Be careful...........................

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Over the years, I've been told a dozen times by well meaning night club/lodge staff, "just leave your stuff on the stage as we're insured."

HOWEVER: Insurance adjustors take a different view of the situation and will more often than not, deny your claim as you're not a part of the insured building or the insured/policy holder's named insured.

Also, when you stop for an early morning bite to eat, stuff is disappearing out of station wagons and vans even in broad daylight.

Be vigilant!

Steve Collins · From: Alaska, USA

No Joke. My band was having a good conversation the other day about security practices and keeping our gear safe on the road. The maxim we came up with is 'If our gear is in plain sight of ANYBODY it MUST be watched by a band member". I have too often witnessed a band loading in/out where every band member is shuttling their gear from point A to point B and inevitably at one of those points is a big pile of unattended gear.

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

I have a professional musician's insurance floater attached to my homeowner's insurance policy which covers my equipment anywhere/anytime (home, gig, jam, car, friend's house etc.) I believe it costs about $12.00/$1000.00 value. So for less than $200/yr I sleep soundly.

Tab Tabscott · From: Somewhere between Vashon Island and The mainland.

I played a show or two with Commander Cody a couple of years ago, and at the end of the night we were loading up the gear, and somehow my steel got left sitting in the parking lot...

I live on an island, and we caught the last boat onto the island that night (morning). When we got to the house I realized the steel was not there...

I was really tired and there wasn't really anything I could do, I figured the steel was still in the club, so I went to bed.

Called the club next morning...no steel inside...but I asked the bartender to look out the window for a large black shoebox kind of thing in the lot...
Sure enough, it was there...

Doubtless, this would not have been covered.
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Tab Tabscott

Play nice.

They is none else.

Clete Ritta · From: San Antonio, Texas

I learned a very valuable (read: expensive) lesson in Dallas a while back. We unloaded our gear out of a bandmates SUV in broad daylight in a parking spot close to the stage. We only took the music gear out though, and my backpack with my clothes, laptop, cellphone, wallet and keys was inside the locked vehicle. It was gone within an hour. The next day at another venue I noticed a sign in the lot: Do Not Leave Valuables In Car!
Never again!

Ian Sutton · From: San Francisco, CA

As a matter of course, I won't leave so much as a sweatshirt in view when my car is parked at a gig or otherwise. I am particularly paranoid about going out for a bite or a drink after a gig with my gear still in the car, whether I can see it or not. People are the worst.
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Some gear.

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

I lost all my stuff in Houston, back in '76, and it was devastating. They stole our truck, all of our instruments, our clothing, and 10,000dollars in cash, in a briefcase, left in the truck. It turned out to be an inside job, by the manager of the Holiday Inn. We had a friend on the Houston PD. that found out later, they had been ripping people off. But the only thing that was ever found, was the truck. So needless to say, I WATCH MY STUFF LIKE A HAWK!!!! Now when I load in or out, I lock my van between trips, and never leave anything setting on the ground. My Les Paul, and MSA steel, were insured thru the music store, because I owed money on them, however I received used equipment, where my stolen stuff had been new. The old Les Paul turned out to be a better guitar, so I was blessed in that respect.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Tony: Did you have to provide 'official' or 'certified' values of your instruments as appraised by some noted person?

I've had several music stores tell me the cost runs about $50.00 per instrument.

It's kinda hard to get a knowledgeable person to appraise, Rickenbacher Bakelites, Trot-Mors, Volu-Tones etc.

When I ask what this expert felt my quad Bigsby might be valued at, he asked: "A WHAT????"

Folks should wake up and realize automobiles are stolen on average........one each 20-30 minutes. Some folks leave CASH and firearms inside the car while they're inside a building. Some business establishments, like clubs, have criminal minded spotters outside in the lot just waiting for the band and their expensive gear.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

How true Ray. In 1964 I was hired from a road band to the staff band of a new club in Oklahoma City, the Diamond Ballroom.

Prior to our opening, we rehearsed for the sound check, and then left our insruments on the bandstand for the grand opening. Unfortunately, burglars accessed the club and among other things, stole all of the bands instruments.

The club had no insurance to cover the loss, and to my surprise, my homeowners insurance would not cover professional losses. Because of the loss of my Fender 1000, and my Standel amplifier, I had to refinance the replacement before the grand opening.
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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

My van's driveshaft was stolen while we were playing a show in Eugene, Oregon, does that count?

Whoa!

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

Dave, sounds like you and the thief, both got the Shaft.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

The drive shaft? That's almost as weird as the goofball who stole my oil filter.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

Joseph Carlson · From: Grass Valley, California, USA

I'm fortunate that I've never had anything stolen on a gig (knock on wood) but one time our rehearsal space was robbed. We didn't get anything back except they were able to recover a fretless Fender Jazz Bass that I had. The tweakers who robbed us had tried to put frets on it! You can imagine they did a less that professional job.

John Davis · From: Cambridge, U.K.

Most of UK is ok but we have some "Hotspots".... I was on tour with a show and our van was robbed TWICE!
on seperate occassions at the Beck Theatre (west London) and once near Liverpool ... The M.O at the Beck was the quarter light of the cab and the sound crew lost a computer but the one at Liverpool was a more sophisticated attack, they drilled a tiny hole just below the handle of the Merc van you had to look hard to see it and our front man lost a nice guitar plus our singer lost a box containing 200 CD`s
Ray is right keep alert, The planet needs lerts.....

Robert Parent · From: Gillette, WY

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

Always have a standing person at vehicle when loading and unloading if possible...Do everything you can to keep quiet about the fact you are in a band, like unloading the vehicle inside the garage if poss in your neighbourhood...I never have any visible stuff showing through windows such as a guitar case, which just blows your cover.
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A.K.A Chappy.

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Music-themed decals and license plate frames aren't a very good idea either.An even less good idea is having your band logo painted on the van.

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

I was playing a place in Lancaster Ca in the 70's whne someone came thru the roof and down an a/c vent after hours. There on stage was my Jaguar with a Twin, the bass guys Bassman and Precision, and the singers funky old harmony flat top. That's what they took. Her flat top. Nothing else. No likker, no smokes, nuthin'. Guess they didn't like her singing. Anyway, I never left mu guitar ANYWHERE after that...

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

My son came home from a gig and left his stuff in his car at night. Someone must have followed him home. In the morning everything was gone.

My homeowners covered it all and he ended up with all new stuff. Now he's married with 2 kids and doesn't play much, but he still has his stuff.
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heavily medicated for your safety

Niels Andrews · From: Salinas, California, USA

If you are the proud owner of a historic or vintage instrument you should establish value and provenance before anything happens like theft , physical damage like a fire. Just declaring the piece usually is not adequate. If you say a Fender Telecaster, that is what you will get, probably a Mexican Telecaster even though it was a 1962 model from Buck Owens.
If you don't want to insure the piece at least have lots of photo's serial numbers and paperwork, but be warned it is a lot more difficult to resolve these matters after the fact. Hope no one ever needs this advice but S**T happens.
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Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo.

Steve English · From: Baja, Arizona

I've been using this method for years now. When I have to make multiple trips at resorts or any venues where the parking/loading might be further than I'm comfortable with:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=147758&highlight=

Here's the latest version. Much faster to lock/unlock:

I've made a few for guitar cases also. Stops the grab and run thieves cold.

And for the good ol' boys that think they can cut through it, gives me a few minutes to unholster, chamber a round, and ask them if they'd like a final BM. Laughing

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Always remember you're unique..... Just like everyone else

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Ditto on Dave H's advice - there are no stickers on my cases. I do have 'E9 C6' on my license plate but I'm willing to bet that the only folks capable of figuring out the musical connection are probably reading this thread! Very Happy

One reason I like my Lincoln Town Car is that all my amps and guitars will fit inside the trunk and nothing is visible to the casual observer. Despite this, I'm always a bit nervous parking anywhere in Nashville - that's one town where E9-C6 might raise a flag....

Whoa!

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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Bo Legg · Posted 19 May 2013 8:54 am

I've lost more band equipment by loaning to folks I know or selling thing on a payment plan.
You hear “Oh I brought that back a long time ago.” “I thought I made all the payments and I loaned it to so in so”
They rip off my cords constantly “ACCIDENTLY”
Seems anytime you loan a tuner they drop it.
I’ve found some of my stuff that I had loaned out in music stores that they had traded in on stuff.

I know I’m going to loose my stuff this way but I’m one those people who is a sucker for a sob story.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

In the '70s, we practiced in a small Beauty Supply warehouse. Bars on the doors and windows. But,,,,, there was a tiny skylight. So small there's no way even a teenager could get in. Some nice dad lowered his little kid down, who opened the doors. There were tiny tennis shoe prints on the PA bottoms that were too big to carry away. I lost:
My original 1958 Flying V. White Showman. Shobud Crossover Custom.
Other guitar player lost his ES-something, the stereo one. Two Tweed Twins.
Bass player lost Old Precision Bass, SVT head.
Insured, but we got all new junk as replacements, and they wouldn't give me squat for the Shobud.

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