Stolen/ Missing Guitar alert
 

To the AGF community,

Please be on the lookout for a 2016 Kostal OO, serial number 96, made with a German Spruce top and Honduran Mahogany back and sides. This is a one-of-a-kind (The only mahogany OO that I have made) instrument that was recently sold through Guitar Gallery TN and disappeared after being dropped off at the local FEDEX location in Nashville, TN. The guitar was sold to one of Guitar Gallery's clients, and Robin Weber dropped it off at FEDEX for overnight delivery. The cameras show her dropping the guitar off, and the scanned receipt shows that the guitar was accepted on Dec 22nd. Shortly thereafter it ceases to exist in the FEDEX system, and no video or scan can determine what happened to it after it arrived at the FEDEX facility. This guitar is valued at over $16,000 and a police report has been filed. It has been over two weeks now, so while it is possible that it got lost in the warehouse and may still show up, it is most likely the result of theft. Attached are pictures of the guitar itself, and I would ask those that search ebay or any of the boutique guitar stores, forums or sales-based websites to be on the look out for it in the event that it shows up for sale somewhere. This is the second time that a Guitar Gallery guitar has disappeared at the SAME FEDEX location in less than a few months. The first time it was chalked up as a loss, but now there seems to be a pattern. The boxes are not marked, so whoever is taking them has no idea what is inside. Because this is a one-of-a-kind guitar, selling it will be difficult, and I am hoping someone out there will see it when, and if, it happens. I am still hopeful that it will show up at the FEDEX location at some point, but If you see this guitar, please contact myself at [email protected] or Robin Weber at Guitar Gallery so that we can notify the police. Robin had third party insurance that will cover the loss and reimburse the client, but the client that bought the guitar is pretty upset. It would be nice to see this guitar either returned to the client that bought it, or at least returned to Robin so that someone else can enjoy it. Thank you!

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Thanks for the alert. Terrible news!

I wonder if we could inspire FedEx to raise its game at this location, via social media publicity, etc. suggesting they have a crime problem (as in, this location is a customer robbery center). FedEx are a high integrity company, and if a sloppy store manager or locally ineffective security procedures are creating a systemic problem, they may address it more energetically with publicity. May be a bad idea, but... thoughts?

FedEx is a well known company, but it is really a loosely run organization that uses a huge number of "private contractors" who really have little or no concern about whether they get their job done well or not. When it all works, its fine, but even when they know about problems, they'll put more effort into covering them up and apologizing profusely than into solving them. I have 34 boxes sitting in my warehouse after waiting for 9 hours today for a scheduled pickup this morning - I spoke to 6 different customer service agents, who up until noon assured me they were on their way, from noon until 5 assured me they would be here before 6 and would call me shortly to confirm a time, and after 5:30 I was told that they were very sorry but they were suppoosed to be here before noon, and they were very sorry but they needed to reschedule for 8 to noon tomorrow. And I have no choice but to believe them -

This isn't the first time this has happened, and if it weren't at the insistence (and expense) of the customer who I ship all this product to, I'd have dropped FedEx long ago - now I think I am going to add service fees for any customer who insists on using them -

I hear you. We get the same thing all the time when we have freight and other pickups.

Jason, sorry to hear about the lost guitar, but I imagine it will eventually turn up. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a sweet deal on a Kostal.

That is a beautiful guitar. Hopefully, someone curiously admiring it will do an Internet check and see this thread.

Really sorry to hear this. Will keep an eye out.

A beautiful and unique guitar. It won't be easy to sell that one. Good luck.

This is beyond frustrating! Hope it turns up soon. As a builder, you have clients that want your guitars and are willing to sacrifice to get them. Sorry to hear this.

Hopefully the guitar will turn up somewhere in FedEx's system as being incorrectly logged. Although given the time that has lapsed since then, that does not seem likely to happen.

So sorry for your problem. I had a missing guitar in transit recently and it's an awful feeling. Just curious Jason, what type of box was it shipped in? Anything on the outside that would indicate how valuable the cargo was?

Ken,

The guitar was shipped in a standard brown box with no markings. I didn't ship the guitar, it was shipped from Guitar Gallery to one of Robin's clients that bought the guitar, so the only identifier would be that it was in a "guitar shaped" rectangular box, and had a label on it from Guitar Gallery.

Jason

I feel for you. Sadly, I suspect it has gone home to some light fingered layabout's home who has NO IDEA what it is he has and, as such, will not treat it with due respect. I had a guitar stolen some years back and when I finally did get it back (after asking around in the "right" circles) it had a chair leg sized hole in the soundboard. I returned it to the factory where they did a repair, but could not hide it completely, but I'll not willingly part with that guitar even now.

Thanks for the alert!

If I remember correctly, the insured amount does appear on the Fedex waybill so it would be easy for a thief to target valuable goods.

Sorry this has happened to one of your guitars, Jason -- but the good news is that no one was harmed and no one is starving as a result of this situation.

The box shape, waybill and/or Guitar Gallery logo would be pretty good indicators that there's something very valuable in the box.

I hope the guitar gets recovered quickly!