FHopkins said he saw guitars with terribe water damage in New Orleans after Katrina. He said they were bad - but playable. And later he regretted not picking one up, because it had a kind of cool battered vibe to it.

(Though it's your story, Hop: correct me if I've got it wrong...)

I think a burnt and soaked Strat could be kinda neat, if it still worked. The ultimate heavy relic. Or a guitar with a story, at any rate...

Cheers - C

Hmm, the fire was contained in the building, you could not see the fire from the outside of the building, no damage outside the building, yet someone called that knew there was a fire?????

I smell insurance fraud