Ancient History

mikeyjc · Post by **mikeyjc** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:24 pm

Some guys would do nearly ANYTHING to get a Ric back ... figured the Forum would be worth a shot, who knows?!?!

Item: 1980 Ric Bass, JetGlo ... I believe she was a 4001, but she could have been a 4003 (sorry folks, that was a LONG time ago ...)

Serial #: TE 1962

Date Stolen: Between 8:00 PM March 4 and 7:30 PM March 6, 1987

Last seen: Hillcrest Church of the Nazarene, 2000 Muldoon Road, Anchorage, AK

Anchorage PD Case #: 87-22281

Reward for info leading to recovery: $250

She's probably with some collector somewhere, never to be seen in public again ... but, if any of y'all happen to be out and about and see someone gigging with a JetGlo bass, humor me and see if she might be MY FIRST RIC.

(Pretty sad that I still have an old [burned from microfiche?] copy of the police report, eh?)

Best regards to all - Mike in MI

rickaddict · Post by **rickaddict** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:46 pm

I feel your pain and hope that your first Rick is recovered, Mike.

Thieves are scum and deserve the sad life that they usually end up with.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:35 pm

Using my 3000th post to say.....

Are there any Rush tribute bands in Anchorage? I'd start by looking there.

Best of luck getting it back, Mike...

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:41 pm

I lost my first Rick ('94 4003 red w/BT) to the sticky hands of a dirtbag, I feel your pain. Thankful was I for homeowner's insurance...

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 7:41 pm

list with Vintage Guitar magazine's stolen gear section

philipharris · Post by **philipharris** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:41 pm

Stolen from a church?

cwk · Post by **cwk** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:30 pm

There is a thread at Talkbass.com for stolen/lost basses,you may want to post there.Oh I allmost forgot,try craigslist.It would be neat to see you find it.Good luck!
Bill

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:13 pm

Steve, congrats on # 3000!

mikeyjc · Post by **mikeyjc** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:42 am

Hey guys - thanks for the tips, and for the good wishes.

Main reason I posted this: I heard a story on the news this week about a guy who recovered his Corvette stolen (I think) in 1968 ... hey, you just never know.

The thief made off with the Ric, the case, and something I could never replace: a lovely custom-made leather guitar strap given to me years back by an old girlfriend who was an art student.

Although losing the Ric was sad, this is one of those 'silver lining' stories ...

I was renting a house at the time (short-term work assignment), so I didn't have homeowner's insurance. But, the church filed a claim under their policy, and I received a settlement (the church itself covered the deductible). The settlement came at a good time; my dad was dying of cancer, and I used the proceeds to buy a plane ticket to Seattle to see him for what turned out to be the last time ...

AND, while I was in Seattle, I just happened to look in the local classifieds ... and found a '76 4001 MG for sale. Check this out:

Settlement = $700
Ticket to Seattle = $400
Purchase price of Ric = $300

Interesting 'cosmic math', eh?

Thanks again, all - great community here!

sublimate · Post by **sublimate** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:07 am

So really the bass belongs to the insurance company now. The only reason the guy got his Corvette back was he didn't get insurance for it.

if any of y'all happen to be out and about and see someone gigging with a JetGlo bass, humor me and see if she might be MY FIRST RIC.

How may thousands of JetGlo 4000 series Ricks are out there? And is someone (or maybe multiple someones) going to come up to me every gig I do and ask to check my serial number?

I do hope you find it. And I hope whoever stole it gets what he deserves.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:06 am

Mike, it sounds like it all kinda worked out for you in the end. I always feel bad for musicians who lose gear, thieves don't realize how personal these items are to the musicians.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:46 am

My first Rick went the same way, stolen in 86; TC-915, jetglo (with an aftermarket black scratchplate and overwound treble pickup). I do miss it, but it was probably the worst Rick I've owned. Best of luck in finding yours. What I would much sooner get hold of is the 91 V63 that disappeared in transit before reaching me; K4-4926, fireglo. But the chances are less than slim....

ken_swearingen · Post by **ken_swearingen** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:07 am

Wow!Shaun, what is the story with the v63? did the shipping company pay for it? was it an employee ? what happened?

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:40 am

Hi Ken! I actually bought it off ebay; it was my first purchase and I was a !ittle green then. The seller was in the USA, and shipped it via USPS. It was never seen again. It's a bit of a horror story really; we both waited for a while to see if it turned up, and eventually filed the claim. It took close to a year before USPS paid up (and they were a PAIN to get any info out of), and as exchange rates had changed I actually lost £200 (close to $400) on the deal. And no bass....

ken_swearingen · Post by **ken_swearingen** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:58 am

Wow! was it sent airmail? the problem with USPS is they only track a package in the US once it leaves the US there's no telling where it goes,I'm sure the perpetrator's knew this.

Thats awful I can only imagine how let down you must have felt.