Workshop robbery. Please spread the word.

[Jim Garber]

I just received this notice from Nigel Forster that his workshop in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, was robbed of quite a few instruments including ones that were recently completed. I didn't see anything about it on these forums and I figured Nigel has his hands full right now. Here is the text of the email and I assume he will post the photos that were in the email on his web site.

If anyone comes across any of these instruments you can contact him through his web site.

Workshop robbery. Please spread the word.

Well, today I actually planned to send out a newsletter to tempt you all with a mandola that was made for a chap in the USA. Sadly, due to financial problems, the chap had to cancel his order.

About an hour after I wrote the newsletter, I received a phone call from my pal Ralph Plumb - I'm subletting workshop space from Ralph at the moment, to finish off a load of instruments before moving country (yet again) later in the year. Ralph rang me to say the workshop (our workshop) had been broken into early this morning, that the Police were there and that he was on his way to pick me up to see what was missing.

Quite a lot as it turns out.

Here is a list of what was taken. Please share this on social media, the thieves are going to struggle to sell any of this without raising alarms. Even if you're not in the UK, please share this news, as Facebook algorithms are much more likely to show this in a newsfeed in the UK when people share it.

I hope to have a page up on my site within the next day or so - if you share and link to that also, it will help.

The thieves who did this are going to struggle to "move" this lot on without setting off the alarm bells, so it's possible they will end up dumping them or destroying them. But you never know, I may get them back. And if that is the case, there will be a sign of relief from quite a few folk.

Here is the list.

1) Model O Celtic Mandolin
2) An 8 string Sapele and spruce mandola
3) My 1890s vintage mahogany and spruce Howe Orme
4) 1970's Fender Musicmaster bass guitar
5) Ralph Plumb Viola
6) An Indian rosewood and torrefied sitka spruce Model D-SS
7) Indian rosewood Model C-SS w/cutaway - this is the only one I don't have a photo of. This is similar:
8) A "relic" finish electric guitar
9) A wenge and spruce Model S-HO guitar
10) A "Relic" finish Rosewood and spruce Session King tenor guitar
11) A 10 string wenge and spruce guitar bouzouki w/cutaway
12) An 8 string bubinga and spruce guitar bouzouki w/cutaway

That's quite a haul.

This lot represents about 8 months work. A lot of time, and a lot of money. A lot of care, and a lot of effort.

Ironically, it was yesterday afternoon that I closed the doors to the workshop, glad I'd finally finished setting up the whole lot. Done. Several were going to be shipped out to customers this week, the rest were going to my secure lockup in Newcastle on Monday. And I'm sorry to add that neither Ralph nor myself had insurance.

Please spread the word. Keep an eye on my site for a page like this and please share.

Thanks,

Nigel

[Roger Moss]

We need to reinstate the scourge.

[trevor]

That's terrible news. I will let you know if I hear anything.

[nkforster]

Yep. Cleaned out.

Here is a link to share on social media - http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/guitars-stolen/
even if you're not in the UK, by sharing you bump the post up in the Facebook algorithm. So please share/link.

Thanks,

Nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/guitars-stolen/

[Northwest Steve]

hear about the loss. That was quite a diverse group of instruments and they were stunning. Great work.

[Jeff Hildreth]

I am very sorry to hear this.
Many years ago I repaired stringed instruments in Monterey, Calif.
Someone broke into my shop which was hidden and less than a half dozen people knew I had a shop behind my little abode(also hidden) .
I came home and everything was gone.. 12 instruments, and all but 1 were there for repair.
I paid off all of the owners and have never repaired an instrument since; over 50 years.
15 years later.. I found out who the culprits were through another friend while at a high school reunion. .. two high school buddies just out of the Marines and back from Viet Nam. I had met with them just a week prior to the theft. Never considered them. They had become heroin addicts.

Two weeks ago someone stole 600 board feet of 15 year old quarter sawn highly figured white oak.. 14-22" wide... 8 ft long and 2 1/4 inches thick. 105 years old all stickered and air dried... they stole the wood the stickering and the cover sheets of ply and tarping, everything and left other stacks of wood. This wood exceeds the instrument quality found on a few rare Martins and other guitars of the past. it was premium wood saved for furniture ( I spent 25 years building furniture and saving this for my last hoorah)
Good thing they did not get into my shop... 40 year collection of instrument wood... yes, a lot of wood.. all old and some very rare.

I live in a remote town on So Oregon.. been here for over 20 years. I know very few people and very few people have been invited to my home/property/shop. The criminality here parallels Nicks.. They culprits had to know me, they had to know that I had this specific timber, (nothing else was stolen) they had to know when I WAS NOT HERE. As the detective said..." the thief/thieves are closer than you know." I am now fighting with my insurance company.. and that is the cherry on the scoop of Sxxx.

Nick , I am so sorry to hear this and will put the word out here on the USA North West in the unlikely event they surface .

I hate thieves with a passion.

[Ray(T)]

Bummer - just posted the link on Mudcat

[Verne Andru]

So sad to hear your loss.

The timing is suspicious - exactly when the instruments are completed and ready for sale. Who knew?

I hope the perpetrators are caught and your hard work returned.

[Seter]

Sad situations like these make me wonder if there is or there could be created an online database of instruments reported stolen, potential buyers could search by maker/serial number to verify the instrument has a clean record, a CarFax for instruments of sorts. I know there are a fair amount of small ones individual websites have, but a unified database would be handy.

[mandocrucian]

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/...d-plant-parts/

[Mandolin Cafe]

Sad situations like these make me wonder if there is or there could be created an online database of instruments reported stolen, potential buyers could search by maker/serial number to verify the instrument has a clean record, a CarFax for instruments of sorts. I know there are a fair amount of small ones individual websites have, but a unified database would be handy.

There have been a number of web sites with this focus over the years. They all failed, miserably. For one, you've have to pull too many noses out of social media for anyone to take note, and my career IT perspective says, ain't gonna happen.

[AMandolin]

http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/guitars-stolen/

Hit the link to view the instruments that where stolen.
A heartbreaker for sure.

http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/guitars-stolen/

[Ivan Kelsall]

Dreadful news indeed !. Re. registering instruments,it's very doubtful that anybody offered one of these instruments would even care,unless they knew that they were stolen & in turn,extremely honest.

With many of the stolen instruments appealing only to a specialised market - maybe that in itself could narrow down the areas to be scrutinised for a sale ?. The Fender Bass guitar might be a tad difficult to find though.

I hope that the Police take this seriously & do try to track the thief down - any UK Cafe members should e-mail the original post & instrument listing, to any of their musician friends,especially mandolin orientated ones - i for one will be doing so,
Ivan

PS - e-mail just sent to my banjo playing friend,Ian Sharp,up in Darlington,UK - not too far away from Nick's workshop,with a request to forward the info. Others will be sent.

[CES]

Terrible news, so sorry to hear it. I hope you’re able to recover the instruments quickly and in pristine condition...

[William Smith]

That is a nightmare indeed, usually when stuff like that is taken it is someone close! I despise hearing this. It can also be a dread if you buy a stolen instrument unawares. I'd imagine you'd have to give it back and pry be out your $, I don't know how that works but I'm sure a problem. I hope all comes back and the guilty punished.

[Bertram Henze]

We need to reinstate the scourge.

If that would help, yes.

What a shame, especially considering it was probably done by "friends of friends".

[RHDean]

removed - violates forum posting guidelines, inappropriate

[brunello97]

Well, maybe not.

Mick

[Bertram Henze]

...need to re-instate this;

I don't know, hosts of one-armed bandits roaming the streets...

If I were a luthier, I'd store the instruments under my bed or in the attic. In the shop, I'd have some 20 locked instrument cases with little sand bags in them.

[Jeff Mando]

Long story, which I will make shorter. 20 years ago, I was working at a vintage guitar shop and three "suspicious" guys came in trying to sell a high end violin. I say suspicious, because they didn't seem to know much about it or be able to play it. On top of that they wanted several thousand dollars for it, so my boss passed on it. Later that evening on the news, the same three guys were arrested trying to sell it to another store in town. The other store also found them to be suspicious and while the violin was being "inspected" in the backroom, a phone call was made to some database listing stolen violins and it appeared. I'm not sure what this database was and it seemed to be pre-internet, IIRC. Anyway, to give you hope.....

[soliver]

I am one of those oddballs who had NO social media ties. The MC is the closest thing I have to social media.... HOWEVER I shared the link with a note to "Please share on social media" to all of my friends who are musicians.

Really hate this for you Nigel!

[Mandolincelli]

Just a fine point: a robbery is the taking of property from another's person by threat or force. A burglary is the breaking and entering a structure with the intent to commit larceny (theft). This is a workshop
burglary, not a robbery.

[Verne Andru]

Something funny going on in Newcastle.

A very good friend is from there. He played in a bunch of bands including Beckett which went on to become Iron Maiden. He co-wrote a bunch of songs including "Hallowed be thy name" (he has 50-50 co-writing credits on the album) that became one of Maiden's biggest hits.

Long story short, a few of his old Newcastle band "mates" went so far as to change the credits on the UK equiv of Socan (submitting dubious affidavits in the process) bumping my friends writing credit down from 50-50 to 25-75. They then went to Maiden's management and walked away with 100% of the back royalties leaving my friend with nothing. Needless to say this has been a field-day for the lawyers and a disaster for my friend.

Not saying Newcastle is the cause, it just seems there are more than a few bad musical apples living there.

BTW - posted Nigel's not on my FB - hope it helps.

[RHDean]

Dang, my post got.....cut off

[LadysSolo]

I have more hope since the person in New York got their mandolin back (good Karma and all that.) Keep the faith!