Stolen Gear

xtremehardy388

I played a wedding on Friday and came home. Left my gear in my truck, thinking I had locked it. I don't live in a bad neighborhood or anything. I was unloading my truck and my buddy's truck only to discover that two of my acoustics, my SG, and my bass were missing. I'm not thinking any of my friends are trying to play a joke on me. The bass should be easy to spot since it is so rare. However, the rest of the things only have slight markings. I also don't have the serial numbers written down. I'm going to file a police report. Please, excuse my rambling, I'm just trying to figure out if there is anything else I can do in order to get them back

CJMST3K

Look on craigslist asap. Post something on craigslist like "Want to buy white or red bass" or whatnot. Don't describe it too specifically, since you don't want the thief to suspect you are the one he stole it from. You want him to think "wow, I have a white bass, and this could be a quick sale". The thief will also think it can't be tracked back to him, since he's not posting it for sale, so he'll think even less chance to be caught. Also say something like "My two boys are going to college and want away guitars and bass, so they don't have to fly with them back and forth" and see if he also offers the guitars.

...but just ask for a photo in advance "because the last one I wanted to buy had huge scratches all over it" to confirm it's yours. You'll probably get a number of legitimate sellers too, but hopefully you'll get the thief too.

Hope this helps.

xtremehardy388

Thanks. Just posted a wanted on craigslist. After the police come, I'm gonna swing by the pawn shops.

gimmesometruth27

aw man this is bad news. i'm sorry to hear about you getting your stuff stolen. hopefully you can get it back and the thieves get what they deserve. one thing you might check is your local newspaper or its online equivalent. they have "classified ads" in there and people always have gear for sale on there. good luck!

mfc2006

Damn.

That really sucks!!! I hope you're reunited with your gear very soon. It should be covered by your insurance...

Best of luck!!

xtremehardy388

mfc2006 wrote:

Damn.

That really sucks!!! I hope you're reunited with your gear very soon. It should be covered by your insurance...

Best of luck!!

Thanks. I'm really hoping it is. The problem is, the bass is VERY rare. I can't find ANYTHING on it. yahmaha MB-III Motion Bass. The backpack had my homework in it and my camera was a gift and had pictures on it. It's almost worthless since I have the battery charger and the cord to transfer pictures. I've alerted the pawnshops, gone on craigslist, and filed the police report. I've had a HUGE amount of support through facebook. It's just hard to keep high hopes and high spirits. I worked for the police for three years. The chances of this stuff turning up isn't too good.

savman

Dude- this is horrible news! I hope you have some luck getting them back!

ScrapeMySky

Oh man, I'm really really sorry to hear that. I hope you get your stuff back. Having gear stolen is a really serious kick in the guts.

xtremehardy388

Yeah. I figure I'll post a copy of the FB notes I made in case the stuff is seen anywhere.

I played a wedding on Friday night. I packed up my jeep and my buddy's explorer. My friend drove the jeep and I back to my place. We're positive nothing got left at the wedding. I called the banquet hall, just in case. I've yet to hear back from them but, as I said, I'm positive everything made it back. We arrived home between 9 and 10PM on Friday night. It was late and we were all tired so I decided that I would unload the jeep on Saturday. I've left equipment in it, overnight, before and it hasn't been a problem. My buddy and I are sure the jeep was locked (I usually lock it up, anyway). I woke up the next morning to go to another wedding. I went in the jeep and didn't notice the guitars missing but I could be wrong. I also recalled seeing my camera. Again I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, we took my girlfriend's truck to the wedding. I came back around 330 or 4PM. I noticed that the guitar were gone but there was no evidence of a break in. I figured that I left them in my buddy's truck and I had mistakenly forgot. I came to find out that they were not in there. I spoke to everyone involved with the loading of the vehicles and everyone confirmed that the guitars, my backpack, and camera were loaded in. I also found out that a car alarm was heard between noon and 2PM on Saturday afternoon, though it's unclear whether it was mine or not.It was only on for about 30 seconds so the alarm had to have been deactivated. So, between 9PM Friday night and about 4PM on Saturday is when I'm thinking something happened. There was a lot of stuff in the jeep, including guitar amps and sound equipment that was not stolen, however. Many neighbors know I play guitar and a lot have suggested that it might be someone who lives close to me. I've filed a police report, spoken to guitar stores, and left messages at pawn shops. The Backpack had my homework in it and I had just gotten it. The camera had pictures from a friend's wedding and was a gift from my girlfriend. I still have the battery charger and the cord to transfer pictures so it's almost worthless, at this point. The bass was a gift that has a lot of sentimental value. The acoustic was bought with money from my grandmother for graduating and I've written a lot of songs on it. It also had a high sentimental value. The other two guitars don't have as much sentimental value but are still important to me. I'm sure you've all had something taken from you or can imagine how it would feel to have something stolen. I appreciate all of the support I've been having. It's hard to keep high spirits but it's less of a challenge when I feel this much support. Thank you all and I hope this puts everyone on guard for their own belongings and safety. I will post any updates I get.

Stolen goods list:

1. 2006Fender Acoustic guitar. Small ding in the front, bottom. Wear on the sides of body.Might be in a black soft case with the "Fender" logo on the front- http://www.thejoustingdinosaurs.com/ima ... n-d100.jpg
2. 2008Fender Squier Stratacoustic Electric/Acoustic Guitar. Black. Might be in an oversized black soft guitar bag. http://www.thejoustingdinosaurs.com/ima ... oustic.jpg
3. GHS Fast Fret fret cleaner
4. 2005Epiphone SG G400 Electric guitar. White. Has "2nd" or "Used" stamped in the back of the headstock. Also, the label for bottom corner volume/tone knob is missing. Has an Epiphone Custom Shop stamp on the back headstock. Might be in a brown and black soft guitar case. http://www.thejoustingdinosaurs.com/ima ... i-g400.jpg
5. 1978?Yamaha MBIII Motion Bass. White. Might be in a brown hard case with a Peavey Sticker and Yamaha sticker. Estimated value--VERY Rare. http://www.thejoustingdinosaurs.com/ima ... am-mb3.jpg
6. Silver Sony DSC-W55 7.2 Mega Pixel Camera in a black and gray soft case. http://www.crowdstorm.co.uk/upload/imag ... esTAcL.jpg
7. Oakley Icon 2.0 Backpack. Black. http://www.o-review.com/images/Bags/Ico ... htCamo.jpg
8. Oakley Metal Vault sunglasses case. Has the Oakley logo on top: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/309 ... fa9718.jpg
9. Oakley eye glass cleaning kit
10.Book: Conrad Schirokauer, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization (Thomson Wadsworth, 2006).Ebay value of $5
11.Book: IBUSE Masuji, Black Rain (Kodansha, 1979).Ebay value of $10
12.Book: MISHIMA Yukio, Patriotism (New Directions, 1966).Ebay Value of $12
13.Book: YOSHIMOTO Banana, Kitchen (Washington Square, 1994).Ebay value of $5



ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I can't explain how much it would mean. Thank you

mfc2006

so...was your gear covered by insurance? i know that it wouldn't be the same, but insurance $ should help you get back what you lost. if you have renter's insurance, that would cover it. also, your auto policy might cover it.

man...so sorry to hear about this. i think i would freak the hell out if someone stole my gear. keep your head up!

xtremehardy388

mfc2006 wrote:

so...was your gear covered by insurance? i know that it wouldn't be the same, but insurance $ should help you get back what you lost. if you have renter's insurance, that would cover it. also, your auto policy might cover it.

man...so sorry to hear about this. i think i would freak the hell out if someone stole my gear. keep your head up!

Home insurance might cover it. We'll have a claims guy come out and talk within the next couple days. The claim has been filed. I'm freaking out, feeling down but I'm lucky my friend's stuff wasn't taken or my girlfriend's dad's. That could have been messy. The pawn shops and music stores have been notified. Word is out with my close neighbors. Police report has been filed. Now all I can do is wait. I thought I saw something on ebay but I doubt it's the same guitar. Has a lot of the same nicks but I don't know for sure, and I also don't think it could be in Alabama if I'm in Michigan. We'll see...thanks for all the support, everyone. Keeping high spirits is tough, though...it's nice to know I have people to keep me staying positive.

puremagic

Maybe if your insurance claim goes through you might want to check this out.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/msg/1815044617.html

xtremehardy388

puremagic wrote:

Maybe if your insurance claim goes through you might want to check this out.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/msg/1815044617.html

Ahh okay. Thank you for the info. I'm close to just giving up on getting the stuff back. Been almost a week, finding nothing out except more misery...it sucks but it's better than keeping my hopes up and being let down. Even more bad; I'm kinda losing my desire to play, because of this.

gimmesometruth27

xtremehardy388 wrote:

puremagic wrote:

Maybe if your insurance claim goes through you might want to check this out.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/msg/1815044617.html

Ahh okay. Thank you for the info. I'm close to just giving up on getting the stuff back. Been almost a week, finding nothing out except more misery...it sucks but it's better than keeping my hopes up and being let down. Even more bad; I'm kinda losing my desire to play, because of this.

i know it doesn't mean a whole lot coming from a stranger, but maybe you can channel your hurt into your playing? i know it is not the same as playing on the instruments that you lost, but it might help you to release some of that pent up rage and sadness. i felt the same way when i had my identity stolen and thousands of dollars racked up on my credit card. helpless and violated. i know when i am down only 2 things make me feel better, one is going to the gym and the other is creating something heartfelt on my guitar... good luck xtreme, and keep your head up.

matabele

Check out music shops that sell used gear, we found my friends stolen drums in one of them.

unlost dogs

xtremehardy388 wrote:

puremagic wrote:

Maybe if your insurance claim goes through you might want to check this out.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/msg/1815044617.html

Ahh okay. Thank you for the info. I'm close to just giving up on getting the stuff back. Been almost a week, finding nothing out except more misery...it sucks but it's better than keeping my hopes up and being let down. Even more bad; I'm kinda losing my desire to play, because of this.

Please don't let that happen, then the bad guys truly win.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

xtremehardy388

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

xtremehardy388 wrote:

puremagic wrote:

Maybe if your insurance claim goes through you might want to check this out.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/msg/1815044617.html

Ahh okay. Thank you for the info. I'm close to just giving up on getting the stuff back. Been almost a week, finding nothing out except more misery...it sucks but it's better than keeping my hopes up and being let down. Even more bad; I'm kinda losing my desire to play, because of this.

i know it doesn't mean a whole lot coming from a stranger, but maybe you can channel your hurt into your playing? i know it is not the same as playing on the instruments that you lost, but it might help you to release some of that pent up rage and sadness. i felt the same way when i had my identity stolen and thousands of dollars racked up on my credit card. helpless and violated. i know when i am down only 2 things make me feel better, one is going to the gym and the other is creating something heartfelt on my guitar... good luck xtreme, and keep your head up.

It means a lot and I appreciate it. I can't fathom if identity theft happens to me. Mine sounds like simple cookies compared to yours. Playing makes me feel better, to a point, but I used that up, a while ago. In a way, I'm afraid it would remind me. It's a good idea, though, and I think I'll try it when I get off the board. Thank you.

matabele wrote:

Check out music shops that sell used gear, we found my friends stolen drums in one of them.

Yeah, I called the music shops and even sent them a forward of the stuff that was taken. They said they'd let me know if they see anything.

unlost dogs wrote:

Please don't let that happen, then the bad guys truly win.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Thanks. I really don't want them to win but...I dunno, it's like part of my passion and desire has been taken with it. I'm sure I'll get out of this slump and I'm being really dramatic...it just sucks.

xtremehardy388

Somewhat of an update:

Found the fast fret in the back of my amp. No idea how it got there but it's possible I threw it back there when taking gear down. I played a bit, last night, but the burn and drive just aren't there. I'm sure you've all had those "burn out" period. Hopefully this is just one, for me. A lot of people are telling me to wait a month and keep checking. I dunno if I'll fully follow through. Dragging this out just seems to bring more stress than good. I know I say it a lot but I can't help it. Thank you all for the support, thoughts, and prayers.

CJMST3K

xtremehardy388 wrote:

Somewhat of an update:

Found the fast fret in the back of my amp. No idea how it got there but it's possible I threw it back there when taking gear down. I played a bit, last night, but the burn and drive just aren't there. I'm sure you've all had those "burn out" period. Hopefully this is just one, for me. A lot of people are telling me to wait a month and keep checking. I dunno if I'll fully follow through. Dragging this out just seems to bring more stress than good. I know I say it a lot but I can't help it. Thank you all for the support, thoughts, and prayers.

Consider this time a "mourning" of sorts. I'd keep checking, as the thief may not want to sell until he feels he won't get caught. But you will have the drive to play again. Maybe take a break from playing for a solid two weeks or so to build up your desire to play.

xtremehardy388

Yeah. I'm gonna try to play again, in a couple weeks. A lot of people have offered to lend/give me their guitars (since they don't play them anymore). It means a lot but I think it's just the feeling of being violated. Hopefully I get back into it.

I'm finding out that there has been other cars being broken into. Hopefully this will lead to more investigations and my stuff getting found.

xtremehardy388

I FOUND THE STUFF! Someone tipped me of that they found my backpack and four guitars. They went through the backpack and found my last name. They found me on facebook and had me call them. The problem is, the guitars have been outside during some BAD weather (though in their gig bags). They are a bit wet and I don't know what that means for the electronics. What can I do take make sure they're not destroyed?

unlost dogs

xtremehardy388 wrote:

I FOUND THE STUFF! Someone tipped me of that they found my backpack and four guitars. They went through the backpack and found my last name. They found me on facebook and had me call them. The problem is, the guitars have been outside during some BAD weather (though in their gig bags). They are a bit wet and I don't know what that means for the electronics. What can I do take make sure they're not destroyed?

OH MY GOD! That's great news, I hope _ as long as the guitars are all right.
Where did they find it?!?!?

gimmesometruth27

xtremehardy388 wrote:

I FOUND THE STUFF! Someone tipped me of that they found my backpack and four guitars. They went through the backpack and found my last name. They found me on facebook and had me call them. The problem is, the guitars have been outside during some BAD weather (though in their gig bags). They are a bit wet and I don't know what that means for the electronics. What can I do take make sure they're not destroyed?

WOW, that is good news!!! you will have to give us details about what happened and where they were found and stuff, and more importantly if they caught the theifs..... i am so happy they found your stuff, i just hope that nothing is damaged beyond repair.

i would look at the neck and make sure nothing is bowed or warped and i would plug them in and see if they at least are in working order....be sure to dry them off first and i would try a blow dryer on the pickups, the cable input, on the saddles/bridge and take off the back panels and really dry the guts off very well before plugging them in though...

on the bright side, if the things are destroyed and they are a total loss, if your insurance covers it you should get a nice check and can re-buy all of those things...

xtremehardy388

I got an anonymous tip on facebook. Some guy who mows lawns was mowing our neighbors lawn. The house was recently vacated. He found my bookbag with my papers in it and searched my name. He gave me his number and said to call. I had a hunch it was the house next door so I went and looked at the garage. As I walked up, I saw my stuff sitting in next to the fence. There have been TERRIBLE storms so the gear is wet. The stratacoustic still plays well, though. Everything is found, other than the camera, though. It's a loss but finding this gear has made me so much happier. The books are shot but I already got new ones. Thank you SO MUCH to EVERYONE who sent their thoughts and prayers. I cannot put into words how blessed and lucky I am to have such great friends.

CJMST3K

AMAZING! I hope its all ok!

I'm a drummer so I have no idea about anything, but you'll probably want to make sure they are completely dry. Talk with a good small guitar shop to get their opinions. You may want to consider putting them in a small room, and get a bunch of cans of those moisture absorbing beads to try to draw the moisture out of the air, and thus out of the guitars.... or me, I'd try a sauna. But ask a good guitar shop.

Good luck!!

xtremehardy388

ALL the guitars are seeming to be in working order! I dried them out and plugged them in. The strings need to be replaced.

matabele

This is good news.

ScrapeMySky

I'm very happy for you! Seems like you got some good karma!

savman

Wow! What a result!

That should give you back the inspiration to play!

xtremehardy388

savman wrote:

Wow! What a result!

That should give you back the inspiration to play!

It's helped me a bit but I'm still in a rut. I think I just need to take that break and wait until my batteries are fully charged. Maybe kinda "starve" myself for it?

puremagic

Glad things turned out ok. Taking a break after a stressful event may be just what you need. You’ll know when the time is right.

In the meantime, take some photos of your equipment, write down your serial numbers, and the value of each piece of your equipment submit them as part of your homeowner’s/apartment insurance, trust me, less hassle, less stress in the long run, for only a few more pennies on your insurance.