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What I lost in the Thomas fire

#61
We had some fires here in N. California around 4 years ago, and one picture happened to have a classic C10 truck (of which I also own), and it garnered hundreds of Facebook "likes" and comments about how sad it was the truck burned down.

It was absolutely disgusting that out of all the posts of displaced families, dead pets and farm animals, lost photo albums and families with smoke inhalation problems, that the truck had more comments and "likes" than any other regarding the event.

On a positive spin, I also seen a photo where the finish had melted off of someone's guitar, but the neck and body I guess were in good condition, and he planned on repairing it and rocking it.... said he never liked the color anyway!

Glad to hear the OP is safe and insured.
 
#62
Some people apparently find great natural events like this to be somewhat cathartic. I've heard of couples who have broken up after their house floods. They literally view their life in a sort of before/after the flood demarcation, and end up changing many things as a result of the sheer uplift and uncertainty of the disaster itself.

Very sad to hear of OP's loss, both in terms of the quantity and the quality of the musical instruments lost. Beyond that the loss of your home must be utterly devastating and life-changing. Some people view it as an opportunity to change everything, while others simply begin the long hard slog of getting back to how things were before.
 
#67
So sorry to read about this, pickles. I've saved your picture to remind myself that this could happen to any one of us. A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, but this pic says even more. You stand out among the members here because of our mutual interest in Aguilar gear and the fact that my daughter also lives in Ventura. Glad that you and your family are safe and uninjured. As I type this my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter still have their car packed and ready to go. It's been packed since Tuesday morning (12/5).

M. M.
 
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#70
Wow, that's heart wrenching, my condolences. Glad you and your family are OK, sounds like the timeframe for escape got really tight. And I hope the gear you find to replace the lost gear is all you hope for.
 
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#72
"'Went from thinking 'this is silly why am I packing' to 'time to go RIGHT NOW get the kids' in about 20 minutes."


Having been through three big fires (back in the 1956, 1958 and 1961) very similar to the one that just took your home, I can really relate to your statement quoted above: when they come around and tell you "get out!", they DO mean "NOW". Especially if, like us, you lived in a "one way in, one way out" location, egress from which can easily be cut off by the advancing flames.

It's breathtaking how quickly those fires can move under the right conditions. I was an impressionable 7 year old when I experienced my first one, so can still vividly remember standing on the beach, watching roaring, 100' flames throw football-sized embers across canyons, starting new fires in fresh fuel. Houses would pre-heat, flash over and burn to the foundation in 5 minutes flat. And the smell: smoke still brings memories of those fires to my mind to this day.

We were lucky in 1956: the fire made it to within 50 feet of our place. The Old Topanga Fire (like the Thomas Fire, driven by fierce Santa Ana winds) burned down the entire neighborhood in November of 1993, including our place, but by then I had already been living up north for many years and my parents had both passed. I'm really glad they didn't live to see that home burn down, because they really loved it.

Sincerely very sorry for your losses, but as the cliche goes: "you can replace 'stuff' but not people". I know that doesn't take much of the sting off losing prized possessions, painstakingly selected, worked for and amassed over the years, but thank goodness you and your family are safe. As you know, they are what is truly irreplaceable.
 
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#73
I'm glad you and the family made it out alright. At least you were able to save some items. That fire moved fast and covered a lot of ground.

I always tell myself if a fire was headed my way I'd grab my hard drive, 76p and 08p.
 
#74
i frequently need a reality check. thank you for that. i am encouraged by your positive outlook in spite of terrible circumstances. i hope that you recover well and that things progress that way quickly.

take care of those loved ones.
 
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#76
Pickles - I sold you a Fodera in a Thousand Oaks parking lot several years ago - having met you and also enjoyed your posts over the years, this is sad news, but congrats on the family being safe and sound, and on saving the instruments that you did manage to grab.

Down here in LA, I got a 6am pre-evac notice off of the Skirball Fire - with the wife out of town I had a mad dash to pack a few boxes and duffles of financials (although we have some of that stuff on a thumbdrive), photographs, art, some clothes, one bass, one trombone - and that’s it - one sedan load. Fortunately the Skirball Fire no longer presents a genuine threat to us, but until we get some rain down here, these LA canyons remain bone-dry and present a constant fire hazard, and the packed stuff will remain near the door. And if we have to peel out while my wife is here, we can load two cars, and I can grab a few more instruments.

Weirdly, while I’d have been leaving a lot of great stuff behind (I love our house and furnishings, a good hi-fi and thousands of vinyl albums and CDs, and the 7 bassses and 8 trombones that I’d be unable to pack) and felt a lot of sadness over the potential loss, I was also pleased that my wife and son were 3000 miles away, and felt I could be at peace with any material loss - insurance in place, and stuff is only stuff - so long as we all were safe.

And it was kind of liberating to know that the bass I grabbed (the Carl Pedigo 5 in my avatar), and an early 1970’s Bach 36 trombone, quite similar to the first pro-quality axe I had back in the day, would provide plenty of pleasure if they were all that I’d be left with. Many of us with multiple instruments are clearly hung up on our gear - we sweat over minute differences and gradations, looking for - looking for God knows what! But when push came to shove, deciding which axes to grab, if I could only take one, was a no-brainer, even if certain others might have more cash value.

Best of luck in rebuilding your scene. Best of luck to ALL who’ve been burned out - as bad as the SoCal stuff has been, the Santa Rosa burn, last month, really whacked a substantial number of folks. And let’s consider Puerto Rico and other places devastated by hurricanes. Bad things happen. Hopefully, those of us who manage to avoid these kinds of losses are doing something to aid those who get wiped out in such circumstances.
 
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#77
pickles said:
View attachment 2836592 Equal parts catharsis/commiseration and just trying to remember what all was in that glorious closet.

Edit: I’ve had some really nice offers of help after posting this. I’d ask anybody that wants to help, work with one of the many funds helping victims with *real* problems. We’re fine. We’re insured. We have great rental housing (which is going to get REALLY tight around here). Anyway, back to the boutique bass funeral ...

Sadowsky NYC PJ5 alder/braz
2005LE EBMM Sterling
Early SR5
Homemade fretless 5 with moses neck (my main bass for many years)
Blue/rosewood EBMM Caprice
JohnK 66 Jazz
D. lakin JO
Modulus quantum 5
Martin d-28
Wal mk.2
Kala u-bass
Lakland skyline hollowbody

Lidwig jr kit with a good zildjian hat

Tons of great pedals. Darkglass, aguilar, ebs, maxon ...

Aguilar DB751
Aguilar DB359
Aduilar DB659
Aguilar DB210x2
SWR Big Ben
PIP SQUEAK!!
Ampeg svp-pro
Trace v-type pre
Alembic sf-2

I was able to save a few and chose my 60P, 71P, black/maple Caprice, and best-ever Sadowsky metro RV5. And my smoothie. That’s it. It happens fast. Went from thinking “this is silly why am I packing” to “time to go RIGHT NOW get the kids” in about 20 minutes.

Equally painful losses in surfboards, wine, and my wedding ring.

No punchline. Sometimes bad things happen.
Click to expand...

So sorry for your loss, Pickles. I also lost my house on Tuesday morning.
Although my collection was nowhere near what you had, I lost many instruments, amps etc.
We're on Colina Vista. We were lucky enough to have a little advanced warning and I saved the three instruments most precious to me. I couldn't find any evidence in the ruins that I'd ever had other guitars.
For us the losses we mourn were not so much in the valuables, but those items with sentimental value that can never be replaced.

Good luck with your rebuild. It's going to be tough for the next year, but we're all in this together.
Our insurance also came though quickly with a rental.
 
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#80
that sucks brother... I had a house fire in August of 1998... wasn't a just ashes left, but it was a complete loss. My Ex and I came out the better for it (sort of... but that has nothing to do with the fire). Insurance adjuster was there to help within hours. You saved the important things... life and memories... you'll get through the rest, you'll replace the things, but I promise you- 4 years after you've gotten settled back in and you think you're over it, you'll look in a drawer for your favorite knife or look in the closet and wonder what happened to that jacket you loved and you'll realize... "damn, that was in the fire" and a wistful tear will well up replaced by a wizened smile.
 

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