Yeah, he does look like that guy you'd see at a bar insisting on drinking the bitterest IPA they have, right?
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Yeah, he does look like that guy you'd see at a bar insisting on drinking the bitterest IPA they have, right?
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
Really? I'll take your word for it - I thought that El Norte was Poway. Go figure.
This is stupid - it's like stealing a car and not changing the licence plates and then trying to sell it, except you couldn't even sell the guitars off for parts. If I had done this*, I would steal a bunch of mass-produced instruments that are commonplace so as not to attract attention and therefore be able to sell them on eBay, to pawn shops or whatever. High end custom made instruments are impossible to shift on the black market, as any discerning buyer would know to check the serial number. And if the serial number is missing then you wouldn't buy it - I sure as hell wouldn't.
Either it's someone who broke in hoping to find TVs or tablets or power tools or something, saw a bunch of fancy-looking guitars and took those thinking they could flog them off for cheap (like the idiot who stole a Stradivarius and was caught trying to sell it to a pawn shop for $300 or something) or someone did this specifically to spite the company.
In any case that totally sucks and hope they recover their gear.
*I am not a thief
Either it's someone who broke in hoping to find TVs or tablets or power tools or something, saw a bunch of fancy-looking guitars and took those thinking they could flog them off for cheap (like the idiot who stole a Stradivarius and was caught trying to sell it to a pawn shop for $300 or something) or someone did this specifically to spite the company.
In any case that totally sucks and hope they recover their gear.
*I am not a thief
A while back I was reading a book by the psychologist Alice Miller, and a passage stuck in my head. IIRC, it was along the lines of _sanity is loving what is lovely, and hating what is hateful_.
So what I'm feeling, reading this thread, reassures me (contrary to various other things) that I'm sane. Because I sure do _hate_ whoever committed this crime. And I wish them harm.
So what I'm feeling, reading this thread, reassures me (contrary to various other things) that I'm sane. Because I sure do _hate_ whoever committed this crime. And I wish them harm.
I used to work at Kmart over the summer while I was in college. There was a big fat doofus security guard. turned out he was opening the loading dock doors at night, flipping off the alarm and having his friend pull up in a truck to steal tvs etc...
it is almost ALWAYS an inside job- this is probably a disgruntled employee who is tired of having to switch out his stencil from Carvin to Kiesel, and thinks the name sounds stupid now.
it is almost ALWAYS an inside job- this is probably a disgruntled employee who is tired of having to switch out his stencil from Carvin to Kiesel, and thinks the name sounds stupid now.
Inside job or not, you gotta be a real stupid thief to rob unique instruments. Sooner or later, these are going to pop here and there and they'll get caught.
Really? I had him pegged as a PBR guy myself.
And don't forget the San Diego FBI. This is a matter of national urgency!
I am pretty sure this would be considered a major theft... I would hope that the FBI will be involved since that's what they are there for.
I would venture to say that in most cases investigators would prefer that zero information be distributed widely regarding a case they are investigating.
Not a great idea to have released that video and have it broadcast virally over social media. If the idiots that stole these instruments didn't already know that the things would be difficult to fence, they sure as hell do now
Not a great idea to have released that video and have it broadcast virally over social media. If the idiots that stole these instruments didn't already know that the things would be difficult to fence, they sure as hell do now
I had a Carvin bass stolen from me years ago. Here's what the cop told me. Thieves have networks. Near here is a military town (Jacksonville - Camp Lejeune). According to him, my bass was in one of several Jacksonville pawn shops within hours. And within 48 hours it would be in (oddly enough) Jacksonville FL, where there is a distribution warehouse for stolen goods on the Eastern Seaboard.
Now, if they know that, why don't they do something about it?
Good luck getting your stuff back guys. I hate a thief.
Now, if they know that, why don't they do something about it?
Good luck getting your stuff back guys. I hate a thief.
IANA lawyer or cop. But my sense of it is that it can be difficult to accumulate enough evidence against that kind of operation to be able to successfully prosecute. LE folks often know about criminal activity, and even have a good sense of who the players are and where to find them. But to get an indictment requires hard evidence, and skilled criminals are good at leaving little of it.
They (Carvin) used to use Snagg chips, but I'm not sure if they do anymore...
Still not a geo-locator, just a scanned bar-code thingy with ownership info on it....sort of like a "chipped" dog or cat. No one will know where it is until it is scanned.
But a GPS module in the electronics doesn't sound like a bad idea..."Find My Carvin/Keisel" app on your phone.
They used to micro-chip their instruments, though I see no mention of that on their website now.
How are their finances these days?
I have to imagine the guitars were insured. No customer guitars taken, only their showcase/inventory. Hmm. Ok. Maybe they keep them in 2 different spots.
Who has most to gain here? If you're stealing to keep for yourself, one guitar would likely do. 16 would be a much huger operation logistically and then you'd have to store them all etc. Most likely to get caught - whereas taking one guitar might not even get noticed as a theft. "Say, didn't we have a red guitar on the wall?"
If you're stealing for resale - these are neck through instruments. Each one of a kind potentially. Once reported stolen, easy to identify. Used Carvins don't have great resale. Hot ones are probably half that. Now you're talking about moving 16 guitars worth $10k bc they're stolen. Each one sold could lead police back to your operation.
Now meanwhile, if Carvin had some finance issues, they could get $40k from insurance. Then all they would need to do is issue new serial numbers and id chips to each guitar and they are ready for sale.
Not claiming this is an insurance scam! Just throwing that out as an option, because if it was, they would have the most to gain from these guitars being stolen.
Something isn't adding up. These are not the type of guitar to steal to then move as hot items. Impossible to "clean" and even the parts have low value. Small but dedicated Carvin Owners community would be on lookout for these to pop up too.
Maybe an inside job from a thief who had only planned the robbery but not the next step? Or these guitars are on a boat to be moved in countries where they won't be traced, and possibly sold at new prices and inflated depending on the country and the price of custom USA guitars there.
I have to imagine the guitars were insured. No customer guitars taken, only their showcase/inventory. Hmm. Ok. Maybe they keep them in 2 different spots.
Who has most to gain here? If you're stealing to keep for yourself, one guitar would likely do. 16 would be a much huger operation logistically and then you'd have to store them all etc. Most likely to get caught - whereas taking one guitar might not even get noticed as a theft. "Say, didn't we have a red guitar on the wall?"
If you're stealing for resale - these are neck through instruments. Each one of a kind potentially. Once reported stolen, easy to identify. Used Carvins don't have great resale. Hot ones are probably half that. Now you're talking about moving 16 guitars worth $10k bc they're stolen. Each one sold could lead police back to your operation.
Now meanwhile, if Carvin had some finance issues, they could get $40k from insurance. Then all they would need to do is issue new serial numbers and id chips to each guitar and they are ready for sale.
Not claiming this is an insurance scam! Just throwing that out as an option, because if it was, they would have the most to gain from these guitars being stolen.
Something isn't adding up. These are not the type of guitar to steal to then move as hot items. Impossible to "clean" and even the parts have low value. Small but dedicated Carvin Owners community would be on lookout for these to pop up too.
Maybe an inside job from a thief who had only planned the robbery but not the next step? Or these guitars are on a boat to be moved in countries where they won't be traced, and possibly sold at new prices and inflated depending on the country and the price of custom USA guitars there.
