Just saw this on the local news. Apparently its having great results. First at apprehension. As it was implemented more, prevention.

http://www.smartwater.com/International.aspx

From what I can tell its a UV dye, it only shows up under UV light but stains anyone trying to cart your stuff off. Every dye stain is different so you can link perp's to a specific place and time.

Anyone have any experience of it?

Anyone have any ideas how it could be used on musical instruments?

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No no and no

You worried about someone coming for your new Malibu?

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

So if I understand it correctly, you find an uneven spot where it would be hard to wipe off, most likely in the body cavity under the pickguard on a guitar and than you "mark" your stuff as your own.

The one downfall I see is that you'd have to find the item stolen first. In the case of a guitar it can be long gone, traded, sold, and hundreds of miles away very quickly. Or even just stashed out of sight for a period of time too.

If you had some idea who took it and could act quickly might be the only way this application might help. At least that's my initial thought.

KissFan

That is a problem while the system becomes integrated into a community. However its been used at a few burglary hotspots in the uk and given quite dramatic results. A 50% drop in burglarys in Nottingham, NorthHampton too has good results.

The identity marking of the stolen item is very much a secondary thing in this system. There have been marking systems around for decades. This system basicaly stains the thief with a dye they cant see, let alone wash off. Most burgulars here are repeat offenders, so the police know where to look. Evidence for conviction is the crucial part, which this provides. It gives a clear indication whether someone was in your house or not.

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No no and no

I'm more worried about our proposed ammendment to law that allows you to kill a intruder in defense. All it means is that anyone who's prepared to break into your house is prepared to kill to defend themselves.

Anyway there were so many Malibu's ordered at Namm that I have to wait for mine to be built (a good sign).

Lets hope they take all the time they need. Seriously.

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No no and no

Any sources on this aside from the company website? Even their Wikipedia entry is flagged because of editing by their CEO and tagged for it's neutrallity.

I would probably like to see some third party analysis, rather than some vague and unexplained numbers on their website, before investing in something like that.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

If the drop can be attributed to thieves just knowing this stuff is out there than it's all good. If it's for identifying the thieves than I guess I misunderstood, I was assuming it was to mark your gear so when/if it was retrieved your ownership could be verified.

Something new, guess I'd have to hear from actual people how it's worked for them.

Killing an intruder law in the UK? Hadn't heard of that but I can see that if an intruder knows he might be killed he might than be ready to kill someone else too. Sounds kind of like the "wild west" coming back.

Though it looks like you can mark your property it also appears that in at least some of the locations triggering an alarm also gets a perp sprayed with the stuff. they mention nozzles in discrete locations.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Maybe I'm just an old-fashioned Texan, but my security system is a loaded .357 Magnum in the nightstand.

Admittedly, it only works when I'm there.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

It was just on the local news over here. Apparently they coat around the handles of household items with the stuff too.

What I'm wondering is, is their any practical application of it regards guitars. Their handled constantly, surely the stuff would wear off after time.

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No no and no

Sounds like there could be a lot of 'false positives' if something gets touched a lot.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

The Dulwich Picture Gallery in South London has a Rembrandt which famously has been stolen no less than four times over the decades. Each time they have got it back because of course contrary to popular belief it is almost impossible to sell a thing like that. The thieves eventually abandon it.

Last time round it was marked with an early version of SmartWater. Very handy, as it allowed the Gallery to be sure that this was indeed their Rembrandt and not some other...

Nowadays they've started locking the front door at night and their loss rate has dropped considerably.

Cheers - C

Don't think it could be used on guitars Nik , otherwise you would be covered in the stuff yourself and possibly transfering it to anything else you may hold, also to hide it away discreetly would defeat the purpose ie no contact with perp, unless we have a rouge luthier stripping for parts.
For anyone looking for security on their high end gear, Iv'e often thought this was a good idea, could be discreetly hidden at manufacture stage.

http://www.chippet.com/moreinfo.htm

Hi ripitup555: a version of that designed specifically for musical instruments is offered by a Snagg:

www.snagg.com

Stew-Mac used to sell that system to be installed during building or very easily as a mod on a finished guitar. But for some reason they seem to have dropped it. Dunno why.

Some top end luthiers install it as standard in their guitars nowadays (Mike DeTemple for example). I wonder if it has ever caught a thief?

Cheers - C