Very hard "NOT" to see a guy bringing in a handful of guitars and amps at a time... Even if the joint doesn't have a physical person on site, The camera's are always watching. I'm with ya, "Inside Job"
@@kylemoran4343 "they even took the rat trap...i guess it wasn't a very good place" if there were cameras, they'd already have the crooks. If there was insurance, we'd heard a blurb but no desperate pleas - collecting 200 guitars is going to be hard even with everyone helping. This is the stuff modern urban legend scavenger hunts are made of. Someone is going to start tracking all the guitars found just because there are so many that there's actual content for a series of videos. If anything, the whole thing is significant and interesting enough that there is some amount of revenue to be harvested from the event itself - make sure to get ALL that money you can because just like a person that gets their stolen car back kinda trashed you're probably not getting every single piece of gear back. If something bad happens in front of the internet, shamelessly monetize it because nobody is going to just up and replace your stuff or your quality of life; you gotta get that yourself. Thanks to Casino Guitars for giving him a good venue of a pretty well targeted audience of good number of viewers. Might be a good time to remind people there are a lot of pretty good counterfeits out there too, I bet Casino Guitars has some stories from Hell on getting fake goods, much less stolen legit that people are buying so cheap that they think the actual stolen deal is just a really good fake that they can scam someone even harder with. All channels on YT are adamant that if an instrument is really really genuine looking and you're getting way too good of a deal, check to see if it's stolen first. Nobody likes losing money but nobody is going to keep stolen property, especially if the gear has been put on a pretty wide blast in enthusiast circles.
I had a beat -the-hell up black 1960-something Silvertone 1446 stolen 35 years ago, face-value approx. $50. It probably got taken to a pawn shop and exchanged for $15-20 bucks, a night's worth of buzz on whatever. Thing is, it was one of Alex Chilton's from his Panther Burns days. That wound still hasn't scabbed over. It's got a red, white & blue Air Force star on the back, and a Bigsby wanger, in case anybody sees it.
For what it is worth reddit can be on the case, too. They often take on tasks as teams, and input findings as a compilation in threads. Start one, compile what is out there, and watch them rapid fire appear.
Pretty sure trogly has his hands full moving into his new house, and trying to get his business back up and running. But I’m pretty sure he’ll keep an eye out for them while he’s perusing his regular sources. He’s a good guy and will do the right thing if he happens across any of them.
I had 7 guitars stolen from my home 8 years ago. They caught the guy. He was a heroin addict. He went away for 3 years. My guitars were traded for drugs or dumped. I got home owners insurance and was able to get better guitars as replacements but there are a couple of guitars that I’m still a little sad about.
the more hours you put into a guitar, the harder it is to replace. especially if there was something special about how you got it, like it was a gift, or it was the first guitar you bought yourself etc. there can be far more sentimental value in a guitar than dollar value.
My heart is hurting for him! My dad's 1956 Martin HD28 was stolen from me when I was living in Fayetteville NC in the early 80's, and I'm still sick from that. They never found mine, and I hope they're able to recover his collection. I'm feeling his loss in the put of my stomach!
Sounds like the Thieves knew he was gonna be out of town and seems like the storage place should've had cameras also and maybe it could be the Storage business inside job .
We had our Burbank storage's broken into in the early 90's. Typically, they break into one, then keep going through a whole row, by cutting the sheet metal walls from one unit to the next. Moved 1993 to Coldwater self storage, the place never had a break in, manager couple lives on premises, you open / enter the facility gate by typing 4 digit unit number + personal 4 digit code, which disarms your units door alarm, followed by opening the unit. Leaving the storage, you type in the same 8 digits to open the exit gate, which also rearms your unit alarm. If you forget to lock the unit, a computer voice will remind you. Anyone tries to roll up a storage door without the proper gate codes, sirens will go off, and the on site mgr couple will investigate.. Plus cameras are all over, recording 24/7. I have no connection to the place other than being a customer / renter since 1993, with 27+ years peace of mind.
Let’s get this on every major guitar dealer’s site! I could not imagine the feeling of having such a personal investment taken from you. I’m far away in Ottawa, ON, Canada but will still keep my eyes and ears out as I look for vintage stuff often. I hope they make their way back to you, Rob.
This guy seems to live a pretty lavish lifestyle based on his stories and his collection. Just seems idiotic not to have them insured. Either way I still feel bad for him
@@MrPhins I don't see that comment as him blaming the victim. It's just pointing out the objective fact that _is_ insane to not have a million dollar vintage guitar and amp collection insured. Things other than theft could have taken the instruments from his possession as well.
I hate it for this guy and stealing is absolutely wrong. But I gotta say I cringed when I heard him say he had over 200 vintage guitars in a storage locker. We wonder why prices are going up - well you got super collectors like this buying them all up off the market. Not to enjoy them. Not to display them. Not even to show them off. Just so no one else can have them. Guitar hoarders.
thats why you should buy a few vintage guitars. major good investment and you can enjoy them however you wish. why do you want ronny's? any vintage shop has a bunch
We here at WildCat Guitars will absolutely be keeping an eye out for any vintage pieces coming into the shop. We will have the full list printed out. Fingers crossed.
We're way up here North of the US border on high alert for a Gretsch Country Gentleman. Longing for my 61 Strat that I bought for 450 and sold for 650, 40 yrs ago. Really feel the heavy regret in your voice. This is serious harm to a good Spirit. Great attitude though.Thank you Andertons and Casino guitars. Issuing APB- All Music Stores!
“ this isn’t about Money” lol That was his retirement, they were an investment for him, …. So it is about Money. No insurance, sketchy storage locker…. Sadly this guy will never see those guitars again. Not a very smart thing to do. I own a few custom shop guitars and amps… they are all insured. If I owned 200 guitars, vintage or not, they’re all gonna be insured.
This is so stupid because every dealer is aware of this situation now so the low life theif can’t sell them very easily. Here’s a guy that earned his money and collects out of love of the instrument and some low life piece of shit wants to rob him. There should be security video of the theft. It’s probably someone that works there or possibly the ex wife (although i kinda doubt that in this Situation) but they had to know they were in there so that narrows it down considerably. I’m sorry this happened to you buddy. I hope you get them all back. Get that insurance back at least on some of them. I had a house burn and i lost 20 guitars that i kept at home with me because it seemed safer that way and these 20 had special meaning to me. I went back into the fire and grabbed 2 les pauls and a martin but i just couldn’t go in again it was too hot by then. I had homeowners but they might as well been uninsured as far as that goes. You need insurance on any investment or anything you love. You could give guitar lessons and pay for that each year if you had to. It’s worth it.
Native SMC, 64. Local town since '81. Move to an apt. heard some chatter. Doc'd all my guitars. Amps,,,ordered a Spark. stolen off my door. Towns going to hell in a hand basket.
The facility had camera's and 24 hour onsite personnel. I felt it was safer that leaving the collection in my home while on the road 9 months out of the year.
@@1RobbyZ right, and when someone has 1 job and it's their core business, it's natural to trust they will do what they say they will. Especially when you're paying for it. I'm so sorry this happened. I've had a few, much smaller things stolen and the feeling of violation is just awful.
Casino Guitars, this is awesome that you took the time to make this video, I know I would be so upset if my small collection all of the sudden showed up missing. I hope this gets a lot of views and attention which results in the recovery of as many guitars as possible. Thank you!
Ekhem... what was that thing some people been saying? "I don't want this awesome guitar to send the rest of its life in some old guys basement"? something like that? I really hope the masterminds behind this played each and every one before selling to GC or whatever.
@@1RobbyZ I recall seeing a reposting CL add regarding a theft of guitars in LA area. A number of Fender Custom Shops. I hate seeing this type of crime. I'm glad the LA person will recoup his guitars. Rob, I sure hope you get back all of your guitars ASAP. I'll keep a lookout down in San Diego.
@@CasinoGuitars call Norman Harris if ya can guys, no answer on the email. He is definitely where these thrives are going at some point. You don't hold vintage and not come to Norm with it before anybody, if you're near him.
I've been paying apartment insurance for 11 years. Never had a claim - but I do have friends who have lost EVERYTHING they own and I never want to be in that position.
Unless you have a rider attached to your HO or renters insurance your guitars will not be covered. Same goes for jewelry. Usually standard policies have a basic minimum they will cover for jewelry and other precious or collectors items and most of the time will be $500
This is clearly a terrible situation, I really feel for Robby Z. I do also feel bad for guitars sitting in storage, doing nothing! Sitting in storage for years just feels wrong for classic instruments of that caliber. I hope he gets them back, and the scumbags that stole it get some justice - but I also hope those guitars get into the hands of people who want to play them a bit more. Don't want to knock Robby for his collection or his passion - I totally get it. It's kind of silly GAS can get to these extremes though. If I had over 200 guitars, I'd spend more time replacing strings than actually playing!
Yep. And we wondered why all of a sudden the offset guitars prices have been going nuts when up to a year ago they were still obtainable. Well you got guitar hoarders like this sucking them all up off the market.
@@MinivanMegafun100 have any of you dudes even played a jag or jazzmaster? their crap. leave this dude alone. what if he collects old rambler cars you gonna give him grief for that too? your so bad of a player you cant make a new one sound good?
He didn’t know all the guitars he had. That’s not a player, that’s a hoarder. I’m all for looking after guitars for future generations but they should be looked after by people who really appreciate them and treat them well rather than locking them away from the world
do you know how hard it was to obtain that many custom colors? and you say he doesnt apreciate them? also this guy has played his whole life. i,m sure he deserves guitars more than you do. you call billy gibbons a hoarder too? can you play as good as billy gibbons?
This is very painful, I don't think there's one person seeing this video who doesn't know how this feels. Our guitars are everything to us - we love them like they're members of our family! I really do feel for you man and I hope you get them back!! Stay positive!!!
I would concentrate on tracking down the origins of those 17 guitars you've gotten back so far. Even if the thief is dead, his sources can be tracked down and the rest of the guitars retrieved from there.
And they didnt have a single cctv camera anywhere? If the person needed to get through a gate to get in someone wouldve saw, and you can't really sneak 200 guitars out of somewhere without not 1 person seeing
9:16 - that's why I named my business "For The Love Of Guitar". It truly is a love. A passion. And he is 100% correct. Most of us will not stand for this kind of shit. The BEST way to prevent yourself from buying stolen gear - Ask for the serial. If they won't give up the serial number or give you that crap about " oh you could get the serial number, go to the police and say it's yours".... If that has ever happened, it didn't work. If that actually worked then every guitar that Sweetwater sells I could make a claim on. Try that shit somewhere else. Keep your eyes peeled folks. Right now we have the chance to be good to one another. Don't waste that opportunity.
There was a time when nobody stole a mans tools he makes his living from. This was the case in construction and the words should hold true for musicians as well. I hope Robby gets all of his guitars back.
I actually can't watch this whole video. It's too heartbreaking. It seems impossible for someone to fence 200 guitars and not get caught. I hope they track down and prosecute the thieves. and recover all of the guitars, of course.
Hey Baxter, thank you for sharing this with us. It's devastating to see this happen. I hope the collection gets recovered. I'm in Europe and there's not much I can do but I already shared the video in a handful of big Facebook groups for guitars and I also created threads for the video on the gear page and tdpri. I hope that helps, cheers!
@@KrenarCilkuGuitar I just checked around me also, doesn't seem to hang anything of his, I am in antique capital tho so it's hard to tell what is what lol I see some odd shit but nothing that stands out or from the list
Wow! Im really feeling the feelz from this story, my guitars are like children to me, (but I only have 5, 3 of which are vintage) I would just die if something happened to'm💜
@@1RobbyZ ...I bet, my brother ❤ I pray for you and I'm not even a religious person 🙏 Man, I hope and wish for many, *MANY* leads on the investigations, brother! All the luck from West Atl Ga✌💜
Folks, after you watch this, take photos of your guitars. And when I say take photos, take photos like you are going to sell it on Reverb. Burn those photos onto a DVD. If your guitars are really valuable, plonk down the cash to have Shutterfly make prints. Put all that in a fire safe. Buy a hardback journal - something like a Moleskine. Write down the year, model, make, and serial number of each of your guitars in it. Put that journal in a fire safe. Then, insure each one for about 80% of the max purchase price according to Reverb. So if the range is $3000 to $5000, insure it for $4500.
Take closeups of the serial numbers too! I have photos of all of my guitars, and serial numbers, in my phone, and backed up in several locations. I hope no one else ever feels the pain of having guitars stolen!
The wife of a good friend of mine takes a picture of almost EVERYTHING they buy. Furniture, appliances, jewelry, tools, electronics, etc, then she puts the photo with the receipt in a fire proof safe. Everyone thought she was being way too anal and wondered why she took the time to do it. Then they had a fire that destroyed everything. The safe survived although they had to take it to a locksmith to open it. Other than soft brown corners, the pics and receipts survived. They gave it all to the insurance people. They were thrilled and said it was the quickest and easiest claim they have ever paid. Now we know why she was being so anal.
I'm on about 20 different Facebook guitar groups, so I'll check out the list and see if I recognize any of these. Absolutely shameful. I hope every person involved with this operation is caught and swiftly brought to justice. You don't mess with someone's guitar collection.
I would think if you could afford 200 vintage guitars, you’d have a house big enough to keep them in. But from my understanding, he went through a divorce. He probably had limited options if he didn’t fair so well in the divorce. And when you’re going through something like that, a storage facility seems like a logical choice. You would think a storage facility would be pretty safe. I would also expect the facility would be responsible or shoulder some liability if something like this happens. I don’t know the details. But I hope he gets his guitars back.
Haters gonna hate or spit some stupid shit out their trap. I feel your pain Robby, may the guitar gods be with you. Shared video with many friends across the states
Yea, like who knew that they were there? Where is the video footage? Who would store that much $$ worth of anything that wasn't under constant archived video recoding. Rats? Again, why would you store that much money in a facility that has rats...
@@jimmyparris9892 No it doesn't. It only takes a long time if you insist on getting top dollar. If you sell a twenty thousand dollar guitar for two thousand dollars, you'll find a buyer within the day.
it's hard to believe they could be sold or transferred anywhere without the serial numbers poppin up on the radar of dealers,, I feel for this guy someone stealing a whole life's passion
In the time it took for him to find out, plenty of them would have been moved off the market into houses where the people didn't know they were stolen. Only after that, did the list get compiled. Once compiled, the serial numbers would have been on record for stores like Guitar Center, and legitimate pawn shops, to see.
This was so heartbreaking to watch that I actually had to stop partway through. Robby, I hope you’re able to get your collection back, and I hope the scumbag(s) responsible for this get “tuned up.”
I bought a guitar from a collector one time, and it felt like I broke it out of prison. The collector didn't play anything he collected. Guitars are tools for musicians and are meant to be played, not collected, and its 'collectors' that are artificially driving up the prices. If they were that valuable, they shouldn't be in a crappy storage facility and left uninsured, let alone not completely archived. Not sure feel sorry for so many mistakes.
Hubby took from back of my closet and put my Korg Studio synth with rare $800 upgraded memory cards and $700 pelican case.and Elton John signed. Epiphone guitar in an open cage storage. He could not believe they were stolen. DUH!!!!!!
There are cameras literally everywhere in this country. Hopefully they have vid of the heist, or whoever was delivering them to the stores to sell, really sounds like an easy case to solve. I mean if a guy buys five rare guitars, and tries to sell them to guitar center, he knows where he bought them from. It’s not easy too difficult to track it back to the source.... Best of luck to this dude, but man, all could have been prevented.
Hope he will get them back, it's a sad story, I doubt it but I'm from Spain and regularily check 2nd hand market for guitars, will keep an eye for custom colors, they rarely appear here, so, will be easy to spot, again my hopes he will get them back, the majority, good luck and good work guys ;)
I would guess that most of these are already out of the country. This is a painful story. I hope the people responsible are found. That said, they should have been in Fort knox.
I’d say look at your buddy’s and associates ... because people don’t just know what are in those Storage facilities. That was a planned hit on your gear bro. Sorry for your misfortune. Hope you get everything back.
Such a sad story, for real. Now the obvious. WHY in the hell would anybody EVER live, work, or do business in California at this point? It is overrun with crime...and let alone leave this kind of collection in a storage unit? That said, I do hope he gets them all back. CALL NORMS GUITAR- he may know something. Just unreal.
(Updated with a PDF) Copy this link and paste to see the whole list of guitars with serial numbers and photos! PDF: drive.google.com/file/d/1u4BcTlyX0JID4N5hA4t13zl_WYukOCu_/view?usp=sharing Apple Pages drive.google.com/file/d/1PzbU9M2hOWMDx0jvo5nootSFp54ZtH0I/view?usp=sharing
@@kenbrueger1648 It does work. I opened the document in Apple Pages. I had to download it. They might have made a mistake by not having it open for Android devices. I don’t know the answer to that question.
@@natashanyxx9486 I think the file is overlarge. They need to reformat it into a PDF or compress it somehow. My computer can't even estimate the size/time required to download, and it's downloading very slowly.
The storage part preserves them, if they hadn’t been stolen. So eventually they’d be passed on and there’d still be these vintage mint examples existing. So I have to respectfully disagree. They’d be played again eventually ✌️. Having said that I play mine and don’t collect. But hope this guy gets em back.
@@lassesuurmunne8340 They get preserved. For what purpose? They are instruments. They may as well be logs if they are stuck away. Preserved for who...the one collector to check them out every so many years. It is a waste. He can do what he wants with them...but no great tragedy to the guitar community. Because they are locked away being logs.
I really feel for this gentleman. They are more than guitars to all of us, they are memories with friends, long nights of travel and practice and those moments when it all comes together and the world seems just right. Thank you Baxter and Casino for getting this information out and I pray he finds them all.
That kind of money stuck in a storage unit and no insurance its a terrible thing to get complacent with items of value like that. The person who did this should be shot but at the same time there should have been a little more care taken on a large collection like that. This is my personal opinion
If it happened to this gentleman it could happen to anyone very scary, just goes to show us nothing is guaranteed even storing your stuff in a paid storage unit. Best of luck to you on getting them back
I insure my stuff and my collection is pretty modest. At one time it was a little more extensive but nothing like what this guy had. Crazy. But there are fires, floods, riots, theft, a storm could knock the big tree in the front yard into my house...there are just lots of things that can happen. Just a few months ago we had all those power outages here in Texas due to the winter storms, and lots of people suffered broken pipes. I have had hail break a window and it pretty much rained in part of my house, but not where I keep all my music crap. Seriously, so many things can happen. When I first heard about this I figured it was some plastic surgeon or tech CEO who can barely play but was hoarding up all that stuff, and I didn't feel too bad. But it turns out it's a real player. Sucks. Thankfully he didn't need them to make a living. Sounds like he was depending on them for his retirement, though.
Wow my heart goes out to this guy this is truly devastating. If I see anything that catches my attention I'll keep him in mind. I hope that he can get as many back as possible and wish him all the best.
@robbyz So sorry to hear about this loss. I know the pain. I had almost the exact same thing happen to me in L.A. Lost a bunch of guitars, less than you, but some that meant a lot to me. The police officer who took the report told me these cases are most likely done by the people working at the storage places. They have access and time after hours, cameras, knowledge of what you have in there, and sometimes master keys for all locks. The feeling I had when I opened my container and saw the guitars gone was terrible. I still think about them a few years later and regret leaving them in storage. I got a little slice of what they were worth from the storage insurance but nothing can replace their loss. I guess the only way forward is to buy new guitars to replace them and fill that heart back up. Wishing you all the best.
Beyond got wrenching for sure. This way pales in comparison, but got wrenching on a smaller scale nonetheless. I came home to find my 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop that I purchased in 1975, completely original. I filed a report with the serial number and pretty much gave it up as gone. Probably a month later, I went to a music store on the other side of town to buy strings for my Ibanez flying V and I walked in and a guy was sitting down playing my guitar, I Went straight up to the guy and must have the look of death on my face. I said that’s my guitar and he say he said hey man I was just playing it. The owner called the police, I got the guitar back. Beyond fortunate, I still have it today.
This is heat wrenching, I buy and sell used guitars so I will be on the lookout. I deal through Market Place and Craig’s List and others. I will be in touch if I come across anything suspicious.
I used to buy those old Fenders in the 80's for $150. I bought a 1968 Les Paul custom for $145 in 1985. Now it's $20K. Boy was I dumb. But no one knew guitars would go insane in price. Sorry for your loss but that was really dumb putting all that wealth in a storage unit.
I've been trying to invent a GPS device that makes guitars impossible to steal. Every time I get into it... I always determine it requires a $10/month service to maintain the location. The "TILE" option really only works for about 300 yards. So, that would work for a gig situation.
Milwuakee One Key would work if you know youve been robbed within a few days of it happening. I know a contractor in Texas that got a bunch of tools back that were in Florida 3 days after they were stolen. The cops just had to wait for the stolen trailer to stop moving for an hour.
This had to have been an inside job, someone knew there were guitars in there.
Very hard "NOT" to see a guy bringing in a handful of guitars and amps at a time... Even if the joint doesn't have a physical person on site, The camera's are always watching. I'm with ya, "Inside Job"
and probably know the combination of his original lock. I would be asking about people doing maintenance to the storage units...
Obviously.
Cameras are a good idea, can maybe help with that
@@kylemoran4343 "they even took the rat trap...i guess it wasn't a very good place"
if there were cameras, they'd already have the crooks. If there was insurance, we'd heard a blurb but no desperate pleas - collecting 200 guitars is going to be hard even with everyone helping. This is the stuff modern urban legend scavenger hunts are made of. Someone is going to start tracking all the guitars found just because there are so many that there's actual content for a series of videos.
If anything, the whole thing is significant and interesting enough that there is some amount of revenue to be harvested from the event itself - make sure to get ALL that money you can because just like a person that gets their stolen car back kinda trashed you're probably not getting every single piece of gear back. If something bad happens in front of the internet, shamelessly monetize it because nobody is going to just up and replace your stuff or your quality of life; you gotta get that yourself.
Thanks to Casino Guitars for giving him a good venue of a pretty well targeted audience of good number of viewers.
Might be a good time to remind people there are a lot of pretty good counterfeits out there too, I bet Casino Guitars has some stories from Hell on getting fake goods, much less stolen legit that people are buying so cheap that they think the actual stolen deal is just a really good fake that they can scam someone even harder with. All channels on YT are adamant that if an instrument is really really genuine looking and you're getting way too good of a deal, check to see if it's stolen first. Nobody likes losing money but nobody is going to keep stolen property, especially if the gear has been put on a pretty wide blast in enthusiast circles.
Man I'd be devastated if one if my guitars got stolen. Much less every single one. I really hope they find all of them!
He didn't get the all stolen, only those in the storage unit. He says so in the video.
Exactly! It’s the damn worst!
@@jimwoodard64 well that's good. Either way I'd be devastated.
I had a beat -the-hell up black 1960-something Silvertone 1446 stolen 35 years ago, face-value approx. $50. It probably got taken to a pawn shop and exchanged for $15-20 bucks, a night's worth of buzz on whatever. Thing is, it was one of Alex Chilton's from his Panther Burns days. That wound still hasn't scabbed over. It's got a red, white & blue Air Force star on the back, and a Bigsby wanger, in case anybody sees it.
Rest assured, when Trogly hears about this, he's gonna be like a bloodhound on Reverb...
That’s what we like to hear:)
Eric the red: 😂
👀. 👀. 👀
Yes Trogly will be on this like white on rice lol
For what it is worth reddit can be on the case, too. They often take on tasks as teams, and input findings as a compilation in threads. Start one, compile what is out there, and watch them rapid fire appear.
Pretty sure trogly has his hands full moving into his new house, and trying to get his business back up and running. But I’m pretty sure he’ll keep an eye out for them while he’s perusing his regular sources. He’s a good guy and will do the right thing if he happens across any of them.
I have a feeling Rob will be getting a lot of those guitars back soon. Thank you for this. I hope the thieves get caught and their lives ruined.
I had 7 guitars stolen from my home 8 years ago. They caught the guy. He was a heroin addict. He went away for 3 years. My guitars were traded for drugs or dumped. I got home owners insurance and was able to get better guitars as replacements but there are a couple of guitars that I’m still a little sad about.
That’s the worst part, it’s hard to replace the special ones.
the more hours you put into a guitar, the harder it is to replace. especially if there was something special about how you got it, like it was a gift, or it was the first guitar you bought yourself etc. there can be far more sentimental value in a guitar than dollar value.
Sad thing is We all end up paying for it one way or another
This is defiantly not cool and we will absolutely keep and eye out over here.
Thank you my friend
Yo Andertons my g I bought a fender player strat from you not long ago
Nice looking out! My fellow guitar brothers in 🇬🇧 👍🏻🤘🏻
that's cool from across the pond for lookin out😎👍.
Andertons is GOAT. Thanks Lee and Pete x
Damn. Saw the Craigslist ad about these guitars and followed it here. Sick to my stomach. Praying for Robby and these instruments to find a way home.
C'mon Bonamassa... give him the damn guitars back!
lol... I talked to him about all of this
That’s the funny. Imagine the number of guitars that are out of circulation because of these collectors
@@chuckhurlocker2180 - Imagine how many guitars are preserved because of collectors. lol
My heart is hurting for him! My dad's 1956 Martin HD28 was stolen from me when I was living in Fayetteville NC in the early 80's, and I'm still sick from that. They never found mine, and I hope they're able to recover his collection. I'm feeling his loss in the put of my stomach!
Thank you my friend
Sounds like the Thieves knew he was gonna be out of town and seems like the storage place should've had cameras also and maybe it could be the Storage business inside job .
What's that Lassie? Lil Timmy got a dope habit and stole a mans guitars???? Lol I hope that was not lost on you.
BINGO!
His buddy who checked the guitars for him had a bolt cutter…just saying.
We had our Burbank storage's broken into in the early 90's. Typically, they break into one, then keep going through a whole row, by cutting the sheet metal walls from one unit to the next. Moved 1993 to Coldwater self storage, the place never had a break in, manager couple lives on premises, you open / enter the facility gate by typing 4 digit unit number + personal 4 digit code, which disarms your units door alarm, followed by opening the unit. Leaving the storage, you type in the same 8 digits to open the exit gate, which also rearms your unit alarm. If you forget to lock the unit, a computer voice will remind you.
Anyone tries to roll up a storage door without the proper gate codes, sirens will go off, and the on site mgr couple will investigate.. Plus cameras are all over, recording 24/7.
I have no connection to the place other than being a customer / renter since 1993, with 27+ years peace of mind.
Thank you casino guitars for bringing this to our attention
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
please don't forget to subscribe to the channel including kanql Robby , and help find guitars
Let’s get this on every major guitar dealer’s site! I could not imagine the feeling of having such a personal investment taken from you. I’m far away in Ottawa, ON, Canada but will still keep my eyes and ears out as I look for vintage stuff often. I hope they make their way back to you, Rob.
thank you my friend
Man, Don't key a guys car and don't steal his guitars. This is a cautionary tale. I feel for Mr. Z. Sounds like a great guy.
thank you brother
@@1RobbyZ I’m sick to my stomach. I’m so sorry, Robby.
I don't like when rich people just buy up guitars and put them in storage just because they can. No wonder vintage is so expensive. Hoarders.
@The Underhills - First thing I said also! It was a bad divorce
@@guitarlusteuphoria4507 I know right. Dude has rats in his storage unit but no insurance.
Seems insane to not have a million dollar plus collection insured...
This guy seems to live a pretty lavish lifestyle based on his stories and his collection. Just seems idiotic not to have them insured. Either way I still feel bad for him
Well he had the super padlock on bro, that’s all you need.
@@johngonzalez7967 Fire and natural disasters are also things to insure against.
Blaming the victim of a crime also seems pretty insane.
@@MrPhins I don't see that comment as him blaming the victim. It's just pointing out the objective fact that _is_ insane to not have a million dollar vintage guitar and amp collection insured. Things other than theft could have taken the instruments from his possession as well.
Wow. I feel for this guy.
I own 20 guitars and 4 amps that mean the world to me.
I'm shopping for insurance today.
I hope they catch these slimeballs.
Yeah that has to be a nightmare to wake up to
Home owners should cover that if they aren't 59 LP's
Thieves who steal from musicians deserve no mercy.
None.
@@Bob-Whiting cut off all the fingers and the with the dullest knife known to man, cut of their nuts…
@@clicks59 hahaha
I hate it for this guy and stealing is absolutely wrong.
But I gotta say I cringed when I heard him say he had over 200 vintage guitars in a storage locker. We wonder why prices are going up - well you got super collectors like this buying them all up off the market. Not to enjoy them. Not to display them. Not even to show them off. Just so no one else can have them. Guitar hoarders.
thats why you should buy a few vintage guitars. major good investment and you can enjoy them however you wish. why do you want ronny's? any vintage shop has a bunch
Really feel for him, but I'd never do a storage unit
Absolutely soul crushing to hear about this. I really hope he gets them all back.
Thank you my friend
We here at WildCat Guitars will absolutely be keeping an eye out for any vintage pieces coming into the shop. We will have the full list printed out.
Fingers crossed.
thank you my friend
We're way up here North of the US border on high alert for a Gretsch Country Gentleman. Longing for my 61 Strat that I bought for 450 and sold for 650, 40 yrs ago. Really feel the heavy regret in your voice. This is serious harm to a good Spirit. Great attitude though.Thank you Andertons and Casino guitars. Issuing APB- All Music Stores!
“ this isn’t about Money” lol
That was his retirement, they were an investment for him, …. So it is about Money.
No insurance, sketchy storage locker…. Sadly this guy will never see those guitars again.
Not a very smart thing to do. I own a few custom shop guitars and amps… they are all insured. If I owned 200 guitars, vintage or not, they’re all gonna be insured.
wow that hurts...eyes wide open here in Long Beach...much respect, many prayers...
thank you my friend
I had only 1 vintage guitar stolen even that hurt me so can't imagine what this man is going through. Hope he gets back all of his guitars.
LAX kept a Vox Teardrop i bought in San Fran once. Got nothing from them or Northwest. I was PISSED! lol. 40 years still pissed.
So stolen guitars were just recovered in San Jose and these were posted on Reverb...NICE
This is crushing. You can hear the anguish in his voice.
thank you brother
This is so stupid because every dealer is aware of this situation now so the low life theif can’t sell them very easily. Here’s a guy that earned his money and collects out of love of the instrument and some low life piece of shit wants to rob him. There should be security video of the theft. It’s probably someone that works there or possibly the ex wife (although i kinda doubt that in this Situation) but they had to know they were in there so that narrows it down considerably. I’m sorry this happened to you buddy. I hope you get them all back. Get that insurance back at least on some of them. I had a house burn and i lost 20 guitars that i kept at home with me because it seemed safer that way and these 20 had special meaning to me. I went back into the fire and grabbed 2 les pauls and a martin but i just couldn’t go in again it was too hot by then. I had homeowners but they might as well been uninsured as far as that goes. You need insurance on any investment or anything you love. You could give guitar lessons and pay for that each year if you had to. It’s worth it.
Right on, he’s a cool cat and woth all of us looking , there’s a real chance to help now.
Maybe even someone you bought a guitar from is a suspect..they knew you were a collector and they found out just how big of a collection you had.
@@gr8tnowwhat that wouldn’t necessarily tell them where your collection is kept.
I'm in San Jose and will keep an eye out! Your welcome to store stuff here anytime! Home always with guard dog too
Thank you
In the Bay Area, even if it’s nailed to your porch, it will be gone in the morning.
bank didn't take your house yet
We live on a ship of thieves..... Agree. Peace
They'd take the nails as well !
Native SMC, 64. Local town since '81.
Move to an apt. heard some chatter. Doc'd all my guitars.
Amps,,,ordered a Spark. stolen off my door. Towns going to hell in a hand basket.
It's insane 😳, luckily he's getting some guitar back. Let's us do our best to assist him.
Thank you so much
200 vintage guitars & amps in an untended uhaul-type-padlock storage joint? Yeah, that sounds like a safe choice...!
Exactly, not a smart choice for storage.
Man I agree 100 percent
Dude, don't rag on the guy!? Sheesh. Everything is super clear with hindsight.
The facility had camera's and 24 hour onsite personnel. I felt it was safer that leaving the collection in my home while on the road 9 months out of the year.
@@1RobbyZ right, and when someone has 1 job and it's their core business, it's natural to trust they will do what they say they will. Especially when you're paying for it. I'm so sorry this happened. I've had a few, much smaller things stolen and the feeling of violation is just awful.
I would get a hold of Norm Harris and or Joe Bonamossa. Together they know every vintage dealer across the land, I think they would be able to help.
Casino Guitars, this is awesome that you took the time to make this video, I know I would be so upset if my small collection all of the sudden showed up missing. I hope this gets a lot of views and attention which results in the recovery of as many guitars as possible. Thank you!
The storage facility has cameras, the Guitar Centers have cameras, they should be able to find the culprits.
I would sue the shit out of the storage facility.
Why would you but all your gems 💎 in A dump thought 🤔🤔🤔
“I don’t spend $ on tattoos and drugs, I don’t do stupid stuff” *uninsures a collection of +200 vintage guitars
yep! I screwed up on that. After 20 years of paying $3600 per year I figured it was a waste of money. I was wrong!
@@1RobbyZ There definitely needs to be a blockchain type database of guitar ownership. So many use cases for it
Insurance money isn't going to replace that collection.
@@SystematicMechanic -thank you! exactly!
Nice to see there are people who have a heart!!!!
Welp, I'm guessing his wife is involved.
*ex
Ekhem...
what was that thing some people been saying?
"I don't want this awesome guitar to send the rest of its life in some old guys basement"? something like that?
I really hope the masterminds behind this played each and every one before selling to GC or whatever.
Saw they found 8 in Santa Cruz this morning on the news. Keep it coming eyes open brother
Where did you see that? I have not heard, but know that some where sold to a gut in Santa Cruz.
Yes thank you for pointing that out!
Those were stolen in Southern CA a year ago. It gives me hope that mine will show up sooner or later.
@@1RobbyZ I recall seeing a reposting CL add regarding a theft of guitars in LA area. A number of Fender Custom Shops. I hate seeing this type of crime. I'm glad the LA person will recoup his guitars. Rob, I sure hope you get back all of your guitars ASAP. I'll keep a lookout down in San Diego.
@@CasinoGuitars call Norman Harris if ya can guys, no answer on the email. He is definitely where these thrives are going at some point. You don't hold vintage and not come to Norm with it before anybody, if you're near him.
Love that he's gotten, and continues to get, some of his guitars back. What a damn shame.
I've been paying apartment insurance for 11 years. Never had a claim - but I do have friends who have lost EVERYTHING they own and I never want to be in that position.
Unless you have a rider attached to your HO or renters insurance your guitars will not be covered. Same goes for jewelry. Usually standard policies have a basic minimum they will cover for jewelry and other precious or collectors items and most of the time will be $500
I feel sick to my stomach and they're not even my guitars.
This is clearly a terrible situation, I really feel for Robby Z. I do also feel bad for guitars sitting in storage, doing nothing! Sitting in storage for years just feels wrong for classic instruments of that caliber. I hope he gets them back, and the scumbags that stole it get some justice - but I also hope those guitars get into the hands of people who want to play them a bit more. Don't want to knock Robby for his collection or his passion - I totally get it. It's kind of silly GAS can get to these extremes though. If I had over 200 guitars, I'd spend more time replacing strings than actually playing!
Yep. And we wondered why all of a sudden the offset guitars prices have been going nuts when up to a year ago they were still obtainable. Well you got guitar hoarders like this sucking them all up off the market.
These guitars deserve to be played.
@@MinivanMegafun100 vintage offset prices don't dictate prices of modern guitars
It’s his guitars. He does whatever he likes with them.
@@MinivanMegafun100 have any of you dudes even played a jag or jazzmaster? their crap. leave this dude alone. what if he collects old rambler cars you gonna give him grief for that too? your so bad of a player you cant make a new one sound good?
He didn’t know all the guitars he had. That’s not a player, that’s a hoarder. I’m all for looking after guitars for future generations but they should be looked after by people who really appreciate them and treat them well rather than locking them away from the world
stop bitching about that, people do as they please with their property
One of those guitars had over 10,000 gigs on it. I am a player, I never called myself a collector.
@@1RobbyZ keep us posted on your channel!
Hope the best boi! 👍🏻
do you know how hard it was to obtain that many custom colors? and you say he doesnt apreciate them? also this guy has played his whole life. i,m sure he deserves guitars more than you do. you call billy gibbons a hoarder too? can you play as good as billy gibbons?
@@johnsmith-bk4ps Guess he hates Joe B too
Damn, this is so brutal. There are some very impressive amateur sleuths on the internet... let's find them.
Thank you
Video shared with two major used music stores in the Bay Area.
This is very painful, I don't think there's one person seeing this video who doesn't know how this feels. Our guitars are everything to us - we love them like they're members of our family! I really do feel for you man and I hope you get them back!! Stay positive!!!
I'm still pissed about a guitar stolen from my band's very first gig in 2005. We were 16. 2002 tele Thinline reissue in daphne blue.
I would concentrate on tracking down the origins of those 17 guitars you've gotten back so far. Even if the thief is dead, his sources can be tracked down and the rest of the guitars retrieved from there.
I would hope that’s what the police are doing. Places like GC have cameras so all they should need is someone who can ID the person from photos etc.
YES. The police and PI are doing exactly that.
No freaking insurance?!? Rat traps because rats are digging into your collection?!? Christ almighty...
IKR… what the actual f?
a lot of collectors dont want anyone to know the scoop on their guitars, including insurance companies. 'you will own nothing and be happy'
He's like me , i don't drink or do drugs but my guitars are my addiction cause I can't stop playing . They are my life .
And they didnt have a single cctv camera anywhere? If the person needed to get through a gate to get in someone wouldve saw, and you can't really sneak 200 guitars out of somewhere without not 1 person seeing
exactly! I was certainly mislead about the facility security
9:16 - that's why I named my business "For The Love Of Guitar". It truly is a love. A passion.
And he is 100% correct.
Most of us will not stand for this kind of shit.
The BEST way to prevent yourself from buying stolen gear - Ask for the serial.
If they won't give up the serial number or give you that crap about " oh you could get the serial number, go to the police and say it's yours"....
If that has ever happened, it didn't work.
If that actually worked then every guitar that Sweetwater sells I could make a claim on. Try that shit somewhere else.
Keep your eyes peeled folks.
Right now we have the chance to be good to one another. Don't waste that opportunity.
EXACTLY!
There was a time when nobody stole a mans tools he makes his living from. This was the case in construction and the words should hold true for musicians as well. I hope Robby gets all of his guitars back.
Thank you brother
I actually can't watch this whole video. It's too heartbreaking.
It seems impossible for someone to fence 200 guitars and not get caught. I hope they track down and prosecute the thieves. and recover all of the guitars, of course.
@Nonaligned Videos. I also stopped watching after a few minutes. Too depressing.
Yeah this is a tough listen
He needs to sue the storage unit ASAP if he hasn't already! They were negligent and owed a duty of care.
working on that
There is no room on this earth for liars and thieves. I hope he finds all of his guitars.
Thank you my friend
That is most politicians....
Plot twist l: he forgot to pay his monthly fee
Kidding I know it’s no laughing matter. This does suck big time
Hey Baxter, thank you for sharing this with us. It's devastating to see this happen. I hope the collection gets recovered. I'm in Europe and there's not much I can do but I already shared the video in a handful of big Facebook groups for guitars and I also created threads for the video on the gear page and tdpri. I hope that helps, cheers!
Thank you brother
Be on the lookout over there in case anything did get out of country already
@@craigshewchuk9018 sure thing, I'm checking the Austrian listings on a daily basis, cheers bud!
@@KrenarCilkuGuitar I just checked around me also, doesn't seem to hang anything of his, I am in antique capital tho so it's hard to tell what is what lol I see some odd shit but nothing that stands out or from the list
Wow! Im really feeling the feelz from this story, my guitars are like children to me, (but I only have 5, 3 of which are vintage)
I would just die if something happened to'm💜
It has really knocked me down
@@1RobbyZ ...I bet, my brother ❤
I pray for you and I'm not even a religious person 🙏
Man, I hope and wish for many, *MANY* leads on the investigations, brother! All the luck from West Atl Ga✌💜
Folks, after you watch this, take photos of your guitars. And when I say take photos, take photos like you are going to sell it on Reverb. Burn those photos onto a DVD. If your guitars are really valuable, plonk down the cash to have Shutterfly make prints. Put all that in a fire safe.
Buy a hardback journal - something like a Moleskine. Write down the year, model, make, and serial number of each of your guitars in it. Put that journal in a fire safe.
Then, insure each one for about 80% of the max purchase price according to Reverb. So if the range is $3000 to $5000, insure it for $4500.
I have a folder with photos of every guitar I’ve ever owned - now around 60 , still have 15. Hoe this never happens to me
Take closeups of the serial numbers too! I have photos of all of my guitars, and serial numbers, in my phone, and backed up in several locations. I hope no one else ever feels the pain of having guitars stolen!
The wife of a good friend of mine takes a picture of almost EVERYTHING they buy. Furniture, appliances, jewelry, tools, electronics, etc, then she puts the photo with the receipt in a fire proof safe. Everyone thought she was being way too anal and wondered why she took the time to do it. Then they had a fire that destroyed everything. The safe survived although they had to take it to a locksmith to open it. Other than soft brown corners, the pics and receipts survived. They gave it all to the insurance people. They were thrilled and said it was the quickest and easiest claim they have ever paid. Now we know why she was being so anal.
I'm on about 20 different Facebook guitar groups, so I'll check out the list and see if I recognize any of these. Absolutely shameful. I hope every person involved with this operation is caught and swiftly brought to justice. You don't mess with someone's guitar collection.
thank you my friend
Why would anybody with a 200 vintage guitar collection store them in a “storage locker”? This makes no sense whatsoever
Where would you store them? I was promised security with video cameras and constant monitoring... that didn't happen.
I would think if you could afford 200 vintage guitars, you’d have a house big enough to keep them in. But from my understanding, he went through a divorce. He probably had limited options if he didn’t fair so well in the divorce. And when you’re going through something like that, a storage facility seems like a logical choice. You would think a storage facility would be pretty safe. I would also expect the facility would be responsible or shoulder some liability if something like this happens. I don’t know the details. But I hope he gets his guitars back.
@@Wargasm644 - thank you.... and yes exactly
Haters gonna hate or spit some stupid shit out their trap. I feel your pain Robby, may the guitar gods be with you. Shared video with many friends across the states
@@sweetbabyjesus1408 - thank you friend
Is there any liability the storage facility could compensate you for?
So much seems strange about this.
Yea, like who knew that they were there? Where is the video footage? Who would store that much $$ worth of anything that wasn't under constant archived video recoding. Rats? Again, why would you store that much money in a facility that has rats...
@@mjsthx1138 Sure but what are you inferring? He didn’t have insurance. He would make more selling them so what are you suspecting exactly?
Yeah. It takes a long time to sell that many guitars. Especially expensive guitars.
@@jimmyparris9892 No it doesn't. It only takes a long time if you insist on getting top dollar. If you sell a twenty thousand dollar guitar for two thousand dollars, you'll find a buyer within the day.
it's hard to believe they could be sold or transferred anywhere without the serial numbers poppin up on the radar of dealers,, I feel for this guy someone stealing a whole life's passion
In the time it took for him to find out, plenty of them would have been moved off the market into houses where the people didn't know they were stolen. Only after that, did the list get compiled. Once compiled, the serial numbers would have been on record for stores like Guitar Center, and legitimate pawn shops, to see.
The guy who broke in “actually died” *nudge nudge wink wink*
Taking a dirt nap
Serious case of GlockComa.
I'm seeing some older Fender stuff showing up on Offerup in Phoenix Chandler area. I saw some older stuff last few months as well....
Casino Guitars You Rock!!
I will keep my eyes open Mr. Z. I wish the best for you
Thank you so much brother!
This was so heartbreaking to watch that I actually had to stop partway through. Robby, I hope you’re able to get your collection back, and I hope the scumbag(s) responsible for this get “tuned up.”
Thank you brother
Same!
Attention guys: old town music AND thunderbird guitars in Portland OR. I’d check these two places. Especially thunder road. They buy and sell vintage
we have been monitoring those stores as well as a ton of other stores... thank you my friend
@@1RobbyZ okay great. I’ll keep a look out up here in Portland. So so sorry to hear this man.
blackbook guitars is another one doing vintage there.
I bought a guitar from a collector one time, and it felt like I broke it out of prison. The collector didn't play anything he collected. Guitars are tools for musicians and are meant to be played, not collected, and its 'collectors' that are artificially driving up the prices. If they were that valuable, they shouldn't be in a crappy storage facility and left uninsured, let alone not completely archived.
Not sure feel sorry for so many mistakes.
I have played thousands of gigs all over the world and recorded on dozens of records. I have played every guitar I own and love everyone of them.
or you could have bought it from the guy who bought it 5 years prior from the collector and had broken the headstock on it and had it fixed
Hubby took from back of my closet and put my Korg Studio synth with rare $800 upgraded memory cards and $700 pelican case.and Elton John signed. Epiphone guitar in an open cage storage. He could not believe they were stolen. DUH!!!!!!
There are cameras literally everywhere in this country. Hopefully they have vid of the heist, or whoever was delivering them to the stores to sell, really sounds like an easy case to solve. I mean if a guy buys five rare guitars, and tries to sell them to guitar center, he knows where he bought them from. It’s not easy too difficult to track it back to the source.... Best of luck to this dude, but man, all could have been prevented.
you are right on all counts
Hope he will get them back, it's a sad story, I doubt it but I'm from Spain and regularily check 2nd hand market for guitars, will keep an eye for custom colors, they rarely appear here, so, will be easy to spot, again my hopes he will get them back, the majority, good luck and good work guys ;)
Thank you my friend
Gut wrenched for Rob. I hope every single guitar is returned and that the theives are dealt a dose of Karma.
thank you brother
I would guess that most of these are already out of the country. This is a painful story. I hope the people responsible are found. That said, they should have been in Fort knox.
I’d say look at your buddy’s and associates ... because people don’t just know what are in those Storage facilities. That was a planned hit on your gear bro. Sorry for your misfortune. Hope you get everything back.
Such a sad story, for real. Now the obvious. WHY in the hell would anybody EVER live, work, or do business in California at this point? It is overrun with crime...and let alone leave this kind of collection in a storage unit? That said, I do hope he gets them all back.
CALL NORMS GUITAR- he may know something.
Just unreal.
(Updated with a PDF) Copy this link and paste to see the whole list of guitars with serial numbers and photos!
PDF:
drive.google.com/file/d/1u4BcTlyX0JID4N5hA4t13zl_WYukOCu_/view?usp=sharing
Apple Pages
drive.google.com/file/d/1PzbU9M2hOWMDx0jvo5nootSFp54ZtH0I/view?usp=sharing
How hard is to just make this a PDF that does not require uncommon software to open?
I have shared this video in a few different places.
Fellas, this link doesn't work. I'm trying to share this document with a few shops but can't open this file
@@kenbrueger1648 It does work. I opened the document in Apple Pages. I had to download it. They might have made a mistake by not having it open for Android devices. I don’t know the answer to that question.
@@natashanyxx9486 I think the file is overlarge. They need to reformat it into a PDF or compress it somehow. My computer can't even estimate the size/time required to download, and it's downloading very slowly.
I was only thinking about insurance yesterday!Hope this bloke gets his collection back I’d be gutted if one got nicked.
Screw the people for stealing and I hope he gets them back...but screw people hoarding guitars away in storage. Locked away for years...
The storage part preserves them, if they hadn’t been stolen. So eventually they’d be passed on and there’d still be these vintage mint examples existing. So I have to respectfully disagree. They’d be played again eventually ✌️. Having said that I play mine and don’t collect. But hope this guy gets em back.
@@lassesuurmunne8340 They get preserved. For what purpose? They are instruments. They may as well be logs if they are stuck away. Preserved for who...the one collector to check them out every so many years. It is a waste. He can do what he wants with them...but no great tragedy to the guitar community. Because they are locked away being logs.
@@lassesuurmunne8340 but, I do hope he gets them back. They are his. And I hate a thief.
It’s called right to private property and it’s safeguarded by the Constitution.
@@vayabroder729 maybe you didn’t read all of it.
Had a 1943 Gibson J-45 stolen years ago. It took 18 months to get it back, so keep your fingers crossed! Good luck!
✌️🤪🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
Thank you my friend
I really feel for this gentleman. They are more than guitars to all of us, they are memories with friends, long nights of travel and practice and those moments when it all comes together and the world seems just right. Thank you Baxter and Casino for getting this information out and I pray he finds them all.
exactly!!!!
That kind of money stuck in a storage unit and no insurance its a terrible thing to get complacent with items of value like that. The person who did this should be shot but at the same time there should have been a little more care taken on a large collection like that. This is my personal opinion
A HUGE Thank you to all of the great leads and comments.
Man, what a fukin bummer. im so sorry, i hope you get your guitars back. please keep us all updated as you get them back.
@@philluck1956 - Thank you brother
@@1RobbyZI'm so sorry. Putting in prayers that you get you collection back!!!
Cris Borgnine - thank you my friend
If it happened to this gentleman it could happen to anyone very scary, just goes to show us nothing is guaranteed even storing your stuff in a paid storage unit. Best of luck to you on getting them back
Where was the Lock picking Lawyer and/or Bosnian Bill at the time of this caper of the Century?
I insure my stuff and my collection is pretty modest. At one time it was a little more extensive but nothing like what this guy had. Crazy. But there are fires, floods, riots, theft, a storm could knock the big tree in the front yard into my house...there are just lots of things that can happen. Just a few months ago we had all those power outages here in Texas due to the winter storms, and lots of people suffered broken pipes. I have had hail break a window and it pretty much rained in part of my house, but not where I keep all my music crap. Seriously, so many things can happen.
When I first heard about this I figured it was some plastic surgeon or tech CEO who can barely play but was hoarding up all that stuff, and I didn't feel too bad. But it turns out it's a real player. Sucks. Thankfully he didn't need them to make a living. Sounds like he was depending on them for his retirement, though.
If we raise 10k dollars for the collector Baxter should comb his hair live as a reward
This stinks but he should feel some relief that he isn't longer a slave of those guitars.
i,m guessing you dont play.
Wow my heart goes out to this guy this is truly devastating. If I see anything that catches my attention I'll keep him in mind. I hope that he can get as many back as possible and wish him all the best.
Thank you brother
@robbyz So sorry to hear about this loss. I know the pain. I had almost the exact same thing happen to me in L.A. Lost a bunch of guitars, less than you, but some that meant a lot to me. The police officer who took the report told me these cases are most likely done by the people working at the storage places. They have access and time after hours, cameras, knowledge of what you have in there, and sometimes master keys for all locks. The feeling I had when I opened my container and saw the guitars gone was terrible. I still think about them a few years later and regret leaving them in storage. I got a little slice of what they were worth from the storage insurance but nothing can replace their loss. I guess the only way forward is to buy new guitars to replace them and fill that heart back up. Wishing you all the best.
I hope they recover every single one of them trace and process the perpetrators and make them pay.
We’re hoping as well!
Beyond got wrenching for sure. This way pales in comparison, but got wrenching on a smaller scale nonetheless. I came home to find my 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop that I purchased in 1975, completely original. I filed a report with the serial number and pretty much gave it up as gone. Probably a month later, I went to a music store on the other side of town to buy strings for my Ibanez flying V and I walked in and a guy was sitting down playing my guitar, I Went straight up to the guy and must have the look of death on my face. I said that’s my guitar and he say he said hey man I was just playing it. The owner called the police, I got the guitar back. Beyond fortunate, I still have it today.
This is heat wrenching, I buy and sell used guitars so I will be on the lookout. I deal through Market Place and Craig’s List and others. I will be in touch if I come across anything suspicious.
I used to buy those old Fenders in the 80's for $150. I bought a 1968 Les Paul custom for $145 in 1985. Now it's $20K. Boy was I dumb. But no one knew guitars would go insane in price. Sorry for your loss but that was really dumb putting all that wealth in a storage unit.
I've been trying to invent a GPS device that makes guitars impossible to steal. Every time I get into it... I always determine it requires a $10/month service to maintain the location. The "TILE" option really only works for about 300 yards. So, that would work for a gig situation.
If companies started putting tracking chips next to the body and under the paint it could be a feasible option on new instruments
Lojack
Milwuakee One Key would work if you know youve been robbed within a few days of it happening. I know a contractor in Texas that got a bunch of tools back that were in Florida 3 days after they were stolen. The cops just had to wait for the stolen trailer to stop moving for an hour.
Off-topic, this is where a blockchain -based guitar registry would come in handy.