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Post subject: stolen guitars??
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:00 pm
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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?

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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:09 pm
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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.


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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:15 pm
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phreddybee wrote:
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.


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.


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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:17 pm
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phreddybee wrote:
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.


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

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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:22 pm
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CAFeathers wrote:
phreddybee wrote:
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.


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


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

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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:25 pm
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I remember reading about this site

http://www.stolenguitarregistry.com/

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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:26 pm
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Radiohead wrote:
CAFeathers wrote:
phreddybee wrote:
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.


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


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


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

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:35 pm
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mclmk8d wrote:
I remember reading about this site

http://www.stolenguitarregistry.com/


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.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:25 pm
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Radiohead wrote:
mclmk8d wrote:
I remember reading about this site

http://www.stolenguitarregistry.com/


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.


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


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Post subject: Stolen guitars
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:17 am
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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.


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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:00 am
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fenderstrat1963 wrote:
phreddybee wrote:
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.


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.


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


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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:29 am
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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.


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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 10:26 am
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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.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:01 am
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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¢.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:10 pm
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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.

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