old band lost my guitar. advice?

[ShoeManiac]

Originally Posted by JamesGoodall

So I'm assuming the police report has already been filed, but we're still going to try for small claims and hopefully have at least three of us, if not all four, filing a joint claim with the band as our witnesses.

Don't assume ANYTHING. You are responsible for filing a police report about your own stolen gear, and nobody else. Take control of your own situation.

[TRichardsbass]

He admitted stealing your stuff and using it to fund his habit. Since he is going to jail and the stuff is gone, do you really think he has any assets that could be used to pay you back, even if you get a civil judgement?

Give it up and learn the lesson:

1. Never lend equipment you can't afford to lose or that you want back.

2. If you even have a dream about someone in the band using any drugs, don't be in the band period.

3. If you are in a band where people don't own their own personal gear (guitar, bass, amp or if a singer microphone, etc) then it's not a band and leave. We all know here on TB that you can buy an SX bass for less then $150 and find some cheap amps. There is ZERO excuse for anyone who plays guitar not owning their own. Geez, the local pawn shop here has a nice used Peavey guitar for $88 bucks. If you can't scrape that together you have bigger problems and shouldn't be in a band period.

4. If you lend equipment and it disappears take action immediately otherwise don't cry about it, just suck it up. And learn the lesson in #1.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

Why would you be appearing as witnesses? - no offence, but you are clueless about the legal system. If he's "going to jail" (which remains to be seen), it's because of other charges which have stuff all to do with you. You can't just front up at his hearing and "appear as a witness". A witness to what? Charges that have nothing to do with you (and don't be surprised if he gets probation; he probably will).

Your gear's gone, I hope you learned a lesson from it. Just forget about it and move on.

Mark, if you would take the time to read the thread instead of trying to instantaneously find something to scrutinize and belittle me over, you would see that nowhere did I say that "we" would be appearing as witnesses. I left that band back in September of last year. The thread title is "old band lost my gear" not "my band lost my gear." None of the people who have had their gear stolen, aside from myself, were ever a part of the band. "The band" that I mention consists now of the drummer, guitarist, and vocalist who were all witness to the fact that everything that was stolen was either in the possession of the gear when it went "missing."

Is he going to jail? Probably not. That was merely what the other guitarist told me. I'm also only making the assumption that a police report has been filed, otherwise why would my friend have stated that "he is going to jail?" Regardless of whether a report has been filed or not I'm still going to file my own, under my own name.

TRichards, thank you for the lessons. Trust me, I know all of those tenfold by now. Band's I've been talking to currently know I have a zero tolerance policy for heavy drugs, they need their own gear, and I lend nothing that I don't take with me that day when I leave practice. Even my rack has two padlock latches installed on it for those times when sometimes I have to leave it somewhere (even church) for more than the night.

[JamesGoodall]

Filed a police report. Got a call an hour later that he'd hocked a bunch of stuff at two local pawn shops back in mid-September (right when I was kicked out of the band for a bunch of bull**** lies). My friend's bass was still there, lucky sonuvagun. My guitar was not listed with any of the pawned items. Though quite a few other things were mine.

I'd originally planned to not press charges, but just sue him in small claims to get a bit more leeway into his promise to "pay me back." Not anymore.

I saw him at a show today (yesterday, whatever) and his blatant lack of remorse or even a simple, "hey man, sorry I sold your sh*t," was just too grating. I'm back on campus now, but I'm getting the detectives info tomorrow (left it at my parents house) for my friend so he can go about getting his bass back, and while I'm at it I'll slip in that I would like to change my previous statement on not pressing charges. The kid's gotta learn the lesson somehow, and it's not too late for this one.

That's all for now, be back tomorrow.

[crazyfaux]

when you get new gear write down the serieal code so if it comes up missing or stolen you can have a police report done so if its pawed they catch them and you get your stuff back.
also you can get your gear insured.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by crazyfaux

when you get new gear write down the serieal code so if it comes up missing or stolen you can have a police report done so if its pawed they catch them and you get your stuff back.
also you can get your gear insured.

Both of these. I have all my gears serials stored now. Getting it insured is next on the list.

[walterw]

phone photos of the whole instrument including closeups of the serial numbers are useful.

as for the initial lending out, i had a recovering friend tell me this gem; "an addict will steal your wallet and then spend all afternoon helping you look for it."

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by JamesGoodall

Both of these. I have all my gears serials stored now. Getting it insured is next on the list.

Gear insurance thread

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Gear insurance thread

Well great. There goes any chance of sleep now.
Thanks Stumbo!

[jungleheat]

Wow. I'm pro-life, but I'm feeling like we should outlaw abortions like this thread.

OP, you realize that if you had filed a damn report in september, the police would have checked with the pawn shops, found the stolen gear, and arrested this dude right away, right? And THAT would give them probable cause to search his place, the rehearsal place, etc... and they probably would have recovered more gear, probably some cash, which they would then most likely seize, etc...

Instead, you sit on your thumb for 4 months waiting until "next week" (I swear on every single page there's a reference to doing something "next week"), ignoring tankerfuls of good advice about what to do and when to do it, resulting in your gear and any chance of at least getting a pay out probably being gone forever. And to top it off you almost didn't even want to press charges on this dirtbag? What CONCEIVABLE reason could you have for not pressing charges? That's exactly how people like this continue to do what they do to others. They just move on to new victims. And you were nearly going to let that happen.

Honestly, for all the talk in this thread about not getting into bands with drug users, I would probably kick you out of my band for having no principles, no backbone, and no sense. Which really have nothing to do with playing good music except that in my experience, people who lack such traits also lack all the necessary traits that make up a good musician (and a good friend).

Hopefully you can do some serious self reflection (go back and read this whole thread like I just did, omg) and get some personal growth out of the whole situation. Don't let these various lessons be ones that you have to be taught numerous times before you actually learn them.

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by jungleheat

Wow. I'm pro-life, but I'm feeling like we should outlaw abortions like this thread.

OP, you realize that if you had filed a damn report in september, the police would have checked with the pawn shops, found the stolen gear, and arrested this dude right away, right? And THAT would give them probable cause to search his place, the rehearsal place, etc... and they probably would have recovered more gear, probably some cash, which they would then most likely seize, etc...

Instead, you sit on your thumb for 4 months waiting until "next week" (I swear on every single page there's a reference to doing something "next week"), ignoring tankerfuls of good advice about what to do and when to do it, resulting in your gear and any chance of at least getting a pay out probably being gone forever. And to top it off you almost didn't even want to press charges on this dirtbag? What CONCEIVABLE reason could you have for not pressing charges? That's exactly how people like this continue to do what they do to others. They just move on to new victims. And you were nearly going to let that happen.

Honestly, for all the talk in this thread about not getting into bands with drug users, I would probably kick you out of my band for having no principles, no backbone, and no sense. Which really have nothing to do with playing good music except that in my experience, people who lack such traits also lack all the necessary traits that make up a good musician (and a good friend).

Hopefully you can do some serious self reflection (go back and read this whole thread like I just did, omg) and get some personal growth out of the whole situation. Don't let these various lessons be ones that you have to be taught numerous times before you actually learn them.

No offence OP, but the man has a point. You've spent far too long talking about what you're going to do instead of acting, and now it's too late. I'm telling you, that guitar has had 4 owners and 3 paint jobs by now - you're not going to see it again in your life time, or even in future reincarnated lives. It's long gone, to a galaxy far, far away. May the force be with it (well, it's not the guitar's fault).

[ShoeManiac]

Originally Posted by jungleheat

Wow. I'm pro-life, but I'm feeling like we should outlaw abortions like this thread.

OP, you realize that if you had filed a damn report in september, the police would have checked with the pawn shops, found the stolen gear, and arrested this dude right away, right? And THAT would give them probable cause to search his place, the rehearsal place, etc... and they probably would have recovered more gear, probably some cash, which they would then most likely seize, etc...

Instead, you sit on your thumb for 4 months waiting until "next week" (I swear on every single page there's a reference to doing something "next week"), ignoring tankerfuls of good advice about what to do and when to do it, resulting in your gear and any chance of at least getting a pay out probably being gone forever. And to top it off you almost didn't even want to press charges on this dirtbag? What CONCEIVABLE reason could you have for not pressing charges? That's exactly how people like this continue to do what they do to others. They just move on to new victims. And you were nearly going to let that happen.

Honestly, for all the talk in this thread about not getting into bands with drug users, I would probably kick you out of my band for having no principles, no backbone, and no sense. Which really have nothing to do with playing good music except that in my experience, people who lack such traits also lack all the necessary traits that make up a good musician (and a good friend).

Hopefully you can do some serious self reflection (go back and read this whole thread like I just did, omg) and get some personal growth out of the whole situation. Don't let these various lessons be ones that you have to be taught numerous times before you actually learn them.

+2

When I look back through the OP's part in this thread, some key words come to mind:

-APATHETIC
-LAZY
-UNMOTIVATED

And there is this sense that "SOMEONE ELSE WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS, BECAUSE THE THIEF RIPPED THEM OFF, TOO". Nothing could be further from the truth. If you REALLY wanted to recover all of your gear, you would have been actively trying to do so right from the get-go.

What would I have done?
-First, confront the people involved about any "MISSING GEAR". Obviously, you can only do this if you know the possible perps. If that didn't yield results?
-File a Police Report. Not tomorrow. Not next week. TODAY. As in, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. In a case of stolen goods, the more time goes by, the less likely you are to recover said goods.
-Start calling and/or visiting every musical instrument shop/pawn shop within a 50 mile radius
-And start checking the musical instrument listings on Craigslist.

I recently saw a case of a fellow bassist whose house was burglarized. Two basses, a computer and some other items were stolen. They filed a police report, but that didn't lead to a recovery. BUT, that police report got the ball rolling. Then, the bassist in question made an appeal to some fellow bassists in a forum. One of whom was pretty industrious, and started checking sites like GBase, Guitar Center & others. Lo and behold, that friend found a used gear listing for both of the missing basses at a GC store some 30 miles away! The police were contacted and informed of the location/status of the missing instruments. Because of their policies regarding used gear, GC had the seller/thiefs info on file. The police had previously had run-ins with this particular perp, and were able to pursue an arrest and recover the stolen instruments. All told, the bassist whose house was broken into and had their instruments stolen was re-united with the pilfered gear about 1.5 weeks after the theft.

Having seen that play out on a forum in real time, and how motivated people can go about getting their stolen gear back? I have little sympathy for the OP who has seemingly gone out of his way to do NOTHING.

[TRichardsbass]

In a reply to my post he said he wouldn't talk to a band using heavy drugs or he was talking to a band that has a no heavy drug use policy.

Either way still bad. I have yet to encounter a good working band that regularly has pot smokers in it. Not that pot smokers are bad, but in my experience they often exhibit the "its no big deal" mentality. Show up late for rehearsal? No big deal. Puff a doobie between sets in the parking lot at the bar? Its no big deal. Leave some pot in your guitar case and the band van gets pulled over? No big deal. Show up for a gig stoned? Its only pot its no big deal.

I once did a fill in gig with a band that I didnt know was lead by a pot head. At the end of the night I went to collect my $75 and he told me that he just scored some good pot and that all he had to pay me with was some weed. He said that was what the regular band guys got that night. No big deal he said

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

In a reply to my post he said he wouldn't talk to a band using heavy drugs or he was talking to a band that has a no heavy drug use policy.

Either way still bad. I have yet to encounter a good working band that regularly has pot smokers in it. Not that pot smokers are bad, but in my experience they often exhibit the "its no big deal" mentality. Show up late for rehearsal? No big deal. Puff a doobie between sets in the parking lot at the bar? Its no big deal. Leave some pot in your guitar case and the band van gets pulled over? No big deal. Show up for a gig stoned? Its only pot its no big deal.

I once did a fill in gig with a band that I didnt know was lead by a pot head. At the end of the night I went to collect my $75 and he told me that he just scored some good pot and that all he had to pay me with was some weed. He said that was what the regular band guys got that night. No big deal he said

Three quarters of my band smoke the herb and all lead responsible lives and take care of everything on all levels. An unreliable person is just that, and alcohol and other drugs are often an excuse or an out for unreliable people.

I do agree that some drugs reduce motivation, but it really depends on the who, what, when and how much.

[ChrisB2]

Wrong thread much?

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Gear insurance thread

You'll still need to file a timely police report for most claims regarding theft.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

In a reply to my post he said he wouldn't talk to a band using heavy drugs or he was talking to a band that has a no heavy drug use policy.

Either way still bad. I have yet to encounter a good working band that regularly has pot smokers in it. Not that pot smokers are bad, but in my experience they often exhibit the "its no big deal" mentality. Show up late for rehearsal? No big deal. Puff a doobie between sets in the parking lot at the bar? Its no big deal. Leave some pot in your guitar case and the band van gets pulled over? No big deal. Show up for a gig stoned? Its only pot its no big deal.

I once did a fill in gig with a band that I didnt know was lead by a pot head. At the end of the night I went to collect my $75 and he told me that he just scored some good pot and that all he had to pay me with was some weed. He said that was what the regular band guys got that night. No big deal he said

That band was/is potheads. When I was with them, I was included in that generalization. Since then I've started school and stopped smoking. depending on what we had, I would either be convinced everything was beautiful, my playing included, or be so stoned I couldn't remember songs I'd had memorized for months. Casual now and again smoking, I have no issue with. Just keep it out of the band's time that we all sacrifice to practice together. I have a lot more to say about that, but I'll stop there.

Originally Posted by jive1

You'll still need to file a timely police report for most claims regarding theft.

I'm pretty sure my gear wasn't insured under my parents' policy. That said, I'm about to go searching about for the best rates. My custom just came in today, and God knows it's identifiable, but It'd still be nice to have it insured.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by jungleheat

Honestly, for all the talk in this thread about not getting into bands with drug users, I would probably kick you out of my band for having no principles, no backbone, and no sense. Which really have nothing to do with playing good music except that in my experience, people who lack such traits also lack all the necessary traits that make up a good musician (and a good friend).

I would just like to point out that you do not know me, and thus can make no judgement of my principles or sense. I've already admitted to being a passive person. I don't enjoy confrontation. I avoid it most times. This is ultimately why this whole thing has taken so long.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by ShoeManiac

-APATHETIC
-LAZY
-UNMOTIVATED

These three all circle around the fact that I didn't really care about the guitar in the first place. I never (not exaggerating) played it then, and even now I only play the EG once every two months or so. The guitar was just taking up space and I didn't really care about it. Of course I'm going to be apathetic and unmotivated. Would it be nice to get the guitar back? Sure. But It's not something I really care about. Were either one of my basses stolen or my classical guitar, you bet your a$$ I'll be out there that day filing a police report and searching every pawn shop in town. Why? Because those are instruments I care about, and I use on a day to day basis. They have sentimental value to me that just wasn't there with the guitar.

At this point, I have resigned to not getting the guitar back. I know I will most likely not get my money for it. I now take solace in the thief finally learning a lesson, and take away my lessons from this. The first being that the cops actually do give a crap.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by JamesGoodall

That band was/is potheads. When I was with them, I was included in that generalization.

Well, this may well explain your lack of action on getting your guitar back. It was probably "no big deal" at the time.