Stolen (by check fraud): Serial number 0576 '59 burst Standard

[SoCalSean]

I *thought* I posted here before with this but it has been a few years...

 

Some guy in a nice car and from a rich part of San Diego County came with his annoying and childish wife 22 years ago and "bought" my Hamer...  He came up with the sob story that his ATM wasn't working, nor was his wife's so I (stupidly) accepted a check.  Every post that belabors that fact is wasting their breath.  This happened in 1994.  I will never forget.

 

The guitar had dot markers, a broken/reset neck (at the body joint) and some damage to the finish on the face of the headstock.  Chrome hardware, DiMarzios...

 

The BEST playing guitar I ever touched...  I worked for 9 years at Carvin, know people at Fender and Gretsch and a few others, played me a lot of rockstars' guitars and 0576 played better than them all.  (Although the coolest I ever played was Davy Jones's Monkee-red Gretsch bass that he played before the show started airing).

 

I have film pictures buried in a box somewhere, once found, I will post.

[DaveH]

I remember you. I bought a couple Carvin "CS's" Back i the day, two of them were through you...  On the second, and true to your claim in the other thread, you brought up Hamer USA as being top shelf. Too bad I didn't take your word as seriously as I should have, at least until a couple years later.

The second guitar was returned for a refund, btw.

[SoCalSean]

Nice to be remembered.  

Back then, I was really disappointed Carvin didn't make a 24.75"-scaled guitar and loved my archtop Hamer.  Nowadays, I'm more a Strat liker (due to an injury, I am permanently/partially disabled and playing is painful).  My teenaged kids did not like the Carvins I had and I've since sold them off (for pennies on the dollar) except the one that the frets are all over the place.  Amazingly, the bad quality guitar that was a "gift" from them.  Yeah, thanks guys, beautiful "guitar."  Do you have a display case for this guitar-shaped object?

While Carvin made some good stuff, they didn't get it. Advertising Alnico pickups and replacing them with ceramics, using water to cool the machines cutting ebony created all sorts of headaches but they didn't care.  They'd claim something was 100 Watts and it was only 43, etc.  Having a successful employee/ambassador was also frowned upon.  Having an employee who bought his own house and had a young family meant that I could afford a pay cut, work more hours and not get credit for the additional sales channels I was working.  The CEO called me in a few times to apologize for crap they were putting me through but not doing me wrong in the first place (and paying me right) would have been the preferred plan of action.

I do like educating people about them though.  Especially because many people believe the ownership is a family of God-fearing souls.  Some of them couldn't spell "Bible" if you gave them the 5 Scrabble pieces in front of them.

Argh.  I wanted to renew my "stolen Hamer" post and lay low...  Sorry.

 

[gorch]

Heads up man! Live is better than it sometimes feels.

[Disturber]

Not many Standards around. Someone might actually know something about this one around here. Let's keep this thread at the top.

I feel your loss. My Standards are as good to me as a real 59 burst.

[Caddie]

No cellphone number?  No license number?

[SoCalSean]

2 hours ago, Caddie said:

No cellphone number?  No license number?

1994 technology on a print ad my telephone number was in the ad, so no real traceable route.  I contacted the Sheriffs Department (which was maybe 150 yards away from my house).  They came back saying the check had totally bogus names and account number.  The guy called me and I gave my address...   I had to sign for a search of my phone records...  The ONLY thing that might have saved me is getting a license plate number.  Sheriff chided me but also said that his wallet was probably full of different names, etc.  My condo insurance didn't cover it because I willingly accepted it.  If it were taken by force or via break-in, I would have had coverage.

I've had more expensive stuff stolen (bass rigs, a Vox amp, my innocence ;-)  but - 0576 (stamped in not painted) still looms as the worst.  Maybe because I had a mortgage that I needed to make, maybe because I didn't want to sell her in the first place and to be taken like that.  That was the most comfortable to play, sitting or standing, along with the incredible action, tone and looks.

[SoCalSean]

On 6/27/2016 at 11:02 PM, gorch said:

Heads up man! Live is better than it sometimes feels.

Hahaha, better to be Buddhist and experience the pain than to be an ignorant holy roller and die from its infection.

[kizanski]

"Stolen by fraud" = STOLEN.

[gorch]

2 hours ago, kizanski said:

"Stolen by fraud" = STOLEN.

Synonyms and Antonyms of steal

1. 1to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep  <the guy who tried to steal my car was sentenced to a year in jail>Synonyms appropriate, boost [slang], filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick [British slang], nip, pilfer, pinch, pocket, purloin, rip off, snitch, swipe, thieveRelated Words burglarize, knock over, rob; loot, pillage, plunder, sack; carjack, hijack (also highjack); pick, rifle; poach, rustle, shoplift; collar, grab, grasp, nail, seize, snatch, take; mooch, sponge; abduct, kidnap, shanghai, spiritPhrases make away with, make off with, run off with, walk off withNear Antonyms buy, purchase; bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present

2. 2to move about in a sly or secret manner  <the teenagers were able to steal past a security guard and enter the fairgrounds without paying admission>Synonyms lurk, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, skulk, slide, slink, slip, snake, sneakRelated Words crawl, creep, edge, inch, worm; ghost, pad, tiptoe

fraud

 

1. 1an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value  <thousands of people lost money when the investment scheme turned out to be a fraud>Synonyms bunco (or bunko), con, fiddle [chiefly British], flimflam, gyp, hustle, scam, shell game, sting, swindleRelated Words cross, fix; Ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme; racket, rip-off; thimblerig, three-card monte; device, dodge, gimmick, jig, ploy, scheme, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile; gouging, overcharging, soaking; counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony (also phoney), sham

2. 2one who makes false claims of identity or expertise  <the “blind” panhandler was just a fraud trying to con holiday shoppers out of their money>Synonyms charlatan, fake, faker, fakir, impostor, hoaxer, humbug, mountebank, phony (also phoney), pretender, quack, quacksalver, ringer, shamRelated Words copycat, imitator, impersonator, mimic; actor, bluffer, counterfeiter, deceiver, dissembler, duper, feigner, misleader, operator, trickster; poseur; cozener, defrauder, dodger, fraudster[chiefly British], scammer, scamster, sharper, sharpie (or sharpy), skinner, swindlerNear Antonyms ace, adept, authority, crackerjack (also crackajack), expert, maestro, master, past master, professional, virtuoso, whiz, wizard

3. 3the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery <charges that he had gained control of his elderly mother's estate by fraud>Synonyms artifice, cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, deceit, guile, guilefulness, wilinessRelated Words equivocation, lying, mendacity, prevarication; chicane, chicanery, fraudulence, hanky-panky, jugglery, legerdemain, mountebankery, obliquity, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, swindling, trickery, wile; falsehood, falsity, fib, untruth; hypocrisy, insincerity, sanctimoniousness, two-facedness; artfulness, caginess(also cageyness), deviousness, shrewdness; treacherousness, underhandedness, unscrupulousness; covertness, furtiveness, secrecy, shadiness, sneakiness, stealthiness; oiliness, shiftiness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, smoothnessNear Antonyms candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness; honesty, probity; dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity, trustability, trustiness, trustworthiness; decency, goodness, incorruptibility, integrity, righteousness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtuousnessAntonyms artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

[kizanski]

Or, put more plainly, "Stolen by fraud" = STOLEN.

[Grandturk]

Sounds like the name of a Motörhead song.  

 

But really this is a total bummer, man.  That its 20+ years ago and it still burns shows how deeply it hurt you.  

[Caddie]

9 hours ago, SoCalSean said:

1994 technology on a print ad my telephone number was in the ad, so no real traceable route.  I contacted the Sheriffs Department (which was maybe 150 yards away from my house).  They came back saying the check had totally bogus names and account number.  The guy called me and I gave my address...   I had to sign for a search of my phone records...  The ONLY thing that might have saved me is getting a license plate number.  Sheriff chided me but also said that his wallet was probably full of different names, etc.  My condo insurance didn't cover it because I willingly accepted it.  If it were taken by force or via break-in, I would have had coverage.

I've had more expensive stuff stolen (bass rigs, a Vox amp, my innocence ;-)  but - 0576 (stamped in not painted) still looms as the worst.  Maybe because I had a mortgage that I needed to make, maybe because I didn't want to sell her in the first place and to be taken like that.  That was the most comfortable to play, sitting or standing, along with the incredible action, tone and looks.

well that doth sucketh.

[HSB0531]

On the bright side, this is the place and the people who can find it.

 

[SoCalSean]

18 hours ago, kizanski said:

"Stolen by fraud" = STOLEN.

By fraud, not a break-in but more evil, IMO.  Not a druggie on a binge or an impulsive "hey, pretty guitar;" a man and woman who really worked the lie.   

See my comments about Carvin's "robbery" by credit card fraud.

[Studio Custom]

Let's say the guitar were to appear, then what?  It may have past through several hands since then.  Is it fair after all this time that a person who bought it in good faith lose it because of something that happened twenty years ago?   At that point you are simply shifting you self imposed "bad luck" onto someone else.   

 

The the odds you find the original criminal are very low.  It's time to move on.  

[Lockbody]

51 minutes ago, Studio Custom said:

Let's say the guitar were to appear, then what?  It may have past through several hands since then.  Is it fair after all this time that a person who bought it in good faith lose it because of something that happened twenty years ago?   At that point you are simply shifting you self imposed "bad luck" onto someone else.   

 

The the odds you find the original criminal are very low.  It's time to move on.  

It's still his guitar. I don't think you can legally continue to own something that was stolen from someone else unless the original owner decides to let you keep it.

[kizanski]

1 hour ago, Studio Custom said:

Let's say the guitar were to appear, then what?  It may have past through several hands since then.  Is it fair after all this time that a person who bought it in good faith lose it because of something that happened twenty years ago?   At that point you are simply shifting you self imposed "bad luck" onto someone else.   

The the odds you find the original criminal are very low.  It's time to move on.  

That's what Formula73 thought until the HFC got his korina Vector back after15 years.

I put nothing past this forum.

[Studio Custom]

1 hour ago, Lockbody said:

It's still his guitar. I don't think you can legally continue to own something that was stolen from someone else unless the original owner decides to let you keep it.

But it wasn't "stolen" in the traditional sense of a burglary or stick up.  Does a fake check qualify the same under the law in his state?   What if it was a real check that bounced?  It certainly not "stolen" then.  Does his state have a statue of limitations?

Another issue would be reimbursement.  The OP said he was not reimbursed, but if he had been, the item no longer has a claim.  

I was once involved in a lawsuit that had somewhat similar theme.  I sold a used parking lot sweeper to a guy, it was stolen from him.  It passed through many hands before  before some idiot brought it up on a roof and drove it and himself off the edge, resulting in his death.  Somewhere along the way someone removed a safety that allowed the death to occur.  The lawsuit was trying to find who along the ownership chain had modified it.  Of course the person found to most likely be that person had nothing, so it was an excercuse in futility.  The authorities investigated because of the death and the multimillion dollar lawsuit, I wouldn't count of that level of assistance for a guitar.  

My point being, even if found, the OP will have a uphill battle to get it back.  He's not going to simply show an old police report and police seize the item and hand it back to him.  At some point the OP would have to prove ownership prior to the theft. 

[kizanski]

2 minutes ago, Studio Custom said:

But it wasn't "stolen" in the traditional sense of a burglary or stick up.  Does a fake check qualify the same under the law in his state?   What if it was a real check that bounced?  It certainly not "stolen" then.

Who said it had to be a burglary or a stickup for it to be stolen?
This arguing over what does and what does not constitute "theft" is akin to picking gnat shit out of pepper.
The guy gave him a bum check, took the goods and kept it after his check bounced.
If you don't provide the funds or return the goods, that's Theft.

Your lawsuit story is a false equivalency, so I'm ignoring it.

[Hamerica]

Mods,

Can we pin this post to the top since it is a stolen guitar?

Thanks,

Hamerica

[Jason01]

A fake check with bogus acct numbers and info shows intent to me. Stolen. I hope you get it back someday, its unfortunate that it will likely be at another innocent victims expense.   

[gorch]

Meanwhile it would be great to see some of the burried pics.

[SoCalSean]

I updated my original post with the photos...  I thought about putting text on it so that Google images will include it when people are searching for pictures of the guitar...  Eh, maybe later.

Peace out.

[mc2]

I went through something similar around 20 years back.

Did you document the theft/scam by filing a police report? That would help. Also, it might depend on your state's laws regarding any statute of limitations on stolen property.

I got hit with a fake certified check for $10,000. A clever scam.

i was selling my 32x16 recording console and 16-track tape deck. Placed the ad in the Village Voice. The buyers called mid-week, saying they wanted the gear for their church (clever, to gain the seller's trust.) They postponed their visit to see the gear from a Friday to a Sunday "after church service." The two showed up in suits, claiming to be Baptist ministers. After seeing and hearing the gear, they said they would take it and pulled out a pre-made Certified Check for the $10,000. Naturally, I was apprehensive.

My next door neighbor happened to be a comptroller for a big Wall Street brokerage, so I called him and asked him to come over. He examined the check and said it was real....with all the correct bank stamps and official perforations. They provided the  matching driver license ID to the check, (which did not use a photo back then.) so, at the assurance of my comptroller neighbor I said OK. The buyers even reassured me by saying that they could only fit the 16-track in their vehicle and would return Monday for the mixing board. They also took the mixing board's power supply, since it was a 19" rqck piece.

As they were pulling away from my house, I got the flash to call NYC information to check the name on the certified check. The guy just happned to be listed and I called the phone number. HE ANSWERED!! I said "Since you are answering your phone an hour away, you cannot be pulling away from my house in a car." I quickly explained what had happened. He told me that all his ID and checkbook had been stolen recently. I called the police to describe the very distinctive vehicle that the thieve were in....with commercial out-od-state plates and a purple,side window (they had said, living in NYC, that they did not drive and had someone drive them out...who waited outside.)  Deapite only a few roads into NYC that allow commercial vehicles on them and very few commercial vehicles on a Sunday....with a huge purple window...they didn't find the guys.

The police turned out to have had a rash of similar recent thefts from these guys. They hit high ticket classified ad items....furs, jewelry, cars...all with th fake certified checks, usually on a Sunday when it is hard to verify with the bank.

Their scam gets even more interesting. They apparently got a real bank certification machine by having someone steal on from a bank while an employee, the police said. Then, they cruised the NYC hay bar scene for their marks to steal IDs. Their guy would pickup gay guys, go back to their aparttments and steal their wallets and checkbooks, after sleeping with them. The police said most of the times it was unreported.

In my case, the thieves had called from a 7-11, asking directions when about 15 minutes away. I told the cops which 7-11, hoping they could,get video footage. I had also given them two glasses that the thieves drank soda from, hoping the fingerprints would help. NOTHING HAPPENED. 

Then.....about 18 months later, I get a voicemail from the police stolen property warehouse about 30 minutes from me. They tell me that they have recovered some items from the case and to come out if I want them. I was stoked!! I drove out their and brought my paperwork and ID. Waited aboit an hour until my turn and someone said "let me get your property."

Ten minutes later a door opens and an officer comes out and hands me........two soda glasses.

No shit.

Idiots.