Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi everyone.

My apartment in Chicago, IL was burglarized over the Thanksgiving weekend. Among the stolen goods was my Rickenbacker 330. It's a 6-string, in Fireglow Red Sunburst. It was in a hard-shell case covered with stickers, and that case also contained a guitar strap made of an old seatbelt.

I've been calling local pawn shops, being watchful on craigslist, all that--and in the process, someone pointed me in the direction of this forum. I thought that I might alert the Ric-loving community to the theft, in case anyone comes across my guitar.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to locate any documentation with the serial number on it. I'm working on that.

It really stings to lose my Ric, and I'm really hoping to recover it one way or another, unlikely as that may be.

Thanks in advance for any help. All the best.

-Drew

This is the worst thing I have read all day, by far.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Been through the same thing myself and it sucks, big time. Hopefully, you'll find some serial number info and be able to list it int the register as stolen. I know a lot of people check against the stolen list as they come across stuff for sale. Well, I sure hope you get your Rick back, and soon!

My heart goes out to you. We'll keep our eyes peeled for your 330.

Welcome, sorry you had to join us with such sad news. May I suggest adding info here about the approximate year, and any details on the guitar's condition? All the best with your search. May the criminals be caught and pay dearly.

I appreciate the kind words, everyone. Thanks.

The guitar is in perfect or nearly perfect condition, as I kept it safely in its case whenever I wasn't playing it. I purchased it new in July, 2004, but I do not know definitively in what year it was made.

If you've got any pictures of it, especially ones that might have unique/identifying features like showing grain, etc., please post those too. Even without the serial number, those might help someone recognize it as yours.

jdogric12aolcom wrote:Welcome, sorry you had to join us with such sad news. May I suggest adding info here about the approximate year, and any details on the guitar's condition? All the best with your search. May the criminals be caught and pay dearly.

Yeah, what Jason said. Theft is such a stupid crime. Best of luck to you.

JimK

Thanks again for all the sympathy, everybody. I don't think that I have any particularly good pictures of it, and I still can't find any documentation with the serial number (can you even believe that Sam Ash doesn't track the serial numbers of the guitars they sell?).

Somebody responded to the stolen goods report I posted on craigslist, saying that he thought he saw my Ric--as well as my other stolen guitar, a Martin--being sold on the street not too far from my neighborhood. The guitars he saw may or may not have been mine, but all the pieces fit, and if that scenario did take place then there would be no paper trail whatsoever. So that, unfortunately, is not the best of news.

I'm really sorry to hear that

Contact the nearest guitar center so they can add it to their database, and call local pawnshops! Hope it comes home well.

I've notified every local Guitar Center, and all Chicago pawn shops are required by law to report their inventory daily (so that it can be checked against stolen goods reports). But if the sale happened on the street, for cash, then none of that really matters.

Again, thanks, everybody.

It may turn up later, so don't give up all hope. You definitely have my sympathies over your losses.

By no means do I plan to give up hope--but I do, frankly, plan to start looking for a new guitar. If anyone has some suggestions, I'm open to them (or should I make a new thread for that question?). I'm not sure if I could handle getting another Ric right away, because my 330 had started to really age nicely after four years--which would make starting from scratch something of a bitter pill. (I say this not to fish for pity, but simply by way of explanation, because I imagine that people on a Rickenbacker message board would naturally suggest buying a Rickenbacker).

If I come up with a good photo, or if I manage to find my serial numbers, then you'll certainly all hear about it. You guys are great, and right now it's important for me to remember that some people are, in fact, great. Thanks yet again.

This is a horrible story. Sorry you had to go through that...

As far as finding another guitar, I can say that while other guitars can be nice, there is something unique about a ric. Maybe try a 360?