delivered to the authorities by someone else. Never trust the authorities to be aggresive or interested enough to recover your gear, they don't give a ****, and the laws are written to protect the criminal and not the victim. Unlless they are caught in the act of the theft, they will only be charged with recieving stolen goods. Farina claimed he found the box of effects outside the building that night, and that was good enough for the judge.

I have not even read all the responses to this serious matter of having an instrument stolen. I suggest and highly recommend buying insurance for all your instruments and amps. I use a company called clarion. 253.00 (they added 3 dollars this year for the possibility of terrorism). Its worth the price. Its so worth the peace of mind.

My good friend who lives in Houston recently (end of June) had the back door to his garage kicked in and all of his recording gear stolen. It turns out that the thief used the same method on many homes in the area.

Now the good news! The police caught the dirtbag and recovered 95% of my friends stolen gear. :hyper: He picked it up last week from the Houston police locker. There was tons of other gear also there so if anyone has knowledge of someone who has recently had recording gear, jewelry, or money stolen from them by this method, have them contact the PD in Houston.

Oh Right! PUH-LEEEZ?!?

When you gave them the heads up that they might have your stolen gear, they "sold":rolleyes: it while you were gone?!?

They knew, if you had the proper proof of ownership, that they were going to have to give it up.
That means they would have been out their investment and probably have brought on a similar investigation as one of the other "pawn shops" meantioned here (i.e. "the fence").

That was my thoughts when I read that post. Now that they past a law that you can shoot to kill if threaten and they do not have to be in your house in Flordia now I think this may make the crack heads think twice about stealing our gear.

I have had equipment "permanently borrowed" and have not been able to find it. I checked the local pawn shops to no avail. I ran the problem by some cops at the local power ring (donut) shop and they told me something I had not considered.

If a pawn shop takes in stolen property (whether known to them or not) and the police recover the property from them, they (the pawn shop) are out the money they paid out for it. This is why pawn shop owners/employees are blind and ignorant when someone comes in looking for something specific. Shop owners also have an unspoken "cooling off" period for items they might think are hot (stolen). During this period, they will keep the item in the back or off site, just in case the owner or the cops come in looking for it.

If you have to check the pawn shops, go in as if you are browsing. Tell them what features you are looking for in your instrument and try to impress on them that you are ready to spend money now. If, by chance, you see your property, do not alert the shop employee to this. Keep your best poker face on and call the local cops as soon as you leave the shop. Stay nearby so you can keep an eye on foot traffic in and out of the shop. You should be able to get your property back when the cops show up and you can identify your stuff. It helps to have a report of the theft already completed. Make sure you have the report number with you, or a copy of the report.

Remember, pawn shop owners & employees are there to make money... not give away stuff they have paid for, stolen or not. These are not usually upstanding folks... they know they type of folks they do business with and are willing to take the risk. Be careful and don't let the pawn shop rip your gear off a second time.

...Just wanted to let ya's know that MY custom made Spector bass HAS RETURNED TO ME!!!!

I found it on EBAY on monday, march 22. EXACTLY 1 year to the day, that it was stolen! I immediately compared the pictures on Ebay with the pictures that I had from previous gigs, and sure enough, it was MY bass. So I called Mike XXXXX, the manager from Samash that designed the bass with Stewart Spector, from the Spector Bass Company, and he had a look at it, called Stewart, and confirmed that it was, without a doubt, my bass. Instead of calling authorities right away, I made up a fake ebay name, and emailed the seller on ebay. I posed as a female looking to purchase it outside of ebay for my husbands anniversary, and I told him I was from Florida. I asked him to send his name, address, and phone number, so that I could send payment to him ASAP because time was running out. He not only sent everything I asked, but also sent his student ID# and student email address. He was a student at Stanford University, in California! By now it was 1230 at night, so I decided to wait til tuesday morning to call the Stanford police. First thing tuesday, I called the Stanford police, and Spoke with a detective there that was REALLY helpful. I filed a report, faxed over every piece of info that I had on the bass that linked it to me as the rightful owner, I gave him the police report # from philly that I originally had from the previous year, and I emailed him pictures of me and the bass during a few of our gigs. He called me a half an hour later and said, " Dominic, I gathering a few guys and we're going over to his dorm room now!" I didn't hear back from him for a few hours. In the meantime, the stanford kid emailed me(thinking I was a girl from florida) and said that he couldn't sell the bass to me any longer because he had just found out it was stolen, and that he was sorry. Then I checked the Ebay auction, and he had ended that auction early! Finally, the detective from California called me around 430ish, and he said that the kid was selling it for a friend over here in Edison, NJ, but he COULD NOT give me the name or phone # of the kid from jersey. He then handed everything over to Philly police. So, I was on the phone with philly police all night tuesday, and they deliberately gave the case to a detective who wouldn't even be in the office till thursday night! And they also said that, by the time they get warrants and everything, it's probably going to be a good while..weeks even..if at all! So, I new the element of surprise was GONE! This stanford kid probably told his buddy by now that the police were at his place looking for the bass. I figured the bass would be gone by now, that they would have hidden it by now. I wasn't going to wait for philly police to handle this, because I KNEW nothing was going to be done, and even if they did do something, it would be to late. I NEEDED to get the Edison kids info somehow...my plan was to call this stanford kid myself, act like a detective from philly, and try to get him to give me his Edison, NJ friends' name address and number. I had had ALL the stanford kids info, address etc...but he didn't know it! He thought he had given it to some girl from florida, he knew nothing about me! So about 630pm tuesday, I called the Stanford kid in California, but instead of pretending to be a detective, I was straight up with him. I told him my first name, and that I was the rightful owner of the bass. I told him the police gave me his phone number. He started apologizing right away, and told me that he didn't know it was stolen, that they got it from a bum in Hoboken, NJ for $20 in front of a liquor store! lol I said, "listen, I really don't care where you got it from, all I want is to get it back in one piece. I'm willing to drop all the charges, as long as I get it back." He was really scared, the police over there scared him good! He could have been expelled for selling stolen property. He said that I would definately get it back, that he grew up with his friend and that he would MAKE him give it back! lol Anyway, he gave me his friend in Edison,NJ's name and phone number with no problem, he then called his friend to explain that I was gonna call him and get the bass. He asked me to call the Edison kid in 10-15 minutes. I called the kid in Edison, talked to him,..told him that I wouldn't press charges as long as I get it back. He actually was apologizing to me also..lol I told him that I could be up there, in Edison, by 10pm..He gave me his address with no problem. He did, however, ask that I don't meet at his house because he felt uncomfortable with me going there. I think he didn't want his family to know about the whole situation, he was kinda nervous on the phone too. Anyway, I drove up there with a friend that night, met him at a gas station around the corner from his house. He pulled up to my car, but couldn't see inside because of the tinted windows, so he didn't get out til I did..LOL He then got out of his car and handed it over to me. He apologized about 5 times, he wouldn't look at me, and he was really nervous. He looked like a dorky chubby Indian kid with glasses, a typical Indian college engineering or doctor type..lol I checked everything out right there. The bass is EXACTLY how I left it! Not a single scratch, ding, or dent. Everything was in the gig bag too! My silver cord, tuner, and earplugs. I smelled the inside of the bag and it smelled a little mildewy. I think he had this thing sitting in his house, stored away for an entire year! My friend had a good idea, he told me to offer him $20 for the $20 that he spent on it from the bum.lol Right before he drove off, I offered him $20 and he practically jumped away from it. Oh yeah, he was reluctant to shake my hand too. I know, just by his reactions, that he was the one who took it, but I promised them that I wouldn't do anything as long as I got it back, so I didn't. As he drove off, we noted his plate number on his car for safe keeping. ;-)

I called the philly police back today, to keep them from getting a warrant and kicking this kids door in, but the detective working on the case still isn't in, and won't be til tomorrow..lol I Love Philly! So, exactly 1 year and 1 day since it was stolen, I got it back! Oh yeah, that kid in Stanford still has no idea that I was "Sandy", the girl from Florida that he was emailing back and forth, and giving me ALL of his personal info..LMAO

...Just wanted to let ya's know that MY custom made Spector bass HAS RETURNED...........

............he was emailing back and forth, and giving me ALL of his personal info..LMAO
Now THAT........is a beautiful thing.:)

Thats awesome, congrats on the awesome detective work... maybe that might be a good line of work for ya! ;)

Thats awesome, congrats on the awesome detective work... maybe that might be a good line of work for ya! ;)
Dominc's Gear Recovery Agency!

A good tip that the older players at a gig gave me was to get a UV marker and write your name and something (doesn't matter since you just have to know what it says) with it on the back of all of your gear.

I had my american J-bass stolen at a festi we were playing in Vermont. We were done with our set and walking back to the trailer with our gear and met what seemed like a good group of people. They were kind of out there but we figured they were just the typical festi people. We brought them to our trailer (bad idea). We loaded our gear and they invited us to their camp (it was a 3 day camp out) as they had some "merchandise" that we wanted to check out. On the walk to their spot which was quite far because band trailers are separate from the fans camp area two of them said they were going to a friends camp for whatever and we didn't think much of it. We got to their camp, scored and used and watched some other bands. They left around 1 am we met them at 9 and they were with us the whole time. Me and our drummer were beat so we went back to goto sleep. When we got to our trailer the back window was smashed out with a rock and we were missing my bass and two guitars, a PA, a couple mics and other non-gear items. All our heavy stuff was still around (drums, amps, cabs). Anyway this story has a very happy ending. We called the guitarists and singer and told them to go back to the sketchy hippy tent and see what was going on but not to let them know we knew yet. They went there and said that the two that walked off before were there and they sat and had a few drinks and noticed they were acting differently so we had an idea it was them. The guitarists went a ways over to a group that was just sitting around now probably about 3 am. They told them what we thought was going on and asked if they could hang out to see if the two men would go back to their tent so they could follow them. Sure enough about half the group (including the two that walked off) start walking away and the guitarists followed and called us. They said they were watching from a distance and the group went to their camp put some crap in there van and he saw our PA among other equipment that wasn't ours in the back. Then they went to bed in their tent. So we wait a little bit and meet them near the tent. The drummer being the smallest of us smashes out the side window of the van (with the same rock) and unlocks the door and goes in back and opens the doors. Meanwhile they are waking up and we (me, and 2 guitarists) are getting ready to smash them if they want any. I went to help grab our ****. and they start coming out of the tent. I grab my bass as this is happening and the guitarists start callin for us 3 on 2 them so i take my bass and hit one across the chest (and the j-basses way ALOT for a bass). It knocked him flat on his back. By this time people were up breaking it up and security was on the way. We told security the deal and they gave us our stuff. Turns out there was other stuff already reported stolen to security that was in thier van. In retrospect we should have had security help from the get go but we were furious and young. My bass survived unscathed although i bet it wasn't very good for the neck. The guy who got the bass to the chest was brought to the medical tent :) serves him right. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it cracked a few ribs if not his breastbone. I would say to people deal with security first because they could have had guns or other weapons. We were young and stupid.

I have had equipment "permanently borrowed" and have not been able to find it. I checked the local pawn shops to no avail. I ran the problem by some cops at the local power ring (donut) shop and they told me something I had not considered.

If a pawn shop takes in stolen property (whether known to them or not) and the police recover the property from them, they (the pawn shop) are out the money they paid out for it. This is why pawn shop owners/employees are blind and ignorant when someone comes in looking for something specific. Shop owners also have an unspoken "cooling off" period for items they might think are hot (stolen). During this period, they will keep the item in the back or off site, just in case the owner or the cops come in looking for it.

If you have to check the pawn shops, go in as if you are browsing. Tell them what features you are looking for in your instrument and try to impress on them that you are ready to spend money now. If, by chance, you see your property, do not alert the shop employee to this. Keep your best poker face on and call the local cops as soon as you leave the shop. Stay nearby so you can keep an eye on foot traffic in and out of the shop. You should be able to get your property back when the cops show up and you can identify your stuff. It helps to have a report of the theft already completed. Make sure you have the report number with you, or a copy of the report.

Remember, pawn shop owners & employees are there to make money... not give away stuff they have paid for, stolen or not. These are not usually upstanding folks... they know they type of folks they do business with and are willing to take the risk. Be careful and don't let the pawn shop rip your gear off a second time.

Pawn shops should be taking the information (& verifying it) of the persons that they buy stuff from. If they don't, they are not covering themselves and are doing a disservice to those who buy from them. They should be on the lookout for stolen items and should make the seller's sign contracts/agreements so they can be persued if anything goes wrong. Anyone selling should have a receipt to prove they are the rightful owner. I give and ask for reciepts for second hand equipment.

Pawn shops should be taking the information (& verifying it) of the persons that they buy stuff from. If they don't, they are not covering themselves and are doing a disservice to those who buy from them. They should be on the lookout for stolen items and should make the seller's sign contracts/agreements so they can be persued if anything goes wrong. Anyone selling should have a receipt to prove they are the rightful owner. I give and ask for reciepts for second hand equipment.
I agree. I also think that the police SHOULD reimburse pawn shops IF the pawn shop can give them enough information to convict the person that sold it to the pawn shop. Hell they should even give them a reward for doing it. This way there is at least an incentive for pawn shops report stolen equipment, instead of hiding it and avoiding people who are asking it they've seen their stolen gear.

A good tip that the older players at a gig gave me was to get a UV marker and write your name and something (doesn't matter since you just have to know what it says) with it on the back of all of your gear.

These things work well if you have an idea on who might have taken your items. While i was living in Dallas, i was rehearsing with a few bands in a large studio building that rented studios minthly. One of the bands that i practiced with was a regular "stop in" for some of the other "musicians". I started missing a bunch of small items like monster cables, mogami cables, a tuner. I even noticed that i was missing my tool kit. So i replaced all those items and bought a UV pen along with the new gear. I started intentionally leaving marked stuff sitting out and had a pretty solid idea who was taking the stuff. Sure enough! On the same night that said theif was over at our studio i had two cables come up missing. A few days later the drummer said he was going over to said theifs studio to smoke. So i decided to join them. Right away i spotted my tool kit and then shortly after i saw some monster cables hangin on the door. I made some remarks about monster cables and so forth. He tried to change the subject. So i just couldnt keep my cool. I just pulled out the little UV light and there was my name and address all lit up. I took em off the door and put them right in his face and asked him if he got a good deal on these cables! He had a really stupid look on his face. I pretty much lost it yelled in his face... threw some metal folding chairs into his cd player and took it upon myself to grab the toolkit even though it wasnt marked "i knew it was mine". I left before i completely ended the guy, went straight down to the office and reported him as a thief.... so anyways. Long story about the practical uses of a UV pen.

Thats awesome, congrats on the awesome detective work... maybe that might be a good line of work for ya! ;)
Hey! what a GREAT story that was! So kool it was like reading fiction. CONGRATS on keeping your wits and your temper! Job well-done. Offering the thief the $20 was priceless! You have a good heart apparently, even thou the guy did deserve to get his door kicked in.

The disturbing part of this whole thing is the very slack and lackluster response from the police. Sorry about that.

Police recently recovered my '98 Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat. Here's a tip: Put a business card (or name & phone # on a piece of paper, if you don't have a card) underneath the pickgaurd, in the neck heel, under the fretboard overhang, etc... just somewhere on the bass. That way, if you find it in a pawn shop, you don't need any papers, just say, "I put my business card under the pickgaurd in case it was ever stolen. Open it up and check." It's not permanent, like a UV marker, and you don't need any special equipment to check it like a UV light or a scanner (for Snagg chips).

+1 for insurance, by the way.

Dave

I've had the same bass stolen twice, first time the guy broke into my flat and took it, London police actually helped in retrieving it second time was three years later in devon with a bunch of mates and some ****head decided to nick it and set it on fire, I hope they died from plastic fumes is all i can say.

I mark all of my expensive equipment internally with my name so that it can be legally identified if found. Examples: marking my name with a fine permanent ink pen inside the bass control cavity, inside the back cover of amp, inside any screw on housing, etc. I also maintain an updated list of everything I own including serial numbers and digital pictures of all of my gear (digital pictures are bassically free and only require a moment to take.

Always assume that there are thieves around waiting to steal your stuff at any time, because if you do any gigging or if your gear is where it can be publicly seen, then there WILL be thieves drooling over it at some point and they are only waiting for an opportunity to steal it. Don't give anyone that opportunity.

If I ever have anything stolen I would scour the local shops and also craigslist and ebay posing as an interested shopper. Then, if I DO spot it, I DON'T tip them off that I'm anything other than an interested buyer, but I get the police and explain to them that I have proof that my stuff is in the posession of thieves (this is where taking pictures and making lists and marking and identifying your gear works) and demand that they recover it for me NOW while I go along with them to positively identify it and press charges.

And if I had good reason to think that the police would not be able to help in that particular instance, I would only then consider acting on my own and possibly using force to get my stuff back.

And remember the rule about violence: Use force only as a last resort, but when it becomes necessary, use it in amounts sufficent to win.

Well,this is going to be a long winded thing,so time to roll a cigarette and unleash the typing skills ha ha ha

Ok,I work on the Unofficial B.C.Rich serial number archive,and if someone tells me a guitar or bass was stolen from them,I will write that fact and their contact details down in the "Additional Comments" section for that instrument

So,3 years ago I ask a guy for the serial numbers of his basses and any others he might have owned-he provided several and 1 from a trans red USA B.C.Rich TJ Mockingbird that was stolen from him in 1987 from a loadout from a gig in New York-he provided rather poor pictures of it.
I am online virtually 24/7 looking for BCR's for the archive.

A year later I see someone on a forum selling an identical bass-I asked for the serial number of the bass,but by then the guy had already sold it,I asked who he sold it too,and he basically lied and said he had sold it privately and didn't know what the purchasers name was.
I did a massive amount of research on the seller and found out his full name,address,phone number,wife's name and job,and his band name.
Then I turned it all over to the original owner-he contacted the seller-who was NOTHING to do with the origianl theft-he bought the bass and several other musical items from an estate sale,but the seller suddenly remembered selling it to a specific shop in Long Island,we searched the shop's online site and saw the bass.
The next day the original owner called the shop,but the bass had been sold,but they gave him the buyer's contact details.
The new owner ummmed and ahhhed for a while and then charged the original owner $1k over what he had paid for it,but the Original owner had not seen this bass for 20 years and it was his 2nd ever bass,due to the Statute of Limitaions,he had to buy the bass or never see it again-I recommended he bought it back,and he is extremely glad he did-the bass had remained in New York since it as stolen there in 1987!!!
He got the bass back in January 2007-it took me a year to find it!


Part 2

I saw a ad on 2000 guitars listing a Mockingbird guitar that was stolen and offering a $300 reward for information leading to it's recovery

Another guitar that was stolen in 1987!!!,this time from North Dakota,must've been a bad year!

I emailed the guy,explaining who I was and that I had already found the bass,so anything was possible,I asked for and got some pretty poor photo's of the guitar (No digital pictures back then)

3 months later I see a similar guitar listed for sale at the Guitar center website,I email,asking for the serial # and yep,it was the same guitar,although this time someone had changed the bridge!

I contacted the original owner,and gave him the details and he also managed to get the guitar back,by purchasing it (At a discounted rate!) It took me 3 months to find this one.

He only sent me $75 of the promised reward though,no biggie,but then he sent me a picture of the Mockingbird back home beside his 2 USA B.C.Rich Biches,which he refused to let me have the serial numbers of!!! ha ha ha


Anyway,I'm not blowing my own trumpet here,I am online 24/7,looking for B.C.Riches and their serial numbers,and on the archive,I do have "STOLEN" written on any that are,so it is enevitable,that sometimes things will turn up

All I am saying is,if the guitar/bass is that important to you,NEVER give up hope of finding it-these guys didn't and 20 years later,each,they have their instruments back:)

Hello fellow bassists...see my series of posts regarding my lefty Lake Placid Blue CIJ Fender P-bass stolen in Reno, Nevada. I got it back almost a month later. It was the only thing taken from my home. If you read through the posts, you'll see why...the thief thought it was an original, valuable '66. I recently hired a 'handyman' to do some roof repairs, and a bathroom renovation. This person is a friend of a great guitarist I respect and have known for many years. He once had a methamphetamine addiction, and is now clean- he claims. His friend, the handyman...well, I don't know. That was mistake #1. I hired him because he was just released from jail and needed a job. DUH! what the hell was I thinking!? That's the problem.
He had a pass key, and on the night of the theft, that pass key was missing. No one else had access to my home, and being the trusting person that I am, thought all was cool. Mistake #2. I have hidden identifiers in ALL my basses, and my name, a date, and ss# are clearly marked in a spot only I know. This is what got me my bass back. My advice to all of you, stay clear of suspected drug users and their associates, no matter how 'cool' they're supposed to be. NEVER let them see your gear, or know any of your personal information. They will always believe they can outsmart you. I call what they say "Junkie Babble." Sh*t like- "Oh, he's clean now" or, "I haven't had any sh*t for a year" Run for the hills when you hear that. Meth addiction has something like a 5% recovery rate. Tweakers themselves have warned me not to trust one. I know several meth users. I'll bet some of you know some, too. Unfortunately, meth use is at an epidemic here in Reno, and worse in some other places out west...and spreading. For those that can afford to- insure your gear. LOCK your home. Alarms are a good idea as well. I'm sorry to say this is what we have to do because of the kind of society we live in.

Hey i just thought id throw this up in case something turns up. THanks the advice by the way.

Stolen goods

EPifani UL-110 speaker cab

Pedal Board containing
Gator Pedal Bag
Plexiglass Pedal Board (home made)
Boss Tuner
Radial Labs Big Shot Mix
Radial Labs Big Shot EFX
Radial Labs Tri-Mode
Line 6 Modulation
Electro Harmonix Big Muff (nano)
Pedal Snake 4M18

PM if you see or hear anything.