On the job equipment theft

[Tony S.]

On a lighter note: Several years ago I provided for a 4th of July event in a local town of about 50,000 in their main park downtown. It was a 2 day event and after finishing up the first night we packed up since it was a large bandstand/gazebo in an open public park. I was driving my pickup and a friend was pulling trailer.

Well, I would normally pitch my sound guy toolbox (yes the one with all your important sound guy stuff like patch cords, adapters, maglights, backup CD discman, a spare mic or 2, soldering kit, tools, testers, yada yada) on the back of the pickup for the ride home, but of course this one tired night I FORGOT to make the pitch, got distracted for a moment and drove off leaving it sitting all alone in the grass in the middle of the park.

Now mind you , I live in the boonies and have no lockable front door, and car keys stay in the ignition, and it wasn't supposed to rain so I decided to let the box lay on the truck all night.

Next day I'm heading out to the gig, glance in the back for my toolbox...CRAP, it is not there!! Of course I am convinced I threw it on the truck so someone must have stolen it from the truck, which makes no sense either since I had gone straight to the boonies.

So I head off to the gig pissed off and totally baffled, only to pull up beside my....you guessed it... untouched.... lonely toolbox...sticking out like a sore thumb with all kinds of people milling around it tossing Frisbee, picinicing, etc.

There is hope for the human race after all...but none for me!! LOL

 

I guess I could've just said I left my toolbox in a park overnight and no one touched it, but where's the fun in THAT?

[Mogwix]

Cables and stands tend to up and walk at any time... sometimes I'll come home one or two mic cables short... or one or two mic cables too many. Same with mic stands, guitar stands, clips, etc.

 

I actually have quite a few cables and stands labeled with the insignia of other sound companies. Since I work with them a lot (both as crew and as client), I'd bring the stuff to the next gig and tell them I've got a few of their cables or stands. They always say "meh, we have a few of yours, too."

 

It all seems to balance out, in that regard anyways. We've never had any of the band members' stuff go missing, other than cables and stands. I've had a mic or two go missing. One came back because the sound co accidentally packed it up, the other because the singer of another local band was using the OM7 he stole from me... and the house tech recognized that I'm the only guy in the area with OM7's... and also that my name was engraved on the casing.

 

All of our stuff has our names engraved or labeled somehow in an inconspicuous location. My basses have my name engraved on the bottom of the bridges, and in the neck pocket... my amp has my name engraved in the back of the face plate, and on the casing underneath the PCB... my cabs have my name burnt into the inside of the speaker cab and engraved on the basket of some of the speakers. Mic stands and mics all have an engraving on them, usually my initials and a number. Some of my cables are labeled but not many.

[SpaceNorman]

I've been gigging for 30 or so years. I'm reasonably careful about keeping an eye on my gear. My gear is used by my band - so I don't have the issue of keeping an eye on stuff during multiple band changes. I have lost a few things over the years - but nothing that I've attributed to theft. I supply the PA - which includes most (but not ALL) of the microphone cables. Ultimately the fact that we have a mix of MY cables with everybody elses cables that means one of mine goes home with another band member ... and vice versa. In all honesty, I would consider some of that sort of thing to be normal shrinkage.

[Dandy Don]

Back in 1970 I was just a underage kid working in a country/R&R band we were doing a weekend show and my Harmony rocket guitar was stolen after the bar was closed along with a Kustom PA powerhead the band owned. I was bummed until the owner said he had insurance. I borrowed a guitar for Sat. night and the next week I got a Ibenez Les Paul copy and used it for years. Came out money ahead on the guitar the Harmony was not in the best condition.

[agedhorse]

I had a mic case stolen at a venue, sent the crew on a tour of the pawn shops and found the entire case intact. Had to buy it back for the cost of the pawn ticket... about $75. Had mu property ID labels on all the mics as well as the case. Of course they got a fake ID and the cops just told me I would be ahead to buy it back. Pawn shop guys generally are just a few notches below scum.

[tuchan]

Well I have not had anything stolen from me in the last 20 odd years, touch wood.

 

Recently I packed up and loaded up the vehicle, went inside to hand over the invoice and had a bit of a chat. I came back out and I had a heap more gear on board, guitar cabs, amps and what not. One of the road crew had loaded up the wrong vehicle, coooooooooooool, my lucky day! We unloaded it and put it in the correct vehicle:)

[Unalaska]

No stolen stories but I have had 2 costco canopies and a few 4 anf 6ft tables LEFT AT THE GIG! Not by me, no, by my loaders who didn't think it was mine... I still need to buy one more before the season starts again.

 

Once I left 2 blackface adats in a 6u SKB case outside a club in salina KS after a gig. It was on a thursday night and I remembered at around 3 so I called the drummer who lived in town and he picked them up. I've been lucky.

[samkokajko]

I used to put my Modulus FB5 bass in it's hardcase in the bed of my pickup to come back from band practice. Managed to wake up at 5am the day after once and have the sudden realization that it was still in the truck.

 

I have never jumped out of bed so fast, ran out into the apartment parking lot barefoot in my shorts and no shirt in Nov.

 

Luckily it was still there and I carried it back in and slept for 2 more hours before going to work.

 

Scared me to death though, I had just got it a few weeks before. I'm usually much better about my gear, really.

 

I had a year or two there where whenever it rained I would sit for an hour in bed trying to go to sleep thinking through what I might have left outside, what might be getting destroyed. Don't know why, because I never did leave anything out there.

[zekmoe]

I set things up with some degree of safety in mind as well. Guitars at back or side if there's no access, amps far back. I don't leave the area ever though. It's fun to play, but I can't risk "hanging out" and then loose some stuff. I bring a Vox AC30HW, a $3000 pedalboard, and my guitars of late have been a EDS1275, Explorer, JMascis Jazzmaster, and Ric 360. No way I'm letting those toys out of site on my mainly for fun (regardless of getting paid) gig. The $100 or so I make is my cost for hauling the gear. I expect to haul it all back home.

[zekmoe]

I will add that I have had stuff stolen at a local rehersal room place, but most of the bands there are typical metal kid worthless human types, who walk in stoned and with 3 cases of cheap beer, so it's mainly my fault to have to be within stealin distance of such types.

[W. M. Hellinger]

My shop was buglerized a little less than 2 months ago. The crooks took most of my shop tools and some audio/lighting equipment.

 

I suspect most thieves don't realize the aftermath of their activities, and even if they do, they don't realize the state of piss-off-ness their activities spin their victims into. I suspect most thieves are somewhat rational, but victims can become totally irrational... FOREVER

[Axisplayer]

Mark, really sorry to hear this. It couldn't have happened to anyone that deserved it less. One thought however....

 

If you do testify like you want to, they will be sent to jail. You can't really get to see them there. I would be more inclined to say it was no problem for me, and ask the court to go easy. I might even post their bail before the trial, so they are free to walk the streets....where I would be waiting for them far away from where anyone with a badge could see me. They might not even make trial.....but thats just me.

[W. M. Hellinger]

 

If you do testify like you want to, they will be sent to jail. You can't really get to see them there. I would be more inclined to say it was no problem for me, and ask the court to go easy. I might even post their bail before the trial, so they are free to walk the streets....where I would be waiting for them far away from where anyone with a badge could see me. They might not even make trial.....but thats just me.

 

 

Life is good, for me. I own a door. I can go out my door anytime I want. I can go back in my door too. (they can't do that in jail).

 

I occasionally enjoy a good cigar and/or a whiskey. They can't do that in jail either... although as I understand it, most, if not all of the thieves associated with ripping me off were life-long smokers with serious alcohol and other drug dependencies (justice is best served with a healthy helping of cold turkey).

 

I can enjoy riding and fixing motor scooters, playing bass, and puttering in the shop or yard. No can do in jail.

 

I can get up and go to work in the morning... and accomplish things. As I understand it, there is no such thing as chain gangs, or any other type of work in jail... you just sit and rot... which to me would be a special hell that words couldn't describe.

 

I can pick my room mate. The choice I made is easy on the eyes and fun to be around.

 

The jerks can rot in jail, that's justice enough for me.

[DBR]

I was real lucky Tuesday. I had a problem with my lift so I had to get out of the van via rear entrance rather than the driver side. D.S me..left the door wide open with some gear left in it. I went out to get some cables and I freaked when I saw the door wide open. Went in the back of the van to count my losses. Nothing...was taken. Just last month there was some Meth cooking out on the Delta. However, the keyboard player whom I see only once a month left a couple of real important cables behind. One is the power supply for his kb and the other one is some sort of ps for another gadget. I took them home with me for safe keeping. I plan on giving them back as soon as I see him again. If I see him again. Some idiot unplugged the PA from the socket to plug in his own amp and the kb was direct into the PA. He got pissed off when that happened and left just before I got to the root of the problem. A real piece of work.

[Gordon Sound]

I was @ a gig many years ago packing out. We staged some JBL 4560 knockoffs out by the van and went in to get more stuff. Came out and 2 drunk dudes were trying to walk away with 1 cab. I yelled @ them and they attempted to run off with it. one guy triped and somehow ended up underneath the cabinet and the other guy Just took off. The guy under the cab Got a foot in the face.

[Mogwix]

One june saturday a few years ago was of certain note. Just a few months prior my grandmother, whom I adored dearly, died of cancer... college was being a real pain... and my girlfriend had just left me for some douchebag.

 

It was 3pm and I was just getting ready to leave work. I was in a hurry because I needed to get up to Toronto to play a gig. I was actually having a pretty decent day, since I was excited to play some music with the band. I came walking outside and here there's two assholes sitting in my car, at 3pm on a Saturday, in broad daylight, trying to steal my car.

 

I needed to get to Toronto so I played their excuses, "oh... we're looking for our buddy we thought this was his car..." yeah, yeah. Whatever just get the {censored} out of my car.

 

They were trying to shove a screwdriver in the ignition, which only served to ruin it. My bandmates came and picked me up and we were off to Toronto.

 

Sometimes I think about that day. If I wasn't in such a hurry to get somewhere I'd probably be sitting in prison right now for murder.

[W. M. Hellinger]

Mark, really sorry to hear this.

Update on my shop being burglarized... in-case anyone is interested: The local sheriff has rounded up a ring of bad guys reportedly associated with the theft. One of the bad guys (possibly a ring leader) was an employee of a contractor who's done some work at one of my warehouses. That contractor stopped by Sunday (yesterday)... to share with me a letter he'd just received from his imprisioned ex-employee. The thief employee explained in the letter that his letter (asking for forgiveness) is part of his healing tharapy process. No talk about his restitution plan though.

 

We where soooo understanding... like: we understand he's still in jail, and will be there for years or decades... that's our understanding on the matter, and that's perfectly understandable to us. I hope he gets better in prison during the years/decades to come. Maybe some year (or decade) when he gets out of prison and would like to come around here, I'd be happy to help him with his tharapy... digging ditches and shoveling {censored} out of a hog barn is good tharapy as far as I'm concerned.

[Shaster]

I guess there's some small comfort in finding out who was involved.

 

Something similar might have happened to my next door neighbours. They have workmen there for all kinds of things - the folks are "professionals" and not very handy.

 

A few days ago someone tried to get into their front door and couldn't. Went around to the rear and kicked at the back door so hard they bent it (steel door), until it finally gave. Apparently the alarm went off, so I guess they made a quick sweep of the house and got some jewellery.

 

The police came and suggested it might have been "friends".... of the various workmen that parade through their place.

 

Man, who can you trust these days?

[W. M. Hellinger]

 

I guess there's some small comfort in finding out who was involved.

 

Actually, it's huge... because until the goods are identified as being in the hands of someone who it's not suppose to be in... it's a "reported theft"... and I'm a prime suspect... as to the theft never happening, or me being involved. It's cop logic, which I now understand, and it's perfectly logical.