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(Date Posted:24/10/2007 15:49:25)
I read with great interest the messages re. Ian Stevenson's stolen 'Mory', (and it's happy outcome) and read all the advice about how to prevent this happenning, or at least, what premptive action to take towards recovery if it does happen. Some of this was on Mudcat in relation to other items. Ah!, I thought, yes, I'll do that, and that, and that. But the one piece of advice missing from all the contributions, obvious as it is, was do it NOW. So stop reading this and go and do it - NOW - OKAY? I'd read the last contributions re. Damien O'Kane's banjo and Ian's box the day my box was stolen!!!! Your box isn't going to be stolen today? That's what I thought!!! See later below.
I'm talking about making a record of any alterations to 'standard' (if there's such a thing).
Taking photos.
Take it to the vet and have it chipped - haven't investigated this, it may or may not be practicable.
Mark it inside.
The box was a fairly old one, and had a gloss varnish on the wooden case.
There was damage to the case at the bass end, bottom corner, held as played. The wood was split and there was a hole right through the case.
All buttons were metal rimmed, but the two topmost of the 12 bass buttons had been replaced by non metal rimmed ones.
There was no makers name, or even any evidence of there ever having been one, and this in itself makes it very unusual.
It had a chrome metal grille, typically fitted by Maugein and Mengascini. Cantonelli also produced boxes with similar cases.
It was a G/C box.
It had two register levers at the back of the right button board, and three black register buttons above the bass buttons.
For what it's worth it was in an old, blue GAMA bag.
I've reported it to the police, and given them the all-important information such as my occupation, gender, mother's maiden name - and I threw in my shoe size of course. They didn't ask for a description of the box, but I gave them it anyway - well you never know.
I believe Ian's box was stolen in very similar circumstances to mine. I'd just returned from morris practice, having called at Tesco on the way back for the week's groceries. My van was unusually full of gear to take into the house. My wife and I began the task of unloading the van, which is out of sight from the road and parked on our front drive, this is parallel to the road, but hidden from it by shrubs. Had I been on my own, the theft, had it ocurred, would have been spotted immediately, but because there were two of us, each thought the other had taken the melodeon into the house. As it was, the thief, who presumably had been hiding in the shrubbery, had taken the opportunity presented when we were both indoors, about to make more journeys to the van, to take the melodeon. It wasn't missed until the following evening.
Frank
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The method the thief used sounds very similar to what happened to Squeezy some time back (after gig unpacking, only left the car for a moment and then came back to find the boxes all gone). I guess we all need to be on our guard.
