Stolen bass!

[Dave W]

I hadn't seen a JJ in that color before, but even the common JJs weren't that common, and now he's closed. Money aside, it wouldn't be easy to replace.

It's quite possible that the burglar is laying low, so don't give up hope. A old friend of mine had his Tele Bass stolen after a gig, he kept making the rounds of the pawn shops and used guitar shops, about three months later it showed up at a pawn shop very near the bar where it was stolen.

[Denis]

I'm glad your buddy got his Tele bass back. Maybe the good karma I earned when I returned to the owner that stolen Fender Jaguar I bought off CL a couple of years ago will come back to me here.

You're right, though, my JJ wouldn't be easy to replace. I'll just keep looking, posting notices and checking stores.

[Dave W]

I forgot about you and that Jaguar. Let's hope you're right about the karma.

[Denis]

The studio owner emailed me last night asking for the value and will be filing an insurance claim today.

We'll see what happens. I looked around the internet and found only 2 Jerry Jones Longhorns for sale, both listed on Gbase, for $1150 and $1250. A few weeks ago one popped up on TalkBass for $950 and I think it lasted less than 10 minutes before it sold.

Damn things have gotten scarce since Jerry retired!

[Dave W]

Willie's American Guitars here (St. Paul) has a 90s Neptune for $1250 and a new fretless for $1295. Considering that JJ is now retired, you're justified in claiming a value of $1250.

[Denis]

Funny you mention Willie's! I JUST saw they have several JJs still in inventory but didn't have time to check them out further. Will look more closely this evening.

[lowend1]

Find out how much JJ wants to come OUT of retirement and build you a duplicate of your bass. Submit that number.

[Dave W]

Denis, if it eventually comes to you having to buy a replacement and Willie's has one in stock, I'll be glad to go try it out for you. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, I'm still hoping it's recovered.

[Denis]

Find out how much JJ wants to come OUT of retirement and build you a duplicate of your bass. Submit that number.

Hahaha, great idea, but WHERE is he?! It would be the most expensive JJ in the world, I'm sure.

Denis, if it eventually comes to you having to buy a replacement and Willie's has one in stock, I'll be glad to go try it out for you. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, I'm still hoping it's recovered.

Thanks, Dave, I really appreciate that offer!

[Denis]

The JJ is still missing. As stated elsewhere, the G&L and Guild have been recovered.
Two young black males took the G&L and Guild to a pawnshop in Winston-Salem, NC and tried to pawn them. The guy behind the counter told them he thought they were stolen but the two boys insisted their grandmother had given the guitars to them. The store keeper pulled out the list and showed it to them and told them they should leave the instruments and walk out the door, which they did. The employee got their license plate number and the two men are on video.

Sucks because the other guitars were probably in that car. He SHOULD have told the men he needed to talk to the manager who was in the back and called the cops while back there. I would have. It was probably the only change thus far to recover the remaining instruments.

Mitch emailed me and told me that he didn't think the cops were really working on the case and he doubted we'd see the other instruments. He thinks with all the publicity the guitars are probably out of state by now. He also told me that the studio's insurance will NOT pay for my JJ because it was neither his nor the studio's. However, Mitch said he'd pay for it and asked the value. I said between $1150 and $1300. He asked if he could pay me in mid-September because he sold the old studio board and needs to pay for the new one around 9/15. It irked me but I told him it was okay.

My feeling on this is that the whole thing has been handled poorly.

[Dave W]

Most business policies do cover the property of others in the business' possession. He may have been told otherwise, but he should check his policy.

If I were you, I'd check with the police department directly. If they're not working on it, maybe a call will get them moving on it.

[Denis]

Most business policies do cover the property of others in the business' possession. He may have been told otherwise, but he should check his policy.

If I were you, I'd check with the police department directly. If they're not working on it, maybe a call will get them moving on it.

I've asked for the case number and exactly who's handling it but have received no answer. I don't know if it's the Winston-Salem PD, the Kernersville PD or the Sheriff's Department.

Getting information about this case has been like pulling teeth.

[Denis]

Spoke with the investigating detective.

They have the tag number and they know it was a white Ford Crown Victoria (there's a million of those around). They know that it's jointly owned between 2 people, one of whom is already in jail on unrelated drug charges. They are looking for the other owner but he's not to be found at any of his last known residences, and in fact probably wasn't listed on the lease at the last one.

The two guys actually tried to pawn the G&L and Guild at another pawn shop before taking them to Camel Pawn where they were recovered when the store employee told the men the guitars were stolen.

The guy first brought in the Guild and the employee told him it was unusual and not something they would be interested in so the guy said, "Oh, I have another guitar in the car" and that's when he brought in the G&L and that's when it clicked with the employee they were stolen. The other guitars were probably in the car.

The video from the pawn shops are lame. The cameras are positioned so that you see the tops of everyone's head, NOT their faces.

The detective told me he wished the pawn shop employee had gone into the back to "speak to the manager" and called the police. They are literally less than 5 minutes from that pawn shop.

This whole thing is frustrating but I feel better having spoken to the detective.

[Denis]

Oh, and get this nonsense.

The detective told me that someone had posted pics of one of the basses on Craigslist, so he printed the pics out. When I told him that was me posting and it was my bass, it made me suspicious so I asked him if anyone had given him pics of the guitars and he said, "nope".

I can't believe that, if you are serious about looking for your stolen instruments, you wouldn't give the cops detailed descriptions and photos. So, I went on the internet and emailed him pics of a pink paisley Strat and a Fender Electric XII, just like the two stolen from Mitch.

Doesn't seem to me that the victims (other than me) are looking too hard for the stolen instruments...

[Pilgrim]

Not everyone is as smart as you!

After all, you play SURF music...clearly the mark of a superior mind.