Article 4: STOLEN GEAR – Fenders make good bedfellows

Recently, Leslie, an up and coming band in my hometown had all their gear stolen. They were on the road, staying at a hotel or friend’s house while someone broke into the van and got all their stuff. (Take a listen to Leslie's new demo Touch Me here: http://www.purevolume.com/lesliesc)

This happens. All the time. In every city. I don’t get why musicians do not put a proper value on their gear. Guitars, amps and drums probably represent the most valuable and expensive things they may own and yet, they leave them for others to take. Once the gear is gone, they have to cancel shows, spend days searching pawn shops and ebay for what might be their gear. Maybe they can lean on friends and family to borrow gear or to loan them money to buy new gear. This is just depressing.

In the 90’s when I was touring with a regional band, we had all heard the horror stories of other bands. So I made a band rule: whenever we leave gear in the van at night, somebody sleeps in the van. I even provided a futon cushion for the back.

This did not go over very well. So as the rulemaker, I ended up being the one who slept in the van much of the time. Or I dragged all my gear inside the hotel and let the rest stay in harms way. Soon, most of them hauled in their gear.

At least twice, somebody tried to break into our van while I was sleeping in it. All I had to do was make some noise and the thieves split. Once, they got the door open as I was waking up. They freaked out and ran faster than I ever could. What, afraid of a hungover, pantless musician with a beer gut who can barely open his eyes? Apparently, they were.

So sleeping in the van saved our butts a couple of times. Later, when I had a van that was used only for the band, I threw together some 2x4s, plywood and a lock to store our guitars. A huge box, covered in shag carpet and with a bottle opener attached to the side provided those necessary homey touches. Nobody would steal that or get it open. And it fit the futon cushion nicely on top.

Do what you can to protect your gear. That’s all I’m saying.

Though, no matter what you do, gear can still get stolen. Backstage where groupies and multiple bands wander in and out is another place where gear walks away. So here are a few more tips:

· Make a list of every piece of gear you have, including serial number, and take a photo of each one. The photos should also include any unique scratches or dents that will identify it as yours. People do change serial numbers, so these other unique marks can serve as fingerprints.

· File the list with your renter or homeowner insurance company if you have one

· Give the list to your manager if you have one. If not, place a copy in your smartphone notes, on your computer, and with a trusted friend. This way, if your gear gets stolen while on the road, you can call this friend or manager, get the data to the cops immediately and they can identify it as yours if found right away.

With these rules, you still might not get your gear back, but you have a much better shot when perusing Craigslist, eBay, pawn shops, etc for your gear. And you have real information to give your insurance company in order to recoup some losses. One friend of mine immediately put up a note on Facebook and it went viral enough that someone found his gear in a pawn shop within days.

Now, if you’ve read this and it turns out your gear gets stolen from an unlocked van and you have no records of the items or serial numbers…… do not freaking ask me to play the benefit show to raise money for your new gear.

Last thought. I’d like your response here. Would it be useful if I created a web site where musicians could input data on their gear? You could enter serial numbers, make and model (i.e. Make: Fender, Model: Stratocaster) and include purchase date, upload photos or scans of receipt. All attached to your name. So if you lost gear on the road, you could pull up your data and give it to the police immediately. And you’d have a date of entry so if there was an argument about who owned it first, we’d be able to show when it was entered. Would this be worth $10 a year? $30? Does it have to be free?

Let me know. It sounds like a decent service.