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Post subject: Missing serial number
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:30 am
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I have a jazz bass I bought through the old Washington Star classifieds way back in 1978, when I was a college student. Only years later did I learn there should have been a serial number on the headstock. On close inspection it appears to have been very carefully rubbed or sanded away. I took the bass apart last week and found part of a serial number stamp stuck to the varnish under the pickguard (it actually says "Fender serial number"), but unfortunately i polished the rest of it away before I realized what it was. Is there another way to identify this particular bass, and even find out at this late date if I bought a stolen j-bass way back when? I'm not concerned about it being counterfeit Fender - it's not. Pots date to '77, btw, so the year of manufacture is obviously '77 or '78.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:30 pm
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kevinsjazzbass wrote:
I have a jazz bass I bought through the old Washington Star classifieds way back in 1978, when I was a college student. Only years later did I learn there should have been a serial number on the headstock. On close inspection it appears to have been very carefully rubbed or sanded away. I took the bass apart last week and found part of a serial number stamp stuck to the varnish under the pickguard (it actually says "Fender serial number"), but unfortunately i polished the rest of it away before I realized what it was. Is there another way to identify this particular bass, and even find out at this late date if I bought a stolen j-bass way back when? I'm not concerned about it being counterfeit Fender - it's not. Pots date to '77, btw, so the year of manufacture is obviously '77 or '78.


Obviously someone rubbed it off on purpose, possible stolen back in 77.

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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:38 pm
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Unfortunately, that may be the case. I'd like to identify the instrument and at least check the serial number against stolen instrument databases, if possible.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:37 pm
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So let me get this straight. The serial was removed but you bought it but you didn't notice that. Then you found a serial which "actually says "Fender serial number", but unfortunately i polished the rest of it away before I realized what it was" even though it said "Fender serial number?" Really?

There won't be another serial I'm aware of. No way to check if it is stolen. It is now a parts bass. Without a valid serial it falls into the same category as a parts bass.

In the USA, the NCIC stolen article database only contains records for the past year plus month of entry. Stolen articles will be listed there for 13 months at the most.

For everyone else with instruments that have intact serials, here are sites that are independent stolen instrument databases or that link to independent stolen instrument databases or improving your chance of getting your stolen instruments back:
http://www.acousticmusic.org/Links-Stolen-Instrument-Registries-sp-70.html
http://www.screamingstone.com/pages/about.html
http://imidb.org/

Other than law enforcement's NCIC, there really is no central database but a bunch of independent sites. Less than 3% of stolen musical instruments are ever recovered. I've had a page up on my bass website for years containing tips for how to get your gear back if it is stolen. This applies to everything with a serial number on it and not just music gear.
http://brotherdave.com/add_protectyourgear.htm

Final pieces of advice. Anything with a tampered serial on it is probably or was probably at one time stolen. You should report that location information to local police. You should always get a receipt with the serial number of your instrument on it when buying it and it should also state the seller's name and contact information in case later it turns out to be stolen.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:57 pm
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Come on, I was a kid. I didn't know where the serial number was supposed to be. I wouldn't know now with an unfamiliar instrument - though with the internet available, and 34 additional years of life experience to draw on, I'd do a little more research before buying. At least, I hope I would. . . As for the polishing, I found a bit of paper a little bigger than a thumbnail, which I initially thought was some splintered wood, stuck upside down on the body of the bass along with some other grit when I removed the pickguard, and most of the paper broke off intact while I was polishing. Until I turned it over some time later while cleaning up, I didn't even know there was writing on it. At that point I removed the pickguard a second time and looked again and took pictures this time, both of the paper and some residue remaining on the pickguard. Looking at the picture again now, they match up well, and there really wasn't any room left over for a long serial number. I didn't polish that much away. There must have been another sticker, or another half of this one. All of which is beside the point - except that I don't much like being called a liar. I do thank you for the very useful information on stolen instrument databases. If anyone else knows of a way to identify the bass and recover the serial number, I'd love to hear it. Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:41 pm
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I'm not calling you anything. I just don't understand how you could remove the serial that clearly said "Fender Serial Number" and not know it was the serial number.

I am confused as you didn't explain it clearly. You can look under the pickups and in the neck joint, but on a 78 I don't know if you'll find anything or not.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:25 pm
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Obviously I didn't explain it well. Over three decades, the sticker, or part of it, had apparently become detached from the underside of the pickguard and imbedded itself instead in the varnish on the body of the bass. So I was looking at the backside of that sticker when I took the pickguard off, not the front. Of course there is no writing on the back. I understand your feelings about stolen instruments - I'd hate to lose one of mine. People who steal other people's beloved instruments are evil. I'm trying to catalog all my instruments now and insure them, just in case. It makes me sick to think I might have destroyed the only serial number on that jazz bass while cleaning it up. Among other things, I destroyed the resale value of the instrument. I can assure you I didn't do that on purpose.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:26 pm
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Have looked at the neck - a lot of random scribbles. I will check the pickups. Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:03 pm
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I'm noticing the post by Obsidion on a lot of threads- I'm almost scared to click on it - so I don't.


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Post subject: Re: Missing serial number
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:53 pm
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Brotherdave is right. The only definitive record of stolen property is NCIC and it is only accessible by law enforcement. They cannot run serial numbers for people and if they did and found something was stolen, they would be obliged by law to confiscate it.

Some NCIC records are kept for longer than 13 months, dependent on the type of property.

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