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Bass stolen 26 yrs ago - returned back to me.

This is an incredible story.

Yesterday morning I got an email on my Facebook asking if I was the bass player for the pop-rock band Steel Breeze in the early 80's that had mild success with RCA Records. I am that bass player. The email went on to say that this fellow who was emailing me had a bass that was supposably used to record the first album and the hit song "You Don't Want Me Anymore" back in 1982. He describes the bass as a Music Man Sabre, cream colored with black pickguard. Turns out that bass was stolen from our rehearsal studio warehouse back in 1984.

In short, I reply telling him that the bass was stolen from me and that I'd like to have it back. I left my phone number and patiently waited for his reply.

5:00 pm yesterday afternoon he calls me back up and says that he'll do the right thing and return the bass to me. I told him I would give him a $200 reward for doing so.

Turns out he only lives 35 minutes from my house. Needless to say my wife and I go to his house last night and retrieve my bass that had been stolen from me 26 yrs ago.

I plugged it in this morning and played on it a little. The strings are old, but it sure sounded good. I've taken it to a luthier to have him clean it up a bit and put new strings on it. The case is thrashed and the bass will need a new case. I'll keep the original case for old times sake.

I'm absolutely blow away that I have it back. I always wondered what happened to it. Now I know.

Here are pics of the bass and me playing it back in 1980 -

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That's crazy!
Howd he get the bass/ find you?

Amazing... Did he give you any insight into how he came to have it?

He got the bass after his band had broke up and the members of the band were squaring up their finances when back in 1988 he was told that this bass belonged to me. He accepted the bass as part of his payment for being in that band.

He found me on Wikipedia and Googles my name and got a Facebook address for me. That's how he got in contact with me. - Incredible.

I asked him who the guy was that he got the bass from, but he was reluctant to tell me who it was, saying that he hadn't seen the guy in probably 10-15 yrs. I was fine with it as long as I got the bass back.
 
Vinny, those Sabre Basses are my next favorite to the Fender sound and that one is awesome man oh my god! Now you can sell me your steiny right? LOL j/k!

I also have a story like this..my best friend had an Alembic Spoiler {1983 vintage} that wanted me to sell it for him on EBAY. Well a certain buyer was hounding me about it asking all these specific questions...turns out he was from the Redding area and won the auction and drove down to Sac to get it. He notifies me at the time of pickup he was the original owner of this bass and had it stolen in 1986 from his buddy's house and never saw it again. It had changed hands a few times before MY friend bought it 10 years ago. The Kramer hardcase gave it away for him...he gladly paid the $1200 to get it back and was tearing up, talk about amazing there too....these are good stories!
 
This is an incredible story.

Yesterday morning I got an email on my Facebook asking if I was the bass player for the pop-rock band Steel Breeze in the early 80's that had mild success with RCA Records. I am that bass player. The email went on to say that this fellow who was emailing me had a bass that was supposably used to record the first album and the hit song "You Don't Want Me Anymore" back in 1982. He describes the bass as a Music Man Sabre, cream colored with black pickguard. Turns out that bass was stolen from our rehearsal studio warehouse back in 1984.

The internet is a strange place. I was 11 when that tune came out & loved it to bits. And here I am reading your story & delighted to hear you got your bass back.

Amazing how things go, isn't it?

Best wishes,
GT