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Unexpected N(O)GD/happy ending - stolen guitars returned! Update: another happy ending! Update 2!
Honestly can't believe I'm posting this! This is going to be long, even as a "brief" version, so apologies in advance, but I want to share.
In July 2017 I was burgled, and 7 guitars were stolen: 6 of mine plus my flatmate's ESP EX. I made as much fuss as possible at the time - BBC, local paper, social media, etc, but all that did was pretty much ensure they were too hot to handle and they never resurfaced.
Time went by, I made peace that they were gone, and was fortunate enough through the combination of inheritance and a new job (no they weren't insured - lesson learned the hard way!) to slowly rebuild my collection to a point where I'm beyond happy with what I've got.
Then just after Christmas/early January this year, I saw a local seller on Facebook marketplace listing two of my guitars. Absolutely, undeniably my guitars. A very long story short (there's another thread under Friends in Need if you're bored/interested), the police weren't interested as I didn't have the serial numbers and they couldn't go off identifiable features, the seller was ultimately uncooperative and I didn't want to get myself or my friends into a dodgy situation in trying to recover them.
So once again, I had to make peace with the fact that they were gone - especially painful as I knew they were local - and resign myself to not seeing them again.
But then yesterday, my bandmate and dear friend woke up, as he put it, "on the wrong side of bed and bored".
Unbeknownst to me, he messaged the Facebook seller, who had actually been listing them for someone else, made some threats about the police still being involved and interested in the vast number of Macbooks and Louis Vuitton handbags he seems to shift through Marketplace and pointed out that we have his address, and offered him an out - get us in touch with the guy you were selling these guitars for, and we'll never speak to you again.
Within an hour, he had the phone number of the "owner's" uncle. Apparently it was some young lad who, after initially denying he still had them, admitted he'd bought them for £600. He claimed to have not known they were stolen, but to get these two for this kind of money (and then have them listed for £2k combined!) suggests otherwise.
His uncle was livid with him, and apologetic with my friend, and a deal was struck to hand over the guitars for a small reward fee at a neutral location. Thankfully this went smoothly and my friend appeared at my place like a knight in shining armour yesterday evening, brandishing these!
The Epiphone was my first "real" guitar. I've had it since I was 13, and modified it extensively while I was at uni. Seeing it again has brought back a lot of memories, and it's very special to me even if I've since acquired some Gibson big brothers. God knows who's added the awful scratchplate, as it was stolen without one. It was also stolen without its case, so I'm amazed it's still in one piece! The action is absolutely unplayable as-is, so I'm going to give it a couple of days to adjust then see what can be done at the weekend
The Strat I acquired at uni, and other than a crack in the case where it's been dropped and the scratchplate yellowing dramatically, it's fine! Again, could do with a setup but I'd honestly forgotten how nice it is.
The oddest part for me is the weird mix of emotions. I'd made peace with never seeing them again twice now, so for them to suddenly reappear without me being prepared for it was - and still is, the next day - completely overwhelming. They'll both need work doing but I'm glad to have them back. I'm not letting myself get too hopeful about the other 5 guitars showing up - I'll keep looking, but I'm just grateful that this has even happened.
Now, my first question - god knows where they've been, but they both smell like a mix of smelly trainers, weed and... waxworks? Closest thing I can associate the smell with. It's nasty.
Any tips for removing nasty smells from guitars other than leaving them by a window?
In July 2017 I was burgled, and 7 guitars were stolen: 6 of mine plus my flatmate's ESP EX. I made as much fuss as possible at the time - BBC, local paper, social media, etc, but all that did was pretty much ensure they were too hot to handle and they never resurfaced.
Time went by, I made peace that they were gone, and was fortunate enough through the combination of inheritance and a new job (no they weren't insured - lesson learned the hard way!) to slowly rebuild my collection to a point where I'm beyond happy with what I've got.
Then just after Christmas/early January this year, I saw a local seller on Facebook marketplace listing two of my guitars. Absolutely, undeniably my guitars. A very long story short (there's another thread under Friends in Need if you're bored/interested), the police weren't interested as I didn't have the serial numbers and they couldn't go off identifiable features, the seller was ultimately uncooperative and I didn't want to get myself or my friends into a dodgy situation in trying to recover them.
So once again, I had to make peace with the fact that they were gone - especially painful as I knew they were local - and resign myself to not seeing them again.
But then yesterday, my bandmate and dear friend woke up, as he put it, "on the wrong side of bed and bored".
Unbeknownst to me, he messaged the Facebook seller, who had actually been listing them for someone else, made some threats about the police still being involved and interested in the vast number of Macbooks and Louis Vuitton handbags he seems to shift through Marketplace and pointed out that we have his address, and offered him an out - get us in touch with the guy you were selling these guitars for, and we'll never speak to you again.
Within an hour, he had the phone number of the "owner's" uncle. Apparently it was some young lad who, after initially denying he still had them, admitted he'd bought them for £600. He claimed to have not known they were stolen, but to get these two for this kind of money (and then have them listed for £2k combined!) suggests otherwise.
His uncle was livid with him, and apologetic with my friend, and a deal was struck to hand over the guitars for a small reward fee at a neutral location. Thankfully this went smoothly and my friend appeared at my place like a knight in shining armour yesterday evening, brandishing these!
The Epiphone was my first "real" guitar. I've had it since I was 13, and modified it extensively while I was at uni. Seeing it again has brought back a lot of memories, and it's very special to me even if I've since acquired some Gibson big brothers. God knows who's added the awful scratchplate, as it was stolen without one. It was also stolen without its case, so I'm amazed it's still in one piece! The action is absolutely unplayable as-is, so I'm going to give it a couple of days to adjust then see what can be done at the weekend
The Strat I acquired at uni, and other than a crack in the case where it's been dropped and the scratchplate yellowing dramatically, it's fine! Again, could do with a setup but I'd honestly forgotten how nice it is.
The oddest part for me is the weird mix of emotions. I'd made peace with never seeing them again twice now, so for them to suddenly reappear without me being prepared for it was - and still is, the next day - completely overwhelming. They'll both need work doing but I'm glad to have them back. I'm not letting myself get too hopeful about the other 5 guitars showing up - I'll keep looking, but I'm just grateful that this has even happened.
Now, my first question - god knows where they've been, but they both smell like a mix of smelly trainers, weed and... waxworks? Closest thing I can associate the smell with. It's nasty.
Any tips for removing nasty smells from guitars other than leaving them by a window?
Tim
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View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Eqd Speaker Cranker clone
Monte Allums TR-2 Plus mod kit
Trading feedback: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/60602/
Thank you as well for explaining the details, should we all keep pics of our Serial Numbers in case guitars get stolen? How can we be safe on that front?
Yes, awesome friend too. Enjoy having your guitars back with you, the smell should disappear.
But also that the police will not act at all if you do not have the guitar's serial number. I even pointed out to them that they can be scraped off or faked, but they treat a serial number for any product like you'd treat the VIN on a car, and that includes guitars.
God knows where this leaves small builders or partscasters - not sure what to do about my parts Tele.
<goes and makes note of guitar serial numbers>
Your friend is a good mate for stepping in to help.
Also, what a true gent your friend is! For various reasons I don't really have any friends - I'd truly love to have a mate like that!
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.