a friend of mine once bought a guitar of craigslist and it was stolen. when he told a dealer how good a deal he got (he had taken it in to be re-strung and professionally set up) the next day the cops were at his door claiming the guitar was stolen.

What i am asking is how can i protect myself if i want to buy used guitars? Is there any way to find out if a guitar was reported stolen?

I know this may sound lame as i believe most guitar players are decent honest people but sometimes i see deals on craigslist that seem too good to be true and i have to wonder if the person got their instrument by ill gotten ways?

Love playing guitar but my friend's story scares me and i wouldnt ever want to buy something that was unjustly taken from another person. it's bad karma and i couldnt get happiness knowing someone else was wronged for money.

is there any way to tell if a guitar is stolen? i want to enjoy my hobby but feel safe with my purchase at the same time.

Must have somethin to do with serial numbers no?

_________________
My lot:
2003 white/white Fender Strat mim
2007 natural ibanez af 105 hollow body
1991 ibanez 12 string acoustic
roland micro cube amp

i think you would be pretty safe buying from a store such as guitar center. i know they fingerprint you and ask for an id when you do a trade-in.

i'm not sure that there is an easy way to tell when you purchase from a place like ebay and craigslist. if you could get a serial number from the seller, there is no guarantee that you would get a legitimate one. if you look on ebay, check feedback. if it is a new seller, proceed with caution.

i don't know if there is a nationwide site you can check to see if something was stolen before you bought it. that would be an ideal situation.

Agreed, checking seller post counts and feedback is probably the best way. Try googling them as well.

Were you serious about being finger printed when you trade an instrument in? I've never heard of something like that where I am, although I haven't traded instruments that way before - it sounds pretty freaky.

I sold a guitar to GC once and they didn't even ask for ID.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

perhaps the policy varies from store to store, maybe the fingerprint one is located in a somewhat high crime area.

_________________
My lot:
2003 white/white Fender Strat mim
2007 natural ibanez af 105 hollow body
1991 ibanez 12 string acoustic
roland micro cube amp

I remember reading about this site

http://www.stolenguitarregistry.com/

_________________
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 State Capitol of California is a pretty high crime rate city if you ask me.......

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Thank you very much mclmk8d i may sign up for that site! That is EXACTLY what i was looking for, a way to verify my axe is legit.

ill be signing up soon.

_________________
My lot:
2003 white/white Fender Strat mim
2007 natural ibanez af 105 hollow body
1991 ibanez 12 string acoustic
roland micro cube amp

Good info. to know that you hope you don't have to use.

Ask the seller foe the sereal # Before you buy. Get the # and let the police run it. Tell them your story , you nare looking at buying it. If it's stolen bad guy go's to jail, If not buy the guitar.

it's true- they did take a fingerprint. the funny part is that i had my receipt with me from when i purchased the guitar i was trading in- and i bought that guitar at g.c. as well.

they told me the fingerprinting was sop, as a way to trace stolen merchandise

The Sam Ash in my neighborhood asks for I.D. If I was going to buy a used guitar I would go with a dealer you could trust and not use ebay or craigslist.

I asked some questions via email about a guitar I was interested in on CList. The cell number was in Indiana and the guitar was for sale in Ohio. My gut said stay clear and I did. About a week later I got an email from the owner that said her roomie had moved out and stolen her guitar. Dodged the bullet on that one.

_________________
2015 Epiphone Casino Goldtop
2011 Taylor 814ce
2009 EC Custom Shop Merc Blue
2008 Schecter ATX
1964 Epi Granada E444T
Fender Super Champ XD

Vintage looking guitars like relics, closet classics and NOS etc. are all the rage nowadays. They are cheap and plentiful compared to real vintage guitars. Aftermarket companies make astonishingly accurate vintage sounding pickups and hardware. Companies like Warmoth can make custom bodies and necks to your exact specs. The only reason I can see to spend $15K to $25K on a 1954 Strat is to have the bragging rights or as an investment. You can have a guitar that sounds and feels just like the real thing and often even better for a tenth of the price. I say better because guitars were so inconsistent in those days. Lots of them were not that great. Why expose yourself to the risk of theft for nothing more than bragging rights? Especially when the chances of being ripped off at the time of purchase is so very, very great these days. Let's face it, there are 5 times as many so-called "vintage" guitars for sale on the internet than were ever produced in the first place. Production numbers were quite low back in the day compared to nowadays. If the vintage sound and feel is what you crave then get a reissue, mod it if you feel the need and save yourself the headaches.

My 2¢.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Dont buy online. Sure, you can go to a guitar dealer and say, "can you orderfender jaguar in please", or something like that but I do not, buy online. As tempting as it is, i dont.

_________________
riley