 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Heidi
Date: 2003-02-03 15:20
Hello all,
Over the weekend some person or group of people broke into the music dept. here at Mercer and stole several instruments from our faculty. I'd appreciate it if you guys would keep your eyes pealed, especially you guys in Georgia. Here's what was stolen:
A very expensive 250 yr. old violin
3 very expensive bows
A Mark VI Alto and a Tenor sax (unsure of brand)
A flute
A Selmer Bass Clarinet (goes down to low C)
A piccolo trumpet
A C trumpet
The burglers were very calculated in their theivery...however they took several instruments without the cases, including the bass, the saxes, and the trumpets. This is a devastating event as you all may know that threatens our lifestyle as students and faculty and even our lives.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Heid
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2003-02-03 15:32
Heidi,
This is truly devastating...
But you should post this under the "stolen" category here on Woodwind.org and mention, whenever possible the serial numbers or further description of the various instruments.
Good luck.
Stéphane.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-02-03 16:24
And, if you haven't already done so, file a police report.
Also, start checking your local newspapers and pawnshops, as well as eBay. Notifying your local school music departments to be "on the lookout" is also recommended. These instruments were not stolent to be played.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-02-03 18:07
Gosh, what nasty thievery. Collect what serial #'s and makers names you can and visit or notify used inst dealers, pawns and larger music stores in at least your surrounding states. Our major used inst dealer in OK [City] is "The Horn Trader", on the corner of Reno and Western, phone 405-235-3999 [off my "top-of-head"]. We have discussed stolen insts, Scott is very careful. Wichita [KS] Band Inst. is also large. I believe AFM [Musicians Union] publishes stolen notices in their monthly magazine to help. Certainly if I should run on to the saxes and bass cl, I'd notify local police, try to buy them [cheaply] if necessary, AND let you [Mercer, where/how?] know, then figure out how to settle all of the "dust". Our best wishes. Don
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2003-02-03 22:33
DEFINITELY check second-hand stores. I had my clarinet stolen FROM MY COLLEGE about 2 years ago - I found it within the hour at a second-hand store in a 'dodgy' area nearby.
These people stealing instruments, perhaps to sell to support their 'habbits', won't go far at all - they need the money SOON, so look nearby, they may not be too far.
Best of luck, hope you at least get these instruments back.
-Morrigan
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Author: Heidi
Date: 2003-02-03 22:44
Thank you all for your concern! !
I will let my professors know about all of this. Just to let you know Mercer University is in Macon, GA. We have all the serial numbers and have definately filed a police report. We are looking in all the local pawn shops and are checking ebay. This is still a very fresh crime and we're hoping the instruments are still in the area.
Again, much thanks..especially Don, for going the extra mile!
Heidi
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2003-02-03 23:31
Don't be surprised that these show up, but not in the same area of Georgia. A local school (Houston, Tx) had some instruments stolen a few years ago and they were found in Austin, Tx which is a couple of hundred miles to the west of here. Of course, the school name was painted on the side of the cases and the honest pawn shop owner was a little suspicious of the "quantity" of instruments with the same school markings trying to be sold.
jbutler
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2003-02-03 23:33
kia ora
say hello to Dr Miksch (Composition) and Dr Hillier (Violin) for me
a friend here in NZ had a very good alto sax stolen some years ago, she found it advertised in the paper 6 months later (after it had been replaced by an insurance company)... she rang the phone number on the ad, and arranged to meet the people at an address that turned out to be a construction site.
She bought her own sax back from the thieves for half what it was worth, and skedadled out of there at top speed. i suggested to her that she should have rung the police, but her response was something along the lines of "this country ain't big enough"... which is a good point- we have only 4million people and you're always bumping into someone who knows you (or recognises you). Also, she couldn't prove that the Sax was her old one until she met the people, and then arranging to meet them again would have probably been impossible.
good luck
donal
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-02-04 01:31
Heidi - I concur w: J B's "story" on how a @#$%^* thief might try to convert stolen insts to money. I have bought several [and seen more] good used cls/saxes in local pawn shops, some at unusually [unrealisticaly] low prices!!. I always inquire thoroughly! and check what listings I can find, and purchase carefully to avoid "problems" and to try to help recovery if possible. I earlier had responsibility for several K$'s of insts. [and more of my own], thereby learning some of the seamy facts of life. TKS for your kind words, a number of us will "keep our eyes open" and if you might be able to E-M us the ser #'s , who knows, we might find some, maybe all. Luck, Don
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2003-02-04 12:59
Keep an eye on <b>eBay!</b> Watch for the instruments there. Thieves frequently use it to get rid of stolen goods. If you can give us some detailed descriptions, those of us who frequent eBay can keep an eye out for them as well.
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Author: Stephanie
Date: 2003-02-04 16:13
Totally random thought.....
Has anyone thought to check the dumpsters around the campus for the instruments?
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2003-02-04 16:16
I ditto the keep an eye on eBay suggestion. Be particularly aware of instruments that are listed without cases. This is a red flag to potential stolen instruments.
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Author: Rick
Date: 2003-02-04 19:39
Hi:
If your school has a criminal justice program, you may also want to contact them and see if they will make it a class assignment to look for and recover the items.
RW
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2003-02-05 01:25
good point from Stephanie- i know a clarinet player whose R13 Prestige clarinets (pair) were stolen, and dumped 30 metres away behind some bushes (found by a gardener a week later).... my car was broken into and a bag of music stolen- i searched around the area for 45 mintues before finding the abandoned stash. (got all music back just before it started raining!)
probably these guys have not dumped alll the instruments, but they may have found they took "one case too many" and left one of them behind somewhere?
donal
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2003-02-07 00:38
My feeling is that this was too calculated for dumping. These people knew what they were doing and how much time they had to steal. I would not be surprised if they were familiar with the college...not necessarily employees or students, though. Check with any local school districts, as well. Music teachers may be contacted in local towns, and also check your local "penny pinchers" and newspapers and have them check any instrument sales ads for the next few months.
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