MISSING BASS - Hamer TBird -- UPS Delivery

[mc2NY]

MISSING As of 10/12/2011 -- Hamer FBIV Thunderbird Bass

Shipped via UPS on October 11 from Farmingdale (LI,) NY to Landisville PA (Lancaster area) and claimed to have been "delivered" on October 12 at 2:38 p.m.

The buyer is a close personal friend of Nikki Sixx's and I had sold him a similar candy red FBIV earlier this year, so I know the buyer. He says someone was home at the
delivery address all day. He called me at 4:01 p.m. to say UPS claims they delivered it about an hour earlier but it did not arrive. That means the bass would have vanished in just a little over one
hour, IF it was indeed ever delivered to this address.

The delivery driver claimed on Tuesday to have "left it on the porch by a tin bucket full of cigarette butts," according to UPS' records.  He said there are only three houses on the block and he remembered the delivery.
But the buyer says no one at the address smokes and there IS no such bucket of butts. On Wednesday, the next day, the same delivery person reports the bass is definitely not on the truck and now
he "cannot remember what house he delivered it to" yesterday (?)

The shipping box was fairly large, being a Thunderbird Bass. It had large black magic marker "FRAGILE" markings on front and back and "UP" with arrows on all sides. The upper one-third of the box had EXCESSIVE one-inch wide white tape with red "FRAGILE: Handle With Care" printed along it.

This is a fairly rare bass and in an even rarer (for a Hamer) sunburst finish. The rear of the bass is solid black. The truss rod cover is engraved "Boog." It is in pristine condition and looks new, despite having a 1986 yellow-inked SN# on the back of the headstock. It is in a Hamer branded original hardshell case that is a little worn and missing the handle (handle is in the inside case pocket.)

The delivery was supposed to be "Signature Required" but the driver claims to have instead simply just left it on a front porch. The buyer says several UPS deliveries (ONLY of music gear) have not made it to him the last few months....the buyer also says a UPS driver spotted and talked to Nikki Sixx at the same address during a delivery, so it is a known musician house.

PLEASE keep an eye out for this bass. It is the one on the left side in the photo....chrome hardware and rosewood fingerboard. If you see it pop up for sale anywhere (EBAY, Craigs List, in a music store, etc.) PLEASE call the local police and email/call me immediately and consider it stolen property until further notice. Thanks.

Feel free to cut/paste/post this notice anywhere else you might think it can do some good.

Contact: mc2@usa.com  or phone 631-455-9479

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Sounds like somebody is getting some primo gear 'off the truck.' Jim Creegan of the Barenaked Ladies told me that there is a thriving cargo container theft trade in East Asia and the reason  that he has his killer Triumph was that he had to buy it as a last-minute replacement in Japan after most of the band's instruments were stolen from their container in transit from Australia. He lost some vintage Jazz basses and his Steinberger EUBs. They left his upright alone.

[mc2NY]

HAPPY ENDING.....BASS RECOVERED 10/20.

Being played live tonight.

[TBird1958]

Awesome news!   

[godofthunder]

That's great ! Details on the recovery?

[Nocturnal]

Glad to hear that it was recovered!

[Dave W]

That's great ! Details on the recovery?

Yes, good news, where and how was it found? Or did it just unexpectedly show up when enough pressure was put on the driver?

[dadagoboi]

"This is a fairly rare bass and in an even rarer (for a Hamer) sunburst finish"

Why would ship a bass of that value and not require a signature on delivery?  Was it insured, that requires a signature for USPS.  I've shipped 2 dozen basses this year, all insured and requiring a signature for delivery.  I don't expect to have a claim paid for damage, that's close to impossible unless you use certified packaging.  I want to make sure I'm reimbursed for loss or theft.  Definitely worth the money for peace of mind.

[Dave W]

"This is a fairly rare bass and in an even rarer (for a Hamer) sunburst finish"

Why would ship a bass of that value and not require a signature on delivery?  Was it insured, that requires a signature for USPS.  I've shipped 2 dozen basses this year, all insured and requiring a signature for delivery.  I don't expect to have a claim paid for damage, that's close to impossible unless you use certified packaging.  I want to make sure I'm reimbursed for loss or theft.  Definitely worth the money for peace of mind.

He says it was "signature required", the driver just allegedly left it without getting one.

[dadagoboi]

He says it was "signature required", the driver just allegedly left it without getting one.

Sorry I missed that, profuse apologies.  UPS would have been responsible for the full insured value and I would think the driver fired for delivering w/o a siggy.

[Dave W]

I just want to know if the driver was involved in whatever happened.

[mc2NY]

As far as HOW it was recovered...I wish we actually knew.....

I got a UPS email that the bass was "at the delivery address and confirmed via a phone conversation with the buyer," listing his correct cell phone number.

So, I called the buyer and he knew nothing about it and said no one had called him. He said he'd check later if it was really there.

I phoned UPS and after 20 minutes of holds and switching....the tracing guy said, as far as he can tell, the real story is that it was supposedly delivered to a wrong address but was now at the correct one. He said the UPS driver had gone to the address to confirm.

So....it sounds like it mysteriously showed up more than a week later...but NOT delivered by UPS.

No real explanation or "sorry we lost your delivery."

But, hey, we got it back.

I'm half-wondering if it got taken but after we posted "stolen bass" ads on a lot of websites, local Craigs Lists and contacted most area PA music stores...my calling UPS tracing daily...if someone had second thoughts that it might be too hot and would have trouble selling it?

I also had a cop (BIG THANKS!!) who is a bass player give me some very helpful inside info on UPS that, I think, got them to prioritze this a bit....like UPS using truck GPS and cameras. They seemed to get nervous when I started asking for the truck/driver ID and the GPS location data for the exact claimed time of delivery. Also learned that they have special guys to handle jewelry and guns, due to employee theft problems. Makes you a little nervous shipping other expensive items....

Either way....got lucky and it ended OK.

Oh.....and the buyer called me Friday afternoon  to make sure we had all of the "stolen bass" notices down because he was going to use the bass live that night. I called Baz asking if it would be too over the top of a joke to leave the notices up and call the local police that night and send them to the club to "recover" the bass
We thought it would be classic, definitely in the Motley Crue spirit...but he pursuaded me not to.

[Dave W]

Whoa, after reading this, especially the way it finally showed up, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it had been taken.

[lowend1]

I had a similar issue a few years back with an amp (IIRC) - UPS said it was delivered, but the buyer did not receive anything. Since I used the local pack-n-ship, they had all the info and got in UPS's face about it right away. Turns out it was delivered to the wrong address, and the person who signed for it probably shouldn't have. Eventually it made its way to the intended party.

[Pilgrim]

Turns out it was delivered to the wrong address, and the person who signed for it probably shouldn't have.

Probably shouldn't have???

Ya THINK?