Recovered !!!- Stolen Guitar (from Bristol) Tokai Talbo

not_the_dj

Just seen this on Jim Moray's Facebook feed. You might not know him but he's a modern folkie (uses loops, samples etc in trad songs), great acoustic player as well and a jolly nice chap (I've chatted to him a few times after gigs and at festivals).

Anyway the bad news:

Hi,
On a less great note, several things including my Tokai Talbo guitar were stolen from my car outside my house in Bristol last night.

The guitar is very recognisable - its the one on the cover of Sweet England. It's a Tokai Talbo 'Blazing Fire' from the year I was born - 1981. It's got a chromed aluminium body with a crack in the lower bout where Ryanair smashed it. The tip of the headstock is also snapped off (from an Oysterband tour). The pickups are two Seymour Duncan humbuckers, and it has chrome (non original) telecaster knobs. It has a black locking tremolo bridge.

I've never seen another one like it, even in photos on the internet. Most of this model have three pickups and a two-point trem. Mine is definitely the only one in the world with exactly these features.

Keep an eye out etc… It looks like this

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1392042_10153513175920427_1846844764_n.jpg

Sadly, after they stole that, they attempted to set fire to my car. Most of the things got off un-scathed, but my guitar 'Green' was not so lucky.. 

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/1460194_10151984263965516_1919654001_n.jpg
  

But I'm philosophical - you know, 10 years, let the attachment objects go and move on. Maybe its a good time to start a new chapter. 

If you see the Tokai for sale anywhere please let me or the police know.

GazLion

Jesus! There are some truly scummy people out there. Question has to be asked though....why did he leave his gear in his car overnight?! 

not_the_dj

GazLion said:

 Question has to be asked though....why did he leave his gear in his car overnight?! 

Indeed. No mater how late it is or how tired I am when I get back from a gig I always unload the car. A mate of mine had his stuff cleared out once, so I'm a bit paranoid about that to be honest.

frankus

I really admire his attitude - I hope he gets the Tokai back

not_the_dj

Sad as the tour he's been on is the 10th anniversary of the Sweet England album (with that guitar on the cover)

http://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/images/largerec/sweetengland_nibl003.jpg

Paul_C

that second one's going to need the frets polishing

ThePrettyDamned

Blah, scum.

I'll keep an eye on eBay.

Panama_Jack666

Bastards! It's bad enough stealing something that someone may be attached to but setting fire to the remaining gear is just awful. Will keep my eyes peeled on Gumtree/Preloved/Evil Bay.

kos5150

What these idiots don't realise, is that people who play live (which you probably do if you leave a bunch of gear in a car) usually have some kind of following whether it's large or small. Thus meaning that the chance of selling the guitar without someone recognising and tracing it back to them is absolutely minimal.

Guitars are so easily recognisable too. I remember going in a shop a while back and noticing a guitar which looked a lot like an old band mates (recognised it as his from the pickups he'd installed). I still had his number but hadn't spoken to him in years and give him a bell anyway on the off-chance. Sure enough, somebody had crowbar'd his boot a couple of weeks before. (Police were called and the guitar was fetched back BTW).

I also remember a story where Joe Satriani had one of his stolen from a gig and (IIRC) the chap put it on ebay; cops obviously went around and busted the stupid pillock.

mudslide73

Keep an eye out for any INXS tribute bands. A very distinctive guitar indeed - it should be easy to spot when it surfaces.

littlethoughts

As a Bristol boy I'll keep my eyes peeled. 

streethawk

Paul_C said:

that second one's going to need the frets polishing

Heavy, heavy relic?

DannyP

What was the charred one? Looks a bit Fano-ish. Expensive loss if it is.....

not_the_dj

DannyP said:

What was the charred one? Looks a bit Fano-ish. Expensive loss if it is.....

I don't actually remember seeing him play that one (I last saw him live back in August), but from an image search I reckon it was this one:

http://m.flickr.com/photos/15437467@N07/5014281086/lightbox/

not_the_dj

Bump. He got it back! A local school teacher found it chucked in a bush in the local park. It's now back with Jim.

Lixarto

Hurrah!

(I was due some good news ...)

ThePrettyDamned

not_the_dj said:

Bump. He got it back! A local school teacher found it chucked in a bush in the local park. It's now back with Jim.

LOL

So they nicked something potentially amazing, then decided it was too much hassle to carry? Worst thieves ever.

But that's a good ending to the story, must be chuffed.

ROOG

Glad he got some thing back.

Seriously cheesed off that "people" do this sort of thing. 

ROOG

ThePrettyDamned said:

 

So they nicked something potentially amazing, then decided it was too much hassle to carry? Worst thieves ever.

 

Bunch of bikes (3) went missing from our neighbour's pitch on a camp site this summer, the police came round and straightaway suggested that the owner checked the hedges along the roads leading away from the site. Sure enough he found one of his bikes, thankfully the expensive one, apparently the "borrowers" take em, then dump it to collect at a later, less heated moment!

Seems a bit mad to me but I expect they have a bit more knowledge of these things than I.