hello everyone, my name is brandon and i play in the bands indian jewelry, terrible eagle and the electric set. i am currently on tour in italy with terrible eagle and our gear was stolen in napoli last week. the took my 66 fender jaguar that i have had for 18 years. i am making this post in hopes that whoever gets it will be eager to show the world. since i have been playing it for nearly 20 years it is extremely worn and easily identifiable.
there are many pictures of it if you search for the band names listed above. an easier way to link to these bands is www.swarmofangles.com
i am totally wrecked about losing this guitar and would appreciate any and all help to get it back. i dont know how but i have to hope. thanks for your attention.
cheers,
brandon

Hi brandon, welcome to the Forum - even under these circumstances.

I know Italy well: what happens next depends a bit on the circumstances of your theft.

Did it take place in the street? In Southern Italy opportunist street crime is frequently committed by folks known as scippatori (a.k.a. scippi: sci- is pronounced like sh- in English) on a semi-organised basis. These people are basically after cash and credit cards and there is often a practical if unpleasant unspoken understanding with the police that if the other items are returned quickly the cops will not try terribly hard in pursuing the villains. The effect of this is that you can often retrieve stolen bags, wallets, cases, etc - minus the easy-to-process items.

For that to work you have to notify the local police as quickly as possible - which you need to do in any case to get a crime report to submit for an insurance claim. The police will know if stolen items are handed in, or if there has been a phonecall to say where they are to be found. The clock is ticking on that one: if items are returned it happens within hours.

Don't expect the police to be very sympathetic; expect to have to prove to them who you are and where you are staying before they even start to listen to your story; and no matter how sullen and unhelpful they are stay patient and polite. They are you're only real hope here, no matter how casual you find them. Having someone with you who speaks Italian will really help. How helpful are the police where you live to people who don't speak their language?

On this type of crime perhaps you could try reporting it to the Carabinieri as well as the Polizia - well try, anyway.

Next possibility. In the South and especially in mafia dominated places such as Naples and Sicily it is all about who you know. Go to the most infuential, connected Italian local you can find and throw yourself on his/her mercy. They may have shady contacts who can help; or at least some locally informed advice.

Or. Did the theft take place backstage or somewhere similar? I'm afraid in that case I don't think you stand a chance of seeing your gear again. It will have been taken by people who know what it is and how to move it on. An insurance claim is your only way forward, in all likelihood.

Of course, there are amazing stories of people getting stolen items back and we all wish you luck. But...

Last option. Set up a row of saved searches on Italian Ebay and that of neighboring countries and hope against hope that your gear comes up in a recognisable form and you can buy it back. That's a long shot. Here's Italian Ebay:

http://annunci.ebay.it/

Lastly. Learn from the experience and if you haven't been doing so already now start keeping your passport, money and tickets in a very safe place. A money belt beneath your clothing is good.

Very best of luck to you - C

misternodnob I really feel for you guy but I think the odds of ever seeing that ax again are zero. It would be hard enough to find it here yet alone in Italy. I know it must be really frustrating as I am Italian but do not speak it so you must really be having a tough time. What happened it got swiped after a gig. All I can say is take the advice Ceri gave you except the part about seeking out a certain type of person as if you approach someone like that first they would not even talk to you, and you might find losing your guitar the least of your problems. But everything else was on point. Good luck.

Though to be clear, I am absolutely not suggesting going to see some kind of mafia insider (you wouldn't get in to see those people in any case).

Just a well connected local who knows the ropes; is what you want. The venue owner, a promoter, a friendly businessman - something like that is what I'm getting at. Or anyone else local: they might know markets, second-hand shops and such where stolen goods might be found. This is not the first item that ever got stolen in Naples, unfortunately.

Oh, and no matter what you think you've heard, do not try offering policemen bribes. You don't know how that is done, and so much trouble awaits you that way...

Good luck - C

Ceri- Wow, you know a lot about Italy. That was informed and helpful, I'm sure. Are the scippi basically gypsies? I've never heard that word, 'til now.

Good luck, Brandon.

Nah, a scippatoro was originally the guy who sits on the back of a speeding scooter and snatches a bag off someone's shoulder while his buddy does the driving.

Another version: my dad's girlfriend had her bag lifted from the seat of the car she was driving at 70 mph on a highway in Sicily by a guy on the back of a bike who just leant in the window. She was so angry she raced off after them - and was told later she was very lucky indeed she didn't catch them up. That's when the real trouble would have started!

On that particular visit (1980s) she and my dad had been in the country for about three hours when they saw the chief of police assassinated in a hail of gunfire on the steps of the cathedral in Palermo, right in front of their eyes. My dad dropped his ice-cream. Exciting trip.

Nowadays scippatori just seems to refer to any guys who perpetrate opportunist street crime. Though I should emphasise, I've spent months at a time in Italy over decades, including Naples and Sicily, and never seen any such thing for myself. I love Italy.

Just the other day I was staying in the "most dangerous" street in Syracuse. Very friendly and peaceful. Great food, too...

Cheers - C

The Vespa Bandits. Hmm. Are honest Italians permitted to own firearms, Ceri? Are crimes of opportunity done by Italians, Romanians, or who?

Sorry to pester you, but I'm interested.

Thanks.

Well it's much easier to buy handguns in Italy than in my country, for instance, though probably less than in yours. I don't remember ever seeing a gun in Italy except in the hands of police and Carabinieri. I'm certain few people carry them in public.

You're really asking how safe it might be for someone to work as a bag snatcher without retaliation? I think you'd tend to assume the muggers are probably more dangerous than the person getting attacked and so not try to pull a weapon on them, even if you had one. Same as anywhere.

(Though actually, the two times I've been mugged abroad - not in Italy - I successfully fought them off. Stupid, but... )

For comparison: I was driving with my uncle in Boston one time when we were cut up by a guy who then gave us a festival of verbal abuse and hand gestures. That presses my button and I started returning the rage in kind. My uncle urgently told me to shut up because the guy might have a gun. Something to do with the part of town we were in, apparently.

Never encountered anything like that in Italy. I exchange extreme abuse with other drivers at high speed without any worries. And frankly, Italian driving is far more dangerous than criminals...

These days the mafia are busy ripping off building and highway contracts for multiple millions. Street crime is just done by obnoxious kids, like everywhere. And the north is a lot different, anyhow...

Cheers - C

Having lived in Northern Italy for 3 years, I can echo what Ceri said about being nice and patient with the police, Carabinieri, and any other local official you encounter. They can be true ba**busters as they have their own little fiefdoms to protect.

Definitely get in touch with someone who knows the ins and outs of the area, and definitely get in touch with your insurance.

When you go to the Questura (local police station), bring as much documentation with you, including your passport, tour schedule, photos of yourself with the guitar, photos of the guitar and any identifying markings. Have those already printed and ready to turn over.

Things move slowly in Italian bureaucracy, so be prepared to sit, and then see various people.

_________________
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

Hi man - do tell!


Cheers - C

Your story saddens me. I hope you get your gear back. But, to be realistic, it is likely you won't. Mybe the advice above can (hopefully) prove me wrong. I am sorry for you for that ...

Arrivederci ...

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Ceri,
After graduating from college (Bachelor of Fine Arts, majored in photography, minor in TV production) in 1978, I went to Europe and Israel for 8 weeks, meeting a lot of nice people along the way.

I then moved to Israel where I worked for the government educational TV station as a production assistant and then a video mixer and editor. There were a bunch of us immigrants, another one from the US, a guy from London, another from Paris...we all hung out together. One of the shows we did, I served as Chick Corea's interpreter...he was touring Israel at the time.

After almost 3 years there, I went to Bologna where I worked at a private TV station doing the same thing. Bologna is an incredibly nice city...great food and wonderful people...met a girl, fell in love, broke up, etc. Eventually, I started missing my family back home and returned to the States. I still correspond with my friend from Imola that I worked with; he's like my second brother.

My American friend from Israel moved back to the US and lived in Queens 10 minutes from my house. He had married an English girl, and when they had a baby, I would babysit. They've been in London for the last 25 years, and on May 21st, I am coming to London for his son's wedding.
Just a long weekend, but I am psyched.

_________________
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

Hey man! I was scheduled to be out of town that weekend, but I can adjust my plans and stick around if you want to get together for a drink or something? Let me know quick, before I buy tickets - you know how to reach me here or elsewhere...

- C

Ceri, sent you an email on FB

_________________
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

Goddit.

Cheers man - C