If it were stolen, can you prove you own your gear?

TimmyO

A chap I sold an amp to in 2009 has been in touch to see if I have anything that proves he bought it. 

He's had it stolen and police and insurance have asked for details. 

It got me to thinking - there's plenty of gear I probably couldn't "prove" is mine (purchase record, serial number etc)

How about you? 

guitars4you

Valid point - My own personal guitars that are at home and I have no pics or serial number info - Will change this immediately - Thanks

All shop stock is on a data base

axisus

Well, the 5 guitars that I use were all built by me and I have photos of the builds on farcebook plus videos of me playing them on Youtube, so I feel OK about them. 

When I had a Fender Custom shop bass I used to not keep the Certificate of authenticity in the case. I figured that maybe I could wave that to the police if it got stolen but I guess it wouldn't actually count for much.

Wazmeister

Good point.

No, is the answer. Like Mark above, this will change very soon !

King85

Very good point, on some of my guitars I could tell by the marks/damage but I have no pictures to support this so that's something I should probably catalogue along with the serials.

roberty

I photograph everything including serial numbers and that goes straight into Google. Don't know how watertight this is as proof of ownership.  You can search your photos with keywords now, it's properly creepy. Type "guitar" in and they all come up

JD50

I have some my stuff listed on home insurance.

When I was playing out & the band had their own studio we grouped together and got everything insured. I'd do that again if I ever get playing out again.

fretmeister

Yup.

Apart from sub £50 pedals.

Insurance policy with full descriptions and serial numbers on the schedule, and I take date stamped fresh photos of instruments and amps (with the serial numbers showing) every year at renewal.

professorben

Is listing them on my house and contents proof? 

not_the_dj

Photos and records of all serial numbers. Needed the numbers for my instrument insurance policy.

Musicwolf

I have photographed guitars and serial numbers in the past - but I'll bet that's all well out of date, so thanks for the reminder.  I usually keep receipts for all the significant stuff but, in this day and age, I should really digitise it (another job for New Year since I'll be retired then).

Many, many, years ago I was told by a relative who was a police officer that the insurance companies would want to check the police report at the time of break in with the insurance claim as it was amazing how many people would report the theft of an old set of golf clubs from the garage only to suddenly remember, whilst filling out the claim form, that their brand new set had been stolen as well.

crunchman

axisus said:

Well, the 5 guitars that I use were all built by me and I have photos of the builds on farcebook plus videos of me playing them on Youtube, so I feel OK about them. 

When I had a Fender Custom shop bass I used to not keep the Certificate of authenticity in the case. I figured that maybe I could wave that to the police if it got stolen but I guess it wouldn't actually count for much.

I have 3 expensive guitars with COAs.  None of them have the COA in the case.

SteveRobinson

I keep a spreadsheet with serials, photos and a list of mods / distinguishing features.

Jalapeno

SteveRobinson said:

I keep a spreadsheet with serials, photos and a list of mods / distinguishing features.

I've got all the serial #s etc on the insurance policy, and photos all over here/facebook, but like the idea of a bit more of a full record

thecolourbox

I avoid the risk by not having anything that is worth stealing or at least stuff that wouldn't cause me much hardship if it was no longer there.

But in all seriousness, it is important to keep some kind of record. Recently I bought a Deluxe Reverb RI from a Cash Generator shop, because it was £400 and I thought I could always flip it for easy profit if it wasn't useful to me. Sounded nice, but was too big and I couldn't justify an amp of either  the purchase value or its likely sale value. I put it up on eBay and Facebook for sale. Chap gets in touch very keen to see it, and in fact phones me at my office the next day (found info via Facebook) because as it turns out it was in fact his amp which had been stolen from his vehicle back in August. He had loads of photos and the serial number, it had been handwired and a few changes (speaker, reverb connectors etc) so very quickly we established it definitely was his. I took it back to the shop, the police were very slow reacting to this very clear lead and CG managed to sell it again, breaking their promise to hold it in storage whilst the police sorted themselves out. But, judging by the last message I got from the chap, it sounds like he is very close to getting it back, again because he had all available details and also because my part of the story helped corroborate his when I then emailed the photos I'd taken of the amp with the serial number etc. So patience has paid off this time, but moreso because of good records.

TimmyO

Coincidentally this is a DRRI ha 

TimmyO

I'm.in the process of moving but once I'm.in and settled I'll be getting pics and serial numbers 

timmypix

Had this happen to me - 6 guitars stolen two years ago and I'd never taken pics of the serial numbers. They didn't surface at the time and as far as I can tell (regular ebay/Facebook/Gumtree checks) they haven't surfaced since. Probably at the bottom of the River Irwell at this point.

RaymondLin

Besides lots of photos (geo tagged), credit card records, emails.

i think I can make a pretty tight claim that it is mine.

digitalscream

Yes - my five main guitars are all unique customs, I have my amps insured with their serial numbers. Admittedly I don't have my pedal serials recorded, but I'll sort that soon.

skunkwerx

Most of my stuff is recent and still on my Andertons account (the free thing to get points). Least it shows I bought it and the date, delivery addy etc. 

Loads of pics uploaded to various places which admittedly doesnt prove much except I once had it in my room and took a picture of it.. 

I'm gonna take pics of my serial numbers etc. 

Funny though, my house was burgled a few years back. They absolutely ransacked the place, like fully. Kitchen drawers even taken out and over turned.. wtf. Was a serious mess. 

Kicked several locked internal doors off the hinges, 

Had small stuff and all the electrical stuff that cex will buy, Games, blu rays etc, the fuckers even took our suitcases which they used to bag it all up in! Cunts. Lil speakers for my ipod even went! 

Left the car, all my guitars and guitar gear untouched.

I'm actually certain it was an employee of a where I worked at the time involved.. A few days prior I was paid in cash for that month due to my bank fucking up. 

I don't believe in coincidences like that.