We received a report over the weekend that two Michael Kelly Octave Mandolins were recently stolen from Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Milton, Florida.

The church was broken into and the two instruments were taken along with the sound system and various other items.

One is made into a 6 string soprano guitar and has a regular tailpiece and the other is tuned like the bottom four strings on a guitar and had a solid tailpiece.

If anyone has any information on these instruments, please contact Pastor Charles Bradshaw at 850-380-6000.

America’s Most Wanted - Banjo Edition… CBS 13 in Sacramento, CA has the news of two banjo bandits who obtained a priceless 1931 Vegavox tenor banjo via burlarious entry into the owner’s car in late July, and recently attempted to sell it to a pawn shop in Folsom. The pawn shop had been alerted about the banjo theft, and provided security camera images to the police who are tightening the net.

According to the owner of the banjo, it had been played for six US Presidents, including the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Folsom police ask anyone who recognizes the suspects to please call their Tip Line at 1-800-78-CRIME.

Hat tip to Rick Briggs for alerting us to this story.

Folks, it always bothers me when I hear that someone’s instrument has been stolen, but it’s especially troubling when it happens in your own area.

Last week in Blacksburg, VA a 1994 Randy Wood F model mandolin with varnish finish, fern inlay, and the fancy pearl tuners was stolen. The serial number of the instrument is 11294.

The owner is offering a reward for the return of the instrument and may be contacted via an online form on the Mandolin Cafe.

Terry Tipton wrote in to ask for help recovering a vintage banjo that belongs to his nephew. It was stolen along with a Martin D-18 and some audio gear near Germantown, OH a week ago.

He shared a detailed description of the banjo.

The banjo is a 20’s TB-11. It has what is referred to as a “Diamond Flange”. It has a double cut headstock/flying eagle inlay and the player’s name on a pearl truss rod cover. Keith tuners and some other very definite marks on it. The headstock has been broken and re-glued and the neck was originally cut for a one piece flange. This banjo has side mounted brackets. The pot was turned a little too far down so there is a gap you can see from the outside between the ring and where it rests on the rim. The resonator looks to be brushed over with clear.

Terry asks that anyone who may have information on this banjo or its whereabouts please contact him by email.

Thanks to Becky Taylor for passing along this heartwarming story which appears in today’s issue of The Richmond Times Dispatch.

It tells of how Jim Connor, then a member of The Kingston Trio, had his custom Vega banjo stolen after a show in 1971, only to have it restored to him when a former student spotted it on eBay. Especially encouraging is the reporting of eBay’s eager cooperation in halting the sale and establishing communication between the seller and Connor.

EBay stopped the sale of the instrument. With the help of the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, Connor contacted New York City police.

The seller, who said that a relative had bought the banjo in a used-furniture store in Harlem, called Connor.

“He said, ‘If the instrument is really stolen, I want to cooperate,’” Connor said. Connor proved with pictures and affidavits that the instrument was his.

Connor ultimately purchased the banjo back, convinced that the current seller was in no way connected with the 35 year old theft in New York, and is delighted to be reunited with his old friend.

Read the full article on the Times Dispatch site.

One of our readers just wrote in to tell us that he recently had several instruments stolen from his home. John did not indicate where his home is located, but since his company is in Atlanta, GA I assume his home is in that area as well. Here’s his report about the instruments, and a way to contact him with info if you know anything.

The instruments that were stolen are:

Music Man Sting Ray Bass (black body)

Ibanez Acoustic guitar with La Bella Deep Talking Bass Strings

Earthwood Bass by Music Man/Ernie Ball. (Note: This instrument was given to me 6 days before it was stolen. The instrument was made for me by the original makers of the Earthwood bass at Music Man. Dan Norton and Ron Saul are very good friends and this was a gift. This instrument is priceless for many reasons. As you can see I like my acoustic bass instruments, strange as it is.)

Two amps were also stolen, here are the descriptions:

Hartke Kickback Bass Amp combo

Fender Combo Bass Amp

As you know all of these instruments can be replaced except the Earthwood Bass. The wood that was used to make this was wood that Dan Norton has had since the early 80’s. He had planned to build himself a bass but never did. He used his wood to make this instrument.

If you have any information about these instruments please contact john@jriddle.com or call 404-876-1988

Jeremy Bauer just wrote in to report a sad incident:

I was in Portland, OR on 01-28-2006 when my Epiphone MB-250 banjo was stolen out of my car (along with a lot of other stuff including my Michael Burke pennywhistles (D & E) ). The banjo has a custom Celtic-themed head on it, setting it apart from the look of other banjos [see photo below ~ed]. The banjo was in a black Gold Tone case plastered with stickers. However, if the stickers have been peeled, the case still says “Gold Tone” on the outside and is very faded ’cause I tried to remove it. In the case is a Intellitouch tuner and a Levy’s brown leather strap. The banjo has a Shubb 5th String Capo and Fishman Rare Earth pickup mounted on it. The SN is: X96015538. Anyway, I’d appreciate any help or extra eyes out there. Thank you, thank you! Keep up the great work!

If anyone has any information about this instrument please contact Jeremy immediately.
website: amadanusa.com
email: bauerje@lifetime.oregonstate.edu

 

  

Stolen: Epiphone MB-250
© 2006 The Bluegrass Blog

 

The Northern California Bluegrass Society is sponsoring a National Stolen & Missing Instrument directory. It allows for instant listing of a stolen instrument and is expected to be a useful resource for pickers, retailers, and law enforcement agencies alike. There is no charge for the service which functions like a bulletin board or online forum. The directory can be displayed as a threaded list, or in a bulletin board style format, and you can search the many entries from any page.

Many of our readers may find the site useful, though it employs annoying pop up windows and banner ads with audio that some users may find disconcerting.

We previously posted about the instruments stolen from the home of Gena Britt - Tew. Gena just wrote in with the great news that the instruments have been recovered and returned. Here’s her email.

My instruments were recovered! Yeah!! I got them back yesterday,and am very thankful. Thought I’d send this news in, so you can share with all those that were keeping up with it. Was great to see you at IBMA. I appreciate all you & John are doing. Love the Blog!

Best,
Gena

Megan Lynch wrote in to tell us about a stolen instrument alert. It seems the house shared by 3 members of the California based Donner Mountain Bluegrass Band was broken into recently and quite a bit of stuff was stolen. The thieves made off with the stereo, playstation, the band’s entire sound system (including the power amp, mixing board, speakers, mics, ect.), and some cash.

Now for the really bad news…They stole Tom Kingsley’s Red Diamond A style mandolin…..Its serial number is 125, and it was in its distinctive ORANGE calton case. Please keep your eyes out for Tom’s mandolin. Donner Mountain is offering a cash reward for help in recovering this fine mandolin.

If you have any info about these items, please contact the band immediately:

phone: 707-365-1940
email: dave@donnermountain.net

We just received this note from Casey Henry:

The Nashville Metro Police department has recovered two stolen instruments. A banjo and a mandolin. If anyone wants to claim them they should contact Detective Mavity at 615-862-7611.

The Nashville police must be somewhat hip to bluegrass, since they contacted The Station Inn with the news. It isn’t clear whether these recovered instruments may have been stolen from or at the IBMA convention, but if anyone did suffer such a loss while attending the event, hopefully this will lead them back home.

We just received a notice from Dave Schenkman of Turtle Hill Banjo Company in Bryantown, MD that a recent shipment of three new Turtle Hill Woody banjos included one empty box, from which a banjo had been removed, and the box resealed and delivered by UPS. Dave suspects tampering by a UPS employee, which would be a regrettable occurrence if his suspicion is borne out by an investigation.

A photo of a similar banjo can be seen here.

The empty box was delivered on Monday September 26 and Dave asks that anyone who may know or see anything about this, please contact him by email.

Gena Britt Tew just contacted me with an alert that her husband and herself were robbed yesterday while at work. The thieves got three instruments along with a few household items.

They got the XBox, about 20 games, a Watch, tried to get the computer, but must’ve got spooked in the middle of that. But, what makes my heart hurt the most is that 3 of our instruments were stolen. They got a newer model Michael Kelly acoustic bass with a gig bag, my husband’s Phil Leadbetter model dobro and case, and my (gasp) 1964 Gibson RB-250 Banjo. I still don’t know what to say. I have had this banjo for 21 years (since I was 12). Some distinguishing markings on the banjo is that it has a brand new head on it that was just put on, and the old “D” tuners were removed and the holes were filled in a long time ago. Please keep your eyes and ears open.

If you have any information about these instruments please contact Gena immediately.